TRAINEES DIGEST

marine.ppeg.co.in --SIMPLY SPEAKING Learn with a Smile

HYDROPHORE
Picking up the thread from the CARTOON at http://marine.ppeg.co.in/hydrophore Hydrophore is one of the most important equipments on board a vessel.It is responsible to make available drinking water in the entire accommodation. It basically consists of Pressure vessel which contains water and pressurized with air. It is the AIR pressure which propels the water to the UPPERMOST deck on the ship. Naturally this Hydrophore needs to be CHARGED with air at regular intervals ( which the watchkeeping Engineers keep doing ). The fundamental principle is thus very SIMPLE to understand. Having said that, there is also slightly more than the apparent simplistic logic.

Here are some tips on HOW To charge a Hydrophore.

Lets start with two important parameters. --CUT IN Pressure ---Example --Hydrophore needs to CUT IN at say at 2.5 barThis 2.5 bar should be a pressure which is SUFFICIENT ENOUGH to push water upto THE HIGHEST DECK when people generally Retire for the Day and Take BATH ETC. This pressure would ofcourse vary from vessel to vessel depending upon the number of Decks and the number of CREW WHO TAKE BATH .:-) ---CUT OUT PRESSURE The pressure at which the pump should cut out. Let us say this is 5 bar. Now we have a look at the IMPLICATIONS of charging the hydrophore with these two PARAMETERS .

Observe fig 1 water level when the pressure is 2.5 bar. The volume of Air available is V1 When the pump cuts in and pumps water into the hydrophore Air gets compressed till 5 bar and the pump Cuts Out.Observe that V2 amount of water GOT PUMPED between the two operating pressures of 2.5 bar and 5 bar Observe Fig 3 Compare the same with figure 2 and observe Volume of Water Pumped =V3.You can easily see that a VERY SMALL Volume of water got pumped between the same operating Operating pressures of 2.5 bar and 5 Bar.

TRAINEES DIGEST
marine.ppeg.co.in --SIMPLY SPEAKING Learn with a Smile It is not very difficult to visualize that If hydrophore operates as per Fig 3 ..the pump will CUT IN AND CUT OUT very frequently and the MOTOR CAN GET BURNT OUT.

THEN WHAT IS THE BEST WAY to Charge a Hydrophore ?? DO YOU charge the hydrophore to 5 bar CUT OUT pressure or to 2.5 bar CUT IN Pressure at a particular Water level????
If you charge Hydrophore to 5 bar You cannot ANTICIPATE the level of water at 2.5 bar CUT IN pressure, once water gets consumed.So there is a RISK of the water level dropping BELOW the outlet pipe and air will find its way through the outlet pipe.. Obviously charging to CUT OUT pressure is a BAD WAY to operate a hydrophore. So the Best way is the KEEP water Level comfortably ABOVE the OUTLET PIPE and charge it to the CUT IN PRESSURE of 2.5 bar.This will ensure maximum water per cut-in cut-out cycle.

volume of

Again ,If you keep it too close to the OUT LET PIPE and there is some AIR LEAK into the
vessel through the Charging Valve the water level will gradually fall below the outlet pipe .

For the academic oriented and theory fans What is the

principle/law involved ?? o Well.. it is the same old P1V1 = P2V2. Observe that V1=2V2. I assume this hint is good enough and you can catch on and build it up .. All the best for those who will venture into figuring it out