WORK ORDER NO. IV, TASK ORDER NO. CC - WATER PUMP

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-03645A000200100001-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 25, 2011
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: May 1, 1959
• Content Type: REPORT

.. .111, i . . . A l - - -
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP78-0364e5A000200100001-4
ISW
b to
May 1, 1959
WiN-m:v- Pomp
This summary report describes the work done under
Order No. IV, Task Order No. CC, during the period from November 18,
1958, through February 17, 1959. Under this program, an experimental
pumping device was evolved that was capable of delivering 120 cc
of water per minute at a pressure of from 10 to 30 psi, and also of
supplying 96 cc per minute when pumping against a pressure of over
200 psi. However, the further development of this design has been
'- discontinued in favor of a pump based on a mechanism used in a com-
`
mercial
paj,,,nt sprayer; this effort is being conducted under Task
Order No. II.
During 1956 and 1957, three programs had been undertaken to
conduct research directed toward the development, modification, and
preparation of portable drilling kits with which an operator could
drill small holes through 30 inches of masonry-type building
materials. Under these programs, namely, Research Order No. 30, Task
Order No. 0, and Work Order No. XI, Task Order No. A, drilling kits
had been developed that consisted essentially of a motorized hand
drilling unit, a CO2 cylinder, a water tank with a hand-operated air
pump, a water-and-dust collector, selected drills, and a carrying
case.
Although this equipment has proved to be very useful, drill-
ing operations could be significantly improved if the quantity of
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP78-03645A000200100001-4
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP78-03645A000200100001-4
-2- May 1, 1959
water in the supply vessel were not limited to approximately one
quart and if the operator did not have to pressurize the tank by
manually working the pump. Further, the operations would be facil-
itated if the water from the drill could be returned to the supply
vessel where it could be filtered and reused. These benefits could
be derived if a simple, inexpensive, constant-displacement, electrical-
ly powered pumping device were available to feed water from the supply
vessel to the electric hand drilling unit. A research investigation
directed toward the development of an experimental pumping device of
this general type was undertaken on November 18, 1958, under Work
Order No. IV, Task Order No. CC.
Engineering Activity
The effort under this program was concerned with the inves-
tigation of various types of small pumps and motors, the design and
fabrication of an experimental pumping device, and the performance of
evaluation tests on the experimental unit.
Pump Investigation
Gear Pumps. As stated in our proposal dated September 26,
1958, we had anticipated that a gear pump could be used for this ap-
plication, and had cited a similar application where a pump with
stamped gears was being used to pump oil through the moving parts of
a commercial sewing machine. Another reason for our interest in
gear pumps was that they do not involve intake or exhaust valves, and,
consequently, are relatively simple units.
ti)~~L"5L\L _1
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP78-03645A000200100001-4
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP78-03645A000200100001-4
-3- May 1, 1959
The initial effort in this program consisted of contact-
ing 12 commercial gear-pump manufacturers and discussing our pumping
problem with them. The results of these telephone calls quickly
showed that there was no small, lightweight commercial pump avail-
able for pumping the small quantities of water involved in the device
of interest. However, we did locate one company, the Mechanical
Products Corporation, Chicago, Illinois, that manufactured a
relatively small metering pump for soft-drink-dispensing machines.
This pump was fabricated entirely from stainless steel and was capable
of pumping the small, quantities of liquid involved.
We purchased one pump of this type and conducted a pre-
liminary evaluation. The tests showed that this unit could pump 500 cc
of water per minute against a pressure of 0 psi and 130 cc per minute
against a 30-psi pressure. We also found that the cut-off pressure
was 68 psi.
Since no small commercial gear pumps were available that
were capable of pumping at a pressure of 200 psi, it was decided to
design a small compact unit using commercially available gears.
After completing our preliminary design and making preliminary calcu-
lations, we found that, although a small gear pump could be prepared,
the amount of precision machining required in producing a unit of
this small size would result in the unit being too expensive; in order
to achieve a maximum pressure of 200 psi with a flow rate of 30 cc
per minute, the leak-back rate would have to be very small and
tolerances for close fits would be required in all of the pump parts.
We also found that if a pump, manufactured to reasonable tolerances,
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP78-03645A000200100001-4
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP78-03645A000200100001-4
-4- May 1, 1959
were capable of handling 30 cc per minute at a pressure of 200 psi,
the unit would have a capacity of approximately 600 cc per minute at
10 psi. This was considerably more than the desired capacity, and
would have necessitated the incorporation of a.metering-type valve
for use in the lower pressure portions of the drilling operation.
Since our design calculations and preliminary evaluation ef-
fort showed that a gear pump was not feasible for the proposed ap-
plication, it was decided to investigate other types of constant-
displacement pumps. Our next choice was a diaphragm pump.
Diaphragm Pump. Although this type of pump required the
use of inlet and exhaust valves, we felt that a diaphragm pump would
probably be more satisfactory than a piston pump because no pistons
or cylinders, which could be affected by wear or contamination, would
be involved.
After studying the requirements as to size, displacement,
and thickness of material which would be required in connection with
the diaphragm, we decided to use a bellows type of diaphragm rather
than a disk type, in order to keep the over-all size of the pump to a
minimum. A small four-sectioned bellows, approximately 1-1/4 inches
in diameter and 3/4 inch long, was procured.for use in an experimental
pump. A cam-driven mechanism was employed to drive the bellows, and
a set of ball check valves was fabricated and incorporated in the ex-
perimental unit. Evaluation tests with this experimental diaphragm
pump showed that the unit was capable of pumping against a pressure
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP78-03645A000200100001-4
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP78-03645A000200100001-4
May 1, 1959
of 200 psi; however, the flow rate at these pressures was very low
because the bellows deflected and reduced the effective displacement
of the pump.
Because of these problems with the diaphragm pump, we
decided that a piston pump should be investigated.
Piston Pump. In the design of the piston pump, two possible
sources of difficulty were considered. The first was the problem as-
sociated with the operation of valves at high speed, and the second
involved the excessive wear of the cylinder and/or piston as a result
of contamination of the water. In order to handle these two problems,
we decided to build a low-speed, large-displacement, short-stroking
piston pump. Preliminary calculations were made and it appeared that
a pump with a 7/8-inch bore and 1/8-inch stroke operating at a speed
of 85 rpm would provide a unit in which the above-indicated problems
would be minimized. By using an 0-ring seal on the piston and allow-
ing it to roll instead of slide during the short stroke, we felt that
cylinder wear would be substantially eliminated.
In order to permit checking the calculations, we fabricated
a piston pump using ball check valves for the inlet and outlet ports,
and also the same cam-driving mechanism which had previously been
employed in the diaphragm pump. A 1/15-horsepower variable-speed
motor was connected to the experimental unit for the evaluation tests.
The preliminary evaluation results showed that the pump
would probably deliver the amount of'water required and would pump at
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP78-03645A000200100001-4
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP78-03645A000200100001-4
'~ I
-6- May 1, 1959
a pressure in excess of 200 psi. However, we could not check the
actual pumping rate and pressures at the design speed because the
variable-drive unit on the motor did not operate over a wide enough
range.
Motor Investigation
Since the objective of this program was to develop a complete
pumping unit, a small motor had to be selected to drive the pump.
As was stated in the proposal, an appropriate motor was a unit which
was lightweight, quiet, and operable on standard house current.
A number of motor manufacturers were contacted to determine
if there were any available motors that would meet the requirements.
It was found that the Lamb Electric Company, Kent, Ohio, manufactured
a small gearhead-type series-universal cash-register motor that weighed
1 pound 2 ounces; had a full-load output speed of 82 rpm; and operated
on 115-volt a-c or d-c. One of these motors was purchased and con-
nected to the experimental piston pump.
Evaluation of Experimental-
Piston Pump
A number of pressure and flow measurements were made on the
experimental piston pump. It was found that the unit was capable of
supplying approximately 140 cc per minute at 10-psi pressure and ap-
proximately 105 cc per minute at 200-psi pressure. However, the
flow measurements were not consistent, because the ball check valves
did not operate properly.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP78-03645A000200100001-4
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP78-03645A000200100001-4
May 1, 1959
In order to correct the valve problem, we purchased special
small piston-type check valves and installed them in the experimental
pump. It was subsequently found that the flow increased considerably;
in order to reduce the output of the pump to the desired values, a
Variac was connected to the input of the motor, to facilitate reducing
the input voltage to approximately 60 volts. Although this
reduction in the input voltage to the motor, decreased the noise level
of the operating experimental unit, the noise was still considerably
higher than that of the operating electric hand drilling unit.
Since it was desirable that the pump of interest operate
quietly, a sound-silencing study was made on the experimental pumping
device. The study showed that, by encasing the motor in a metal box
and wrapping the outside of the box with approximately 1/2-inch-
thick Fiberglas insulation, the sound level of the operating experi-
mental pumping device could be reduced to a level below that of the
operating electric hand drilling unit. We did, however, find that it
was necessary to add cooling coils to the outside of the motor and
thus provide for water cooling, in order to prevent the encased motor
from overheating during operation.
Subsequently, the experimental piston-pump unit was
transmitted to you for further evaluation.
Future Work
On February 17, 1959, a meeting was held with you to discuss
the experimental piston-pump design. At that time, you brought with
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP78-03645A000200100001-4
 LIL
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP78-03645A000200100001-4
May 1, 1959
you a commercial paint sprayer which incorporated a small vibrator-
powered piston pump. This pump had a bore of approximately 1/8 inch
and a stroke of 3/32 inch, and preliminary tests showed that it was
capable of supplying 120 cc of water against a 10-psi pressure and
96 cc of water against a 200-psi pressure. An added feature of this
pump was that it involved only one valve; no inlet valve was used, and
the exhaust valve was a self-cleaning disk-type unit. Since the
size of this pump was considerably smaller than that of the above-
described experimental device, you suggested that we consider the
adaptation of this vibrator-driven pump to an electric-motor drive,
in an additional program of research directed toward developing a
suitable pump. Subsequently, this additional effort was initiated
under Task Order No. II.
We would appreciate any comments that you or your associates
might care to make with regard to the activity under Work Order No. IV.
Sincerely,
In Triplicate
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/05/25: CIA-RDP78-03645A000200100001-4