Archimedes Helix

[Pony]

Has anyone had any experience using an Archimedes Helix pump ? Was wondering what height it would be effective to. Looking about 15 feet rise.

 

[andys]

I've seen some fairly big height gains (10m plus) on machines used for irrigation in Turkey. The key limitation is the requirement that the cylinder be set at 45 degrees or thereabouts, so horizontal space (as well as the vertical) is needed. In theory, the length is unlimited - assuming there is sufficient power to lift the weight of the water. You don't have to go for an internal helix either - the same result can be obtained by spiralling plastic tubing (such as large bore hosepipe) around a solid central shaft but it is harder to mount.

 

[Maj]

Using a large bore hose will get rid of friction vs sealing problems between the corkscrew and wall of the cylinder/pipe. Unless the whole assembly is rotated and the internal screw is fixed permanently and sealed to the inside wall of the cylinder/pipe.

Maj.

 

[IanWalker]

quite clever the hosepipe trick.

in a similar fashion (and i'm not sure if this is an archimedes screw) i've seen a water-powered water lifter whereby a large diameter water wheel is mounted beside a small river. it has small paddles arranged around the outside so that the river flow turns the wheel. strapped to the wheel is a spiral of hosepipe which starts at the outside and ends in the centre. as the wheel revolves the outermost part of the hose gets submerged and fills with water until this end is lifted out again. then as the wheel rotates this water is lifted by the action of the spiral, until it reaches the middle of the wheel where it is dischaged into a small pipe and fills a garden water butt.

picture paints a thousand words...

 

[IanWalker]

... okay maybe my terrible sketch paints a hundred words?

i assume your passage is 30 ft high and takes a fast-flowing and deep river, and is near the entrance for wood, and has suitable anchor points for the wheel axis. show us a picture once you've built it!

 

[TheBitterEnd]

Not a terrible sketch at all and a nifty idea! All I need now is a

passage is 30 ft high and takes a fast-flowing and deep river, and is near the entrance for wood, and has suitable anchor points for the wheel axis

 

[bograt]

O.K. for lifting water, not good for ridding water, what was the purpose envisioned by the OP?.

 

[Pony]

The lay of the land is a 10/15 feet deep pot with the sump a short way from the foot. Looks like the helix is nt the way,can't get near a 45 degree angle. Cheers for your thoughts everyone.

 

[TheBitterEnd]

Just for completeness...

I believe the angle of the axis is related to the pitch of the screw. You only need it tipped off vertical such that water sits in the bottom of the "thread" and does not run out. So using the hose wrapped around a drum idea, a small bore hose round a large-ish central drum would not need to be far off vertical.

BUT - as a first approximation a 15mm garden hose close wrapped around a 150mm central "drum" (e.g. a bit of plastic pipe) would need to be less than 10 degrees off vertical. However you are only going to lift about 50ml per rev AND I recon you would need something like 120m of garden hose for 5m height!