Archimedean screw or Archimedean screw pump

Archimedean screw or Archimedean screw pump

A cross-section of a simplified Archimedean screw pump

 

Archimedean screw pump is one of the earliest kinds of screw pump

Associated with the Greek mathematician Archimedes. It consists of a large spiral screw revolving inside a close-fitting cylinder. It is used, for example, to raise water for irrigation.

 

The lowest portion of the Archimedean screw just dips into the water

And as the cylinder is turned a small quantity of water is scooped up. The inclination of the cylinder is such that at the next revolution the water is raised above the next thread, whilst the lowest thread scoops up another quantity. The successive revolutions, therefore, raise the water thread by thread until it emerges at the top of the cylinder.

 

Archimedean screw pumps are known for their high efficiency and high volume capability

The Archimedean screw pump is a simple mechanical device consisting of a partially or fully enclosed cylinder and a continuous screw extending the length of the cylinder, thus forming lifting chambers.  By placing the lower end in water and revolving the screw, water is raised to the top.

 

The Archimedean screw easily lifts light, loose solid materials

Hence, the device has various applications in modern mills and factories where volumes of grains and sand need to be lifted. Devices using a similar principle are known in places that receive a lot of snow, in the form of augers in snow blowers. In the Netherlands, Archimedean screws are used to remove water from polders to create dry land areas below sea level. More than one screw is used to pumpwater from a single source  in large-scale applications,

 

Archimedean Screw Pumping was originally applied for drainage and irrigation

today Archimedes screws and screw pumps are also employed in sewage works and waste water treatment plants because they cope well with varying rates of flow and suspended solids.

 

Even today, Archimedean screw pumps are still operating on the Nile delta for irrigation purposes.

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