MadSci Network: Engineering
Query:

Re: Why doesn't water flow backwards in an Archimedes Screw?

Date: Tue Nov 11 16:00:46 2003
Posted By: Gary Treistman, Undergraduate, Gen. Knowl. Dept., Programming Technologies
Area of science: Engineering
ID: 1067113506.Eg
Message:

The form of your question is imprecise, so I don't really know what you 
are asking.
Water will flow in either direction in an Archimedes Screw, provided the 
source of the water is touching the interior of the screw's chamber, and 
of course the screw is rotated in the correct direction. This requirement 
is similar to the priming that is necessary in any non-self priming water 
pump.

Ordinarily water is lifted against gravity by the worm drive of the screw, 
where each pocket of water is separated from the source in a dynamic 
chamber created when the thread of screw rises upward pursuant to the 
rotation.




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