Saturday, September 1, 2012

Alternative Water Pumps


The Spiral Pump aka Wirtz Pump might be an alternative for those looking to pump water using wind, solar or water flow from a stream.

The Spiral Pump requires very little energy, and can utilize various methods of mechanical energy
The pump takes advantage of the entrapped air to achieve remarkable head pressure.
Unlike a Ram Pump, this pump is quiet and very simple.

Another pump worth looking at is the Geyser Pump. aka Airlift Pump

Calculations for Airlift Pumps can be found starting on page 50 of this PDF from Kieth Tatjana

A simple spreadsheet for Airlift Pumps


This is my quick Geyser Pump

Several days later I added a check valve as seen in the videos below.  I pumped 4 lpm of air into the airlift pump and got almost as much water back out in return!   70 lpm in may not deliver the same results, but I will post the results when and if I get around to making that test.


Here's another method - the Airlift Pump


Another look at the Glenn Martinez Airlift Pumps


AquaLab: Ex 06 Airlift pump experiment demo

Skip Kemp has more aquaculture videos that you may find interesting


But this may be my favorite! 


Real Pit Bull Demo


This Wiki Link shows many types of pumps.
I am a little disappointed they did not include the Tesla Turbine


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