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Hydraulics question

Russell Secord

Russell Secord

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Simple question, I just can't find the answer with an online search.

I saw a documentary some time ago. It made the point that a screw pump can only go so high. For instance, you have water in a mine, you run a tube to the surface, you turn a screw inside the tube to lift the water. If you build that tube too high, the water won't reach the top.

My question is, what is that limit? How high can you pump water with a screw?
 
Pthom

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First, check out Wikipedia on "screw pump" and "positive displacement pump" and "Archimedes Screw". Also this article is informative.

I think the only limitation of a "screw pump" is how big you can make it. In other words, it has to do more with physical limitations than with physics.
 

King Neptune

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