An Archimedes' screw is a hydraulic pump made of a helical surface turning inside a cylinder, used to lift water from a lower level up to an irrigation channel or other outlet. The device is traditionally credited to Archimedes of Syracuse, though some historians argue the mechanism was already in use in Egypt before him, with the earliest firm documentary mention dating to between 250 and 220 BC. The screw spread across the Roman world, largely disappeared from Europe after the third century AD, and returned during the Renaissance, and it is still used today for irrigation, land drainage and, increasingly, as a low head hydroelectric turbine.
Facts
Patent or First-Use DateThe ancient water screw itself predates any patent system; recorded here is the 1991 patent filed for the modern Archimedes screw turbine, the device's most recent dateable first-use milestone. SignificanceUsed for millennia to lift water for irrigation and drainage, the Archimedes' screw still appears in modern wastewater treatment and land drainage, and reversed, it works as a small hydroelectric turbine well suited to low head, moderate flow sites that conventional turbines handle poorly. 1 Disputed
YearThe earliest mention of the water screw dates to between 250 and 220 BCE. Archimedes of Syracuse is traditionally credited with inventing it, but some historians argue the Egyptians were already using the device before him, so the attribution is debated even though the approximate date is not. FAQs
How does an Archimedes' screw lift water?
Rotating the machine makes water rise through its pipe.
In its most common form the machine is set with its lower end in the water. When the machine rotates, water rises through the pipe.
Connections
In Field
Source Archimedes' Screw (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Sources
1. Archimedes' Screw (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationLead section, second paragraph
The earliest mention of the screw is from between 250 and 220 BC, and archaeological remains of water screws in Europe and Asia suggested that it was diffused across the territories of the Roman Empire
Lead section, third paragraph
In the modern world, Archimedes' screw pumps are widely used in wastewater treatment plants and for dewatering low-lying regions. Run in reverse, Archimedes screw turbines act as a small hydroelectric powerplant that can be applied even in low head sites.
Lead section, third paragraph, modern-use sentences
In the modern world, Archimedes' screw pumps are widely used in wastewater treatment plants and for dewatering low-lying regions. Run in reverse, Archimedes screw turbines act as a small hydroelectric powerplant that can be applied even in low head sites.
Lead section, third paragraph, patent sentence
In 1991, a patent for the Archimedes screw turbine was filed, and the testing was done between 1993 and 1995.
In Field: Agricultural Engineering, Introduction
As a machine used for lifting water from a low-lying body of water into irrigation ditches, it lifts water by turning a screw-shaped surface inside a pipe.
In Group: Irrigation Methods, Introduction
The origins of the water screw are unknown.
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