Over 2000 years in review: Revival of the Archimedes Screw from Pump to Turbine

Abstract

a b s t r a c tThe Archimedes pump is one of the oldest feats of engineering still being used today. In recent times, it has seen a major revival in modern engineering, by reversing it for use as a turbine. This is now an established turbine, being used in Europe since 1994. It has been found this new turbine device has a plethora of advantages over current existing devices, with the simplicity and robustness that has kept the pump in use for centuries acting in its favour. Most existing design theory is for use as pump; however there are many key differences between operation as a pump or turbine, such as the direction the water flows through the device. With further research for turbine operation alone required.The Archimedes Screw turbine currently has a variety of operational modes: inclined, horizontal or submerged. These new devices have the possibility to unlock a wide range of applications. The submerged tidal stream device can operate in low flow velocities (1 m/s) that current devices are unable to. The inclined and horizontal turbines offer greatly reduced environmental effects and can be used in areas previously passed over because of delicate habitats. However, there are still more potential uses, for example in tidal range or tidal fence situations, although research for use in these methods are currently only in the initial stages with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations and scale modelling required to prove the validity.

Representation and operation of tidal energy impoundments in a coastal hydrodynamic model

“…A tidal barrage in the Severn Estuary has historically been the most discussed tidal range project in the UK, with the initial idea going back over a century (Brown, 1976;Waters and Aggidis, 2015). Over time, there have been numerous variants considered, which however have repeatedly fallen short towards adequately addressing issues such as the high construction cost and the satisfactory identification and mitigation of potential environmental impacts.…”

Pengembangan Governor Elektrik Berbasis Arduino sebagai Sistem Kontrol Turbin Air Screw

“…Sistem pengaturan putaran turbin screw dapat dilakukan dengan sistem mekanik maupun elektrik. Pengaturan putaran turbin screw pada putaran rendah menggunakan governor mekanik mempunyai beberapa kelemahan antara lain kurang presisi dan kurang stabil (Water & Aggidis, 2015) (Rohmer, Knittel, Strurtzer, Flienler, & Renaud, 2016). Penelitian ini didasari atas kasus dimana pengaturan turbin screw menggunakan governor mekanik kurang efektif.…”

Challenges Facing the Implementation of Pico-Hydropower Technologies

“…The Crossflow turbine has been shown to be extremely robust, an insensitivity to variations in operating circumstances, environmental effects and service conditions, due to the simplicity of design and operational modes [27]. The concept of the Archimedes screw as a turbine has been developed in the last 25 years [28][29][30], although historically these screws have been used for thousands of years to lift water [31]. Hundreds of these turbines have been installed across Europe, primarily at existing dams, weirs and small falls [32].…”

“…Hundreds of these turbines have been installed across Europe, primarily at existing dams, weirs and small falls [32]. They are popular with river authorities due to their perceived "fish friendliness" [33] and are also extremely robust due to its simple design and operating principles [28]. (Note: in other turbines, a well-designed intake and fish bypass or ladder will ensure fish do not pass through the turbine, so the advantage here is due to the removal of head reduction by a fine intake and cost-reducing system simplicity.…”