The ancients used what we call Archimedes screw to raise water. But a Wirtz pump as youtuber Steve Mould shows in the video below, is another kind of spiral pump that is also very old and uses the same basic principle as the screw pump.A spiral pump, sometimes called a Wirtz pump, is a low lift pump which is composed of a long piece of metal plating, which is wound into a coil and sealed at the top and back extremities so as to resemble a cylinder.
source.image: Steve Mould
The outer cavity serves as the inlet, while the inner (partial) tube serves as the outlet. A coiled plastic tube will suffice for this arrangement. The outlet pipe is fixed to a water wheel, engine or animal which is capable of rotating the pump quickly.
Due to this rotation, water is picked up by the outer cavity and pumped upwards in the hose.The spiral pump, as many low lift pumps, is commonly used for irrigation purposes and for drainage of lands. Based on the same principle as the Archimedean screw, it consists of a rotating tube or plane (screw) to move a liquid.
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Unlike the Archimedean screw, it can pump while horizontal. The spiral pump, if fitted with a suitable rotating seal, can deliver water to a greater height than the coil pump, typically 5-10m, above their discharge opening.
