Pipes are fundamental
equipment commonly used in industrial plants. They are the ones transporting
fluids or mixture of substances which are either being in the treatment process
or being moved for storage or disposal. But aside from pipes, there are a lot
of necessary things still needed in order to actually transport fluids. Fluids don’t usually flow by themselves
unless they are flowing down from an elevated position. Elevated source of
fluids is not common in a usual industrial plant so the fluid needs something
to induce its flow.
That is why pumps are also
needed. Pumps force the fluid to flow into a pipe usually from a lower to a
higher position. There are various kinds of
pumps available nowadays. One kind is preferred according to the design
requirement of a certain process where it is required. Each has its own
advantages and disadvantages. But there
is a continuous innovation in those that are used in the industries today
aiming to improve efficiency and save as much power as possible.
Even
though chemical engineering is a relatively young discipline, some unit
operations and processes have been in existence way before chemical engineering
was first established. For example, transporting water has been a problem that needed
addressing even before industries started. And water pumps in fact have moved
water from a place to another place for centuries. They remain today as invaluable tools to provide water for irrigation, drinking and cleaning.
Ancient pumps took advantage of natural forces like wind or water to provide a
pumping mechanism, while today's pumps tend to use electricity. However, the
mechanisms behind ancient pumps are still in used today- a reason why they are
considered one of the greatest inventions of the ancient world. I listed here
some of the interesting pumps with their current uses.
- Shaduf (Swipe Pump) -This was the first pump which was invented in 3000 B.C. in ancient Mesopotamia. The swipe, or shaduf, pump is usually positioned right next to a riverbank. It is made with a lever pivoted on two posts placed in the ground upright. On one end of the lever a pole is placed with a bucket attached. A stone or anything that is heavy enough is attached to the other end to act as a counterweight. Water is retrieved by pushing the pole down until the bucket is filled with water, then the counterweight would help raise the bucket back up.
- Screw Pump- The screw pump was used widely by the Egyptians in the ancient world but the great mathematician Archimedes was credited with inventing what is known in history as the Archimedean screw around 250 B.C. This was perhaps Archimedes' best known invention and often listed among the great ancient inventions because it is still in use today. This pump was made using a metal corkscrew shaped pump that drew water upward as it was rotated.
- Bucket Chain - The bucket chain pump was invented as early as 600 B.C. It is made up of a series of buckets that passed over a pulley wheel. Historians believe the bucket chain pump irrigated the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Historians state that the gardens were built for King Nebakanezer 's wife, Amytis, who missed her hometown when she moved to Babylon. Babylon was very flat and dry, with very little rain and therefore had very little greenery. Her hometown was very mountainous so Nebakanezer had the gardens built for her so it would resemble the place where she came from. The gardens were huge and contained many types of flowers, fruit, animals, and waterfalls, which were said to have been from places all over the world. The bucket chain has been used for centuries and perhaps the earliest known hand cranked device invented.
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| An artist sketch of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon |
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