Spiral Tube Water-Wheel Pumps: A Review of Working Principle, Modelling, Performance and Field Deployment

Abstract The spiral tube pump, first reported by H. A. Wirtz in 1746, lifts water using only the kinetic energy of a stream. A flexible tube wound in a spiral on a water wheel alternately takes in plugs of water and air, and the compressed air columns build up a cumulative pressure head at the centre. This review brings together five studies: an experimental parametric study in Ethiopia [1], a worldwide review of hydro-powered pumping [2], a hydrostatic mathematical model [3], a service-learning design and field programme in Zambia [4], and a review of spiral tube water-wheel systems [5]. We describe the working principle, classify the pump within hydro-powered pumping technologies, compare the analytical models, summarise how submergence ratio, wheel speed, number of turns and outer diameter govern discharge and head, and compare field prototypes. Reported heads range from below 1 m to about 15 m and discharges from about 60 to 10,000 L/h. Discharge rises with wheel speed and submergence (falling to zero at 100 % submergence), while head is set mainly by the number of turns and the outer diameter. The rotary joint, leakage and structural durability emerge as the main practical limits. Keywords: spiral tube pump; coil pump; manometric pump; water wheel; hydro-powered pumping; irrigation