

While other types of pumps could have been used, a deep wet well would have been required, which would have been problematic due to the proximity of the levee, the presence of groundwater and low- quality subsurface materials.

Working closely with the DPWT, the company determined that Archimedes screw pumps would be ideal.Īdvantages of Archimedes screw pumps include capability of pumping debris, relatively slow speed and thus less wear and abrasion, no net positive suction head required (NPSHreq)providing a capability of running dryand the cost savings associated with not having piping and valving. These pumps are set to turn on when the water in the retention pond is at an elevation of 12 ft, when the pond is approximately two-thirds full. There are two 5-by-8-ft effluent box culverts with an invert out elevation of 6.8 ft. Influent culverts include 66- and 27-in.-diameter circular culverts, a 5-by-11-ft box culvert and a 4-ft-9-in.-by-10-ft box culvert. The river has a drainage area of approximately 175 sq miles, though much of this is located downstream of the pump station. Archimedes Screw Pump Design Mac River Fromįor example, intensity duration frequency curves for Arlington County, Va., just across the Potomac River from Prince Georges County, show that a 10-year storm event has an intensity of 5 in. The Maryland Stormwater Design Manual tabulates the 24-hour rainfall depths associated with the one-, two-, 10- and 100-year storm events as 2.7, 3.3, 5.3 and 7.4 in., respectively, for Prince Georges County. The station upgrade included three new Archimedes screw pumps, each 46 ft long and 10 ft in diameter and capable of pumping 133 cu ft of water per second. Archimedes Screw Pump Design Upgrade Included Three One was a kind of water pump still used today for large-volume low-lift industrial applications, the device is now called the.įor years, the existing pump station had been unable to keep up with high-intensity storm flows reaching the stations retention pond and transfer them to the Anacostia River.Īs a result, nearby homes and properties had been subjected to flooding caused by pond overflow. Archimedes Screw Pump Design Mac River FromĪrchimedes screw Modern Archimedes screw in a pumping station, Kinderdijk, Neth.Archimedes Screw Pump Design Upgrade Included Three.
