[elky] Re: Way off topic...but sorta scientific: water pressure and flow
- From: Robert Adams <elcam84@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: elky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2010 12:54:15 -0600
City water systems all use water towers to provide pressure
to the mains. It's allot easier to continually pump water into a tower at 0
pressure (other than getting it up that high) than it is to constantly run
pumps that keep 50-80PSI in the mains.
The weight of the water in the column is what does the work.
gravity is your friend in this case.
Robert Adams
On Sun, Dec 12, 2010 at 11:27 AM, Mary McCarthy <printces@xxxxxxxxxxxx>wrote:
> I think what you are seeing is gravity systems. Usually it's way too
> expensive to pump things uphill, so the water tower goes at the highest
> point, sewer facilities at the lowest. It's about cost, not efficiency.
>
> I doubt it makes much difference in pressure based on height, but I do not
> know. You might try asking a local water or sewer utility?
>
> I'd choose whatever is easiest and cheapest because it appears the
> difference is minimal.
>
> Mary
>
> Fluid pressure. Does the pressure behind a fluid increase with the
> height of its storage reservoir? I see lots of cities' water reservoirs in
> huge tanks 100 or so feet off the ground. Is this better than...say 20 feet
> higher than the highest point in the town? If this is a law of physics, I
> don't know it...and don't think I ever investigated this area before.
>
> Here's the deal. We wanna test some fluid (we're gonna use colored water)
> flowing thru a clear plastic pipe and I came up with one design, my partner
> with another. His plan was to have 2 55 gallon drums mounted on a level
> surface and "push" the fluid thru the tube with a sump pump and catch it in
> the other. The pump pressure/volume is unknown at this time.
>
> My plan was to mount the reservoir drum...say...6-10 feet higher than the
> pipe and use a valve to control the flow into the pipe which would exit into
> the catch drum; then use the sump pump to replenish the reservoir drum.
>
> Is there any outstanding merit or disadvantage to either system (apart from
> the fact that his way is easier to construct?)
>
> Thanks,
>
> r
>
>
>
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