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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Science behind siphoning&its potential use to grow vegetables/raise fish?
« on: 12/10/2014 19:30:07 »
Evening all,
I have an allotment (in the UK an area used to grow food) and I am thinking of setting up an aquaponics system (which is where you grow vegetables in a media bed and raise fish for food in a closed loop system http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaponics) but the trouble is I have no access to electricity (to pump the water from the fish tank into the vegetable growing media bed).
I stumbled across siphoning and was wondering if it would be possible to utilise this phenomenon to get around the need for a fish pump?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siphon
'While a simple siphon cannot output liquid at a level higher than the source reservoir, a more complicated device utilizing an airtight chamber at the crest and a system of automatic valves, may discharge liquid on an ongoing basis, at a level higher than the source reservoir, without outside pumping energy being added. It can accomplish this despite what initially appears to be a violation of conservation of energy because it can take advantage of the energy of a large volume of liquid dropping some distance, to raise and discharge a small volume of liquid above the source reservoir. Thus it might be said to "require" a large quantity of falling liquid to power the dispensing of a small quantity. Such a system typically operates in a cyclical or start/stop but ongoing and self-powered manner.'
Thank you for your help,
Samuel
I have an allotment (in the UK an area used to grow food) and I am thinking of setting up an aquaponics system (which is where you grow vegetables in a media bed and raise fish for food in a closed loop system http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaponics) but the trouble is I have no access to electricity (to pump the water from the fish tank into the vegetable growing media bed).
I stumbled across siphoning and was wondering if it would be possible to utilise this phenomenon to get around the need for a fish pump?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siphon
'While a simple siphon cannot output liquid at a level higher than the source reservoir, a more complicated device utilizing an airtight chamber at the crest and a system of automatic valves, may discharge liquid on an ongoing basis, at a level higher than the source reservoir, without outside pumping energy being added. It can accomplish this despite what initially appears to be a violation of conservation of energy because it can take advantage of the energy of a large volume of liquid dropping some distance, to raise and discharge a small volume of liquid above the source reservoir. Thus it might be said to "require" a large quantity of falling liquid to power the dispensing of a small quantity. Such a system typically operates in a cyclical or start/stop but ongoing and self-powered manner.'
Thank you for your help,
Samuel