Hydrautomat "Water Staircase"

Goal

Automatically raise water from a lower level to a higher level without external power, using only the energy of a flowing stream and atmospheric pressure.

Problem

Irrigation, rural water supply, and water provision in arid or remote areas where conventional pumps are unavailable or inefficient.

Concept Summary

The Hydrautomat consists of a series of alternating open and closed tanks stacked vertically. An airtight operating chamber between the upper and lower levels is alternately pressurised by water flow (pressure stroke) and evacuated by a siphon (suction stroke). The pressure stroke compresses air and forces water into closed tanks; the suction stroke creates a vacuum that draws water from lower open tanks into the closed tanks, which then empty into the next higher open tanks. Repeating the cycle lifts water step-by-step, much like a hydraulic ram combined with atmospheric-pressure actuation.

Detailed Description

Water from a stream enters an open intake tank located about 7.5 ft above the device's lowest point. The intake feeds an airtight operating chamber through a pipe. During the pressure stroke, water flowing into the chamber compresses the trapped air, pushing it up an air pipe into two closed, water-filled tanks. Those tanks then discharge their water into the next higher open tanks. When the chamber empties through a discharge pipe, a valve closes the inlet and a siphon creates a vacuum that extends to the closed tanks, pulling water up from the lower open tanks. The inlet valve re-opens, the cycle repeats, and water is lifted continuously. The system relies solely on the gravitational head of the stream and atmospheric pressure; no external pumps or electricity are required.

Principles

Hydraulic ram principle
Atmospheric pressure differential
Siphon-induced vacuum
Gravity head
Valve actuation by water flow

Scientific Domains

Materials

Metal (tank shells)
Plastic (fittings and bulkhead)
Rubber (seals and valve gaskets)
Glass (inspection windows, if any)

Mechanisms of Action

Pressure stroke compresses air and pushes water into closed tanks
Suction stroke creates vacuum via siphon, drawing water from lower tanks
Valve automatically closes inlet during discharge and opens during intake

Energy Sources

Applications

Small-scale irrigation
Remote water supply for farms and villages
Supplementary lift for hydro-electric installations

Claimed Performance

Raises 14 gallons of water 20 ft in less than 3 minutes; a later report claims >70 000 gallons per day from a three-foot-diameter model.

Experimental Evidence

Historical working model demonstrated in 1922-1925; replicated and documented on YouTube by Michael Sipos; contemporary newspaper and Nature article descriptions; photographs of the device.