Lifting Water by Means of Air Cushion

Lifting water to higher altitudes without using any external energy has been the target for many scientists and engineers. Hydraulic rams and hydraulic turbines are some examples. This work is a contribution to those efforts, in which potential energy of a water source is converted into pressure energy in a closed down stream air chamber. The pressure energy obtained is transferred to an upstream lifting water tank in order to push the water to higher elevations. A laboratory model is built to study this idea. Results obtained were promising. The method is simple and could have field applications at locations where rivers and streams undergo sharp changes in their bed slopes.