Tom blok
The sâqiya with spiral scoops
Gul streg
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Scoop wheel with spiral buckets in Egypt
Every "horse walk" or bullock gear in the Near East turns counterclockwise. This is also the case in this picture.
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  Scoop wheel in Egypt
Most scoop wheels in the Delta lift the water less than one metre, in which case
an immense amount of water can be raised. Sometimes too much, implying that the farmer over-irrigates his crop and spoils it.
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  Workshop making scoop wheels in Cairo
In the suburbs of Cairo, you can buy spare parts for the sâqiya. The scoop wheel is made in three sizes.
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The right angle gear for the scoop-wheel-sâqiya
The gear ratio, the size of the wheel and the natural speed for the donkey are three elements, which affect the output. The problem of finding the maximum output can be solved mathematically or by using trial and error to find the correct gear ratio.
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  Flow from a scoop-sâqiya
The outlet from the scoop-wheel ought to be large, so as to reduce the hydraulic resistance. The construction of this water-lifting device is so old that all technical problems have been solved. It is still popular and there must be more than 400,000 in the Delta.
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