Volume Six - Pre-Victorian to the Present Day - Select Aspects - The Pumping Engine House . . .

May I correct the following statement within the foregoing report : 'These pumps were capable of raising the water level over the entire 23 acres at a rate of 1 foot per hour.'

Constants:

Area of Dock = 23 Acres
Pumping Capacity = 2,000,000 Imperial Gallons per hour
Rate of Water Rise = 1 foot per hour

Assumptions:

Area of dock is correct.
No ships in the dock.
Sluice valves closed.
100 % efficiency of the rated pumping output is constant.
Lock gates and associated sluices closed.
Calm day!

Conversion Factors:

1 Acre = 43,560 square feet
1 cubic foot = 6.22884 Imperial Gallons

Capacity Estimation:

23 Acres x 43,560 = 1,001,880 square feet

The estimated output capacity of the pumps to raise the dock water level by 1 foot per hour would therefore be: 1,001,880 x 6.22884 x 1 = 6,240,545 Imperial Gallons

This value is 3.12 times the output capacity of the installed centrifugal pumps. I therefore confirm as correct my statement at the beginning of this Chapter : 'I have estimated that the stated 2,000,000 gallons per hour combined capacity of these pumps would effect just under 4" (10 cm) water rise in the main dock of 23 acres area per hour.'