Setup for pumping/transporting high viscosity liquid (mud)

Hi,

I am about to embark a project where I need to pump high viscosity liquid, like thick mud, 2-3 meters up from a container and let it very slowly run back over a sharply tilted wall.

It should be a very slow pace. The motor noise has to be very low.

I need to be able to adjust the speed from either a (simple) control panel or serially from a computer. This is the easy part.

I figure I either have to use something like a slurry pump or build something with "buckets" on a belt.

Does it sound odd? It is for an art project.

What motors or pumps could I use and what is the best way to interface them with the arduino?

Any help that can make me proceed is really appreciated.

Cheers

Slow turning hose pump with a very thick hose. Or more elaborate a pump with 2 interlocking rotors like a gear pump.

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Archimedes screw will work perfectly for this project!

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What is the need to interface them with an Arduino?

Thats a great idea (Archimedes screw)! I should be able to prototype that quite easily. Either 3d print something or just a hose around a pipe. I am planning doing some smaller prototypes first. 1x1 meter or even smaller.

I need to be able to adjust the speed of the flow. I will trigger/modulate electronic sounds with sensors detecting the speed and thickness of the mud when it passes certain areas on the wall. I will need to be able to adjust the speed of the motor depending on how the sounds act. This may need to happen dynamically, automated.

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Concrete, very much like thick mud, is pumped with positive displacement piston pumps. Sometimes peristaltic pumps are used, too.

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Will you ever need to clean the machine? If so, your plan?

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Honestly I have not considered this yet. Maybe just by running hot water through it. An enclosed screw may pose a problem.

I will try to make av working mockup next few days using a vacuum cleaner tube and other trash.