Siphon

A siphon is a tube that carries liquid over a crest from a higher reservoir to a lower outlet. Once primed, flow is sustained by gravity and pressure differences, provided the tube remains filled and the outlet is lower than the source.

Hydrostatic pressure: The pressure exerted by a fluid at rest because of the fluid’s weight. The pressure difference between the two liquid columns helps drive flow through a filled siphon.
Fluid statics: The study of fluids at rest and the forces and pressures within them. A siphon’s pressure balance begins with the behavior of liquid at rest in its reservoirs.
Trap (plumbing): A plumbing fitting that retains liquid to block sewer gases while allowing wastewater to pass. A filled plumbing trap uses a bent passage whose liquid seal can be disrupted by siphoning.
Pumped flow: Fluid motion produced by a pump that adds mechanical energy to the fluid. Unlike a pump, a siphon can sustain flow without a device continuously supplying energy.
Atmospheric pressure: The force per unit area exerted by the atmosphere on surfaces. In ordinary siphons, atmospheric pressure supports the liquid column as it rises toward the crest.
Fluid dynamics: The study of fluids in motion and the forces governing their flow. Siphon flow is one case of motion governed by pressure, elevation, and resistance.
Siphon coffee maker: A vacuum coffee brewer that moves water between chambers through vapor pressure and cooling. It uses siphon action as part of a controlled brewing cycle.
Capillary action: The movement of liquid through narrow spaces driven by surface tension and intermolecular forces. Capillary rise can lift liquid, but it is not the pressure-column mechanism of a siphon.
Priming (fluid mechanics): The process of filling a pump or conduit with liquid before operation. A siphon must be filled with liquid before a continuous column can transmit pressure.
Hydraulic head: The height representing a fluid’s mechanical energy per unit weight. The difference in head between source and outlet determines the available driving energy.

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