Leonardo da Vinci studied a centrifugal pump for raising water through rotating mechanical action.
A centrifugal pump uses an impeller to give moving fluid speed and direct it outward. The pump casing then converts much of that motion into pressure, allowing water to be lifted or transported. Leonardo’s hydraulic studies included machines that used rotation and curved passages to move water.
The term centrifugal pump describes the operating principle, although Leonardo’s sketches do not represent a modern industrial pump with standardized impeller blades, casing, seals, and motor. His notebooks show a broad interest in fluid motion, canals, fountains, irrigation, and water-powered machinery.
Leonardo should therefore be credited with important early studies and designs rather than with creating the complete modern pump industry. The pump is also distinct from a water wheel, which extracts energy from flowing water instead of primarily using rotation to move water.