Abstract
In this study, to seek the relationship between moving patterns and transport efficiency of a peristaltic pump, water in an open channel with peristalsis of a side wall is investigated by cellular automata and experiment. The rule for cellular automata derived by the principle of conservation of momentum and the continuity condition of water level is introduced to simulate long waves in the open channel and study the transport efficiency. The results show that a peristaltic pump transports water most effectively if the propagation speed of the side wall's displacement is nearly equal to the propagation speed of long waves.
