scholarly journals Experimental Evaluation of Airlift Performance for Vertical Pumping of Water in Underground Mines

Author(s):  
Parviz Enany ◽  
Oleksandr Shevchenko ◽  
Carsten Drebenstedt

AbstractThis paper presents experimental studies on the optimization of air–water flow in an airlift pump. Airlift pumps use compressed gas to verticall transport liquids and slurries. Due to the lack of theoretical equations for designing and predicting flow regimes, experimental investigations must be carried out to find the best condition to operate an airlift pump at high efficiency. We used a new air injection system and different submergence ratios to evaluate the output of a simple pump for vertical displacement of water in an underground mine. The tests were carried out in a new device with 5.64 m height and 10.2 cm circular riser pipe. Three air-jacket pipes, at different gas flows in the range of 0.002–0.09 m3/s were investigated with eight submergence ratios. It was found that with the same air flow rate, the most efficient flow of water was achieved when an air jacket with 3 mm diameter holes was used with a submergence ratio between 0.6 and 0.75. In addition, a comparison of practical results with two theoretical models proposed by other investigators showed that neither was able to accurately predict airlift performance in air–water flow mode.

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grzegorz Ligus ◽  
Daniel Zając ◽  
Maciej Masiukiewicz ◽  
Stanisław Anweiler

This paper presents experimental studies on the optimization of two-phase fluid flow in an airlift pump. Airlift pumps, also known as mammoth pumps, are devices applied for vertical transport of liquids with the use of gas. Their operating principle involves the existence of a density gradient. This paper reports the results of experimental studies into the hydrodynamic effects of the airlift pump. The studies involved optical imaging of two-phase gas-liquid flow in a riser pipe. The visualization was performed with high-speed visualization techniques. The studies used a transparent model of airlift pump with a rectangular cross-section of the riser. The assessment of the airlift pump operation is based on the image grey-level analysis to provide the identification of two-phase flow regimes. The scope of the study also involved the determination of void fraction and pressure drops. The tests were carried out in a channel with dimensions 35 × 20 × 2045 mm with the gas flux range 0.2–15.0 m3/h. For the assessment of the two-phase flow pattern Probability Density Function (PDF) was applied. On the basis of the obtained results, a new method for selecting the optimum operating regime of airlift pump was derived. This method provides the finding of stability and efficiency of liquid transport. It can also be applied to determine the correlation between the total lifting efficiency and the required gas flux for proper operation of the airlift pump.


2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 885-907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liping Tang ◽  
Baolin Guo ◽  
Xiaohua Zhu ◽  
Changshuai Shi ◽  
Yunlai Zhou

A survey of the literature related to theoretical and experimental studies on stick–slip vibration in oilwell drillstring is carried out in this study. It aims to explain key concepts and present the existing methods for studying this phenomenon. After briefly describing the stick–slip vibration related problems, theoretical models for such phenomenon are discussed including both coupled and uncoupled models. Discussion for experimental investigations including both laboratory and field tests are hereinafter addressed. This study aims to summarize the literature related to the stick–slip vibration, and help researchers in understanding and suppressing such phenomenon.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 800-807
Author(s):  
Ekhlas Fayyadh ◽  
Nibras Mahdi ◽  
Ali Mohammed

In the current study, a novel design of an air injection system for an airlift pump was designed and tested. The pump has a circular cross-section and composed of three parts; suction pipe, injection system, and riser pipe. The riser pipe has a diameter of 31.7 mm and a length of 2 m. The performance of the pump was tested using different submergence ratios, ranging from 0.15 to 0.3, and the injected airflow rate was ranging from 1.65 kg/h to 13.32 kg/h. The results showed that both the airflow rate and the submergence ratio have a significant effect on the capacity and performance of the pump. Besides, it was found that the best range of pump efficiency was in the slug and slug-churn flow regimes. Moreover, the highest efficiency was at the most significant submergence ratio of 0.3. A reasonable enhancement in water flow rate was achieved using the current air injection design when compared with the conventional airlift pump injections system.


2021 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 406-424
Author(s):  
K. E. Sazonov

The paper gives a review of the studies concerned with operation of vessels in brash ice. Recently, the ice conditions have received an ever increasing attention of the researchers related to the fact that shipping in the Arctic regions and freezing seas, as well as in inland waterways has been scaled up. One of the important fields of brash ice studies is specifics of sailing under these conditions and primarily determination of the ship ice resistance. The paper shows that theoretical methods combined with physical modeling in ice basins are used for determination of the ship ice resistance under brash ice conditions. The paper traces the evolution of theoretical models utilized for calculations. It is mentioned that the models are mainly based on loose material mechanics. A rapidly developing computer modeling of ship motion in brash ice based on discrete element method is considered. Physical modeling techniques used for modeling brash ice in ice basin are described, and challenges of experimental investigations are discussed. It is pointed out that experimental studies in ice basin can provide valuable data not only about ship ice resistance but also about the mechanisms giving rise to ice channels filled with brash ice. The paper describes the methods for studying operation of ship propellers in brash ice conditions. It is concluded that further research into brash ice is needed.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1032-1035 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramzi Suleiman

The research on quasi-luminal neutrinos has sparked several experimental studies for testing the "speed of light limit" hypothesis. Until today, the overall evidence favors the "null" hypothesis, stating that there is no significant difference between the observed velocities of light and neutrinos. Despite numerous theoretical models proposed to explain the neutrinos behavior, no attempt has been undertaken to predict the experimentally produced results. This paper presents a simple novel extension of Newton's mechanics to the domain of relativistic velocities. For a typical neutrino-velocity experiment, the proposed model is utilized to derive a general expression for . Comparison of the model's prediction with results of six neutrino-velocity experiments, conducted by five collaborations, reveals that the model predicts all the reported results with striking accuracy. Because in the proposed model, the direction of the neutrino flight matters, the model's impressive success in accounting for all the tested data, indicates a complete collapse of the Lorentz symmetry principle in situation involving quasi-luminal particles, moving in two opposite directions. This conclusion is support by previous findings, showing that an identical Sagnac effect to the one documented for radial motion, occurs also in linear motion.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (14) ◽  
pp. 6549
Author(s):  
Hui Liu ◽  
Ming Zeng ◽  
Xiang Niu ◽  
Hongyan Huang ◽  
Daren Yu

The microthruster is the crucial device of the drag-free attitude control system, essential for the space-borne gravitational wave detection mission. The cusped field thruster (also called the High Efficiency Multistage Plasma Thruster) becomes one of the candidate thrusters for the mission due to its low complexity and potential long life over a wide range of thrust. However, the prescribed minimum of thrust and thrust noise are considerable obstacles to downscaling works on cusped field thrusters. This article reviews the development of the low power cusped field thruster at the Harbin Institute of Technology since 2012, including the design of prototypes, experimental investigations and simulation studies. Progress has been made on the downscaling of cusped field thrusters, and a new concept of microwave discharge cusped field thruster has been introduced.


Metals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 574
Author(s):  
Ana Vafadar ◽  
Ferdinando Guzzomi ◽  
Kevin Hayward

Air heat exchangers (HXs) are applicable in many industrial sectors because they offer a simple, reliable, and cost-effective cooling system. Additive manufacturing (AM) systems have significant potential in the construction of high-efficiency, lightweight HXs; however, HXs still mainly rely on conventional manufacturing (CM) systems such as milling, and brazing. This is due to the fact that little is known regarding the effects of AM on the performance of AM fabricated HXs. In this research, three air HXs comprising of a single fin fabricated from stainless steel 316 L using AM and CM methods—i.e., the HXs were fabricated by both direct metal printing and milling. To evaluate the fabricated HXs, microstructure images of the HXs were investigated, and the surface roughness of the samples was measured. Furthermore, an experimental test rig was designed and manufactured to conduct the experimental studies, and the thermal performance was investigated using four characteristics: heat transfer coefficient, Nusselt number, thermal fluid dynamic performance, and friction factor. The results showed that the manufacturing method has a considerable effect on the HX thermal performance. Furthermore, the surface roughness and distribution, and quantity of internal voids, which might be created during and after the printing process, affect the performance of HXs.


Metals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1044
Author(s):  
Yaroslav Frolov ◽  
Maxim Nosko ◽  
Andrii Samsonenko ◽  
Oleksandr Bobukh ◽  
Oleg Remez

The most complex issue related to the design of high efficiency composite materials is the behavior of the reinforcing component during the bonding process. This study presents numerical and experimental investigations of the shape change in the reinforcing inlay in an aluminum-steel mesh-aluminum composite during roll-bonding. A flat composite material consisting of two outer strips of an EN AW 1050 alloy and an inlay of expanded C10 steel mesh was obtained via hot roll bonding with nominal rolling reductions of 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% at a temperature of 500 °C. The experimental procedure was carried out using two separate rolling mills with diameters equal to 135 and 200 mm, respectively. A computer simulation of the roll bonding was performed using the finite element software QForm 9.0.10 by Micas Simulations Limited, Oxford, UK. The distortion of the mesh evaluated via the change in angle between its strands was described using computer tomography scanning. The dependence of the absorbed impact energy of the roll bonded composite on the parameters of the deformation zone was found. The results of the numerical simulation of the steel mesh shape change during roll bonding concur with the data from micro-CT scans of the composites. The diameter of rolls applied during the roll bonding, along with rolling reduction and temperature, have an influence on the resulting mechanical properties, i.e., the absorbed bending energy. Generally, the composites with reinforcement exhibit up to 20% higher impact energy in comparison with the non-reinforced composites.


2007 ◽  
Vol 16 (07n08) ◽  
pp. 1982-1987
Author(s):  
◽  
N. N. AJITANAND

Recent experimental investigations have focussed on the abnormal spatial distribution of away side jet fragments as signals of significant medium induced effects. A variety of theoretical models including recent string-theory based efforts have supported the notion of Mach Cone like effects in the low viscosity QGP fluid. However, the presence of significant flow fields may deflect the fragmentation direction producing a significantly differing type of jet topology from that of the Mach cone. Three particle correlation functions constitute a powerful method whereby the predominance of one or the other type of mechanism can be differentiated. In this work the use of such an approach will be demonstrated via simulations and the results of its application to RHIC data will be presented.


2007 ◽  
Vol 62 (12) ◽  
pp. 769-774
Author(s):  
Tomáš Šimo ◽  
Oldřich Matal ◽  
Lukáś Nesvadba ◽  
Vladimír Dvořák ◽  
Viktor Kanický ◽  
...  

Molten fluoride salts are very promising carriers for the transport of large amounts of heat for example from a high temperature nuclear reactor to a plant which generates hydrogen by chemical processes or from a nuclear reactor to a heat exchanger being a part of the equipment needed to realize the Brayton cycle with a very high power efficiency. Therefore, in the framework of our project, experimental and theoretical investigations of the interactions of fluoride salts as heat carriers needed as high potential and structural materials for pipelines in order to transport heat at temperatures above 600◦C were started. Experimental investigations of Fe-based and Ni-based materials in molten fluoride salts at high temperatures and with different exposure times were performed. Two components salts (LiF-NaF and NaF-NaBF4) and three components salts (LiF-NaF-ZrF4 and LiF-NaF-RbF) were chosen in the experiments. The salt analysis was focussed on the content of metallic elements before and after the exposure of the samples to the salt melts. It was done by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and by titrimetric techniques. The thickness of the material zone affected by the salt melts, characterized by an enriched / reduced content of elements in comparison to the mean original content, and the material attacked zone, characterized by very tiny channels or chains of pores or pits formed preferably at grain boundaries, were the subject of the analysis performed by electron microscopy / microprobe techniques. Theoretical models for the transport of elements in the material samples exposed to salt melts using experimental data were also developed.


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