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

This 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.

Two-Phase Flow Mass Transfer Analysis of Airlift Pump for Aquaculture Applications

Airlift pumps can be used in the aquaculture industry to provide aeration while concurrently moving water utilizing the dynamics of two-phase flow in the pump riser. The oxygen mass transfer that occurs from the injected compressed air to the water in the aquaculture systems can be experimentally investigated to determine the pump aeration capabilities. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of various airflow rates as well as the injection methods on the oxygen transfer rate within a dual injector airlift pump system. Experiments were conducted using an airlift pump connected to a vertical pump riser within a recirculating system. Both two-phase flow patterns and the void fraction measurements were used to evaluate the dissolved oxygen mass transfer mechanism through the airlift pump. A dissolved oxygen (DO) sensor was used to determine the DO levels within the airlift pumping system at different operating conditions required by the pump. Flow visualization imaging and particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements were performed in order to better understand the effects of the two-phase flow patterns on the aeration performance. It was found that the radial injection method reached the saturation point faster at lower airflow rates, whereas the axial method performed better as the airflow rates were increased. The standard oxygen transfer rate (SOTR) and standard aeration efficiency (SAE) were calculated and were found to strongly depend on the injection method as well as the two-phase flow patterns in the pump riser.

The performance of airlift pump for the solid particles lifting during the transportation of gas-liquid-solid three-phase flow: A comprehensive research review

Research about the enhancement of the airlift pump performance by changing the geometry and operational parameters has drawn considerable attention in recent years. This paper presents a comprehensive review of some published research articles on the enhancement performance of the airlift pump and the future direction of the research. In the introductory section, the description, the application, and the performance of the airlift pump are described. The influencing parameters of the airlift pump performance are classified in the geometry and operational. The geometry parameters are including submergence ratio, pipe diameter, pipe length, design, and position of the injector. The operational parameters are including the testing fluid, diameter and density particles, and the superficial velocity of injected air. All of the involved parameters are detail explained in the experimental study section. The detailed derivation of equations of the airlift pump performance and also the modified equation was shown in the theoretical study section. The numerical study of airlift pump operating on two and three phases was also discussed. In the last section, the future directions of the airlift pump are noted, and some conclusions were summarized. It was found that only limited literature about flow patterns in terms of the dynamic interface of each phase and development bubble jet generator airlift pump. Therefore, experimental data are needed to support this effort. Additional work, both theoretical and experimental, needs to be conducted on the effects of type and position bubble jet generators on the flow characteristic and the airlift pump performance, with the hope that the better performance will be obtained.

PENERAPAN UNDERGRAVEL AIRLIFT PUMP PADA AKUAKULTUR IKAN NILA (Oreochromis Sp)

Undergravel airlift pump is a simple filter system that uses air. The purpose of this study was to analyze the efficiency of using Undergravel Airlift Pump in Aquaculture Oreochromis sp. The approach used is an experimental approach with 2 treatments and 1 control. Analysis of the data used is the analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results showed that the application of undergravel airlift pump had an impact on water quality. The treatment of middle airlift position is more effective compared to the bottom airlift and control. The temperature and pH parameters were not significantly different; dissolved oxygen and total dissolved solid were significantly different.