A Study on Lifting Characteristics of Air-Lift Pump

공기양정(Air-Lift)펌프의 양수특성에 관한 연구

As an effective means to convey crushed materials from seabed to onboard ship and to raise hazardous or abrasive liquids, air-lift pump provides a reliable mechanism due to its simple configuration and easy-to-operate principle. The present study is focused on investigation of related performance by the analysis program based on the gas-liquid two-phase flow in circular pipes. The program covers pump operating in isothermal and vertical two-phase flow with Newtonian liquids. It is summarized as important result that an optimum air mass flow rate exists for the maximum lifted liquid mass flow rate in terms of a given submergence rates. The comparison between riser performance of the conveyed liquid flow rate calculated by the computer program and measured data with large scale air lift pump system constructed in 200 meter depth vertical tank reveals similar distribution.