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Buoyancy and Bernoulli

Russ Kratowicz, Executive Editor

These fundamental physical principles allow air lift pumps and eductors to move one fluid by using another Ever since the Industrial Revolution, we've been searching for easier ways to get things done. Workers no longer stir smelly vats of wet nasties using nothing but a wooden paddle. They no longer form bucket brigades. team and electrical power boosted manufacturing productivity by multiple orders of magnitude. !ne innovation was the retreat of the electrical motor from the point of action where fluids are being moved. It became possible to move fluids using an air lift pump or an eductor. "oth devices operate effectively, in spite of the fact that neither has any moving parts. Air lift pumps #ir lift pumps serve two functions. $irst, they can eliminate fluid stratification in large unagitated tanks. econd, they can lift a li%uid above its normal surface elevation without dilution and without introducing shear that damages fragile suspended solids. In its most simple form, its construction consists of a vertical pipe, open on both ends &see $igure '(, that serves as a fluid pipe. # separate, smaller line, e)tends to the bottom of the fluid pipe and makes a *+turn. The open end e)tends a short distance into the bottom of the fluid line. When a compressed air starts flowing, rising bubbles transports slugs of fluid upward. The process is enhanced by the fact that bubbles also e)pand as they rise because the hydrostatic head is decreasing. When used for agitating a stratified tank, the fluid pipe should be completely submerged to move material from the lower parts of the vessel to the upper sections. When used to lift fluid above its normal surface, the fluid pipe should be submerged only partially. #s the two+phase flow reaches the top of the pipe, it overflows and the li%uid disengages from the gaseous phase. The resulting highly non+uniform rate of overflow is collected to provide a more uniform flow for downstream gravity feeding or pumping. !ther applications include moving gritty and corrosive fluids that destroy metallic pumps, dewatering mine shafts, removing sediment from vessels and collecting samples from boreholes. The device also can be used in ha,ardous areas. #lthough the air lift pump can perform in+tank circulation %uite efficiently, using it to raise a li%uid becomes progressively more difficult as the elevation differential increases. #t some point, it becomes simply more practical to use a motor+driven pump. "ecause it's easier to remove contamination from air than it is to treat contaminated water, air lift pumps find a role in environmental remediation. #s a result of the mass transfer and intimate, turbulent mi)ing of air and water, volatile organic materials in the a%ueous phase are transferred to the gaseous phase as the material rises in the pipe. The E-# reports having used the technology to remove ','+dichloroethane and ./ percent of the trichloroethane present in the groundwater at a test site.

Sizing the air lift pump The flowrate through an air lift pump is proportional to the flowrate of the air powering it. The literature reports air lift pump flow rates of 01 to 0,111 gpm and lifts to more than 211 ft. #n empirical calculation attributed to the Ingersoll Rand 3o. correlates the flow of air with that of water. 4a 5 1.6 7l8&3 log'19&7 : ;/(8;/< Where 4a 5 volume of free air &cu. ft.( needed per gallon of water 7 5 length of the submerged section &ft.( 7l 5 length of the lift section &ft.( 3 5 constant that depends on 7l &see Table '( Lt (ft.) C 10-60 245 61-201 233 201-500 216 501-650 185 651-750 156 Table 1. Constant for use in air lift pump sizing equation. #nother relevant variable is the relationship between 7s and 7l. $unctional air lift designs e)hibit a curious non+linear phenomenon. The ratio of submerged length to total length, 7s8&7l : 7s(, runs about 1.= when the lift is only around 01 ft., but decreases to about 1./ when the lift is >11 ft. The last relevant variable is the air pressure needed to make the device operate. This depends, of course, on the specific gravity of the fluid. The depth that corresponds to one psi is inversely proportional to the specific gravity. $or water, one psi corresponds to 0.;' ft. of depth. If one ignores the friction losses in the line, the applicable relationship is? - 5 &7s @ sg80.;'( Where - 5 re%uired gas pressure &psig( sg 5 specific gravity of the fluid &dimensionless(

To get some sense of scale, consider the pumping problem depicted in $igure 0. The desired flow rate is 01 gpm and the fluid in the tank has a specific gravity of '.'>. Aow

much compressed air is needed and at what pressureB Refer to the calculations shown on $igure 0. $or more information, refer to 3lark, C.C. and Dabolt, R., E# Feneral Design E%uation for #ir 7ift -umps !perating in lug $lowE, #.I.3h.E. Gournal, ;0, Co. ', '.6= pp. >=+=/.

Eductors #nother way to use a motive fluid to pump another is with an eductor. #lso referred to as eHectors, e)hausters or siphons, the eductor's principle of operation is straightforward &see $igure ;(. The motive fluid &gas or li%uid( enters the eductor with high initial velocity. #s the high+speed Het passes through the no,,le, its pressure decreases in accordance with "ernoulli's theorem. The reduced pressure space pulls a gas, li%uid or solid material through the suction port. #fter mi)ing, everything e)its through the discharge port. The applications for eductors are numerous. Installed near the bottom of a tank and fed with recirculated fluid from the tank, they effectively keep solids suspended. !n the other hand, the same eductor can aerate the tank contents if it can aspirate air. Eductors can raise rainwater from underground vaults and secondary containment pits. They can blend li%uids. !ther applications include evacuating a tank's vapor space and conveying light, finely divided solids or slurries. $ed with steam, an eductor can be used for heating fluids. #n eductor's performance can be controlled by modulating the motive fluid. Fiven a fi)ed suction pressure and suitable downstream measurement and feedback, the eductor can provide a stable vacuum or motive+to+suction flowrate ratio, which is useful for proportional feeding of two fluids. #dvantages to using eductors include low installation and maintenance cost. They can be fabricated or molded from any metal or plastic that's compatible with the fluids being moved. It is a self+priming design and can be used in ha,ardous areas. The air lift pump and eductor are by no means obsolete technologies. They are in use every day in many plants. While they are not suitable for universal application, their uni%ue characteristics will always provide them a place in the tools plants use for pumping and fluid handling systems. Sponsored Links Which Enterprise Asset Management Software? $ind out + white papers, case studies I our 3JJ oftware Review. 3lick here. Survivor USA Plant of the ear Aow maintenance and asset management helped it beat the odds.

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