Performance Characteristics of Air Lift Pumps of Short Length and Small Diameter

Abstract

ABSTRACT Performance data in the literature on air lift pumps have been based primarily on pumps of long length and large diameter (high lift pumps). Since mariculture operations involve pumps of relatively short length and small diameter, performance data are required for efficient operation. To provide such data, an experimental apparatus was designed and fabricated to test air lift pumps from 1.27 cm to 7.62 cm inside diameter and from 30 cm to 3.7 m in length. Instrumentation was provided to measure water flow rate and air flow rate as well as water temperature, air temperature, and pressure throughout the system. Results from this study correlate well with high lift pump data in that, for a given pump geometry, maximum water flow occurs for a specific air flow rate. Driving the pump with air flows larger or smaller than this optimum flow rate will decrease the pumping rate. The optimum flows are significantly different for low lift pumps compared to high lift pumps. However, the pumping rate for low lift pumps approaches that for high lift pumps with increasing length.