Renewable Energy, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp.

261 268, 1998

~ Pergamon (C 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved
Printed in Great Britain
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TECHNICAL NOTE

Thermodynamic cycle of a liquid piston pump

ROGERIO P. KLUPPEL and JOSI~ MAUR[CIO M. GURGEL

Laboratdrio de Energia Solar da UPFB, Cidade Universitfiria, 58059-900,
J. Pessoa, PB, Brazil

(Received 30 April 1997 ; accepted 28 May 1997)

Abstract--This paper presents a contribution to the solution of the irrigation problems
of rural areas in developing regions, where conventional energy solutions are often
too expensive. The work presents the operational principles, the theoretical analysis
and experimental results of a pumping device, for irrigation use, that works based on
a cyclical variation of pressure exerted on the water by a confined mass of gas. The
gas alternately contacts a hot or a cold plate, by the movement of an insulating
displacer, presenting therefore an oscillation in temperature. The movement of the
displacer is connected by a buoy to the movement of the liquid surface. Presented
here is a description of the experimental prototype and of the mechanical pumping
cycle with its connection to the thermodynamic cycle experienced by the gas inside
the device. A classical thermodynamics analysis of the idealized cycle is made, shown
on equilibrium diagrams. Experiments were conducted with a prototype and the
results are presented and discussed. The presented experimental data confirm the
initial hypothesis, and suggest the technical feasibility of the device. The final com-
ments discuss some technological drawbacks that need yet to be removed in order to
arrive at a practical prototype. © 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. I N T R O D U C T I O N

The need for irrigation in rural semi-arid tropical regions of developing countries poses a technological
challenge as usually those regions lack electricity distribution networks and the local price of fossil
fuels is inflated by transportation costs. The power, therefore, must be provided by locally produced
combustibles or by solar energy that happens to be plentiful in such regions.
During the 1970s, the technology of Rankine cycle engines using steam produced by concentrators
became commercially available [1], but in sizes that put them beyond the reach of individual farmers.
Other technologies also became available, e.g. photocell powered centrifugal pumps, that present no
scale production problems and in addition are compact and reliable. Nevertheless photocell pumps
are still expensive and their maintenance, however low, is a high technology task.
The conditions prevailing in developing countries require simple, low cost, low maintenance devices
that could be constructed locally and operated by people without sophisticated technical skills [2],
like liquid piston units.
During a stay at Federal University of Paraiba the late Rudolf Sizmann [3] proposed the study of
a device that could produce pumping work using the oscillation in pressure exerted by a variation of
temperature in a confined mass of gas exposed alternately to contact a hot or a cold source. The
device, after technological development, could be used to pump water for irrigation. A prototype was
constructed and preliminary results were published [4], but the early model was far from ready to be
produced in commercial scale. In an attempt to make a technically liable system it was decided to
restart from the beginning and this paper presents a revised version of an equilibrium thermodynamic
analysis of the cycle and of experimental results.

261
262 Technical Note
2. PROPOSED DEVICE
The pumping device, depicted schematically on Fig. 1, is composed basically of a main chamber
or reservoir (1) containing a constant mass of gas that is exposed to contact alternately a hot and a
cold plate by the movement of an insulating displacer (2). The reservoir constructed in a cylindrical
shape is made of an insulating material and the two cylinder bases are made of metallic plate. The
movement of the displacer forces the gas alternately against the hot plate (3) or the cold plate (4).
The alternate heating and cooling of the gas causes a cyclical pressure variation, that is used to pump
the water. The working gas pressure is exerted directly on the liquid flowing through an expansion
chamber (5), that is opened to the main cylinder. The alternate movement of the floating displacer is
caused by the variation of the water level through a buoy (6) in the expansion chamber. A permanent
magnet (7) is used to delay the downward motion of the displacer in relation to the liquid level. Two
valves (V, and Vo) working below the water level in the expansion chamber, direct the water flow.
Figure 2 shows the movements of the insulating displacer and their relation to the processes that
compose the thermodynamic cycle and the mechanical pumping cycle of the device.

3. EQUILIBRIUM THERMODYNAMIC ANALYSIS

3.1. Preliminary hypothesis
In order to make an equilibrium thermodynamic analysis of the cycle that is suffered by the gas
inside the pump one must assume the ideal conditions that can be summarized as follows :
The gas behaves like a well mixed ideal gas, under conditions of thermodynamic equilibrium.
All mechanical displacements are quasi-static.
There are no head losses in the water flow.
The net heat flow between the gas and its envelope during the movement of the displacer can
be neglected.
There is no mass transfer at the liquid surface in the expansion chamber.

3.2. Description of the processes

On the hold of the above restrictions, the thermodynamic processes that are related to the mech-
anical cycle depicted on Fig. 2(a)-2(d) can be represented on equilibrium diagrams.
The ideal thermodynamic cycle is drawn connecting points 1-2-3~4 on the P × V and T x S
diagrams of Figs 3 and 4, respectively.

1u

h 1
"1 3 r

Vim Vo
Fig. 1. Diagram of the proposed pumping system showing: (1) cylindrical reservoir; (2) displacer; (3)
hot source; (4) cold source; (5) expansion chamber; (6) buoy; (7) permanent magnet; (Fo) water
outlet valve; (F~) water inlet valve.
 Technical Note 263

a) System at state I b) System at state 2

c) System at state 3 d) Process 3-4

Fig. 2. Movements of the machine parts during the pumping cycle: (a) system at state 1; (b) system
at state 2; (c) system at state 3; (d) process 3-4.

V
Fig. 3. Ideal cycle on a P × V equilibrium diagram.

State 1 corresponds to the displacer arriving to the upper position, see Fig. 2(a), where it insulates
the cold plate thus allowing the gas to contact the hot plate and start expanding by heating during
isobaric process 1 2.
264 Technical Note

T 2

S
Fig. 4. Ideal cycle on a T × S equilibrium diagram.

The system pressure equals the pumping head which is the hydrostatic water pressure on the
outflow of the pump. The Vo opens and the process 1-2 begins.
During process 1-2 the increase in gas volume forces the water out the expansion chamber through
valve Vo, until the water level reaches its lower point. Initially the buoy goes down with the water
while the displacer is held by the permanent magnet. State 2 is attained after the water expulsion,
when gravity pulls downward the combined masses of the displacer and the buoy as depicted in Fig.
2(b).
Process 2-3 occurs when the displacer insulates the hot plate thus allowing the gas to contact the
upper plate and contract by cooling.
State 3 is reached when the pressure inside the device is lower than the hydrostatic pressure
upstream of the intake valve Vi thus allowing it to open to let the water in to the expansion chamber,
as shown on Fig. 2(c).
Process 3 4 corresponds to the gas volume reduction as the water at pressure P4 enters the expansion
chamber through valve V~. The raising of the water level lifts the buoy B, as shown on Fig. 2(d), and
after some travel the buoy centered at the displacer shaft pulls the displacer upward and when the
water level reaches its maximum the displacer is insulating the cold source.
State 4 is attained when the gas is reduced to its smallest volume.
Process 4-1 corresponds to the constant volume heating of the gas in contact with the hot source
while pressure inside the reservoir increases from water inlet pressure to pumping head pressure.

3.3. Equations
The related heating and cooling processes and equilibrium states of the gas that constitutes the
thermodynamic system are explained as follows :
Process 1-2 Isobaric. The system pressure equals the pumping head which is the hydrostatic water
pressure on the outflow of the pump given by the product of the water column height h0 by its specific
gravity Pw and the gravity acceleration g :
P1 = P2 = pwgho. (1)
V1 is the smaller volume occupied by the gas during the cycle, at the beginning of the heating
process, when the displacer and the buoy are in their highest positions and the expansion chamber is
full of water. At point 1 the temperature of the mass m of working gas is given by eqn (1) and the
ideal gas state equation :
pwghoV1
Tl -- - - (2)
mR
where R is the gas constant. During the isobaric process 1-2, the differential entropy variation of the
system with specific heat Cp is given by :
 Technical Note 265
dT
d S = mCp ~ - . (3)

The volume I/2 corresponds to the system at the end of the expansion process, when the water
volume Vw was ejected from the expansion chamber and the displacer starts to fall.
v2 = v, + vw (4)
The relation between the gas volumes at states 1 and 2 is the volumetric rate or expansion rate r :

V2 Vw
r=v=l+7. (5)

The temperature at state 2 can also be found by the ideal gas relation and using eqns (1) and (5) :
T2 = rT,. (6)
Process 2 3. Isochore. At constant volume the pressure drops f r o m / '2 to P3 when the gas is cooled
after the downward motion of the displacer.
The final pressure of the process, P3, corresponds to the opening pressure of the inlet valve V~, that
is adjusted to be lower than the hydrostatic pressure of the water upstream of the valve V~.
The ideal gas relation applied to points 2 and 3 gives the system temperature 7"3 at the end of the
process :

P3
7"3 = T2 ~ . (7)

Process 3~4. Isothermal compression. The temperature remains unchanged at T3 and the final pressure
of the process P4, corresponds to the hydrostatic pressure at the water intake valve V~given by :

P4 = pwghl. (8)
The opening pressure P3 of the intake valve V~ can be calculated by use of ideal gas relation for
states 3 and 4 at the same temperature.
1
P3 = P4 (9)
r

Process 4-1. Isochore compression during which the pressure increases as a consequence of the initial
contact of the gas with the lower plate. The differential variation in entropy during process 4-1 is :
dT
dS = mCv~-. (10)

The useful water elevation height h, = h o - h~ corresponds to the difference between the hydrostatic
pressure downstream valve Vo and upstream valve V, given by eqns (1) and (8). Thus:

P1 -- Pn
hu - (ll)
gPw
By substituting the values of Pt and P4 and using the ideal gas relation one finds hu as a function
of the extreme temperatures of the gas of the cycle :

mR(T2 -rT3)
ho - (12)
Vzgpw
The energy turned useful in the cycle is the product of the pumping height by the weight of the
pumped water is
E = h,(V2 -- V,)gpw, (13)
where by use o f e q n (11) one gets :
266 Technical Note
E = ( P , - P 4 ) ( V 2 - V,). (14)
Expanding the right hand term and using the ideal gas relation one arrives to an alternative form
of the above equation as :

E = mR(r-- 1)(T, -- T0. (14a)

The total amount of heat energy entering the system during the cycle is given by the integration of
eqns (3) and (14) as:

Qe = f"' mCvdT+ ir~mc~ dT, (15)

3 dT~

which after straightforward integration yields :

Qe = m[Cv(Yl - Y3) ~- Cp(Y2 - TI )]. (16)

The thermodynamic efficiency of the cycle is obtained by dividing eqn 14(a) by eqn (16) and
simplifying to :

R ( r - 1)
r/= T_, -- Ti " (17)
Cv+Cp Ti -- T4

By the definition of an adimensional relation between the three temperatures in eqn (17), T* as:

T* - 7"2 -- TI
T,--T~ (18)

one can produce a more compact presentation of eqn (17), in order to make some comments.

3.4. Comments
Using eqns (17) and (18) and substituting Cp and Cv for their values in case of diatomic and
monatomic ideal gases one obtains for monatomic gases :
2 ( r - 1)
r/-- 3 + 5 T * ' (19)

while for diatomic gases the efficiency is :

2 ( r - 1)
r/- 5 + 7T* (20)

It is reminded that T2 and T3 are, respectively, the maximum and minimum temperature in the
cycle, while T~ is somewhere in between Tz and T~. As a result of the above, one sees that T* can
only assume positive values. Therefore eqns (19) and (20) show that the use of a monatomic gas will
always result in a better performance than the use of other gases, all other variables being kept
constant. At T* = 1, the above equations show that a monatomic gas such as Argon will give
efficiencies 50% higher than a diatomic gas such as air, for the same expansion ratio r.
Equation (12) can be rearranged to explicit r as a function of the extreme temperatures and hu.
The gas mass m equals the product of its volume by the temperature dependent gas density, p~(T),
SO

T2 hug p~
r = (21)
T3 RT3 pg(T2)
The above equation will be useful in field operation of the device, to determine the expansion rate
r at which to set the engine once given the working conditions that include the hot and cold source
temperature and the pumping head.
 Technical Note 267
4. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
A model with ~ = 229 cm 3 was constructed and laboratory tested using air as the working gas.
Water heated by electrical resistances was circulated as heat source while flowing tap water served as
a heat sink. During the experiments the thermal source temperatures and the transient pressures
inside the chamber were recorded. Platinum 100s were used as temperature sensors and piezoelectric
transducers for transient pressures. The constant pressure slow processes required the use of a
differential mercury manometer. Readings of the gas volumes were done at the water level in the
expansion chamber made of a glass tube. Photographs were taken to capture instant pressure and
volume readings during processes 1-2 and 3 4.
Figure 5 presents the results of pressure and volume measurements made at different points of the
cycle, while hot and cold source temperatures were kept constant at 365 and 301 K, respectively. It
can be seen on Fig. 5 that the corners 2 and 4 that correspond to movements of the displacer are
somewhat more " r o u n d e d " than corners 1 and 3, that correspond to the action of opening valves.
As a result the actual cycle is narrower than the theoretical one, but the general shape of both figures
is identical.
All points in the process 1 2 agree with the mean value of a straight horizontal line within less than
2% deviation, therefore experimentally verifying the initial guesses of constant pressure. If one
eliminates the three points on the upper left corner of Fig. 5, whose slight increase in pressure is
supposed to be the effect of the valve Vo inertia, the agreement with a constant pressure line is still
better. The slight decrease in pressure of process 1 2 is explained by a diminution in velocity of the
water flow in the outlet piping, as the gas expansion was observed to be slower toward the end of the
process.
A linear regression of the measured P and V points in process 3 4 showed a deviation smaller than
1.8 % from a mean constant value, therefore justifying the initial hypothesis of constant temperature.
During the experiments the frequency of the entire cycle varied between 0.36 and 0.14 Hz, according
to the pumping head. It was found that the higher the water column ho, the slower the expansion 1
2 and therefore the frequency is inversely proportional to the pumping head.

5. FINAL COMMENTS
During the tests a slow diminution in performance was observed after about 1 h of work, and it
was deduced that there is a slow dissolution of the working gas in the pumped water. That suggests
one needs to separate the fluids, maybe by the use of an oil floating film at the water surface or by
means of some other mechanical solution like a diaphragm. Another solution could be the provision
of a periodical replenishment of the chamber. That approach could be practical if the engine were to
operate using air as working fluid, but the use of a monatomic gas precludes that solution.

0.12- P(Pa x l O 6)

0.11- • ;4-11

O• • •
0.10- • •

V(m 3 xl 0 -6)
0.09 .... ~ .... ~ ....
2150 2200 2250 2300
Fig. 5. Experimental points for the actual thermodynamic cycle in a P x V diagram.
268 Technical Note
The experimental results have shown the feasibility of the conception but have also pinpointed
some technical problems that need to be solved in order to arrive at a market ready prototype. One
technical drawback is the rather slow frequency of operation that is limited by the rate of heat transfer
to and from the gas. A prototype is under conception with a higher aspect ratio between cylinder
diameter and height, in an attempt to improve the operation frequency.
The climatic conditions and agricultural techniques that prevail in Northeastern Brazil are such
that one can expect to run the pump with energy provided by solar collectors, given the small pumping
heads required by gravity irrigation processes.
Another technically possible approach is to provide the device with a burner under the lower end
of the cylinder.
The burning of fuels such as biogas or agricultural wastes can provide hot source temperatures
that will enable the engine to work at pressure levels above 100 kPa.

Acknowledgement--This work was sponsored by the Brazilian Research Council, CNPQ, through
Grants Nos 523779/94-1 and 350163/91-0.

REFERENCES
1. Pytlinsky, J. T., Solar Energy, 1978, 21,255-262.
2. Fernandes, L. C. V. and Barcellos, W. M., Problems in spreading the use of liquid piston thermal
engines in agricultural countries (in Portuguese). Proceedings of the 4th Brazilian Thermal Sciences
Meeting, Rio de Janeiro, 1992, pp. 399~402.
3. Sizmann, R., Personal communication J. Pessoa, Brazil, 1983.
4. Gurgel, J. M. and Kluppel, R. P., Water pumping by gas compression (in Portuguese). Proceedings
of the 8th Brazilian Congress on Mech. Engr. (VIII COBEM), S. Paulo, 1985, pp. 249-252.