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EnergyProcedia
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00 (2017) 693–701
www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia

International Conference on Technologies and Materials for Renewable Energy, Environment and
Sustainability, TMREES17, 21-24 April 2017, Beirut Lebanon

The effectTheof15th
liquid temperature
International Symposium ononthe performance
District of an airlift
Heating and Cooling
pump
Assessing the feasibility of using the heat demand-outdoor
temperature function forOueslati
Adel a long-term
a,b
* , Adel district
Megricheheat
b
demand forecast
a
Higher technological studies institute of zaghouan, Mogren, 1140, Tunisia
I. Andrića,b,c*, A. PinaFaculty
a
, P. ofFerrão a
, Tunis,
Sciences of
b
J. Fournier b
Lacarrièrec, O. Le Correc
., B.Tunisia
Al Manar, 1001,

a
IN+ Center for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research - Instituto Superior Técnico, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
b
Abstract Veolia Recherche & Innovation, 291 Avenue Dreyfous Daniel, 78520 Limay, France
c
Département Systèmes Énergétiques et Environnement - IMT Atlantique, 4 rue Alfred Kastler, 44300 Nantes, France
Airlift pumps are very simple devices consisting of a vertical riser tube which is partially immersed in the liquid to be pumped
and into which air is injected at the base to produce an upward flow. These devices are characterized by higher reliability and low
maintenance.
Abstract They are used, especially, for pumping dangerous and polluted liquids. The objective of the present study is to
evaluate the performance of a pump when hot liquids are handled and air humidification is not neglected. For this purpose, an air-
lift pump heating
District was designed
networksand are
tested. Experiments
commonly were in
addressed performed for many
the literature operating
as one of the conditions A theoretical
most effective solutionsmodel is proposed
for decreasing the
ingreenhouse
this study gas
taking into account
emissions from the thebuilding
air humidification
sector. Theseandsystems
liquid temperature. The proposed
require high investments model
which arehas been compared
returned through thewith
heat
sales. Due to
experimental datatheand
changed climate conditions
some recognized models of and building
literature. Therenovation policies,
proposed model is inheat
gooddemand
agreement in with
the future could decrease,
experimental results.
©prolonging the investment
2017 The Authors. return
Published byperiod.
Elsevier Ltd.
©The2017 Thescope
main Authors. Published
paper isby toElsevier Ltd.
Peer-review
Peer-review underofresponsibility
under
this
responsibility of
of
assess
the
the
the feasibility of using
Euro-Mediterranean
Euro-Mediterranean
the for
Institute
Institute
heatSustainable
demand – outdoor
for Sustainable
temperature
Development
Development
function for heat demand
(EUMISD).
(EUMISD).
forecast. The district of Alvalade, located in Lisbon (Portugal), was used as a case study. The district is consisted of 665
buildingsair-lift
Keywords: that vary
pump;inairboth construction
humidification; period
liquid and typology.
temperature; two-phaseThree
flow weather scenarios (low, medium, high) and three district
renovation scenarios were developed (shallow, intermediate, deep). To estimate the error, obtained heat demand values were
compared with results from a dynamic heat demand model, previously developed and validated by the authors.
1.The
Introduction
results showed that when only weather change is considered, the margin of error could be acceptable for some applications
(the error in annual demand was lower than 20% for all weather scenarios considered). However, after introducing renovation
scenarios, the error
The pumping value of
system increased
water byup air
to 59.5% (depending
lift consists of theoninjection
the weather
of and renovationairscenarios
compressed combination
at the base considered).
of a vertical pipe
The value of slope coefficient increased on average within the range of 3.8% up to 8% per decade, that corresponds to the
in order to drive the liquid therein. The only source of energy, used for pumping, is compressed air. A two-phase
decrease in the number of heating hours of 22-139h during the heating season (depending on the combination of weather and
mixture is water-air, of lower density than the surrounding liquid. Upward movement is initiated, and causing a
renovation scenarios considered). On the other hand, function intercept increased for 7.8-12.7% per decade (depending on the
stream of water. Air lift pumps are widely used in aquaculture [1], in bioreactors [2], in geothermal wells [3], in
coupled scenarios). The values suggested could be used to modify the function parameters for the scenarios considered, and
underwater
improve theexploration
accuracy of heat[4-5], the extraction
demand estimations.of sludge in wastewater treatment [6-7].

© 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Committee of The 15th International Symposium on District Heating and
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +216 24 605 704; fax: +216 72 660 300.
Cooling.
E-mail address: adel.oueslati@isetkh.rnu.tn / adel.oueslati@laposte.net
Keywords: Heat demand; Forecast; Climate change
1876-6102 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Peer-review under responsibility of the Euro-Mediterranean Institute for Sustainable Development (EUMISD).

1876-6102 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Committee of The 15th International Symposium on District Heating and Cooling.
1876-6102 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Peer-review under responsibility of the Euro-Mediterranean Institute for Sustainable Development (EUMISD).
10.1016/j.egypro.2017.07.096
694 Adel Oueslati et al. / Energy Procedia 119 (2017) 693–701
2 Adel Oueslati, Adel Megriche / Energy Procedia 00 (2017) 000–000

Air-lift pumps are considered effective for low head conditions compared to centrifugal pumps and other pumps
[8-10]. This pumping performance depends on a number of important variables. These variables are classified into
two types: design variables and operating variables. The design variables include the geometry, the diameter and
height of the riser and those of the down comer. Besides, the internal or external recycling loop, the type of diffuser
and liquid-gas separation are considered also as design variables. However, the nature of the fluids, the submersion
ratio, and the gas flow rate are the operating variables [11-17]. We note that, the liquid temperature, generally, is not
considered as operating variable. The design and the operating variables have an effect on several phenomena
occurred in the airlift system, such as: the size and the shape of bubbles, the gas flow regime, the pressure drop, the
gas holdup and the liquid flow rate.
Several previous researches tried to improve the performances of airlift-pumps. For improving lifting head
performance, a new setup which consists in an airlift-pump in several stages has been suggested [18]. In order to
improve the pumped liquid flow rate, a new airlift pump, with many injection points of air in the riser, has been
proposed [12]. This technology was efficient in a range of air flow rate. The same technology was used in a large
scale [19]. For the same purpose, Parker [1] has designed a new foot piece which has a positive effect on the air-lift
performance.
In another hand, in the most cited models [1-2; 5; 20-22], the liquid flow rate was calculated as function of
operating variables where the liquid temperature effect and air humidification are neglected. Or, the researches in air
humidification [23-24] have showed that the air humidification can occur at any temperature even at a short contact
between air and liquid water. This humidification increases with the increase of liquid and air temperatures. So, the
hypothesis assumed in cited models is not true, especially at high temperature. Besides, the difference between
experimental results and those calculated by model is more than 30% [22] where the liquid temperature is 50°C.
This difference can be explained partially by the assumed hypothesis where air-humidification is neglected.
The present study reviewed the previous models, dealt with the air-lift pump performance when operating in
two-phase flow regime. A modified version of these models is developed. The results of the proposed modified
model are then compared with the experimental measurements of Oueslati et al. (2010) and other available models.

Nomenclature

A section area of the riser (m2) V velocity (m/s)

b perimeter of the riser tube (m) W weight (kg)
D inner Dimeter of the riser (m) X humidity ratio (kg water vapor/ kg dry air)
f friction coefficient ρ density (kg/m3)
g gravitational acceleration (m/s2) δ = 0.622
Hs initial height of liquid in the riser (m) η efficiency
K friction factor τ shear stress
L riser length (m) ε roughness of inner surface of tube
Ls pipe suction length (m) Subscripts
m mass flow rate (kg/ hr) 1 entering injection zone
P pressure (Pa) 2 leaving injection zone
Q volumetric flow rate (m3/hr) a atmospheric
Re Reynolds number of liquid phase as dry air
Sr submergence ratio G gas
s slip ratio L liquid
T temperature (°C) Cp calorific capacity (kJ/kg. °C)

2. Experimental setup

The setup is shown in fig.1. The riser is a glass tube with 2m in length and 30 mm inner dimeter. The down
comer is a glass of 72 mm inner dimeter. The upper end of the riser is connected to a collecting tank (6) where the
air escapes to atmosphere. The air coming from the compressor enters the riser through the jacket holes and moves
with it, in the upward direction, the liquid. The water, pumped, passes from tank (6) to the water feeding tank. Its
 Adel Oueslati et al. / Energy Procedia 119 (2017) 693–701 695
Adel Oueslati, Adel Megriche / Energy Procedia 00 (2017) 000–000 3

flow rate is measured by a calibrated float flow meter. The water is, already, heated by the heater (12). The level of
the liquid in the tank (8) is controlled by an automatic regulator (10). The pressure, the temperature and the flow rate
of inlet air are measured by calibrated instruments. The relative humidity of air is measured at the foot and at the
head of the riser by calibrated hygrometers. The humidity ratio is calculated from measured values of RH using
equation detailed in [25].

Figure-1: Experimental setup: 1. compressor, 2. valve, 3. pressure gauge, 4. thermometer, 5. air flow meter, 6. Collecting tank, 7. water flow
meter, 8. water feeding tank, 9.thermometer, 10. level control, 11.heater 12. heating tank, 13. valve, 14. down comer, 15. air-jacket, 16.holding
tank, HR. relative humidity sensor, LC. level control.

The air injector consists of 63 small holes of 2 mm dimeter uniformly distributed around the pipe perimeter in
nine rows and seven columns to unsure uniform feed of the air into the pipe. Various liquid temperatures for each
submergence ratio were investigated in the present study. The range of liquid temperature was obtained in
increments of 5°C. For each liquid temperature and submergence ratio, the air flow rate was varied and the
corresponding flow rate of water and humidity of air were measured. A procedure of specified and planed
measurements was followed for each run.

3. Model

The following hypotheses are assumed in the development of the model. The first: The density changes of the
air are neglected. The second: The air mass flow rate is neglected compared to that of liquid mass flow rate. The
third: The wall friction is neglected at the injector. The Fourth: The momentum changes, caused by the flow
696 Adel Oueslati et al. / Energy Procedia 119 (2017) 693–701
4 Adel Oueslati, Adel Megriche / Energy Procedia 00 (2017) 000–000

adjustment after the mixer, are neglected. The Fifth: The friction factor is calculated for the liquid flow only. The
sixth: Density of gas is neglected with respect to the liquid density and the seventh: The flow regime is slug flow.

The volumetric flow rate of gas can be written as:

(1)

Where: (2)

(3)

The static pressure P 0 at the base of the pipe is given by Bernoulli’s equation.
(4)
Hypothesis 1, the continuity equation can be written as follows:
(5)
Dividing all terms of eq. (5) by , we obtain:
(6)

Hypothesis 2, the continuity equation can be written as follows:

(7)
So, (8)

Substituting eq. (6) in eq. (8), we obtain:

(9)

Hypothesis 3 and the application of the momentum equation applied to the injector ends gives:
(10)
Replacing Velocity of the mixture, V2 by its expression (eq. 6), we obtain:
(11)
Hence, Substituting P0 by its expression in eq. (11) gives:
(12)
Hypothesis 4 and the equation momentum for the upper portion of the pump can be written as follows:
(13)

The shear stress is given by the following equation:

(14)

The weight W, is given by the following equation:

(15)
The total area of the riser is divided between Liquid and gas as follows:
(16)
And; (17)
And; (18)
Hypothesis 5 and equations (15)-(18) gives:
 Adel Oueslati et al. / Energy Procedia 119 (2017) 693–701 697
Adel Oueslati, Adel Megriche / Energy Procedia 00 (2017) 000–000 5

(19)

Where, (20)

So, the combination of eq. (13)-(14) and (19) we get:

(21)

It can be written as follows:

(22)

We note: LHS= (22a)

And, RHS= (22b)

The friction factor K is given by: (23)

Hypothesis 7 gives the slip equation:

(24)

The friction factor is calculated by the Colebrook equation:

(25)

The pumping efficiency is calculated by the following ratio: (26)

The water liquid density is calculated by the following equation [27]:

(27)
The dynamic viscosity of water liquid is given by the following equation [27]:
(28)
The modified model is obtained by considering air humidification. Therefore, the liquid temperature is
considered as an operating variable. Using this modified model, a computer program was developed in order to
investigate the air-lift pump performance. A calculation procedure includes the following steps:
(1) The design variables: L, D, pipe roughness ε.
(2) The operating variables: Liquid temperature (T), Relative humidity (RH), Humidity Ratios (Xin, Xout), Gas
flowrate (m G ), input pressure (Pin), and a static head (Hs).
(3) Assume a value of water mass flow rate.
(4) The coefficient of the friction f, the slip ratio ‘‘s”, the friction factor ‘‘K” and the liquid mass flowrate were
determined by iterative calculation.

4. Research results and discussion

Fig.2 - Fig.4 show the experimental and theoretical values of liquid mass flow rate versus gas mass flow rate
for different submersion ratios and liquid temperatures. As expected, results showed an increase of liquid flow rate
when the gas flow rate increases. These results are clearer if the submergence ration increases. So, the submergence
ratio has a positive effect on the liquid flow rate. The same effect of liquid temperature on the liquid flow rate is
observed. This is explained by the mass transfer of water from liquid phase to that of gas. This mass transfer is
favoured by the increase of liquid temperature. However, in previous works [25, 27-28] it was showed that hot air
has no
6 698 Adel Oueslati, Adel
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Figure-2: Theoretical model and experimental results for submergence ratio =0.5 and liquid temperature =60°C

Figure-3: Theoretical model and experimental results for submergence ratio =0.6 and liquid temperature =60°C
 Adel
Adel Oueslati, Oueslati
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Megriche / Energy
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7

Figure-4: Theoretical model and experimental results for submergence ratio =0.7 and liquid temperature =60°C

Figure-5: Pump efficiency for submergence ratio =0.4 and for different liquid temperatures
700
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Adel Oueslati, Oueslati
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Figure-6: Pump efficiency for submergence ratio =0.6 and for different liquid temperatures

Effect on the performance airlift because: . Consequently, the water liquid is a heater fluid,
but his flow rate is controlled by the flow regime of the gas [1-7, 12-17, 20-22, and 24-25]. The increase of the size
of gas bubbles, by coalescence under the effect either of the increase of gas flow rate or water evaporation, has an
effect on the pumped liquid flow rate. Indeed, if the gas bubbles will reach the size of great slug, then the liquid flow
rate has a tendency to decrease, because the gas holdup will be very high by comparison to that of liquid. This fact is
explained by the efficiency curves (Figs.5-6). It is clear that the high value of efficiency is obtained at low value of
gas flow rate. But, in the range of operating conditions tested in the present study, the maximum efficiency is
observed at high temperature and high submergence ratio. Or, the liquid temperature and the submergence ratio have
two opposite effects because, the gas bubbles sizes is increased by the water evaporation (Temperature) and
decreased under the increase of submergence ratio. Finally, these effects can be, easily, distinguished each other by
experimental tests. The theoretical is in a good agreement with experimental data. Indeed, the maximum difference
between theoretical and experimental results is about 18%. The proposed model, in this study, is more accurate than
that proposed by [22]. In ambient conditions, the proposed model is better than that of literature [1-2, 5, 20-21, 25].

Conclusion

The following conclusions can be drawn based on the proposed model and experimental results:
• The variation of gas mass flow rate with air humidification is not negligible, especially, when the liquid
temperature is more than 45°C.
• As the submerged ratio and liquid temperature increase, the efficiency of the pump increases also at the
same air flow rate.
• For the same submergence ratio, varying the liquid temperature affects the airlift performance.
• The proposed model in the present study can predict the air-lift pump performance especially when hot
water is handled (Ex. geothermal water).
• The proposed model gives a good agreement with experimental results.
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