Analytical and mathematical modelling of effect of two Phase Flow Regime on the

Performance of the Airlift Pump

8. Project summary:
(a) Introduction: Air Lift Pump is widely used in Nuclear Repossessing Plant (NPR) for
passive transfer of radioactive liquids. The air is injected at the base of submerged
riser pipe. As a result of these air bubbles suspended in the radioactive liquid, the
average density of the two phase mixture in the tube is less than that of the
surrounding fluid. This resulting buoyant force causes a pumping action and the liquid
is pumped out. The vertical flow in the air-lift pumps has different flow regimes
namely bubbly, slug, churn and annular. Considering different flow regimes, a suitable
numerical approach is crucial for correct simulation of air-liquid flow in upriser pipe
of Air Lift Pump. There are only few studies available on unsteady gas-liquid flow
effect for designing of air-lift pump with two phase flow without detailed
investigation on effect of bubble diameter, submergence ration and turbulence
instability. CFD model will be developed to investigate the 2 phase flow in the air lift
pump using different flow regime. Effect of lift pressure on bubble shape, bubble
velocity, film thickness, mass transfer, and pressure drop & velocity profile inside the
liquid flow regime will be studied in details.
(b) Objective: In the proposed work, detailed study of 2 phase characteristics in Air-lift
pump shall be carried out to develop mathematical relation for optimization of design
parameters such as the percentage of the distance between throat section and nozzle,
driving air pressure and suction head. The effect of each parameter on the air lift
pump characteristics shall be analysed in order to have a better performance of such
pump under various flow regimes. The two main approaches namely the volume of
fluid (VOF) and Eulerian model shall be used for modeling of the two phase flow in
the upriser pipe of the airlift system. The multiphase flow behaviour in the upriser
pipe shall be compared with the available flow regime map in the literatures and
experiments. Effect of different submergence ratios shall be investigated in detailed
for optimum fluid transfer.
(c) Present state of knowledge: Presently, experiment and numerical analysis of Air Lift
Pump has been carried out focusing only slug flow regime. The vertical flow in the
air-lift pumps has different flow regimes, hence suitable numerical approach is crucial
for correct simulation of air-liquid flow in upriser pipe of Air Lift Pump. In addition,
there are only few studies available on unsteady gas-liquid flow effect for designing
of air-lift pump with two phase flow without detailed investigation on effect of bubble
diameter, submergence ration and turbulence instability.
(d) Gap area: Experimental and theoretical work has been carried out mainly on slug
flows because it is the flow regime that provides the highest pumping efficiency (e.g.
Mao and Dukler, 1989; Orell and Rembrand, 1986). It may be observed that the
modeling of the ALSs in the different flow regime transition is still not understood
well enough. Also, considering airlift as a pumping device, its operational
characteristic has not yet been established satisfactorily. Furthermore, all experimental
data existing in the literature refer to high submergence ratios considering slug flow
regime only. For high air flow rates and low submergence ratios, the flow pattern in
the riser tube is not fully investigated and flow shows a quasi-periodic bursting bubble

flow behaviour. The effect of void fraction and bubble diameter which is also a key
parameter for understanding the dynamics of two-phase flow is unfortunately not
detailed analysed in available literature.
(e) Scope of work: Effect of turbulence instability in liquid transfer efficiency of Air Lift
Pump will be studied in details. A new mathematical relation shall be investigated
using coupled continuity and momentum equations incorporating pressure term in the
continuity equation. The two phase flow regimes simulated using the numerical
method shall be compared with the available flow regime map in the literatures,
analytical correlations and experiments. Effect of different submergence ratios shall
be investigated in detailed for optimum fluid transfer.
(f) Deliverables: 2Phase modelling of Air Lift Pump, Design optimazation of ALPs,

Development of mathematical model for flow in the ALPs using different flow
regimes incorporating effects of turbulence instability and low to high submergence
ratio. The results obtained will be validated with shake table experiment data.