Department of Mining Engineering

Uet Lahore

Assignment

Air lift pump

To
Prof.Muhammad Zaka Emaad

Submitted by

Atta ur Rehman
2009-Min-20
Date:28/005/2010
2nd semester
Defination:-
An air lift pump is a simple pump used to pump water by mean of
compressed air.
Inventor:-
This pump is considered to be invented by the German engineer Carl E.
Loescher, who lived in the second part of the eighteenth century. He discovered
the airlift pump in1797.
Structure:-
The only energy required is air. This air is usually compressed by
a compressor or a blower. The air is injected in the lower part of a pipe that
transports a liquid. It usually bubbles into another larger diameter pipe.
By gravitation the air, which has a lower density than the liquid, rises quickly.
By inertia, the liquid is taken in the ascendant air flow and moves in the same
direction as the air. The calculation of the volume flow of the liquid is possible
under the physics of two way flow.

Airlift pump technology is superb due to its simple structure but along with its
simple structure it has some problems along with simplicity. It has a weak
structure its flow is also slow, irregular and disturbed its suction is also weak.
It can be used for low lifts only due to weak suction.

The following paragraph exposes the advantages and disadvantages of the

airlift pump compared to other pumping techniques.
Advantages:-

the very simple principle is a clear advantage. Only air with a higher pressure
than the liquid is required.

the liquid is not in contact with any mechanical elements. Therefore, neither
the pump can be abraded (which is important for sandwater wells), neither the
contents in the pipe can be abraded (which is important
for archeological research in the see)
Disadvantages:-

cost: while in some specific case the operational cost can be interesting, most
of the time, the quantity of air to compress is high compared to the liquid flow
required.

This pumping system is suitable only if the head is relatively low. If you want
to obtain a high head, you have to chose a conventional pumping system.
Because of the principle, a lot of air reminds in the liquid. In certain case, this
can be problematic, as, for example, in a waste water treatment plant, before
an anaerobic basin.

Nowadays geyser pumps are also used along with these pumps.