Authors
Abstract
In this research, an experimental test has been conducted to study the pumping
characteristics of a vapor-bubble pump based on water properties. It also includes a
trial based on the obtained experimental data to correct and reconstruct the
previously developed theoretical mathematical model of this bubble pump. The
mathematical model that was developed for general fluid properties can be used
after modification to represent the actual behavior of the water vapor-bubble pump.
Most of the bubble pump configuration parameters which may affect its
performance are experimentally investigated. Three different inner tube diameters
(8, 10, 12 mm) with five submergence ratios (0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6) are tested.
The results showed that the bubble pump capacity increases with the thermal
energy processed and continue to increase up to a maximum value then begin to
decline. Each tube diameter has its own maximum discharge; the bigger tube
diameter gives higher maximum discharge which is in turn increases with the
increasing of submergence ratio. The experimental results of the pumping capacity
are compared with those obtained from the mathematical model .Then the
mathematical model is reconstructed by adding a correcting factor (K). This factor
is necessary to account for the discrepancies that observed between the
experimental and the theoretical results. The margin of error between the results of
the resulting corrected mathematical model and the results of the practical test was
acceptable and it can use this new model to analyze the performance of the bubble
pump.
Keywords
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