Journal of Hydraulic Research

ISSN: 0022-1686 (Print) 1814-2079 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tjhr20

Pressure behaviour in riser tube of a short airlift

pump

Charalampos T. Moisidis & Eleftherios G. Kastrinakis

To cite this article: Charalampos T. Moisidis & Eleftherios G. Kastrinakis (2010) Pressure
behaviour in riser tube of a short airlift pump, Journal of Hydraulic Research, 48:1, 65-73, DOI:
10.1080/00221680903568642

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/00221680903568642

Published online: 18 Mar 2010.

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 Journal of Hydraulic Research Vol. 48, No. 1 (2010), pp. 65– 73
doi:10.1080/00221680903568642
# 2010 International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research

Research paper

Pressure behaviour in riser tube of a short airlift pump

CHARALAMPOS T. MOISIDIS, Chemical Engineer, Chemical Engineering Department, School of Engineering,
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Email: mtrianta@auth.gr

ELEFTHERIOS G. KASTRINAKIS, Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering Department, School of

Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Email: kastr@auth.gr (author for correspondence)

ABSTRACT
The pressure behaviour in riser tubes of a short airlift pump was investigated for various submergence ratios, air discharges and riser tube lengths. Two
high-frequency response pressure transducers were placed at various positions along the riser tube. The analysis of the recorded pressure signals gave
the mean local pressure at specified vertical positions for various submergence ratios, air discharges and riser tube lengths. The experimental data show a
non-linear pressure behaviour near the exit of the air ejector due to the increased friction losses in this region. The pressure behaviour for increasing air
discharge at a position along the riser tube is related to the corresponding two-phase flow pattern in the riser tube. The pressure distributions along the
riser tube for various submergence ratios were compared with the predictions of the Stenning–Martin model.

Keywords: Airlift pump, multiphase flow, pressure distribution, riser tube, two-phase flow

1 Introduction
An airlift pump corresponds to a vertical tube, i.e. the riser tube or
upriser, partly submerged in the liquid to be pumped, near the base
of which air is injected. The average density of the two-phase
mixture in the upriser is less than the density of the liquid itself
thereby causing a pumping action of the liquid. For the two-
phase flow of a bubble plume (Bombardelli et al. 2007), the
same principle is valid, although the flow is then not confined
by a pipe as for an airlift flow. Airlift pumps were extensively
used in the past to pump deep underground petroleum or water.
They have been also used for handling hazardous fluids (e.g.
radioactive fluids) because of their simple construction. During
their operation, the pumped liquid or slurry is in direct contact
with the injected gas. This fact combined with the low shear
level encountered in the riser tube makes them attractive for
applications in various types of reactors or bioreactors (Garnier
et al. 1990 or Isaacs and Thomas 1992). To reduce CO2 emissions
in the atmosphere, airlift installations have been recently proposed
for the injection of the exhaust gas from power plants into deep
sea-water (Saito et al. 2000).
Pressure measurements were used in the past in two-phase
flow systems to identify the flow characteristics and the flow
structure. Lin and Hanratty (1987) detected the two-phase slug
flow pattern from the recorded pressure signals in horizontal
pipes of diameters 2.54 and 9.53 cm. Matsui (1986) observed
pressure fluctuations in a vertical two-phase flow using differen-
tial pressure transducers. His results demonstrated that it is
possible to identify the flow pattern from various statistical
quantities, including the frequency distribution, the order of
variance and the average values of differential pressures and
pressure spectra, since these statistical properties depend on the
two-phase flow regimes. Hewitt et al. (1963) measured gas
hold-up and pressure drop in a two-phase annular flow of a
vertical pipe. Their data were compared with the Lockhart and
Martinelli (1949) relationships. Akagava et al. (1971) calculated
the mean and fluctuating pressure drops along a slug two-phase
flow in a vertical tube. To calculate its fluctuating component a
Monte-Carlo method was used. They proposed an equation for
the fluctuation of the pressure drop and their theoretical results
were verified experimentally. Francois et al. (1996) presented
two equations predicting the friction loss per unit length of the
upriser as a function of void fraction. In both relations, the
frictional pressure drop increases with the void fraction. Nemet
(1961) proposed a similar relation, indicating also that the
frictional pressure drop increases with void fraction. Parker

Revision received 22 September 2009/Open for discussion until 31 August 2010.

ISSN 0022-1686 print/ISSN 1814-2079 online
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65
66 C.T. Moisidis and E.G.Kastrinakis Journal of Hydraulic Research Vol. 48, No. 1 (2010)

(1980), based on the theoretical model for airlift pumps of Stenning

and Martin (1968), determined the total pressure drop between the
entrance and the outlet of the riser tube of airlift pumps, for which
the pressure drop is a linear function of the length.
For a typical two-phase flow in a vertical tube, the liquid flow
is imposed by a pump. For a given airlift pumping system, the
liquid flow is exclusively controlled by the imposed air flow,
so that the driving force of the two-phase flow in the riser tube
is mainly the buoyant force due to the density difference
between the liquid and the two-phase mixture. This fact makes
the study of two-phase flow in riser tubes an interesting task.
Although pressure measurements in these two-phase flows
have been extensively studied in the past, a systematic presen-
tation of the pressure along the riser tube as a function of the
various operational parameters of the airlift pump is not available
yet, except for Morrison et al. (1987), who, among others, pre-
sented data of the static pressure along the riser tube of a
reverse-circulation airlift pump for two configurations of gas
ejector devices. These pressure measurements as a function of
Figure 1 Airlift pump installation
various operational parameters are a useful tool for checking
the reliability of the various computational models for airlift
pumps. From the engineering point of view, the knowledge on 0.42
0.42
0.30 m3 was connected to the storage tank of
the pressure distribution along a riser tube is important, since dimensions 0.42
0.42
0.50 m3 via an elastic tube of 5 cm
pressure is one of the main design parameters. ID. The elevation of the storage tank could be varied mechani-
Herein, the pressure behaviour along the riser tube of an airlift cally to adjust the submergence ratio of the airlift pump
pump was studied for various riser tube lengths, air discharges between 0.2 and 0.7. The phase separator tank with a volume
and submergence ratios. Three riser tube lengths of 1.2, 2.4 of 0.47
0.47
0.45 m3 was positioned at the riser tube top
and 3.1 m were investigated, while the submergence ratio for provided with a water and an air outlet. The separator tank
each riser length was varied between 0.2 and 0.7. The elevation was variable to investigate the operation of the airlift
pumping liquid was water and the air discharge varied from pump for riser tube lengths of 3.1, 2.4 and 1.2 m.
1.8 to 40.1 m3(STP)/h. The measured pressure distributions Two pressure transducers (RDP, Model TJE/C683-02) of up
along the riser tube were compared with these predicted by the to 1000 Hz frequency response were used to measure the instan-
Stenning – Martin equation. taneous pressure signals. The riser tubes were provided with
appropriate holes at selected z-positions (Table 1) for mounting
the pressure transducers. They were calibrated using water
2 Experimental facility columns of various heights and after the calibration they were
placed flat at the inner wall of the riser tube. For each pressure
Figure 1 shows a sketch of the airlift pump installation investi- measurement at a specific submergence ratio, air discharge and
gated herein. It consists of a 3 cm internal diameter (ID) riser riser tube length, the two pressure transducers were mounted at
tube made of Plexiglas to observe the two-phase flow. The
riser tube consists of various tube pieces provided with appropri-
Table 1 Positions of pressure transducers above air ejector
ate flanges. Removing or adding some of these, the riser tube
length was adjusted to 1.2, 2.4 and 3.1 m. The riser tube is pro- z (m)
vided with a conical entrance, 15 cm high and of 10 cm base
L ¼ 1.2 m L ¼ 2.4 m L ¼ 3.1 m
diameter. The upper end of the conical part is connected to the
cylindrical riser tube with flanges, while its base is connected 0.05 0.05
to an intermediate storage tank (Fig. 1). Therein, an air injector 0.05 0.35 0.35
can be moved vertically to various positions. The cross-section 0.35 0.55 0.55
of the air injector has a diameter of Sa ¼ 2.5 cm. At each position 0.55 0.75 0.75
of the air injector in the conical entrance, a cross-section of 0.75 1.25 1.95
the annulus Sw was available for the water to flow into the riser 0.85 1.55 2.25
1.75 2.45
tube during the operation of the airlift pump. The air injector
1.95 2.65
outlet was placed at the entrance of the upriser, so that the
2.05 2.75
ratio was Sw/Sa ¼ 0.44. The intermediate tank of dimensions
Journal of Hydraulic Research Vol. 48, No. 1 (2010)
two different z-positions, resulting in two simultaneous pressure
signals. These two transducers were moved to the remaining
z-positions along the riser tube. The sampling rate during the
data acquisition was 2000 Hz per channel and the sampling
time was 20 s, such that for each measurement 40,000 points
per channel were acquired. To digitize the analog signal, a 16
bit DATA TRANSLATION “sample and hold” A/D-converter
was used.
The maximum error in the static pressure measurement taking
into account errors due to the calibration procedure, to the accu-
racy of the pressure transducer itself and to the electronics used,
was estimated to +5 Pa.
3 Results and discussion
3.1 Visual observations
The two-phase flow in the riser tube was observed using a high-
speed video camera (NACw Model HSV-400, International IMC
Limited, Thame, Oxfordshire, England) with 400 frames/s, in
conjunction with a usual video camera Panasonicw S-VHS
Camera NV-MS5 with 50 frames/s. The high-speed video
camera has a field of view around 10
10 cm2 and gives
information concerning local flow characteristics. This camera
covered a length of about 1 m and rendered mainly macroscopic
flow characteristics. The analysis of the video records gave
a qualitative picture of the flow under various operational
conditions. Visual observations in short riser tubes have been
carried out by Tramba et al. (1995).
Four two-phase flow patterns were identified, namely (a) slug
flow (b) churn flow (c) wispy annular flow and (d) annular flow
(Fig. 2). These flow patterns are similar to those observed in a
typical upward two-phase flow in a vertical tube, as described,
e.g. in Hewitt (1977). Here, the term “typical upward two-
phase flow” relates to a flow where both the liquid and the
gas discharges are controlled. Note that independently of the
Figure 2 Sketch of observed two-phase flow patterns (a) slug flow
(b) churn flow (c) wispy annular flow (d) annular flow
Pressure behaviour in riser tube of a short airlift pump 67
operational conditions, bubbly flow as a fifth flow pattern was
never observed in the present study.
The transitions between the various flow patterns were differ-
ent from these for a typical upward two-phase flow, since they
depend on the submergence ratio and the riser tube length. For
example, for submergence ratios of as ¼ 0.2 and 0.3, the slug
flow pattern was not observed. Another characteristic of the
airlift flow is that a minimum air discharge is necessary to
have a non-zero water discharge from the riser tube outlet (e.g.
Lawniczak et al. 1999), depending on the submergence ratio
for a certain airlift system.
The various flow patterns observed herein are shortly
described below together with the air discharges, for which the
transitions occur. The slug flow (Fig. 2a) is characterized by
large bullet-shaped bubbles, i.e. the Taylor bubbles, which are
periodically formed. These occupy symmetrically more than
90% of the central pipe part and during their upward movement,
a liquid film flows downward along the pipe wall. Taylor bubbles
are separated by slugs of liquid, which bridge the pipe and are
dispersed with small gas bubbles. The liquid slugs are pushed
by the Taylor bubbles upward and during this upward motion a
liquid film flows downward, providing the oncoming slug with
liquid. For submergence ratios larger than 0.4 and at an air
discharge between 4 and 10 m3/h, depending mainly on the
submergence ratio, the flow loses its periodicity, the liquid slug
becomes more frothy, shorter and disordered and it does not
bridge the riser tube. This flow pattern is characterized as
churn flow (Fig. 2b).
Increasing the air discharge above some 20 m3/h, correspond-
ing to a superficial gas velocity of around 7 m/s, the churn flow
character reduces gradually and the gas phase occupies almost
entirely the central riser tube portion in which relatively large
liquid lumps or wisps move upward (Fig. 2c). This is wispy
annular flow. For air discharges larger than around 30 m3/h,
i.e. superficial gas velocities .12 m/s, annular flow is generated
of which the central part of the riser tube is constantly occupied
by the gas phase dispersed with small drops while a thin wavy
liquid film at the tube wall moves upward (Fig. 2d).
The airlift flow patterns including the transitions were also
investigated using the signals from a point conductivity probe
placed appropriately in the riser tube. These probes have been
extensively used in turbulent mixing and two-phase flow
studies (e.g. Alonso 1971, Chua et al. 1986, Ncube et al. 1991).
Simultaneous point conductivity measurements in two-phase
flows allow the various flow characteristics to be evaluated as
gas void fraction or liquid slug length.
3.2 Pressure measurements
Figure 3 shows the measured mean-static pressure as a function
of air discharge at z ¼ 0.35 m for a riser tube length of L ¼
3.1 m. Each curve corresponds to a discrete submergence ratio
between 0.2 and 0.7. The mean pressure at z ¼ 0.35 m is
68 C.T. Moisidis and E.G.Kastrinakis Journal of Hydraulic Research Vol. 48, No. 1 (2010)

used to measure the void fraction 1 (Ma et al. 1991). This

method involves a vertical upward two-phase flow in a tube,
such that the pressure drop DP along the tube mainly results
from the static pressure difference between two locations,
neglecting the pressure drops due to friction losses and due to
acceleration of the mixture. For a typical vertical upward two-
phase flow with a velocity of around 1 m/s, and considering
the energy balance between two positions along the riser tube,
the friction and acceleration terms are confined to less than 2%
of the static term, under the assumption that the gas weight is
negligible as compared with the water weight. Under these
assumptions, the relation for void fraction 1 is (Neal and
Bankoff 1963)

1 DP
1¼1þ (1)
rw g Dz

The pressure difference DP was measured by the pressure

Figure 3 Mean local pressure versus air discharge for various sub- transducers placed at various heights z along the riser tube and
mergence ratios as and z ¼ 0.35 m at about Dz ¼ 0.2 m apart from each other. In Eq. (1) rw is the
water density, while DP , 0. Figure 4 shows the void fraction
as a function of air discharge at z ¼ 2.3 m.
observed to increase with the submergence ratio. This is The pressure decrease Pz for Qa , 4 to 10 m3/h and as  0.4
expected since the submerged part of the riser tube increases is seen to be the result of the mixture density decrease above z ¼
with the submergence ratio and consequently the corresponding 0.35 m, since the corresponding void fraction in Fig. 4 increases
mean static pressure. The symbols on the pressure axis with air discharge. For Qa . 10 m3/h and as  0.4, the void
denote the static pressure at z ¼ 0.35 m if the airlift pump is fraction slightly decreases with air discharge thereby causing
not in operation (Qa ¼ 0 m3/h). These points are calculated an increase of the corresponding mixture density above z ¼
from Pzi ¼ rwg(Hs 2z) ¼ rwg(Las 2z). This equation gives the 0.35 m and, consequently a slight increase of static pressure
static pressure at a position z due to the liquid column between with the air discharge as observed in Fig. 3. For as ¼ 0.2 and
z ¼ Hs and the considered position z and it is valid for z , Hs 0.3, the void fraction in Fig. 4 decreases with the air discharge
¼ asL. Position z ¼ 0 is located at the exit of the air ejector. A
characteristic of the curves in Fig. 3 is that for submergence
ratios larger than 0.4, the pressure first decreases for air dis-
charges between 4 and 10 m3/h, depending on the submergence
ratio, and then slightly increases for higher discharges. A quali-
tatively similar behaviour shows also the curves Pz ¼ f (Qa) for
other z-positions not presented here. For the submergence
ratios 0.2 and 0.3, the local mean-static pressure Pz increases
monotonically with air discharge. Note the transition slug/
churn occurs for air discharges between 4 and 10 m3/h.
To understand the pressure behaviour of Fig. 3, the static
pressure above z ¼ 35 cm was considered. For the vertical
two-phase flow in a vertical straight pipe of constant diameter
and a definite pipe length, the friction term is in general negli-
gible compared with the static term. The static term Pz is pro-
portional to the two-phase mixture density rM above the
considered position z ¼ 0.35 m, Pz ¼ rMg(L2z). The mixture
density in turn depends on the gas void fraction 1 as given by
rM ¼ rw(121).
The interpretation of the pressure behaviour for various
operational conditions requires knowledge of the void fraction
at various locations above the air ejector. Such a location was Figure 4 Void fraction versus air discharge for various submergence
selected at z ¼ 2.3 m. The differential pressure method was ratios as at z ¼ 2.3 m
Journal of Hydraulic Research Vol. 48, No. 1 (2010) Pressure behaviour in riser tube of a short airlift pump 69

(the mixture density is an increasing function of it), justifying

thereby the pressure increase with the air discharge for these
submergence ratios in Fig. 3.
To propose a physical explanation of Figs 3 and 4, consider a
sequence of phenomena taking place during pumping under
various submergence ratios. First an airlift pump operating at a
low submergence ratio, e.g. as ¼ 0.3 is considered. For Qa ¼
0, the length of the liquid column above the ejector is Dz ¼
Las ¼ 3.1
0.3 m ¼ 0.93 m. As air injection starts, this
liquid column has to cover a vertical distance of Dz0 ¼ L2Las
¼ (3.123.1
0.3) m ¼ 2.17 m, which is relatively long for a
liquid slug to reach the riser tube top. Visual observations of
the two-phase flow at this low submergence ratio indicated that
as the air injection starts, the liquid slugs propagate upward,
associated with a liquid film flowing downward, (Fig. 2a) render-
ing a shorter liquid slug. For low submergence ratios, the liquid
slug is penetrated by the oncoming air bubble and all its liquid is
swept by the oncoming liquid slug. This sequence of events can
occur five to six times until a liquid slug is provided with enough
Figure 5 Mean local pressure versus air discharge for various
liquid, so that it reaches the top of the riser tube. In other words,
z-positions, as ¼ 0.5 and L ¼ 3.1 m
during pumping under low submergence ratios, liquid is accumu-
lated in the riser tube until a liquid slug leaves the riser tube. This
water accumulation in the riser tube causes an increase of the
mean static pressure with increasing air discharge. This pressure
behaviour is observed in Fig. 3 for as ¼ 0.2 and 0.3.
For high submergence ratios, e.g. as ¼ 0.7, Dz above the air
ejector for Qa ¼ 0 is Dz ¼ Las ¼ 3.1
0.7 m ¼ 2.17 m. As
gas injection starts, a liquid slug has to cover a vertical distance
of Dz0 ¼ L2Las ¼ 3.123.1
0.7 m ¼ 0.93 m. As was visu-
ally observed, for this relatively short length Dz0 , it is possible
for a liquid slug to reach the top of the riser tube without being
penetrated by the oncoming air. The air injection in the liquid
column causes a decrease of the static pressure and an increase
of the void fraction, as shown in Figs 3 and 4, for as ¼ 0.7,
respectively.
Figure 5 shows the mean local pressure as a function of air
discharge for various z-positions, as ¼ 0.5 and L ¼ 3.1 m. The
pressure decrease shown in Fig. 3 for as ¼ 0.5, i.e. for low air
discharges followed by increasing pressure for higher air
discharges, is seen to be valid up to a height of about 2 m.
Beyond this height, pressure increases with the air discharge.
Figure 6 Mean pressure versus air discharge for three riser lengths,
The reason for the pressure behaviour for lower z (herein as ¼ 0.5 and z ¼ 0.35 m
z  0.75 m) is the same as discussed above for Fig. 3. As was
concluded from diagrams similar to Fig. 4, the void fraction
decreases with air discharge at higher z (higher than about 2 m Figure 7 shows the local mean pressure at z ¼ 0.35 m as a
in Fig. 5), which means a corresponding pressure increase with function of submergence ratio for air discharges Qa 10 m3/h.
the air discharge. The curve based on Pzi ¼ rwg(Hs 2z) ¼ rwg(Las 2z) is taken
Figure 6 shows the pressure at z ¼ 0.35 m as a function of air as the reference line. For this air discharge region, all measured
discharge for as ¼ 0.5 and three riser tube lengths L ¼ 3.1, 2.4 pressure curves lie below the line, because the measured
and 1.2 m. All curves have the same behaviour as the curve in pressures involve friction losses.
Fig. 3 for as ¼ 0.5, i.e. for low air discharge, a decrease of The curves in Fig. 8 differ from those of Fig. 7 in the air
the local mean pressure with the air discharge and a slight discharge region, i.e. they refer to Qa . 10 m3/h. The curves
increase otherwise, indicating similar flow patterns in the three corresponding to Qa ¼ 31.6 and 40.1 m3/h and submergence
riser tubes. ratios 0.2 and 0.3 lie above the reference curve. A possible
70 C.T. Moisidis and E.G.Kastrinakis
Figure 7 Mean pressure versus submergence ratio for low air dis-
charges Qa 10 m3/h and L ¼ 3.1 m for z ¼ 0.35 m
Figure 8 Mean pressure versus submergence ratio for high air dis-
charges at z ¼ 0.35 m
explanation of this behaviour arises by taking into account
Fig. 4, where for a height of z ¼ 2.3 m (above the considered
position z ¼ 0.35 m), the void fraction decreases with z for
as ¼ 0.2 and 0.3. Consequently, for these low submergence
ratios and z ¼ 0.35 m, the two-phase mixture density is
higher than the mean density rM ¼ rwas considered for the
reference curve Pzi ¼ f(z) in Fig. 8. The measured static
pressure is thus higher than the static pressure corresponding
to the reference line.
Figure 9 shows the pressure distribution along the riser tube
of length L ¼ 3.1 m for low air discharges up to 10 m3/h and
Journal of Hydraulic Research Vol. 48, No. 1 (2010)
Figure 9 Pressure distribution along riser tube for Qa , 10 m3/h, as
¼ 0.5, L ¼ 3.1 m
for as ¼ 0.5. The reference line is again drawn. For all air
discharges, the corresponding curves are seen to lie below this
line. For increasing air discharges there is a slight displacement
of the curves downward. The deviation of the measured curves
from the reference curve is a measure of non-uniformity of
the two-phase mixture above the considered z-position and
of friction losses from the entrance of the riser tube to the
considered z-position.
For a constant z , 1 m (Fig. 9), the measured Pz slightly
decreases if Qa increases from 1.8 to 4.04 m3/h. This behaviour
can be understood from the curve for as ¼ 0.5 in Fig. 4 and
for air discharges in this region. The void fraction slightly
increases with Qa and consequently rM ¼ rwas decreases,
possibly causing a corresponding decrease of Pz with Qa. The
other curves which correspond to higher air discharges almost
collapse.
In Fig. 10, the pressure distributions along the riser tube are
shown, as in Fig. 9, this time though for Qa . 10 m3/h. As
shown in Fig. 4, for Qa . 10 m3/h, as ¼ 0.5 and for increasing
air discharge, void fraction decreases. Consequently, the mixture
density above the considered z-position increases with Qa so that
the measured static pressure increases. This is the reason for the
upward shifting of the measured curves Pz ¼ f (Qa) for increas-
ing Qa approaching eventually the reference line.
Observing the curves in Figs 9 and 10, it can be seen that for
z-distances near the entrance of the riser tube, the deviation of the
experimental curves from the reference line is larger than for
larger z. This behaviour is expected since near the riser tube
entrance, where the air is injected, the friction losses are
increased, causing a higher pressure drop as compared with the
other parts of the riser tube.
Journal of Hydraulic Research Vol. 48, No. 1 (2010)
Figure 10 Pressure distribution along riser tube for Qa . 10 m3/h, as
¼ 0.5, L ¼ 3.1 m
Figure 11 shows the pressure distribution along the three
considered riser tube lengths. The air discharge was held
constant at 1.8 m3/h (in the slug flow region) and as ¼ 0.5.
The reference lines are also drawn. For as ¼ 0.5, the submerged
tube length increases with the riser tube length, so that the static
pressure at a z position increases also with the riser tube length.
This is the reason why the curve corresponding to 3.1 m riser
length in Fig. 11 lies above the other curves. Similarly, the
curve for the 2.4 m riser length lies above the curve for 1.2 m
length. The reference curves are seen to be close to the measured
Figure 11 Pressure distribution for three riser lengths, as ¼ 0.5 and Qa
¼ 1.8 m3/h
Pressure behaviour in riser tube of a short airlift pump 71
pressure distributions. The deviation of the measured pressure
curves from the reference line is a measure of both the friction
losses and the density non-uniformity of the two-phase
mixture. It is obvious from all these curves that the deviation
between the measured pressures and the reference line is less
than 8– 10% of the local pressure. Consequently, the maximum
friction losses are less than this percentage.
During the operation of the airlift pump, the pressure at the
riser tube exit is normally constant and close to the atmospheric,
independent of geometrical and operational characteristics. Con-
sequently, the airlift system reacts if an operational parameter is
changed in such a way that the pressure at the exit becomes
atmospheric. This is done by reducing or increasing the liquid
discharge for a given air discharge or by changing appropriately
the structure of the two-phase flow and consequently the friction
losses, the void fraction or other parameters so that the boundary
condition at the riser tube exit is satisfied.
3.3 Comparison with the Stenning – Martin equation
Applying the energy balance between the entrance with pressure
PE and the outlet with atmospheric pressure Pa of the riser tube
of diameter D gives the Stenning – Martin equation as
 
4f L rw Vw2 Qa
PE  Pa ¼ 1þ
D 2 Qw
L
þ rw g (2)
ð1 þ ðQa =sQw ÞÞ
The first term on the right-hand side expresses the friction losses
along the riser tube, while the second term is an expression of the
static pressure of the two-phase mixture in the riser tube. The slip
factor s is equal to the ratio of the air superficial velocity Va to the
water superficial velocity Vw, taking values between 1.5 and 2
(Stenning and Martin 1968). The friction factor f is calculated
by considering only the liquid phase of volumetric discharge
Qw þ Qa.
Considering a position z along the riser tube instead of the
entrance position E, the pressure distribution along the riser
tube is given by
 
4f ðL  zÞ rw Vw2 Qa
Pz  Pa ¼ 1þ
D 2 Qw
Lz
þ rw g (3)
ð1 þ ðQa =sQw ÞÞ
i.e. Eq. (2) except L is replaced by the length L2z. Applying
Eq. (3) for s ¼ 1, 1.5, 2 and 2.5, curves result as shown in
Fig. 12. The value of Qw was 0.404 m3/h measured for as ¼
0.4 and Qa ¼ 1.8 m3/h. The experimentally measured pressure
distribution together with the reference pressure distribution
given by Pz ¼ rwg(Las 2z) is also shown, expressing the static
pressure at a z-position along the riser tube (see also Section
3.2). For these operational conditions, there is a satisfactory
72 C.T. Moisidis and E.G.Kastrinakis
Figure 12 Comparison of pressure distribution along the riser tube for
as ¼ 0.4 with Stenning–Martin model
prediction only for s ¼ 2.5, while for the other s-values large
deviations between the experimental curve and Eq. (3) are
observed. The reference line lies also near the experimental curve.
Figures 13 and 14 show the pressure distributions along the
riser tube as in Fig. 12, for as ¼ 0.5 and 0.7, respectively. The
air discharge is the same as in Fig. 12, whereas Qw ¼ 0.775
and 1.729 m3/h, respectively. In Fig. 13, for as ¼ 0.5
minimum deviations from the experimental curve occur for s
¼ 1.5, whereas for as ¼ 0.7 in Fig. 14 minimum deviations
occur for s ¼ 1. This behaviour is expected since the slip factor
s ¼ Va/Vw , which in turn is equal to Qa/Qw, i.e. s ¼ Va/Vw ¼
Figure 13 Comparison of pressure distribution along riser tube for as
¼ 0.5 with Stenning–Martin model
Journal of Hydraulic Research Vol. 48, No. 1 (2010)
Figure 14 Comparison of pressure distribution along the riser tube for
as ¼ 0.7 with Stenning–Martin model
Qa/Qw. It is well known for airlift pumps that for a certain Qa
(herein 1.8 m3/h), Qw increases with as. Consequently, for increas-
ing the submergence ratio the slip factor decreases, since the water
discharge in the denominator increases. It is expected that in Fig.
12 for as ¼ 0.4, the predictions of the Stenning–Martin model for
high values of s ¼ 2.5 should compare well with the test data. For
a higher submergence ratio as ¼ 0.5, and for the same air dis-
charge, a higher water flow is related and consequently a lower
slip factor of s ¼ 1.5 is expected to verify the experimental data
(Fig. 13). The same is true in Fig. 14, where s ¼ 1 compares
well with the test data corresponding to as ¼ 0.7.
The calculated reference pressure distribution lies in all cases
(Figs 12– 14) close to the measured data. The reference line, as
mentioned in Section 3.2, gives the static pressure at a position
z due to the liquid column between z ¼ Hs and the considered
position z, without account for friction loses. The fact that the
measured pressure in all cases lies close to the reference line
indicates that the pressure drop due to friction losses under the
operational conditions and geometrical characteristics is only a
small portion of the local static pressure.
This study refers to airlift pumps of short length with three
lengths investigated. For these, the pressure along the riser
tube behaves in a similar way, as shown in Figs 6 and 11. The
results can be extrapolated to real airlift systems of short
length and their design. For long riser tube airlift systems,
where the injected gas is compressed, the flow phenomena can
be different and consequently the pressure behaviour too.
4 Conclusions
This study is a systematic presentation of the pressure behaviour
in riser tubes of an airlift pump for various submergence ratios,
Journal of Hydraulic Research Vol. 48, No. 1 (2010) Pressure behaviour in riser tube of a short airlift pump 73

air discharges, riser tube lengths and z-positions along the tube. Chua, S.K., Cleaver, J.W., Millward, J.M. (1986). The measure-
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