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Influence of different heating types on the pumping performance of a bubble pump

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Abstract

This study presents an experimental investigation of the influence of different heating types on the pumping performance of a bubble pump. A test rig was set up at the Institute of Thermodynamics and Thermal Engineering (ITW), University of Stuttgart. The vertical lift tube is made of copper with an inner diameter of 8 mm and a length of 1.91 m. The working fluid is demineralized water. The test rig offers the possibility to vary the supplied heat flow (0 W − 750 W), the resulting supplied heat flux and the location of the heating. Investigations were carried out using spot heating, partial-length heating and full-length heating. A Coriolis mass flowmeter was successfully implemented which measures the vapor mass flow rate continuously. The improvement of the vapor mass flow rate measurement by using the continuous measurement method compared to a discontinuous one is discussed. Furthermore, the influence of an unstable inlet temperature of the working fluid entering the lift tube on the pumping performance is investigated. The focus of this publication lies on the build-up of the test rig with the measurement setup and the analysis of the pumping performance for the three heating types. The measurement results show a big influence of the heating type on the pumping performance. The lower the relative length of the heating, the higher is the pumping ratio which is defined as the lifted liquid mass flow rate in relation to the generated vapor mass flow rate.

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Abbreviations

A:

Amperemeter

d:

Downwards

DAR:

Diffusion absorption refrigerator

u:

Upwards

V:

Voltmeter

A :

Cross sectional area (m2)

b :

Pumping ratio (−)

c p :

Specific heat capacity at constant pressure (kJ kg−1 K−1)

D :

Diameter (m)

g :

Gravitational acceleration (m s−2)

ΔH :

Height (m)

Δh v :

Specific enthalpy of evaporation (kJ kg−1)

L :

Length (m)

\( \dot{M} \) :

Mass flow rate (kg s−1)

P :

Power (W)

Δp :

Relative pressure (bar)

\( \dot{Q} \) :

Heat flow (W)

\( \dot{q} \) :

Heat flux (W m−2)

S :

Slip ratio (−)

S R :

Submergence ratio (−)

t :

Time (min)

\( \dot{V} \) :

Volumetric flow rate (m3 h−1)

w :

Velocity (m s−1)

x :

Coordinate in flow direction (m)

ϑ :

Celsius temperature (°C)

ϑ s :

Boiling temperature (°C)

λ :

Thermal conductivity (W m−1 K−1)

ρ :

Density (kg m−3)

\( \overline{\rho} \) :

Mean density over length (kg m−3)

φ :

Relative length of heating (−)

amb:

Ambient

cartr:

Cartridges

disc:

Discontinuous

el:

Electric

evap:

Evaporation

ext:

External

f:

Friction

FDR:

Friction dominant regime

GDR:

Gravity dominant regime

heat:

Supplied heat flow

HX2:

Double-pipe heat exchanger 2

in:

At the inlet

L:

Liquid

LT:

Lift tube

m:

Mean

mass:

Related to the mass

max:

Maximum

min:

Minimum

out:

At the outlet

part:

Partial

preheat:

Preheating

rel:

Relative

res:

Reservoir

TP:

Two-phase

V:

Vapor

vol:

Related to the volume

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Acknowledgements

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Thermodynamics and Thermal Engineering (ITW), University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 6, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany

    Bernd Bierling, Fabian Schmid & Klaus Spindler

Authors
  1. Bernd Bierling
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  2. Fabian Schmid
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  3. Klaus Spindler
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bernd Bierling.

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Bierling, B., Schmid, F. & Spindler, K. Influence of different heating types on the pumping performance of a bubble pump. Heat Mass Transfer 55, 67–79 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-017-2210-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-017-2210-5

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