A bubble pump uses thermal energy to lift fluids without mechanical energy. It consists of a tube with an inlet in a lower tank and an outlet in a higher tank. Bubble pumps are reliable and cost-effective but not suitable for high-pressure applications. They are used in aquaculture, solar water heaters, and refrigeration cycles.
A bubble pump is a device that is used to lift a fluid from one location to another, higher location without mechanical energy. Instead, it uses thermal energy to power this change in position by increasing the buoyancy of the fluid it is moving. It is sometimes referred to as an air lift pump or steam lift pump.
In its most basic form, a bubble pump consists of a tube with its inlet in a lower tank and its outlet in a higher tank. Its purpose is to lift a fluid from the lower to the upper reservoir. The fluid in the lower reservoir is typically heated, causing some of the liquid to change phase to vapor. This vapor is more buoyant than the liquid form of the fluid and rises through the tube, carrying some liquid with it to the top. Typically, a one-way valve or other mechanism prevents the fluid from flowing back down the pipe as it cools.
A simple example of using a bubble pump is in a common drip coffee maker. In many common coffee makers, the water is poured into a reservoir in the back and the coffee grounds are placed in a filter at the top of the machine. To make coffee, the water must be heated and then filtered through the coffee grounds above it. For this to happen, the water must somehow be raised above the ground so that it can drip through it. For this purpose, a bubble pump is used with the inlet at the bottom of the water tank and the outlet above the ground.
While many pumps use mechanical means to move a fluid, the bubble pump is driven by thermal energy alone. Consequently, its construction is very simple with few moving parts. This provides reliability and cost advantages in many applications. These pumps, however, are generally not suitable for use in high pressure applications.
The downward pulling force of gravity acts to counteract the upward pull of the pumped fluid. The friction between the pumped fluid and the inner wall of the pipe also resists its upward movement. Effective bubble pump design must take into account variables such as the friction between the fluid and the tubing, the length and diameter of the tubing, and so on. Adequate design is required to ensure that the forces acting against the upward movement of the fluid do not overcome it before the fluid reaches the upper reservoir.
Bubble pumps are used in a wide variety of applications, from very simple to highly technical. Aquaculture facilities and hatcheries often make use of bubble pumps in their operations, for example. Some solar water heaters use the heated fluid they contain by using a bubble pump to circulate it through the system. A bubble pump is also a key part of a refrigeration cycle known as the Einstein cycle.
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