Waste heat water pumping model with direct contact cooling

Abstract

The performance of a patented water pumping model with steam-air power was presented, which operates automatically by direct contact cooling method. The main objective was to study feasibility of a pumping model for underground water. In this model, a heater installed within the heat tank represented sources of waste heat as energy input for finding appropriate conditions of the 10 L pump model. The system operation had five stages: heating, pumping, vapor flow, cooling, and water suction. The overall water heads of 3, 4.5, 6 and 7.5 m were tested. At the same time, it was found that the pump with 50% air volume is sufficient for pumping water to a desired level. In the experiment, the temperatures in the heating and pumping stages were 100–103 °C and 80–90 °C, respectively. The pressure in the pumping stage was 12–18 kPa, and the pressure in the suction stage was about −80 kPa, sufficient for the best performance. It could pump 170 L of water at a 2 m suction head, 120 L at a 3.5 m suction head, 100 L at a 5 m suction head, and 65 L at a 6.5 m suction head in 2 h. A mathematical model for larger pumps was also presented, which operates nearly the same as the present system. Economic analysis of the 10 L pump was also included.