This paper presents experimental studies on the optimization of two-phase fluid flow in an airlift pump. Airlift pumps, also known as mammoth pumps, are devices applied for vertical transport of liquids with the use of gas. Their operating principle involves the existence of a density gradient. This paper reports the results of experimental studies into the hydrodynamic effects of the airlift pump. The studies involved optical imaging of two-phase gas-liquid flow in a riser pipe. The visualization was performed with high-speed visualization techniques. The studies used a transparent model of airlift pump with a rectangular cross-section of the riser. The assessment of the airlift pump operation is based on the image grey-level analysis to provide the identification of two-phase flow regimes. The scope of the study also involved the determination of void fraction and pressure drops. The tests were carried out in a channel with dimensions 35 × 20 × 2045 mm with the gas flux range 0.2–15.0 m³/h. For the assessment of the two-phase flow pattern Probability Density Function (PDF) was applied. On the basis of the obtained results, a new method for selecting the optimum operating regime of airlift pump was derived. This method provides the finding of stability and efficiency of liquid transport. It can also be applied to determine the correlation between the total lifting efficiency and the required gas flux for proper operation of the airlift pump.

Coal continues to dominate in the structure of the heat production system in some European countries. Coal-fired boilers in district heating and power generation systems are accompanied by the formation of large quantities of slag and ash. Due to considerable high temperature, slag may be used as a source of waste energy. In this study, the technical possibilities of recovery slag’s physical enthalpy from grate-fired district heating boiler of 45 MW thermal capacity are analyzed. The aim of the work is to estimate the waste energy potential of the slag in analyzed boiler and proposition of the heat recovery system. The construction and design of the existing deslagging system was examined. Studies have shown that high water temperature accelerates system wear. Recovering heat from this system decreases the water temperature, which extends the trouble-free working time. The slag parameters were determined, including the temperature at the outlet of the boiler and the temperature after leaving the slag water tub. The annual amount of heat regenerative potential was estimated. On the basis of the research, the authors propose a waste heat recovery facility with high temperature R134a heat pump system. The result of the conducted research is that the proposed heat pump provides energy savings that are worth considering by recovering from 58.8% to 88.0% of energy slag potential.