 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2014) |
A gas lift or bubble pump is a type of pump that can raise fluid between elevations by introducing gas bubbles into a vertical outlet tube; as the bubbles rise within the tube they cause a drop in the hydrostatic pressure behind them, causing the fluid to be pulled up. Gas lifts are commonly used as artificial lifts for water or oil, using compressed air or water vapor.
Gas lifts have been used for a variety of applications:
- Coffee percolators and electric drip coffeemakers use vaporized water to lift hot water
- Airlift pumps use compressed air to lift water
- Pulser pumps use a subterranean air chamber to lift underground water
- Suction dredges use a variety of the gas lift called an airlift pump to vacuum mud, sand and debris
- Mist lifts use vaporized water to draw seawater in ocean thermal energy conversion systems