Performance test of a laboratory pump liquid transfer based on the fountain effect
A laboratory scale pump has been tested in detail in order to determine the flow characteristics of a heater-activated all-metal thermomechanical pump (fountain effect pump, FEP). The emphasis is on the functional dependence of the fountain pressure difference versus mass throughput. A modified Vote et al. (1971) power law approximation is employed for a simplified description of the flow rate as a function of the driving force. Flow rates of up to 10 liters/(hr/sq cm) have been obtained despite a large nominal pore size of the porous plug of 2 microns (filtration rating) used for the FEP.