Movement of Air Through Submerged Air Vents

The Utah Water Research Lab (UWRL) proposes to study the behavior of air bubbles in submerged vent tubes. This study is coordinated with a study for the Las Vegas wastewater treatment system that discharges into Lake Mead. The UWRL collaborates with government agencies and private companies to research water-related issues around the world. The behavior of air bubbles is of interest in order to more efficiently vent air from pipelines with submerged vent tubes. The Las Vegas wastewater treatment system discharges into Lake Mead and is required to meet an environmental guideline that no air bubbles are discharged into the lake. The project team proposes a study of the behavior of air bubbles in different pipe sizes filled with water with varying amounts of air being admitted into the pipe. The bubbles formed in the pipe will be recorded and analyzed to determine the behavior of the air bubbles based on pipe size, water level differences, and the amount of air present. Based on the experiments conducted with this study, a design procedure will be developed to aid in designing piping systems with submerged vent tubes. Considerable amounts of money are spent in the design and installation of vent valves and piping, so the information gathered in this study will be beneficial to more efficiently design venting systems