AbstractAir lift pumps are finding increasing use where pump reliability and low maintenance are required, and where corrosive, abrasive, or radioactive fluids must be handled. Although air lifts are used in nuclear fuel reprocessing plants, no general, theoretically sound equation has been proposed in the literature for tall air lift design. Such an equation is developed from two‐phase flow theory to predict the height to which an air lift pump operating in the slug flow regime can lift a given volumetric flow rate of liquid, given the air flow rate and pressure at the point of gas introduction. The widely used drift‐flux model for the prediction of holdup is combined with an approximate relationship to predict pressure loss, and is substituted into the total pressure differential. Integration of the resulting equation provides an explicit formula for the calculation of lift. Experimental work using a variety of liquids in a 38 mm dia. air lift test installation supports the new design equation and demonstrates its flexibil