CHEE2003 Week 7 Tutorial
Viscous Flow, Frictional Losses and Pumping
1. Viscous flow
1.1. Key assumptions
Fully developed laminar flow
Incompressible and Newtonian fluid
Steady state, flow inside a circular pipe
1.2. Velocity profile
[ ( )]
2
r
v ( r ) =v max 1−
R
( ) ( )
2 2
R ∆P D ∆P
v max= =
4μ L 16 μ L
1.3. Average velocity
( ) ( )
2 2
1 R ∆P D ∆P
v= v max = =
2 8μ L 32 μ L
1.4. Volumetric flowrate
( ) ( )
4 4
πR ∆P πD ∆P
Q= =
8μ L 128 μ L
*For inclined pipes, replace ∆ P with ∆ ( P+ ρgz )
2. Head losses
h L =hf + h ML
2.1. Frictional loss due to pipe walls
Laminar flow Turbulent flow
( )
2
L v
h f =f
D 2g
64 64 μ 1. Use the Moody chart to find f ; or the
f= =
ℜ ρv D 2. Colebrook correlation
( )
ϵ
32 μL 128 μL 1 D 2.51
⇒ hf = 2
v= 4
Q =−2 log +
ρg D πρg D √f 3.7 ℜ √ f
**Note that for laminar flow, f becomes independent of the wall roughness
2.2. Minor losses (bends, valves, expansions, contractions etc.)
2
v
h ML =∑ K
2g
***The value of K is usually provided in the questions or found in the textbooks.
3. Steps to determine f using the Moody chart
1. Find the roughness ϵ (mm) of the pipe material
2. Calculate the relative roughness ϵ / D (dimensionless) of the pipe
3. Determine the average velocity v if needed
Q Q
v= =
A π D2
4
4. Find the Reynolds number
ρvD
ℜ=
μ
5. From the chart, choose the curve to use based on the relative roughness values
6. Use the calculated value for Re which is located on the x-axis
7. Find the frictional factor f using the chosen curve at the given Re
4. Other equations which might be useful
For incompressible fluids
dV
=Q¿ −Qout
dt
5. List of symbols used
Symbol Description Unit
v max Velocity at centre of the pipe ms
−1
r Radius measured from centre of the pipe m
R Inner radius of the pipe m
D Inner diameter of the pipe m
∆P Pressure drop across the pipe Pa or N m−2
L Pipe length m
hf Head loss due to frictions m
h ML Head loss due to minor losses m
f Darcy–Weisbach friction factor Dimensionless
ϵ Absolute roughness of the pipe m
ϵ/D Relative rough of the pipe Dimensionless
K Loss coefficient Dimensionless