DISCUSSION:

This experiment is the study of losses in pipe fitting or known as head loss due
to frictional resistance at the wall along the run of the pipe at the fittings such as
bends and valves along the pipeline where the fluid travels. Generally, the
overall losses for long pipeline with fewer fitting are due by the friction between
the wall and the fluid where else for the shorter pipe with more fittings is due to
the disturbance formed by the fittings.
Head loss can be defined as the measure of the reduction in the total head; the
sum of elevation head, velocity head and pressure head of the fluid as it moves
through a fluid system. Head loss is unavoidable in real fluids. It is simply
present due to the friction between the walls of the pipe, friction between
adjacent fluid particles as fluid particles move relatively to one another and the
turbulence caused whenever the flow is redirected or affected in any way by
such components as piping entrances and exits, pumps, valves, flow reducers
and different types of fittings. Frictional loss is that part of the total head loss
that

occurs as the fluid flows through straight pipes. The head loss for fluid flow is
directly proportional to the length of pipe, the square of the fluid velocity and a
term accounting for fluid friction is known as friction factor. The head loss is
inversely proportional to the diameter of the pipe.
The readings recorded on the manometer decreases as the flow rate and velocity
are lowered. As shown in the manometer, tube 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 7 and 8 and 9
and 10 are used to measure the head losses for the pipes with 90° large radius
bend, 90° small radius bend, 90° small elbow and two 45° bends respectively
while readings from tube 5 and 6 are used to measure the sudden contraction
and enlargement in large diameter. With all the calculations above, the total
head loss is highest with the highest the volumetric flow rate. With the values
obtained the graph of coefficient K which is a dimensionless parameter of head
loss coefficient. Analysing the graph plotted, we are able to see that the head
loss in 45° bends is higher than the 90° bends whereas the head loss in sudden
contraction in pipe diameter is higher than for sudden enlargement in pipe.