Chapter 1 part2:Dimensional

analysis
Unit operations
Lebanese University
Petrochemical department
Tripoli campus
Spring 2018-2019
Dr. Elias AL SARRAF
Introduction
 There are many such interesting dimensionless groupings in engineering science (i.e.
Biot number in heat transfer).

 A flow with typical speed V will be essentially incompressible if M = V/c (where c is the
speed of sound), is less than about 0.3.

 We can neglect viscous effects in most of a flow if the Reynolds number, Re = ρ VL/ μ
(L is a typical or “characteristic” size scale of the flow), is “large.”

 Dimensional analysis is a technique for gaining insight into fluid flows, before we do
either extensive theoretical analysis or experimentation.

 This technique enables us to extract trends from data that would otherwise remain
disorganized and incoherent.

 Modelling: For example, how do we correctly perform tests on the drag on a 3/8-scale
model of an automobile in a wind tunnel to predict what the drag would be on the full-
size automobile at the same speed?
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Nondimensionalizing the Basic Differential Equations
 Consider, for example, a steady incompressible two-dimensional flow of a Newtonian
fluid with constant viscosity (already quite a list of assumptions!). The mass
conservation equation

becomes

 The Navier-Stokes equations

reduce to

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Nondimensionalizing the Basic Differential Equations
 The nondimensionalizing process:

 The mass conservation equation

 The Navier-Stokes equations 1/Re

1/Fr2
 Nondimensional forms can yield insight into the underlying physical phenomena, and
indicate which forces are dominant.
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Nature of Dimensional Analysis
 Most phenomena in fluid mechanics depend in a complex way on geometric and flow
parameters.

 Example: drag force on a sphere. What experiments must be conducted to determine the
drag force on the sphere?

 Clearly, dependence of the drag force on the size of the sphere

(characterized by the diameter, D), the fluid speed, V, and the fluid viscosity,
μ . In addition, the density of the fluid, ρ , also might be important.

 We have set up the problem of determining the drag force for a stationary
sphere in terms of quantities that are both controllable and measurable in the
laboratory.

 We would have performed about 104 tests!!!!!. Then we would have to try and make sense
of the data!!

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Buckingham Pi Theorem
 The drag F on a sphere depends on the sphere diameter D, fluid density ρ and viscosity μ ,
and fluid speed V, or

 With theory or experiment being needed to determine the nature of function f. More
formally, we write

 The Buckingham Pi theorem states that we can transform a relationship between n

parameters of the form

into a corresponding relationship between n - m independent dimensionless Π parameters in

the form

or

where m is usually the minimum number, r, of independent dimensions (e.g., mass, length,
time) (Sometimes m ≠ r)

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Determining the Π Groups
 Step 1. List all the dimensional parameters involved. (Let n be the number of parameters.)

 Step 2. Select a set of fundamental (primary) dimensions, e.g., MLt or FLt. (Note that for
heat transfer problems you may also need T for temperature)

 Step 3. List the dimensions of all parameters in terms of primary dimensions. (Let r be the
number of primary dimensions.)

 Step 4. Select a set of r dimensional parameters that includes all the primary dimensions.
These parameters will all be combined with each of the remaining parameters, one of those
at a time, and so will be called repeating parameters.

 Step 5. Set up dimensional equations, combining the parameters selected in Step 4 with
each of the other parameters in turn, to form dimensionless groups. (There will be n-m
equations.) Solve the dimensional equations to obtain the n-m dimensionless groups.

 Step 6. Check to see that each group obtained is dimensionless. If mass was initially
selected as a primary dimension, it is wise to check the groups using force as a primary
dimension, or vice versa. 7
Significant Dimensionless Groups in Fluid Mechanics
 The Reynolds number is the ratio of inertia forces to viscous forces.

Flows with “large” Reynolds number generally are turbulent.

Flows in which the inertia forces are “small” compared with the viscous forces are
characteristically laminar flows.

 The Euler number is the ratio of pressure forces to inertia forces. The Euler number is
often called the pressure coefficient, Cp .

Δp is the local pressure minus the freestream pressure, and ρ and V are properties of the
freestream flow.

 In the study of cavitation phenomena, the pressure difference, Δ p, is taken as Δ p = p - pv,

where p is the pressure in the liquid stream, and pv is the liquid vapor pressure at the test
temperature. Combining these with ρ and V in the stream yields the dimensionless
parameter called the cavitation number

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Significant Dimensionless Groups in Fluid Mechanics
 The Froude number may be interpreted as the ratio of inertia forces to gravity forces

It is a significant parameter for flows with free surface effects.

In the case of open-channel flow, the characteristic length, L, is the water depth.
Froude numbers less than unity indicate subcritical flow and values greater than unity
indicate supercritical flow.

 The Weber number indicates the ratio of inertia to surface tension forces

The value of the Weber number is indicative of the existence of, and frequency of, capillary
waves at a free surface.

 The Mach number is a key parameter that characterizes compressibility effects in a flow

where V is the flow speed and c is the local sonic speed

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Flow Similarity and Model Studies
 To be useful, a model test must yield data that can
be scaled to obtain the forces, moments, and
dynamic loads that would exist on the full-scale
prototype.

 What conditions must be met to ensure the

similarity of model and prototype flows?

 Geometric similarity requires that the model and

prototype be the same shape, and that all linear
dimensions of the model be related to
corresponding dimensions of the prototype by a
constant scale factor.

 The model and prototype flows must be kinematically similar: the velocities at
corresponding points are in the same direction and differ only by a constant scale factor.
Flows that are kinematically similar must be geometrically similar.
Kinematic similarity requires that the regimes of flow be the same for model and prototype.
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Flow Similarity and Model Studies
 Dynamic similarity: the two flows must have force
distributions such that identical types of forces are
parallel and are related in magnitude by a constant
scale factor at all corresponding points.

 Kinematic similarity requires geometric similarity;

kinematic similarity is a necessary, but not
sufficient, requirement for dynamic similarity.

 The Buckingham Pi theorem may be used to

obtain the governing dimensionless groups for a
flow phenomenon.
 To achieve dynamic similarity between geometrically similar flows, we must make sure that
each independent dimensionless group has the same value in the model and in the prototype.

considering the drag

force on a sphere
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Example 1
Example 2