Fluid Mechanics I Lab - MENG 370L

Experiment 3: Venturi Meter

 Objective

Pressure distribution study along a Venturi tube

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 Apparatus
Manifold
Air valve

Manometer tubes

Venturi

Water Inlet Water Outlet

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 Description
Water enters via the
water inlet and
passes into the
meter.
Beyond the control
valve, which is just Control valve
downstream of the
meter.

Water Inlet

4
 Description
At various points along
the length of the
convergent-
divergent passage of

Manometer
the Venturi,

tubes
piezometer tubes
are drilled into the
wall and connected
to vertical
manometer tubes
mounted in front of
a scale marked in
millimeters.
Piezometer
tubes 5
 Description
Manifold Air
valve
The manometer tubes
connect at their top
ends to a common
manifold in which
the amount of air
may be controlled
by a small air valve
at one end.

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 Terminology
h1: Pressure head (mH2O)
at the location (1)

a1: Cross sectional area

of the tube at the location
(1)
u1: Velocity of the water
(m/sec) at the location (1)

g: Gravity (m/sec2)
u12/2g: Velocity head of the
water (mH2O) at the
location (1)
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 Ideal conditions in a Venturi meter

Bernoulli’s theorem: The sum of Velocity head and Pressure head

is constant along the Venturi Meter
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Bernoulli’s Equation

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 The equation of continuity

The Volume Flow Rate (Q: m3/sec) is constant along the Venturi
Meter
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 From Bernoulli’s Equation

• The ideal pressure distribution along the

Venturi meter to be given by:

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 From Bernoulli’s Equation
Substituting on the right hand side area ratios in place of velocity
ratios from the equation of continuity 2, the ideal pressure
distribution becomes:

Measured Pressure Distribution Ideal Pressure

Distribution
Results of Calculation Given
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 Dimensions

Dimensions of Venturi meter and positions of

piezometer tubes
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Given (Collected data)

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Experimentally Results (Collected data)

Time for 15 liters: 33.59 Sec

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 What to do?
1. Plot at the same graph, the curves
represent the results of Ideal Pressure
Distribution (Given) as well as of the
Measured Pressure Distribution
(Calculated) as functions of DISTANCE
FROM INLET.
2. Compare both two curves.
3. Conclude
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Table of Calculated Results

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 Hints

• The volume flow rate of water (Q)

can be calculated from time of 15
liters (t) by the equation: Q=15/t

• u2 (m/sec) = Q (m3/sec) / a2 (m2)

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 Notes

 It may be noted that in the usual form of Venturi meter intended

for flow measurement, pressure tappings are made only at the
entrance and at the throat, as these two readings suffice to
measure the discharge.
 The larger numbers of tappings on this experimental Venturi tube
are intended to show the distribution of pressure along the
length of the convergent-divergent passage.

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 References
• Worksheet of experiment F3 (Venturi Meter)

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