MODULE 3

FLUID FLOW PHENOMENA

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Determine the different types of fluid flow. (CO1)

• Define Reynold’s Number and explain its role in fluid flow

phenomena. (CO1)
• Derive the continuity equation and use this to solve for
fluid flow parameters such as velocity, flow area or fluid
density. (CO1)
• Recognize various forms of mechanical energy, and work
with energy conversion efficiencies. (CO1)
• Identify the use and limitations of the Bernoulli equation,
and apply it to solve a variety of fluid flow problems. (CO1)
• Derive and deduce the consequences of the equation of
conservation of mass. (CO3)
 TYPES OF FLOW
A. BASED ON EFFECT OF SOLID BOUNDARY
• CLOSED-CONDUIT flow
Flows w/c are completely enclosed by restraining solid
surface (ex: flow thru pipes)
• OPEN-CHANNEL flow
Has one surface exposed to atm (ex: flow in rivers)
• FREE-SURFACE or UNBOUNDED flow
Fluid is not in contact w/ any solid surface (ex: water jet
from a hose)
 TYPES OF FLOW
B. IN TERMS OF FLOW
• STEADY flow
When conditions at any point of the flow do not change with time
(ex: ∂v/∂t = 0, but may vary at diff pts or wrt distance)
Ex: Flow of liquid through a pipe of uniform bore running completely full at
constant velocity.

• UNSTEADY flow
At a given point, conditions vary with time
TYPES OF FLOW
C. IN TERMS OF SPACE COORDINATE
• ONE-DIMENSIONAL flow
Flow parameters may be expressed in one space coordinate,
i.e., the flow is constant at any cross-section normal to the
flow
(ex: flow in pipes; variation of flow conditions say P & u over
cross-section is assumed negligible)
• TWO-DIMENSIONAL flow
Flow parameters are functions of time & two space
coordinates only ( say x & y)
• THREE-DIMENSIONAL flow
Flow parameters vary w/ all three space coordinates x, y, z
 TYPES OF FLOW

D. UNIFORM flow
Occurs when the magnitude & direction of the velocity do
not change from point to point in the fluid.
• NOTE: flow of liquids under pressure through long
pipelines of constant diameter is uniform whether the flow
is steady or unsteady.
 TYPES OF FLOW

E. VISCOUS vs INVISCID FLOW

POTENTIAL (IDEAL) flow
Flow in a region where the influence of solid boundary
(ex: wall) is small, i.e.,  = neg & fluid behaviour
approaches ideality. (Viscous forces are negligibly small
compared to inertial and pressure forces).
• NOTE: “Ideal “ fluid is an incompressible fluid w/ no viscosity
(inviscid), but no such fluids exist. The concept is impt to simplify
analysis of fluid flow.
VISCOUS flow
• Frictional effects are significant
• All fluid flows involve viscous effects to some degree
Important modifications w/c result from the assumption of an
ideal fluid:
1. Fluid is incompressible;
2. No density changes occur & no work is done in
compression or by expansion of fluid;
• Inviscid ( = 0), so no friction & velocity profile is linear,
i.e. the fluid has the same velocity at any section across
a series of streamlines.
• Streamlines are imaginary curves drawn thru a fluid to indicate the
direction of motion in various sections of the flow of the fluid system.
3. As a result of (1) & (2), no change in internal energy of
the fluid, i.e., temp remains constant.
Streamlines
 TYPES OF FLOW

F. LAMINAR vs TURBULENT flow

• LAMINAR (aka viscous flow)
occur only for low velocity fluid flow (w/ orderly pattern of
streamlines)
• Highly ordered fluid motion characterized by smooth layers of fluid

• TURBULENT
• At higher velocities, TURBULENCE appears, i.e, fluid
particles do not maintain the same relative positions but are
constantly changing positions w/ one another.
• Highly disordered fluid motion that typically occurs at high velocity and
characterized by velocity fluctuations
Reynold’s Experiment
REYNOLDS NUMBER: Re

The different flow patterns were first investigated by

Osborne Reynolds, he injected dye into transparent tube
& observed the flow regimes w/c resulted at various rates
of flow.
𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑠
-Definition:
𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑠

The concept was introduced by George Gabriel Stokes in 1851, but the
Reynolds number is named after Osborne Reynolds (1842–1912), who
popularized its use in 1883.
3 Factors that influenced the flow regime:

• fluid velocity
the higher the velocity, the greater the tendency for
turbulence
• viscosity
the lower the viscosity, the greater the tendency for
turbulence
• pipe diameter
• the larger the diameter, the greater the tendency for
turbulence
Reynold’s No

• Reynolds generalized his conclusion by defining a

dimensionless number given by:
Where
D = diameter
u = ave velocity
ρ = density
μ = absolute viscosity
ν = kinematic viscosity
VELOCITY PROFILE IN A PIPE:

• LAMINAR: velocity distribution is parabolic so maximum

velocity occurs at the center & has a value equal to twice
the average velocity of flow

𝑢ത 𝑎𝑣𝑒

𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 2 𝑢ത 𝑎𝑣𝑒
VELOCITY PROFILE IN A PIPE:

• TURBULENT: random fluctuations occur but ave vel

profile is a compound curve whose exact shape depends
on Re. umax still occurs at center but w/ value equal to
about 1.2 to 1.4 times the mean velocity.

umax = 1.2 to 1.4 (uave)

 GOVERNING EQUATIONS OF FLUID FLOW

The laws of nature or governing fluid dynamics equations are formulated

by applying the basic physical principles to a flowing fluid.

Mass balance:
Accumulation rate of mass in the system = all mass flow rates in
- all mass flow rates out
CONTINUITY EQUATION
GOVERNING EQUATIONS OF FLUID FLOW

B. If flow is not potential

u1 varies from pt to pt across S1
u2 varies from pt to pt across S2
u(x,y) – u varies wrt x & y
• Then it is necessary to distinguish between local and
average velocity.
• Local velocity, u
– velocity that occurs at a certain point across the section
• Average velocity, ū, or uave
– taken as the average of the local velocities that occurs
across a section
MASS VELOCITY
EXAMPLES
CONTINUITY AND MASS BALANCE
Standard Pipe Size

Perry’s Handbook, Page 10-78 to 10-80

Table 10-22
Standard Pipe Size

Perry’s Handbook, Page 10-78 to 10-80

Table 10-22
Standard Pipe Size

Perry’s Handbook, Page 10-78 to 10-80

Table 10-22
(3.9.McCabe) Crude oil is pumped at 1.5 m/s through a
pipeline 1m in diameter. Above what value of the oil
viscosity would laminar flow exist?
SUPPLEMENTS
CONTINUITY AND MASS BALANCE
Additional Problems
3-5. Problem on laminar/turbulent flow
(3.1/McCabe) For the following situations of steady
flow, determine whether flow is laminar or turbulent.

a) water at 10C flowing at an average velocity of 2

m/s in a 100-mm pipe
b) air at 2-atm pressure and 180F flowing at 50 fps in
a 12-in duct
c) oil with a sg of 0.78 and a viscosity of 20 cP flowing
at 5 fps in a 2-in pipe
d) polymer melt with a density of 900 kg/m3 and a
viscosity of 1 Pa-s flowing at 0.2 m/s in a 15-mm
tube.
Additional Problems
3-6. Problem on viscosity
(3.3/McCabe) Use the nomograph in appendix
8 to determine the value of n in the equation for
gas viscosity, eq 3.6, for carbon monoxide and for
helium over the ranges 0 to 300C and 300 to
600C.

3-7. Problem on Re
(3.9.McCabe) Crude oil is pumped at 1.5 m/s
through a pipeline 1m in diameter. Above what
value of the oil viscosity would laminar flow exist?
Example/MS&H
Nominal Pipe Size

• Nominal Pipe Size (NPS) is a North American set of standard sizes

for pipes used for high or low pressures and temperatures.Pipe size is
specified with two non-dimensional numbers: a nominal pipe size
(NPS) for diameter based on inches, and a schedule (Sched. or Sch.)
for wall thickness.
• NPS is often incorrectly called National Pipe Size, due to confusion
with national pipe thread (NPT). The European designation equivalent
to NPS is DN (diamètre nominal/nominal diameter), in which sizes are
measured in millimetres. The term NB (nominal bore) is also
frequently used interchangeably with NPS.
Schedule Number

• For all pipe sizes the outside diameter (O.D.) remains relatively
constant. The variations in wall thickness affects only the inside
diameter (I.D.).
• A schedule number indicates the approximate value of
Sch. = 1000 P/S
where
P = service pressure (psi)
S = allowable stress (psi)

• The higher the schedule number is, the thicker the pipe is. Since the
outside diameter of each pipe size is standardized, a particular
nominal pipe size will have different inside pipe diameter depending
on the schedule specified.
 Examples
• Welded and Seamless Wrought Steel Pipe
• To distinguish different weights of pipe, it is
common to use the Schedule terminology from
ANSI/ASME B36.10 Welded and Seamless
Wrought Steel Pipe:
• Light Wall
• Schedule 10 (Sch/10, S/10)
• Schedule 20 (Sch/20, S/20)
• Schedule 30 (Sch/30, S/30)
• Schedule 40 (Sch/40, S/40)
• Standard Weight (ST, Std, STD)
• Schedule 60 (Sch/60, S/60)
• Extra Strong (Extra Heavy, EH, XH, XS)
• Schedule 80 (Sch/80, S/80)
• Schedule 100 (Sch/100, S/100)
• Schedule 120 (Sch/120, S/120)
• Schedule 140 (Sch/140, S/140)
• Schedule 160 (Sch/160, S/160)
• Double Extra Strong (Double extra heavy, XXH,
XXS)
• Note that many of the schedules are identical in
certain sizes.
• Stainless Steel Pipe
• For stainless steel pipes thru 12-inch, schedule
numbers from Schedule 5S to schedule 80S are
used as published in ANSI/ASME 36.19M
Stainless Steel Pipe.
• Schedule 5S (Sch/5S, S/5S)
• Schedule 10S (Sch/10S, S/10S)
• Schedule 40S (Sch/40S, S/40S)
• Schedule 80S (Sch/80S, S/80S)