Republic of the Philippines

Central Bicol State University of Agriculture- Sipocot

Impig, Sipocot, Camarines Sur

Assessment 2-
SHORT
INVESTIGATION
(FLUID MECHANICS)

CAMAING, CHARMAINE R.

BSED 2- SCIENCE

MR. REY AÑONUEVO

COS-INSTRUCTOR
 APPLICATIONS OF FLUID MECHANICS

1. Hydroelectric Power Plants

 In hydroelectric power plants, water is used to generate

electricity on a large-scale basis. Water stored in the dam
possesses potential energy, which is converted into the
electrical energy in the power generation unit of the plant.
Hydroelectric power plants are one of the major suppliers
of power throughout the world. In some countries power
requirements are fulfilled entirely by these plants.

2. Hydraulic machines
  Machines that operate on a fluid like water and oil are
called hydraulic machines. The fluid as the capacity to lift
heavy loads and exert extremely high pressures. Some
hydraulic machines are used to perform various
machining operations. In most of these machines, oil is
used as the fluid. The oil is passed through the hydraulic
motor which transfers large amounts of energy to the
fluid. This high energy fluid enters the piston and cylinder
arrangement where it can be used to lift heavy loads or
apply large forces.

3. Automobiles

 No automobile can run without fluid. Fluids perform three

crucial operations in automobiles: generation of power,
lubrication, and cooling of the engine. Petrol or diesel
generates power on combustion in the engine. This is
commonly referred to as fuel. Oil is used for the
lubrication of the engine and the gearbox and also
various other moving parts of the vehicle. In larger
automobiles like cars, busses and trucks, water is used
for cooling the engine.
4. Refrigerators and Air Conditioners

 This is
another important area where fluids play a crucial role. In
refrigerators and air-conditioners, the fluids are known as
refrigerants. The refrigerant absorbs the heat from
whatever is being kept in the chiller or evaporator, which
is at a low temperature, and delivers that heat to the
atmosphere, which is at a high temperature. In air
conditioners, the refrigerant absorbs room heat and
throws it in to the atmosphere, thereby keeping the room
cool. The entire operation of refrigerators and air-
conditioners depends on the use of a refrigerant.

5. Thermal Power Plants

  In thermal power plants, water is used as the working
fluid. After getting heated in a boiler, water is converted
into superheated steam which is passes through the
blades of turbines, thus rotating them. The shaft of the
turbine rotates in the generator, where electricity is
produced. Thermal power plants are one of the major
suppliers of power in various parts of the world, and water
working as the fluid is their most important component.

6. Nuclear power plants

 Water is again a crucial power plant component. Here it is

both the working fluid and a coolant. In some nuclear
power plants, heat produced within the nuclear reactor is
used to directly heat water, which is converted into
steam. This steam is passed through the turbines similar
to thermal power plants, rotating turbine blades to
generate power. This is an application of water as the
working fluid.
  In other nuclear power plants, the heat from nuclear
reactors is not used to generate steam directly. Heat is
first used to heat the water, which acts as the coolant.
This coolant then transfers the heat to a secondary
coolant or the working fluid, which is again water and it is
passed through the turbine to generate electricity.

7. Fluids as a Renewable Energy Source

 There are number of fluids that are being used as a

renewable energy source. Air or wind is one of the most
popular sources of renewable energy. Wind is used for
generation of electricity on a small as well as large scale
basis. Water is used in tidal power plants to generate
electricity on a small scale basis. Ocean waves are used
to rotate turbine blades within the power generation unit.
Biodiesel, a type of the vegetable oil, is used as a fuel for
vehicles along with traditional diesel.

8. Operating Various Instruments

  Compressed air is used for the operation of various types
of instruments and automatic valves. These valves can
be activated and deactivated by applying the pressure of
compressed air. The pneumatic tools which work on
compressed air are used for various applications like
grinding, screwing and unscrewing various machinery
parts, etc.

9. Heat Engines

 In previous heat engine designs, air was used as a fluid

to generate power in automobiles. Earlier it was thought
that the efficiency of an engine is dependent on the type
of fluid used, but later it was shown by Sadi Carnot, that
the efficiency of an engine is not dependent on the type
of the fluid, but rather, the temperature of the fluid.
10. Pumps

 A pump is a device made for moving fluid, and it does so

by utilizing a pressure difference, causing the fluid to
move from an area of higher pressure to one of lower
pressure. Its operation is based on aspects both of
Pascal's and Bernoulli's principles—though, of course,
humans were using pumps thousands of years before
either man was born.

 The fluid being pumped is gasoline, which pushes the

pistons up and down by providing a series of controlled
explosions created by the spark plug's ignition of the gas.
In another variety of piston pump—the kind used to inflate
a basketball or a bicycle tire—air is the fluid being
pumped. Then there is a pump for water. Pumps for
drawing usable water from the ground are undoubtedly
the oldest known variety, but there are also pumps
designed to remove water from areas where it is
undesirable; for example, a bilge pump, for removing
water from a boat, or the sump pump used to pump flood
water out of a basement.