Faculty: Engineering

Department: Petroleum and Mining

second stage

prepared by all students in Group A

Report Title (“Reynold apparatus”)

Experiment Number (Sixth)

1
 Abstract
Osbourne Reynolds experiment is used to investigate the characteristic
of the flow of the liquid in the pipe which is also used to determine the
Reynolds Number for each state of the flow. The design of the apparatus
allowed the studying of the characteristic of the fluid flow in the pipe,
the behavior of the flow and also to calculate the range for the laminar
and turbulent flow where the calculation is used to prove the Reynolds
number is dimensionless by using the Reynolds Number formula.

Contents
Abstract.....................................................................................................2
Introduction...............................................................................................3
Theory of the experiment..........................................................................4
Apparatus..................................................................................................5
Procedure..................................................................................................6
Measurement and calculation...................................................................7
Decoction..................................................................................................8
Conclusion................................................................................................8

2
 Introduction
Flows that are completely bounded by solid surfaces are called internal
flows. Thus internal flows include flows through pipes, ducts, nozzles,
diffusers, valves, and fittings. These flows may be either laminar or
turbulent. Osborne Reynolds (1842-1912) was the first person to
distinguish between laminar and turbulent flow and quantify when the
flow transitioned from one flow regime to another. An apparatus was
used by Reynolds to view different flow regimes in his classic
experiment conducted in the 19thcentury.The original apparatus as
identified by Osborne Reynolds consists of a reservoir that feeds into a
long clear pipe. The flow rate through the pipe is controlled by the valve
at the exit of the pipe. A dye injection needle, located at the entrance of
the pipe, feeds a thin ribbon of dye into the flow. The reservoir contains
screens and a bed of marbles to help dampen any upstream disturbances.
The objective of this experiment is to observe the characteristics of
laminar and turbulent flow and measure the Reynolds number range for
the transition from laminar to turbulent flow in a pipe (Curry et. al,
1998). Fluid flow can be extremely complex, thus idealized models
which are relatively simpler can be used to simplify our notion of such
(Young & Freedman, 2004). An ideal liquid is a fluid that is
incompressible, or one that has a constant density, and has no internal
friction. Flow line is the path of an individual particle in a fluid
undergoing motion. The nature off low of a given incompressible fluid is
characterized by its Reynolds number. For large values of Reynolds
number, one or all of the terms in the numerator are large compared with
the denominator. This implies a large expanse of fluid, high velocity,
great density, extremely small viscosity, or combinations of these
extremes. The numerator terms are related to the inertial forces or forces
set up by acceleration or deceleration of the fluid. The denominator term
is the cause of viscous shear forces. Thus, the Reynolds number
parameter can also be considered as a ratio of inertial to viscous forces.

3
 Theory of the experiment
Flow behavior in natural or artificial systems depends on which forces
(inertia, viscous, gravity, surface tension, etc.) predominate. In slow-
moving laminar flows, viscous forces are dominant, and the fluid
behaves as if the layers are sliding over each other. In turbulent flows,
the flow behavior is chaotic and changes dramatically, since the inertial
forces are more significant than the viscous forces. In this experiment,
the dye injected into a laminar flow will form a clear well-defined line.
It will mix with the water only minimally, due to molecular diffusion.
When the flow in the pipe is turbulent, the dye will rapidly mix with the
water, due to the substantial lateral movement and energy exchange in
the flow. There is also a transitional stage between laminar and turbulent
flows, in which the dye stream will wander about and show intermittent
bursts of mixing, followed by a more laminar behavior. The Reynolds
number (Re), provides a useful way of characterizing the flow.  It is
defined where (v) is the kinematic viscosity of the water (Figure
7.2), v is the mean flow velocity and d is the diameter of the pipe. The
Reynolds number is a dimensionless parameter that is the ratio of the
inertial (destabilizing) force to the viscosity (stabilizing) force.
As Re increases, the inertial force becomes relatively larger, and the
flow destabilizes and becomes fully turbulent. The Reynolds experiment
determines the critical Reynolds number for pipe flow at which laminar
flow (Re<2000 ) becomes transitional (2000<Re<4000 ) and the
transitional flow becomes turbulent (Re>4000). In these two figures we
can more understand we can understand better.

4
 Apparatus

provides a constant head of water through a bellmouth entry to the flow

visualization glass pipe. Stilling media (marbles) are placed inside the
tank to tranquilize the flow of water entering the pipe. The discharge
through this pipe is regulated by a control valve and can be measured
using a measuring cylinder The flow velocity, therefore, can be
determined to calculate Reynolds number. A dye reservoir is mounted
on top of the head tank, from which a blue dye can be injected into the
water to enable observation of flow conditions

Procedure

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  Fill the tank with water and leave it for some time as the water in
the tank should come to rest
 Now fill the Reservoir with a dye (generally potassium
permanganate solution) which is nothing but colored fluid. The
weight density of dye should be same as that of water
 Record the temperature of water
 Allow the flow through the glass tube at a very low rate by
partially opening of outlet valve of a glass tube
 When the flow is stable, open the inlet valve of dye injector and
allow the colored fluid to flow through the glass tube
 Observe the appearance of the dye filament in the glass tube and
note down the type of flow obtained for that particular discharge
 Take a stop watch and note down the volume of water collected in
a measuring for certain interval of time
 Repeat the above procedure for different discharge rates and
calculate Reynolds's Number for each type of flow

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 Measurement and calculation
Qm / s V m/s D∗V Observation V (ml1-) T (s ) Observation
3
ℜ=
v
7.94*10−6 0.0162 402 Laminar 210 26.44 Laminar
2.313*10−5 0.0471 1771.94 Laminar
320 13.83 Laminar
5.38*10−5 0.109 2708 Transition
1.21*10−4 0.246 6138.88 Turbulent 420 7.93 Transition
1.626*10−4 0.33 8200 Turbulent 530 4.38 Turbulent
470 2.89 Turbulent
Volume 210∗10−6 −6 3 Q 7.942∗10−6
1- Q= = =7.9425∗10 m /s velosity= = =0.0162 m/ s
Time 26.44 A 4.9∗10−4
D∗V 0.025∗0.0162
ℜ= = =402.25
v 1.006∗10−6
Volume 320∗10−6 −5 3 Q 2.313∗10−5
2- Q= = =2.313∗10 m /s velosity= = =0.0471 m/s 
Time 13.83 A 4.9∗10−4
D∗V 0.025∗0.0471
ℜ= = =1771.94
v 1.006∗10−6
Volume 420∗10−6 −5 3
3- Q= = =5.38∗10 m /s 
Time 7.93
Q 5.38∗10−5 D∗V 0.025∗0.109
velosity= = =0.109 m/s ℜ= = =2708
A 4.9∗10−4
v 1.006∗10−6
Volume 530∗10−4 −4 3 Q 1.21∗10−4
4- Q= = =1.21∗10 m / s velosity= = =0.246 m/ s 
Time 4.38 A 4.9∗10−4
D∗V 0.025∗0.246
ℜ= = =6138.88
v 1.006∗10−6
Volume 470∗10−6 −4 3 Q 1.626∗10−4
5- Q= = =1.626∗10 m /s velosity= = =0.33 m/ s 
Time 2.89 A 4.9∗10− 4
D∗V 0.025∗0.33
ℜ= = =8200.79
v 1.006∗10−6

9000 RE
8000
7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
7 1000
0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
 Decoction
Our observation in this experiment determined that the Reynold’s
number is dependent on velocity, Reynold’s number increases with
increasing the velocity. Reynold’s number maintains a linear
relationship with velocity. The faster the liquid is moving, the higher
tendency it will have to develop turbulence. The flow of a fluid can be
characterized to be laminar, turbulent, or transitional. Laminar Flow
occur at low velocities, where the layers of fluid seem to slide by one
another without whirlpools being present. Turbulent flow occurs at
higher velocities, in which whirlpools are present. Errors occurred when
expecting a turbulent flow as the velocity was increased, due to a
defective equipment and the area instability. The Reynolds Number as a
function of flow rate was determined, as the water flow rate increases
the calculated Reynolds number also increases. The main objective of
this experiment was to observe the characteristic of the fluid flow in the
pipe whether it is a laminar, transition, or turbulent flow. Identifying the
characteristic of each flows, the Reynold's number and the behavior of
the flow are measured. We calculate the range for laminar and turbulent
flow and prove the Reynold's number which is dimensionless by using
the Reynold's number formula.

Conclusion
The laminar flow occurs when the fluid is flowing slowly and the turbulent flow occurs when it
is flowing fast. In transitional flow, the flow switches between laminar and turbulent in a
disorderly fashion. As the water flow rate increase, the Reynolds number calculated also increase
and the dye line change from thin thread to swirling in shape Laminar flow occurs when the
Reynolds number calculated is below than 2300; transitional flow occurs when Reynolds number
calculated is between 2300 and 4000 while turbulent flow occurs when Reynolds number
calculated is above 4000.It is proved that the Reynolds equation is dimensionless, no units left

8
 after the calculation. Under most practical conditions, the flow in a circular pipe is laminar for
Re≤2300, turbulent for Re≥4000 and transitional in between.

Reference
1-https://uta.pressbooks.pub/appliedfluidmechanics/cha
pter/experiment-7/
2-https://www.academia.edu/18747082/CHE241_Lab_
Report_Solteq_Osborne_Reynolds_Demonstration_F
M11_2015_