Arab Academy for Science, Technology

and Maritime Transportation

Fluid Mechanics I – ME362*
Dr. Ahmed Khalifa Mehanna
Associate Professor
a.khalifa@aast.edu
ahmed_marines@yahoo.com
Room No: 223
Course Assistant Lecturer:
Eng. Omar Mostafa
 Fluid Mechanics I – ME362*

Lecture 6:
Introduction to Fluid Dynamics
 Lecture Outline
 Introduction to Fluid Dynamics

 Flow Rate

 Mean Velocity

 Example
 Introduction
The laws of Statics that we have learned cannot solve Dynamic
Problems. Therefore, we need a new dynamic approach to Fluid
Mechanics.
 Flow Rate

Flow rate or rate of flow is the quantity of fluid passing

through any section (pipe line or open
channel) per unit time.

Flow rate can be expressed in terms of:

 Volume Flow Rate

 Weight Flow Rate

 Mass Flow Rate

 Volume Flow Rate: Q
Volume flow rate is defined as the rate at which the volume
of fluid passes a given section in the flow stream.

Constant Velocity (Velocity normal to the Area)

Cross Section
V Area A

At time t

L
Diameter D
At time t+∆t
 Volume Flow Rate: Q
The volume flow rate passing through the area dA is

ΔL
QA  AV
Δt
3
2 m m
Qm* 
s s
Volume flow rate is equal to the magnitude of the mean
velocity (v) multiplied by the flow area at right angles
to the direction of the mean velocity.
 Volume Flow Rate: Q

dA

V
dA

Flow rate dQ through dA

dQ = VdA

Total flow rate Q :

Q  VdA
A
 Mean Velocity
 The velocity in the pipe is not constant across the cross section.
 Crossing the centerline of the pipe, the velocity is zero at the
walls increasing to a maximum at the centre then decreasing
symmetrically to the other wall.
The fluid velocity in a pipe changes from zero at the surface because of the
no-slip condition to a maximum at the pipe center.
 Average or Mean Velocity

The average velocity is defined as the discharge divided by

the total sectional area

Q
Vavg 
A

r V r 
Vmax
where

Q   V (r)dA Vavg
A
 Weight Flow Rate: Wf or W

The weight flow rate Wf is related to Q

Weight flow rate , (Wf or W ), is defined as the weight of
any Fluid passing through any section per unit time.

Wf  γ Q
3
N m N
Wf  3
* 
m s s
From the above equation; weight flow rate can be computed
by multiplying the volume flow rate and specific weight of
fluid.
 Mass Flow Rate: Mf or m

The mass flow rate Mf is related to Q

Mass flow rate, (Mf or m ), is defined as the mass of fluid

passing through and section in a unit time.

M f  Q
3
kg m kg
M f  3
* 
m s s

From the above equation; mass flow rate is the product

of volume flow rate and density of that fluid.
Example 1 :Air that has a mass density of 1.24 kg/m3 flows in a 30
cm diameter pipe at a mass flow rate of 3 kg/s. What is the average
velocity of flow in this pipe and what is the volume flow rate?

Solution : dm/dt = 3 kg/s

Air

Mf  Q  3  1.24 Q
3
Q  2.42 m 3 /s
1.24
Q 2.42
V    34.2 m / s
A  (0.15) 2