4/20/2019

MC/EL/RN/ES/PE/MR/MN/GL 264
(Fluid Mechanics 1)
Lecture # 25
Viscous Fluid Flow
(Real Fluids)
By:
Ernest Adaze (MS, BSc, MASME, MSPE)
020 770 62 35

Objectives for the day…

Discuss Real Fluids

Discuss the Pipe Losses
Differentiate between Minor and Major Losses in Pipe Flows

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Viscous Fluid Flows

Fully Developed Flow
 Consider a fluid flow into a pipe as shown in the figure below. The flow is
uniform at the entrance of the pipe. This uniform velocity profile is not
retained as soon as the fluid enters the pipe.

 Owing to viscosity, fluid particles are still on the pipe walls and then the
velocity increases along the radial direction. The viscous (friction) effect
gradually affects velocity of the fluid as it flows downstream.

Viscous Fluid Flows

Fully Developed Flow
 In the entrance region, the viscous effect is not full of the pipe but appears
near the pipe wall. The velocity in the affected region is slower than the
unaffected region. The affected region is called a boundary layer.

 The viscous effect disperses from the pipe wall to the centre as fluids move
downstream. Finally, the viscous effect is full of the pipe and the flow in the
region is called a fully developed flow.

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Laminar, Transition and Turbulent Flows

Laminar Flows
 When fluid flows in a pipe, various patterns are found according to
different physical parameters such as velocity, viscosity and pipe diameter.

 If we dye a point in a pipe flow, then we will find that the streak line from
the point may be a straight line or a distorted line. If it is a straight line, it
means all fluid particles move along the same straight line as fluids travel
downstream. This is the so-called laminar flow.

 Viscous shear stresses dominate in this kind of flow in which the shear
stress and velocity distributions are governed by Newton’s law of viscosity.

Laminar, Transition and Turbulent Flows

Transition and Turbulent Flows
 If it is a distorted line, it means the fluid particles do not move along the
same line as they travel downstream but are disturbed. This is what is
commonly known as turbulent flow.

 These are flows that most commonly occur in engineering practice.

 This type of flow is identified by the Reynolds number, Re which is

expressed as:
UL
Re 


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Laminar, Transition and Turbulent Flows

Transition and Turbulent Flows
 If it is a distorted line, it means the fluid particles do not move along the
same line as they travel downstream but are disturbed. This is what is
commonly known as turbulent flow.

 These are flows that most commonly occur in engineering practice.

 This type of flow is identified by the Reynolds number, Re which is

expressed as:
UL
Re 

where,  and  are the density and dynamic viscosity of the fluid and U is the
flow velocity and L is a characteristic length such as the pipe diameter (D) in
the case of a pipe flow. 7

Laminar, Transition and Turbulent Flows

Transition and Turbulent Flows
 Reynolds number represents the ratio of inertia forces to the viscous forces
that exist in the flow field and it is dimensionless.
 Transition and turbulent pipe flows cannot be solved using analytical
methods due to extremely complicated physical phenomena. The only
approach to investigate transition and turbulent flows is to conduct
experiments.

 L. F Moody conducted pipe flow experiments and obtained the well-known

Moody diagram.

 The Moody diagram explains the relationship between Reynolds number,

friction factor ( ) and relative roughness.
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Laminar, Transition and Turbulent Flows

Moody Diagram

Laminar, Transition and Turbulent Flows

Transition and Turbulent Flows
 The Moody diagram can be used in the following steps:

 Evaluate Reynolds number

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 If Re  2300, then the formula   can be used for the laminar pipe flow.
Re 
If it is not, then evaluate relative roughness, D

 Find the resultant relative roughness on the right-hand side of the
D
Moody diagram

 Follow the line starting from the resultant relative roughness. Find the
point on the line at the resultant Reynolds number. Starting from this
point, go to the left hand side and find out the friction factor ( )

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Pipe Losses
Major and Minor Losses
 Two main losses are encountered in pipe flows, namely, major and minor
losses.

 Major losses result from friction losses caused be the pipe walls are
represented by the Darcy Weisbach equation:
2
uavg L
hL  
2 gD

 For turbulent flows, the friction factor is obtained by using Blasius

equation:
0.3164
 1
Re 4
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Pipe Losses
Major and Minor Losses
 Minor losses are produced through additional turbulence arising when
fluid flows through such components as change of area, change of
direction, branching, junction, bend, elbows, expansions and valve.

 The head loss for such cases is generally expressed by the following
equation:
u2
hl  K avg
2g
 where, K is called the K-factor and depends on various fittings.

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