EXPERIMENT # 1

FLUID FLOW MEASUREMENTS

I. OBJECTIVE

To measure volume flow rate of fluid like air at various loads, by use of pitot-
static tube, venturi meter, and orifice flow meter.

II. PRINCIPLES INVOLVED

Measurements of flow rate of fluids, expressed in terms of volumes or mass,

find many applications in the processing, service, and manufacturing industries,
utilities, and agriculture. The fluids involved are fluid, gas, or the mixture of both liquid
and gas.
Among the various methods of obtaining the measurements of fluid flow
include (i) pitot-static tube, (ii) venturi meter, and (iii) orifice flow meter.

A. Pitot-Static Tube
Pitot tube is a small open tube with its open end pointed upstream intercepting
the kinetic energy of the flowing fluid, and measures the total pressure. Fig. 1 shows
the prototype pitot tube.
Static pressure. The pressure imparted by the flowing fluid measured at right
angles to the flow is called the static pressure. A tube attached flush to the wall of a
pipe or duct and perpendicular to the flow of the fluid will measure the static pressure.
Fig 2 illustrates this.

Fig. 1 Prototype Pitot Tube Fig. 2 Mounting of Tube to Determine

Static Pressure

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 Stagnation Pressure. The point in the center stream of the fluid flow where the
velocity becomes zero is called the stagnation pressure.

A convenient manner to install the two pressure-metering device is to combine

the two tubes as two concentric cylinders with the outer cylinder to act as wall of the
pipe for purposes of measuring the static pressure and the inner cylinder as the pitot
tube to measure the total pressure.

PITOT TUBE

FIG. 3 Simple Fig. 4 Combined Static

Mounting of Static and and Pitot tubes in
Pitot tube prior to Concentric Cylinders
Combination.

Fig. 5 Measurement of
Static, Total and
Velocity Pressure
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The Bernoulli’s equation for flowing fluid is:

Po + Zo + Vo² = Ps + Zs + Vs²
W 2g W 2g → 1.1

For the point O some distance ahead of the stagnation point S, the equation
obtained is
Po + 0 + Vo² = Ps + 0 + 0 → 1.2
W 2g W

Since Zo = Zs and Vs = 0 solving for Vo;

Vo² = Ps – Po = (Ps – Po) → 1.3

2g W W W

Vo² = 2 g (Ps – Po) → 1.4

W

Vo = ½ [ 2 g (Ps – Po) ] → 1.5

W

The volume flow rate of the duct can now be obtained with the velocity
determined. For accurate work the average velocity is best determined by subdividing
the cross section of the duct into imaginary region of equal areas and taking the reading
at the center of each.
Normally it is the velocities that averaged. However, error is very small using
the average pressures.
Referring to the essentials of Engineering Fluid Mechanics by Reuben M.
Olson, gas, subsonic flow, compressibility considered, has the equation for velocity as

Vo = [{2kRTo/(k-1)}{Ps/Po} → 1.6

Where k is the ratio of the specific heat of the gas at constant pressure to the specific
heat of the gas at constant volume; R is the gas constant, and T is t be the absolute
temperature.
 Fig 6 Location of Undisturbed Point O and the Stagnation Point S.

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B. Venturi Meter
Venturi is a short tube with a tapering-in construction to have a throat at mid-
length of tube that causes an increase in the velocity of the flow of fluid and a
corresponding decreases in fluid pressure and followed by the tapering-out to original
diameter of the tube.

The arrangement of pipes or ducts such that there is a gradual reduction of the
cross-section followed by a more gradual enlargement of the cross section bestowed to
be classified as constriction flow meter.

Fig. 7 Venturi Meter

The continuity equation of flowing at constant rate through the venturi meter is

Q = A1 V 1 = A2 V 2 , → 1.7

V1 = V2 A2 → 1.8
A1
Substituting into the Bernoulli’s equation

V² + P + Z = Constant → 1.9
2g W
 Reckoning with station 1 as a point before the throat and station 2 a point after
the throat, yields

(V2)² - (V2)² (A2)² = P2 – P1 + Z1 – Z2 → 1.10

2g 2 g (A1)² W

For horizontal venturi meter, Z1 – Z2 = 0, simplifying the equation into

V2 [ 1 – (A2)² ] = P2 – P1 → 1.11
2g[ (A1)² ] W 4

Losses always occur making the actual discharge less than the theoretical or ideal
discharge. Considering the ratio of actual volume discharged to the ideal obtains the
coefficient of discharge

C. Orifice Flow Meter

Orifice when installed in a pipe or duct is an opening in a thin plate obstruction

inside a pipe or duct line used as flow rate measuring device.

As a metering device, orifice in a pipeline consists of concentric sharp-edged

circular hole in a thin plate that is clamped between the flanges of the pipe or duct. In a
orifice, the flow characteristics is the minimum cross section of the stream occurring
further downstream from the obstruction plate. (refer to Fig. 7).

The quantity Q of the fluid flow is similarly obtained from the equation for the
venturi meter. However, several factors contribute to the contracting of flow cross
section that a coefficient K replaces the coefficient of discharge of the venturi meter,
thus

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1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16

Fig. 9 Subdivision of cross section into 16 station

transverse with equal areas.

D. The Equipment

The airflow measurement equipment is designed for demonstration of turbulent

flow condition in the range of the Reynolds number from 30,000 to 300,000 at slightly
above atmospheric pressure. The unit consist of a transparent rectangular duct
measuring 12.7 cm by 11.4 cm with provision for the placement of the pitot-static tube.
The duct is interconnected with the venturi meter and the orifice flow meter in that
order. At the discharge end of the unit is a damper mounted on screw for adjustment to
vary the construction loads or resistance.

The pitot-static tube has ellipsoidal nose made so to create a consistently

smooth flow past the static holes.

The venturi is made up of a tube of 13.97 cm diameter with a constricted throat

of 8.89 cm diameter. The value of the coefficient of discharge for this venturi meter is
C = 0.98.

The orifice is an opening in a plate normal to the axis of the pipe and the
thickness is small relative to the size of the opening hole. The pipe diameter is still
13.97 cm but the orifice diameter is 10.80 cm with characteristics flow coefficient of K
= 0.78.

III. PROCEDURE

A. Use of the Pitot-Static Tube.

1. Place the manometer on solid mounting, level accurately and adjust the built-in
level to zero or center mark. Record the initial reading of the manometer to read
small pressure differential.
2. Subdivide the cross-section of the duct into sixteen region of equal areas and let
the pitot-static tube transverse each station. See Fig. 9.
3. While the damper is set, yet farthest from the outlet record the air temperature
and the barometer reading. The damper must be set at a point 1 during the use of
the pitot-static tube must be the same point 1 during the use of the venturi meter
and the orifice flow meter.

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4. Connect the pitot-static tube such that the static pressure may be read from the
short tube manometer. Connect with rubber tubing the static pressure
connection of the pitot-static tube to the manometer liquid reservoir of the short
tube manometer. For the long tube manometer attach a rubber tubing at the
other end and measure the differential pressure Ps – Po for every station as the
sixteen regions.
5. Calculate the individual velocities using the equation and obtain the arithmetic
mean of the sixteen values of the velocities. The volume flow rate is computed
by

Q = CAVave → 1.16

IV. DATA AND ANALYSIS

A.
Damper Setting (No. of Turns)
Duct
2 4 6 8 16
Transverse
P3 Pt ΔP P2 Pt ΔP P3 Pt ΔP P3 Pt ΔP P5 Pt ΔP
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
 Average

C. Venturi Tube and Orifice

Inlet Damper Venturi Orifice

Opening Setting P1 Total Pt Total Delta P P1 Total Delta
2
4
Fully 6
Closed 8
10
20
2
4
6
1/4 8
10
20
2
4
6
1/2 8
10
20
2
4
6
3/4 8
10
20
2
4
Fully 6
Open 8
 10
20

NOTE:
Assess the degree of accuracy achieved in measuring the volume airflow using
the pitot, venturi and orifice. Discuss possible sources of errors and discuss measures to
minimize the errors.

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V. SAMPLE COMPUTATIONS

VI. ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION

VII. QUESTIONS

1. What is stagnation pressure? How is the concept of stagnation pressure

used to determine the total velocity of a flowing fluid?
2. What are the relative advantages of the venturi and orifice in measuring
airflow?

VIII. RECOMMENDATION
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