ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

ORGANIZATION OF ISLAMIC COOPERATION (OIC)

MECHANICAL AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT (MCE)
MCE 4392, Basic Mechanical Engineering LAB, Credit: 0.75, Credit hour: 0-0-1.5

Experiment No: 02
Name of the Experiment: STUDY OF PIPE FRICTION.

1. OBJECTIVES
The goal of this experiment is to study pressure losses due to viscous (frictional) effects in
fluid flows through pipes. These pressure losses are a function of various geometric and flow
parameters including pipe diameter, length, internal surface roughness and type of fitting. In
this experiment, the influence of some these parameters on pressure losses in pipe flows will
be evaluated by measuring flow rates through different types of pipes.

2. APPARATUS

 A horizontal pipe with pressure tapping at known distance apart and connected to a U-
tube manometer.
 A venturimeter or an Orifice meter connected to the downstream portion of the pipe
for measuring the flow rate. A differential manometer is necessary for this purpose.
 A valve in the downstream section for controlling the flow rate.
 Discharge collection bucket, platform scale and stop watch are necessary if there is no
venturimeter or orifice meter in the system for flow measurement.

3. THEORY
Pipe flows belong to a broader class of flows, called internal flows, where the fluid is
completely bounded by solid surfaces. In contrast, in external flows, such as flow over a flat
plate or an airplane wing, only part of the flow is bounded by a solid surface. The term pipe
flow is generally used to describe flow through round pipes, ducts, nozzles, sudden
expansions and contractions, valves and other fittings. In this experiment we will limit our
study to flow through round pipes and pipe fittings, such as elbows and valves.

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When a gas or a liquid flows through a pipe, there is a loss of pressure in the fluid, because
energy is required to overcome the viscous or frictional forces exerted by the walls of the
pipe on the moving fluid. In addition to the energy lost due to frictional forces, the flow also
loses energy (or pressure) as it goes through fittings, such as valves, elbows, contractions and
expansions. This loss in pressure is mainly due to the fact that flow separates locally as it
moves through such fittings. The pressure loss in pipe flows is commonly referred to as head
loss. The frictional losses are referred to as major losses (hl) while losses through fittings,
etc, are called minor losses (hlm). Together they make up the total head losses (hlT) for pipe
flows. Hence:

hlT = hl +hlm (1)

Head losses in pipe flows can be calculated by using a special form of the energy equation
discussed in the next section.

3.1.1.1 Energy Equation for Pipe Flows

Consider steady, incompressible flow through a piping
system. The energy equation between points 1 and 2 for this flow can be written as:

 P1 V2  P V2 
   1 1  gz1    2   2 2  gz 2   hlT (2)
 2   2 
In the above equation, the terms in the parenthesis represent the mechanical energy per unit
mass at a particular cross-section in the pipe. Hence, the difference between the mechanical
energy at two locations, i.e. the total head loss, is a result of the conversion of mechanical
energy to thermal energy due to frictional effects.
The significant parameters in equation 2 are described below:
 z, is the elevation of the cross section, taken to be positive upwards.
  is called the kinetic energy factor. For laminar flow  = 2, for turbulent flow  = 1.
 Flow in a pipe is considered laminar if Reynolds number, ReD < 2000, where ReD =
V/.
 V is the average velocity at a cross section.
 hlT, as discussed earlier, is the total head loss between cross-sections 1 and 2. Details of
calculating the head loss are discussed in the next section.

An examination of equation 2 reveals that for a fixed amount of mechanical energy available
at station 1, a higher head loss will lead to lower mechanical energy at station 2. The lower
mechanical energy can be manifested as a lower pressure, lower velocity (i.e. lower
volumetric flow rate), a lower elevation or any combination of all three. It should also be
noted that for flow without losses, hlT = 0 and the energy equation reduces to Bernoulli’s
Equation.

Calculation of Head Loss

Major Losses
The major head loss in pipe flows is given by equation 3.
L V2 1
3.1.2 hl  f  (3)
D 2 g
where L and D are the length and diameter of the pipe, respectively, V is the average fluid
velocity through the pipe and f is the friction factor for the section of the pipe. In general, the

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friction factor is a function of the Reynolds number and the non-dimensional surface
roughness, e/D. The friction factor is determined experimentally and is usually published in
graphical form as a function of Reynolds number and surface roughness.

Minor Losses
The minor head losses which for some cases, such as short pipes with multiple fittings, are
actually a large percentage of the total head loss - hence, not really „minor‟ - can be expressed
as:
V2
hlm  K (4)
2

where K is the Loss Coefficient and must be determined experimentally for each situation.
Another common way to express minor head loss is in terms of frictional (major) head loss
through an equivalent length, Le, of a straight pipe. In this form, the minor head loss is
written as:

Le V 2 1
hlm  f  (5)
D 2 g

Loss coefficients, K and equivalent lengths can be found in a variety of handbooks;

representative data for limited fittings is available in most undergraduate Fluid Mechanics
texts.
All quantities in the above equation (3) except f may be measured experimentally. By
measuring the discharge and inside diameter, the average velocity can be computed. The head
loss is measured by a differential manometer attached to piezometer openings at sections 1
and 2 at a distance L apart and is expressed by the following equation.

(6)
Head loss, ( ) (7)
Or, ( ) (8)
(9)
Where,
= specific weight of manometer fluid (Hg)
= specific weight of flowing fluid (Water)
h = Manometric deflection.

The nature of the flow is governed by the Reynolds number Re which is ratio of between the
inertia and viscous forces.

When the Reynolds number is below 2000 and the flow can be assumed to be laminar, the
friction factor is only a function of the Reynolds number and is given as:
64
3.1.3 f la min ar  (10)
Re D

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The head loss per unit length in a laminar flow varies as V, whereas in turbulent flow varies
as .
Reynolds number is given by Re = ρVD/μ (11)

Where, μ = viscosity of flowing fluid,

ρ = density of flowing fluid

The hydraulic gradient is given by, (12)

(13)
In experimental case, considering for general formulation,
(14)
The hydraulic gradient can also be written as
ln i = ln k + n ln V (15)
Where
n = 1 for laminar flow;
n = 2 for turbulent flow. This shows that, although a plane graph results in straight lines for
both the cases, the slopes of the lines are different.

4. DATA TABLE

Diameter of pipe, D =
Length of the pipe, L =
Specific weight of flowing fluid (water), =
Specific weight of manometer fluid (Hg), =
Water temperature, t =

Experimental Data sheet:

No. of U-tube manometer reading for head loss Rotameter
Obs reading
Left Column reading Right column Net deflection Flow rate,
(mm) reading h (mm) Q (L/min)
(mm)
1

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Calculation Data Sheet:
No. of h (m) i Q( /s) V(m/s) lni lnV Re Flow Av.
Obs (m) field Re
1
2
3
4
5
6

Precautions:
 The difference of manometer fluid levels should be zero when there is no flow. The
air bubbles in the manometer should be removed.
 If there is fluctuation of the manometric columns, average height of the liquid column
should be recorded.

5. CALCULATIONS (add additional papers if needed)

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6. TASKS (add additional papers or graph papers as needed)
Following items are required to be shown:
 Plot lni vs. lnV
 Determine f and n from the graph.

7. DISCUSSIONS (add additional papers if needed)

The following point must be discussed:
 Errors in results (if any) and their possible causes.

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8. ASSIGNMENT (add additional papers as needed)
i) List the parameters that are related to friction loss in pipe flows.

ii) How will the friction loss be affected due to the following changes in flow condition
(Write “Friction loss Increased” or “Friction loss Decreased” for each case)
a) Pipe diameter is increased b) Pipe length is reduced c) Flow velocity is increased

iii) Which one will result in a higher friction loss: Increasing the pipe length 5 times or
increasing the velocity 5 times? Please explain for both laminar and turbulent flow
conditions.

iv) A pipe‟s length has to be increased 2 times. What changes are to be made to have the
same friction loss?

v) Qatar Petroleum has signed a 15 days contract with Wakanda to supply a special type
of fuel having a specific weight of 8.7514 kN/ using a 240 Km pipe line. Shuri is the
lead researcher for Wakanda and in her lab- the special fuel was seen to give a manometric
deflection of 130 mm in a Hg manometer (Specific weight of Hg is 133.7 kN/ ). The
pipe diameter is 3m and is installed underground; calculated friction factor is
. Considering a laminar flow, and assuming that the fuel is supplied by the pipe for 5
hours every day for the period of the contract, comment on whether the contract is long
enough to get 4 million cubic meter or Liters of the fuel. (Please show the calculations that
led you to your conclusion)