pipe_05

For straightening and smoothing an air flow in a 50 cm diameter duct, the duct is packed with a
“honeycomb” of 30 cm long, 4 mm diameter thin straws. The inlet flow is air moving at an average
velocity of 6 m/s. Estimate the pressure drop across the honeycomb. The density of the air is 1.2 kg/m3
and the kinematic viscosity is 1.5e-5 m2/s. You may neglect inlet and outlet minor losses.

thousands of straws

6 m/s
50 cm
air

30 cm

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 pipe_05

SOLUTION:

Apply the Extended Bernoulli’s Equation from point 1 to point 2.

thousands of straws

6 m/s
1 2 50 cm
air

30 cm
æ p V2 ö æ p V2 ö
ç +a + z÷ = ç +a + z ÷ - H L ,1® 2 + H S ,1® 2 (1)
è rg 2g ø2 è r g 2g ø1
where
p2 - p1 Dp
= = ? (This is what we’re trying to find.) (2)
rg rg
æ V2 ö æ V2 ö
ça ÷ = ça ÷ (3)
è 2 g ø 2 è 2 g ø1
z2 = z1 (4)
H S ,1® 2 = 0 (There is no shaft work between points 1 and 2.) (5)
æ L öV 2
H L ,1® 2 = ç f S ÷ S (where the subscript “S” refers to the conditions in the straw) (6)
è DS ø 2 g
Note that minor losses have been neglected.

Substitute and re-arrange.

Dp æ L öV 2
= -ç f S ÷ S (7)
rg è DS ø 2 g

Now determine the average flow velocity in the straw, VS . Note that the flow rate through the pipe must
be the same as the flow rate through all of the straws.
p p
VP DP2 = N SVS DS2 (8)
4 4
where the number of straws, NS, is:
2
p p ⎛D ⎞
D = NS
2
P
2
D
S Þ NS = ⎜ P ⎟ (9)
4 4 ⎝D ⎠S

and thus:
VS = VP (10)

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 pipe_05

Now determine the friction factor for the flow through the straw. First calculate the straw’s Reynolds
number.
V D
Re S = S S =
( s )
6 m ( 4e - 3 m )
= 1600 Þ laminar flow in the straws (11)
n
(
1.5e - 5 m
2

s )
64
Þ f = (12)
Re S

Substitute Eqn. (12) into Eqn. (7) and solve for the pressure drop. using the given data.
Dp æ 64 LS ö VS2
= -ç ÷ (LS = 0.30 m; r = 1.2 kg/m3) (13)
rg è Re S DS ø 2 g
\Dp = -64.8 Pa

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