MODULE 4

FLUID MECHANICS
INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Determining the critical temperature as being the limit of the liquid phase
2. Proving that an idea gas can almost behave as a perfect gas
3. Establishing that Boyle’s law and Charle’s law are derived from Ideal gas law

INTRODUCTION
Fluid Mechanics is the study of fluids at rest (fluid statics) and in motion (fluid dynamics).

A fluid is defined as a substance that continually deforms (flows) under an applied shear stress
regardless of the magnitude of the applied stress. Whereas a solid can resist an applied force
by static deformation. Liquids, gases, plasmas and, to some extent, plastic solids are accepted
to be fluids. A perfect fluid offers no internal resistance to change in shape and, consequently,
they take on the shape of their containers. Liquids form a free surface (that is, a surface not
created by their container) whereas gases and plasmas do not, but, instead, they expand and
occupy the entire volume of the container.

Fluid mechanics have played an important role in human life. Therefore, it also attracted many
curious people. Even in the ancient Greek history, systematic theoretical works have been done.
The development of governing equations of fluid flow started already in the 16th century. In the 18th
and 19th century, the conservation laws for mass, momentum and energy was already known in its
most general form. In the 20th century, developments were in theoretical, experimental and recently
numerical. In the theoretical field, mostly solutions of the governing equations for special cases were
provided. Experimental methods have been developed to measure flow velocities and fluid
properties. By the development of computer, the numerical treatment of fluid mechanical problems
opened new perspectives in research. It is the common belief that in the 21th century, the activities
would be most intensive in the development new experimental and numerical tools and application
of those for developing new technologies.

CONTENT

DENSITY(ρ)
Mass per unit volume. A physical property which indicates how compact are the atoms, ions or
molecules of a substance.
 m
ρ= V

where;
ρ = density, g/ml, kg/Li, lb/ft3
m = mass, g,Kg, lb
V = volume,ml,Li, ft3

SPECIFIC GRAVITY (S.G.)

A unitless quantity that determines the relative or comparative density of a substance as

compared with another substance usually water for solids and liquids, and oxygen or air for
gases.

ρx
S.Gx = if x is solid or liquid
ρwater

ρx
S.Gx = if x is a gas
ρoxygen

NOTE:
The density and specific gravity of liquids are numerically equal
g Kg lb
Ρwater = 1 = 1 = 62.4 3
ml Li ft
Kg g Kg
Ρoxygen = 1.29 3 = 0.00129 = 0.00129
m ml Li
 Sample Problem

1. What is the approximate mass of air in a living room 4.8m x 3.8m x 2.8m?
Given:
V = (4.8m)(3.8m)(2.8m) = 51.072 m3
Kg
Ρair = 1.29
m3
Required:
m
Solution:
m
ρ=
V

m = ρV
Kg
m = ( 1.29 3 )(51.072m )
3

m
m = 65.88 Kg
2. What is the specific gravity of a liquid if 325 ml of the liquid has the mass as 396 ml of
water?
Given:
Vliquid = 325 ml
Vwater = 396 ml
Required:
S.Gliquid
Solution:
mwater
Ρwater =
V water
g
mwater = ρwater Vwater = (1 )(396 ml)
ml
mwater = 396 g = mliquid
 mliquid 396 g
ρliquid = =
V liquid 325 ml

g
ρliquid = 1.22
ml

g
1.22
ρliquid ml
S.Gliuid = =
ρwater g
1
ml

S.Gliquid = 1.22

Activity # 1

1. A bottle has a mass of 35 g when empty and 98.44 g when filled with water. When
filled with another fluid, the mass is 88.78 g. What is the specific gravity of this fluid?

2. A cylindrical glass tube 12.7 cm in length is filled with mercury. The mass of mercury
needed to fill the tube is 105.5g. Calculate the inner diameter of the tube. (ρHg =
13.6g/ml)
 3. How much does a 20 ft x 10 ft x 8 ft swimming pool filled with water weigh? Assume
lbs
the water has a weight density of 62 .
ft 3

PRESSURE

Force per unit area exerted by a fluid against a surface.

F
P=
A

Where;
P = pressure, Pascal(Pa), atm, mm-Hg, torr, N/m2
F = force, N
A = area, m2

Consider a liquid at depth h;

h
A

F mg ρVg ρAhg
P= = = =
A A A A
 P = ρhg

KINDS OF PRESSURE:
1. Atmospheric pressure – Pressure obtained from barometric reading.
2. Absolute pressure – The true pressure measured above a perfect vacuum.
3. Gauge pressure – The excess pressure above atmospheric pressure
Pabs = Pgauge + Patm

PASCAL’S LAW
“ At any point in the fluid at rest the pressure is the same in all directions”

Consider the system;

F1

F2

A1
A2

P1 = P2
F1 F2
=
A1 A2

Sample Problem
1. A barrel contains 0.15mm layer of oil. If the density of the oil is 600 kg/m3, what is the
pressure at the surface of the oil?
Given:
h = 0.15 mm = 1.5 x 10-4 m
Kg
ρ = 600 3
m
 Required:
P
Solution:
P = ρhg
kg -4
m
P = ( 600 3 )(1.5x10 m)(9.81 )
m sec 2

P = 0.8829 Pa
2. What gauge pressure must a pump produce to pump water from the bottom of Caliraya
lake ( 730 m elevation ) to Caliraya park ( 1370 m )? What is the absolute pressure?
Given:
h = 1370 m – 730 m = 640 m
Required:
Pgauge and Pabs
Solution:
Pgauge = ρhg
Kg
Since the density of water is 1000 3;
m
Kg m
Pgauge = ( 1000 3 )( 640m )(9.81 2 )
m sec

Pgauge = 6.28x106 Pa

Pabs = Pgauge + Patm

Pabs = 6.28x106 Pa + 1.01x105 Pa

Pabs = 6.38 x 106 Pa

3. In a hydraulic lift, the radius of the smaller piston is 2.0 cm and the radius of the larger
piston is 20.0 cm. What weight can the larger piston support when a force of 250 N is
applied to the smaller piston?
Given: F1
F2 = 250N
 r1= 20 cm= 0.2 m r2 = 2 cm = 0.02 m
Required:
F1
Solution:
F1 F 2
=
A1 A2
2
A1 F2 π r 1 F 2 ( 0.2 cm )2 ( 250 N )
F1 = = 2 = 2
A2 π r2 ( 0.02 cm )

F1 = 25000 N

Activity # 2

1. In a hydraulic press the small cylinder has a diameter of 8.0 cm, while the large piston
has a diameter of 2.0 cm. If a force of 500 N is applied to the small piston, what is the
force on the large piston, neglecting friction?

2. A submarine is constructed so that it can withstand a pressure of 1.6 x 107 Pa. How
deep may this submarine descend in the ocean if the average density of seawater is
Kg
1025 ?
m3
 g
3. What is the gauge pressure inside a container containing oil whose density is 0.90 3
cm
and reaches a height of 12 cm? What is the absolute pressure?

TEMPERATURE

An objective measurement of how hot or cold an object is. It can be measured with a
thermometer or a calorimeter. It is a means of determining the internal energy contained within
a given system

Conversion
o
C F
o

o o
F = 9/5 C + 32

O o
F C

o
C = 5/9 ( oF – 32 )

o
C K
K = oC + 273

o
F R
o
R = F + 460

Sample Problem
1. Convert 65°F to its equivalent in degrees Celsius and Kelvins
 (a) 650 F to 0C
0
C = 5/9 (0F – 32)
0
C = 5/9 (65 – 32)
0
C = 18.33

(b) 18.33 0C to K
K = 0C + 273
K = 18.33 + 273
K = 291.33

2. Convert -228 k to 0F
(a) -228 K to 0C
K = 0C + 273
0
C = K – 273
0
C = -228 – 273
0
C = -501
(b) -5010C to 0F
0
F = 9/5 0C + 32
0
F = 9/5 (-501) + 32
0
F = -869.8

Activity # 3
1. A luxury ship left the port of Australia with a temperature of about 5 0 below 0. When they
reached the port of Hongkong, the crew noticed the temperature reading of 28 OC . What is the
difference in the temperature of the two ports in Kelvin scale?
 2. Convert 750 R to K

3. Convert 1250C to R

GAS LAWS

The three fundamental gas laws discover the relationship of pressure, temperature, volume and
amount of gas. Boyle's Law tells us that the volume of gas increases as the pressure
decreases. Charles' Law tells us that the volume of gas increases as the temperature increases.
And Avogadro's Law tell us that the volume of gas increases as the amount of gas increases.

The ideal gas law is the combination of the three simple gas laws.

. BOYLE’S LAW

At constant temperature, the pressure of the gas is inversely proportional to the volume.
 @ constant T:

1
P∞
V

P1 V1 = P2 V2

Where;

P1 = initial pressure of the gas

P2 = final pressure of the gas

V1 = initial volume of the gas

V2 = final volume of the gas

CHARLE’S LAW

At constant pressure the volume of the gas is directly proportional to the temperature.

@ constant P:

V ∞T

V1 V 2
=
T1 T2

Where.;

V1 = initial volume of the gas

V2 = final volume of the gas

T1 = initial temperature of the gas

T2 = final temperature of the gas

AMONTON’S LAW

At constant volume, the pressure of the gas is directly proportional to the temperature.

@ constant V:

P∞ T
 P1 P2
=
T1 T 2

Where;

P1 = initial pressure of the gas

P2 = final pressure of the gas

T1 = initial temperature of the gas

T2 = final temperature of the gas

COMBINED GAS LAW

Boyle’s law, Charle’s law and Amonton’s law combined

The volume of the gas is inversely proportional to the pressure and directly proportional to the
temperature

T
V∞
P

P1 V 1 P2 V 2
=
T1 T2

Where;

P1 = initial pressure of the gas

V1 = initial volume of the gas

T1 = initial temperature of the gas

P2 = final pressure of the gas

V2 = final volume of the gas

T2 = final temperature of the gas

IDEAL GAS EQUATION

nT
Vα
P
 PV=nRT

Where;

P = pressure of the gas, atm

V = volume of the gas, liter

n = number of moles, mol

R = universal gas constant = 0.08205 atm-liter/mole-K

T = temperature, K

DALTON’S LAW OF PARTIAL PRESSURE

The total pressure exerted by the mixture of gases is equal to the sum of the individual partial
pressures

Consider a case in which two gases, A and B, are in a container of volume V.

nART
PA = nA is the number of
V
nBRT
PB = nB is the number of moles of B
V
nA nB
PT = PA + PB XA = XB =
nA + nB nA + nB
PA = XA PT PB = X B PT

Pi = Xi PT

GRAHAM’S LAW OF DIFFUSION

The rates of diffusion or effusion of two gases are inversely proportional to the square
root of their densities.

Consider two gases A and B

1
rA ∞
√ ρA
1
rB ∞
√ρB

Sample Problem

1. A sample of chlorine gas occupies a volume of 946 mL at a pressure of 726 mmHg.

What is the pressure of the gas (in mmHg) if the volume is reduced at constant
temperature to 154 mL?
Given
V1 = 946 ml
P1 = 726 mmHg
V2 = 154 ml

Required
 P2
Solution
P1 V1 = P2 V2
P2 = P1 V1/V2
( 726 mmHg ) ( 946 ml )
P2 = 154 ml
P2 = 4459.71 mmHg

2. A sample of carbon monoxide gas occupies 3.20 L at 125 0C. At what temperature will
the gas occupy a volume of 1.54 L if the pressure remains constant?
Given
V1 = 3.20 L
T1 = 1250C + 273 = 398 K
V2 = 1.54 L

Required
T2
Solution
V1 V 2
=
T1 T2
V 2T 1 ( 1 .54 L )( 398 K )
T2 = V 1 = 3. 20 L
T2 = 191.54 K
3. The pressure in the steel cylinder containing oxygen gas is 100 atm. at 200C. What will
be the pressure of the gas if the cylinder stands under the sun at a temperature of 450C
Given
P1 = 100 atm
T1 = 200C + 273 = 293 K
T2 = 450C + 273 = 318 K

Required
P2
Solution
 P1 P2
=
T1 T 2
P1 T 2
( 100 atm )( 318 K )
P2 = T 1 = 293 K

P2 = 108.53 atm

4. If 600 ml of a certain gas is collected at 300C and 600 mm-Hg pressure, compute the
volume the gas occupies at 600C and 770 mm-Hg pressure.
Given
V1 = 600 ml
T1 = 300C + 273 = 303 K
P1 = 600 mmHg
T2 = 600C + 273 = 333 K
P2 = 770 mmHg

Required
V2
Solution
P1 V 1 P2 V 2
=
T1 T2
P1 V 1 T 2 ( 600 mmHg ) ( 600 ml ) ( 333 K )
V2 = P2 T 1 = (770 mmHg ) ( 303 K )
V2 = 513.83 ml
5. What is the volume (in liters) occupied by 49.8 g of HCl at STP?
Given
m = 49 8 g
@ STP
P = 1 atm
T = 00C = 273 K

Required
V
Solution
 PV = nRT

nRT m
V= P but n =
MW HCl

mRT ( 49 .8 g ) ( 0 . 08205 atm−L/molK ) ( 273 K )

V = MWP = ( 36 . 45 g/mol )( 1 atm )

V = 30.603 L
6. A sample of natural gas contains 8.24 moles of CH4, 0.421 moles of C2H6, and 0.116
moles of C3H8. If the total pressure of the gases is 1.37 atm, what is the partial pressure
of propane (C3H8)?
Given
nCH4 = 8.24 mol
nC2H6 = 0.421 mol
nC3H8 = 0.116 mol
PT = 1.37 atm

Required
PC3H8
Solution
PC3H8 = xC3H8 PT
nT = 8.24 + 0.421 + 0.116 = 8.777 mol
nC 3 H 8 0. 116mol
XC3H8 = nT = 8. 777mol = 0.0132
PC3H8 = 0.0132 (1.37 atm) = 0.0181 atm
Activity # 4
1. A sample of a gas in a certain container was found to have a volume of 1200 mL at a
pressure of 600 mm-Hg. What would be the volume if the pressure is increased by 1
atm?
2. If 60 liters of a gas is heated from 300C to 1800C at constant pressure, what will be
its final volume?

3. If 12 atm. of a gas is heated from 450C to 1000C inside a closed vessel, what is its
final pressure?

4. A gas occupies 8 liters under a pressure of 710 mm-Hg at 280C. What volume will
the gas occupy under standard temperature and pressure?
5. A mixture of gases at 760 mm-Hg contained 73% N2, 15% O2 and 10% CO2 by
weight. What is the partial pressure of each gas in the mixture?