National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST)

SMME

Lab Report 4

COURSE : Fluid Mechanics Lab

SUBMITTED BY : Zain Ahmed (428451)

SECTION : ME-14 B
 Determine the discharge coefficient of venturi meter
Objective:
The primary objective of this experiment is to determine the discharge coefficient (Cd) of a
Venturi meter using Bernoulli's theorem and the measured pressure difference and flow rate.

Apparatus:
1. Hydraulic bench

2. Venturi meter
Saddle tube
3. Stopwatch

Manometer tube

Inlet
Outlet connection

Venturi meter
Figure 1: Venturi meter apparatus

Venturi meter

Main switch
Volumetric pump

Flow rate tube

Centrifugal Pump
Sump tank

Figure 2: Venturi meter installed on hydraulic bench

A Venturi meter is a flow measurement device constructed with a gradually converging
section, a narrow throat, and a gradually diverging section. This design funnels the fluid,
causing it to accelerate in the throat where the pressure drops (Bernoulli's principle). Pressure
taps at the upstream and throat sections connect to a differential pressure gauge to measure
this crucial pressure difference, which is then used to calculate the flow rate.

Procedure:

• First, connect the venturi meter to the hydraulic bench by connecting the outlet of
centrifugal with inlet of venturi meter and outlet of venturi meter to volumetric tank.
• Now open the valve and remove air from the tubes of venturi meter and so that fluid
reaches to the top.
• Now wait until fluid stabilizes itself.
• Now vary the volume flow and measure the values in manometer.
• Measure the actual volume flow rate with the help of volumetric tube and stopwatch.
• For the ideal volume flow rate use Bernoulli’s equation at tube 1 and tube 3:

1 1
𝑃1 + 𝜌𝑉1 2 = 𝑃3 + 𝜌𝑉3 2
2 2

• Using equation of continuity substitute in above equation:

𝐴3 𝑉3
𝑉1 =
𝐴1

Where A1 = 5.29 x 10-4m2

A3 = 2.007 x 10-4m2

• Repeat above procedure for different volume flow rate.

Calculations and Results:

Calculations:

h1 = 142 mm

h3 = 112 mm

Using Bernoulli’s equation:

 1 1
𝑃1 + 𝜌𝑉1 2 = 𝑃3 + 𝜌𝑉3 2
2 2

By substituting P= 𝜌𝑔ℎ on both side and solving we get:

1 2 1 2
𝑔(ℎ1 − ℎ3 ) = 𝑉 − 𝑉1
2 3 2

Substitute V1= A3V3/A1; we get:

1 1
𝑔(ℎ1 − ℎ2 ) = 𝑉2 2 − (𝐴3 𝑉3 /𝐴1 )2
2 2

After substituting all the values in equation, we get:

𝑉3 = 0.801𝑚/𝑠

Volume flow rate ideal is given by:

𝑄𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑙 = 𝐴3 𝑉3

𝑄𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑙 = (0.801)(2.007x10−4 𝑚2 ) = 1.607x10−4 𝑚3 /𝑠

Results:

Table 1

𝒉𝟏 𝒉𝟐 𝒉𝟑 𝒉𝟒 𝒉𝟓 𝒉𝟔 𝑸𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝑸𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝑪𝑫 Error

mm mm mm mm mm mm 𝒎𝟑 /𝒔 𝒎𝟑 /𝒔 %

142 137 114 128 131 135 1.607x10-4 1.52x10-4 1.057 5.7

170 163 129 149 155 162 2.116x10-4 1.95x10-4 1.0876 8.5

165 155 104 135 143 153 2.483x10-4 2.37x10-4 1.04609 4.7

98 94 73 84 88 92 1.615x10-4 1.52x10-4 1.0625 5.9

Graph:

Chart Title
3
2.483
2.5 2.37
2.116
Volume flow rate

1.95
2
1.607 1.52 1.615 1.52
1.5

0.5

0
1 2 3 4

Q theroretical Q actual

Discussion:
In a perfect scenario, the measured flow rate would precisely match the calculated theoretical
value, reflecting complete adherence to the principle of mass conservation. However, our
experiment revealed a noticeable difference between the two, with an error range of 3% to
8%. To bridge this gap, the notion of a discharge coefficient was introduced. Ideally, the
discharge coefficient should fall within the preferred range of 0.95 to 0.99. However, our
results in Table 1 suggest that for certain flow rates, the coefficient exceeded this acceptable
level. Many factors might be responsible for this deviation:

Uneven Flow, Turbulent Swirls, Equipment Quirks, Additionally, misalignment with the
measuring instruments can lead to parallax errors, further affecting the obtained results.

Conclusion:
Our experiment aimed to determine the discharge coefficient of a Venturi meter using
Bernoulli's principle. While the results provided valuable insights into the relationship
between pressure difference and flow rate, a notable discrepancy was observed between the
measured and theoretical flow rates. This discrepancy ranged from 3% to 8%. To account for
this difference, the concept of a discharge coefficient was employed. Ideally, this coefficient
should fall within a desirable range.