EMS410U Experimental Practice & design 2

Flow Rate Experiment

Dr Hicham Adjali
The aims of this laboratory are:

• To apply Bernoulli’s equation to flow measurements.

• To measure volumetric flow rates within a tube using a

Venturi and compare these results to the flow rates obtained
from a velocity profile measured with a Pitot probe.

The assessment for this laboratory is combined with EMS450U

Exploring Engineering Case Study 3 assessment.

CW2: Flow experiment Group Report attached to EMS450U CS3

individual report (50% of both module).
Timetable
All Labs will run in the following Sessions, in G23 or G27,
Weeks 9, 10 and 11:

G23: Thursday 9.00 am to 6.00 pm

G27: Friday 9.00 am to 6.00 pm

All Labs will last 1.5 hours within a 2-hour slot

Your group and day/time slot is on QM+
You are in different groups to those in previous labs!!
Coursework 2 (50% of module)

Group Report of the flow rate Laboratory

Results & Discussion sections only
Submission: together with EMS450U Exploring
Engineering individual CW2
See detailed CW2 sheet on EMS420U QM+ site
Group Management Meetings (GMMs)

You should all be familiar with these (semester 1 and this

module’s previous lab experiments):
- plan the work, plan the analysis, revise the
analysis, check the format of text and numbers,
plan the writing up, revise the text, plan the
submission
- put into action a mitigation plan, assign
responsibilities, etc…
Remember, this is a group work !!

• The work of the group is the responsibility of the whole group, not the
individual members.

• If a group does not work effectively together it is a problem that the

group must resolve (not the TA or Academic staff). This is in fact a
skill you need to learn! This should be tackled at early stages.
However, if problems persist, get in touch ASAP with academic
staff/TAs for help with members not engaging.

• Have a mitigation plan (e.g. if a group member falls ill).

• This coursework part (report) is the work of the group and must be
agreed by the whole group.
Missing a lab

- Lab attendance is compulsory. You need to submit a valid extenuating

circumstance (EC) to justify non-attendance.

- Absence without EC will be penalised by a deduction of 20% of the

individual mark for CW2. You still need to do the calculations and write
the report with your group members and attach to your individual
EMS450U CS3 report.

- Attendance on time is required. Make sure to arrive on time: 10

minutes rule applies. You are not allowed to enter the lab if you arrive
10 min after the lab starting time and you will be marked as absent.
See above for consequences!!

- Laboratory sessions to finish 5 minutes before the hour, to give way to

the next groups.

- You are responsible for tidying-up the lab space.

 Flow Rate Experiment

Make sure to watch all videos and read all documents on QM+
Objectives

• Measure the flow of air within a pipe using a

Venturi.

• Compare this result with the flow rate calculated

from a velocity traverse of the pipe using a Pitot
tube.

• Comment upon any differences between these

values and draw appropriate conclusions.
 Brief summary
In order to obtain volume flow rate, you measure the pressure
difference at the venturi and Pitot tube using two devices: Pressure
Transducer (electronic device) and basic inclined manometer.
• Venturi → velocity using Bernoulli’s Equation → flow rate (m3/s)
• Pitot tube → velocities at different radii using Bernoulli’s Equation
→ integrate the velocity profile → flow rate (m3/s)
Watch for systematic errors and report your findings.
A bit of revision
1 1
Bernoulli’s Equation: 𝑃1 + 𝜌𝑣12 + 𝜌𝑔𝑧1 = 𝑃2 + 𝜌𝑣22 +𝜌𝑔𝑧2
2 2

𝑃 = static pressure
1 2
𝜌𝑣 = dynamic pressure
2
𝜌𝑔𝑧 = hydrostatic pressure

1 2
𝑃 + 𝜌𝑣 = stagnation pressure
2
1
𝑃 + 𝜌𝑣 2 + 𝜌𝑔𝑧 = total pressure
2
here, 𝜌 = density of the fluid making up the flow

Measuring pressure with a manometer:

∆𝑃 = 𝜌𝑔∆ℎ
here, 𝜌 = density of fluid in the manometer
Venturi Here the speeds are
Conservation of mass: average speed values
inside the tube:
𝐴1 𝑣1 = 𝐴2 𝑣2

Bernoulli’s Equation:
1 1
𝑃1 + 𝜌𝑣12 + 𝜌𝑔𝑧1 = 𝑃2 + 𝜌𝑣22 +𝜌𝑔𝑧2
2 2
Be careful: there are 3 different kits with different diameters and pressure
ranges, make sure to note your Venturi’s inlet and throat diameters
Very Big Grey rig
Venturi Pressure readings of approximately
20 mmWG, 40 mmWG, and 60 mmWG

Venturi Inlet Diameter = 144.54 mm

Venturi Outlet Diameter = 50.56 mm

Small Grey rig

Venturi Pressure readings of approximately
30 mmWG, 60 mmWG, and 90 mmWG

Venturi Inlet Diameter = 108.10 mm

Venturi Outlet Diameter = 29.60 mm

Blue rig
Venturi Pressure readings of approximately
100 mmWG, 120 mmWG, and 140 mmWG

Venturi Inlet Diameter = 110.7 mm

Venturi Outlet Diameter = 29.70 mm
Pitot • You measure the pressure at different radius
(r) values to cover half (due to symmetry) the
cross section.
• Using Bernoulli’s equation, you obtain v(r) at
specific r values.
• You need to integrate the profile v(r).r to obtain
the flow rate (numerical integration).
Summarising
Venturi
• For each flow speed setting, calculate the air volumetric
flowrate, Q, using the Venturi manometer. The
necessary theory is found in the documents and videos
in QM+. Additionally, you will cover these concepts in
detail in EMS460U Fluid Mechanics and
Thermodynamics module and can be found in relevant
textbooks.

Pitot
• For each flow speed setting, determine the radial profile
of the velocity v(r) using the Pitot tube readings than
integrate v(r).r (numerical integration here) to compute
the flow rate.
Recommended method for numerical integration
(when analytical is not possible)
→ use an Excel sheet to avoid errors
Collecting Raw data
You can use the table below to collect relevant data:

Atmospheric Pressure =
Atmospheric Temperature =
Inner Diameter at throat =
Inner Diameter at inlet to Venturi =

Venturi Pressure Difference Pitot Probe Pressure difference

SET No

IM PT Pitot Height IM PT

17
Remember:

• Quantities (or numbers) are meaningless

without units (and errors when appropriate).
Showing just “numbers” in your reports or
other work like exams is not acceptable so
you will be penalised by not showing units in
your answers.

• Also think of showing the correct number of

decimals or significant figures.