FLUID MECHANICS

SEM218

LECTURE – 3 (Week 1)
INTRODUCTION AND BASIC CONCEPTS

Subrat Das
subrat.das@deakin.edu.au

Unit Chair: Dr. Subrat Das

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. and Deakin University - Permission required for reproduction or display.
PRESSURE
Pressure is defined as a normal force exerted by a fluid per
unit area.
F N
P= or Pa Note: 1Pa = 1 N/m2
A m2

Different scales of pressure and their units

1 kPa = 103 Pa
1 MPa = 103 kPa = 106 Pa
1 bar = 105 kPa
1 atm ≈ 1 bar ≈ 100 kPa

Different ways of expressing pressure

The actual pressure at a given position is called ABSOLUTE PRESSURE,
and it is measure relative to absolute vacuum.
 PRESSURE
The absolute pressure is shown in a graph, where Pabs  Patm

pgage

Pabs = Patm + Pgage

Patm

pabs
patm

Absolute vacuum

What happens when the abs. Pressure is less than atmospheric pressure?
Pabs  Patm
Patm=0
The red line shows the vacuum pressure pvac

patm
Patm = Pvac + Pabs pabs
Absolute vacuum

Note: Don't try to remember the equation. Draw the graph

and try to write the above equation
 PRESSURE
Most of the pressure-measuring devices are calibrated to read zero in the
atmosphere, so they indicate the difference between the absolute pressure
and the local atmospheric pressure.

Problem W1-9
Vacuum gage connected to a chamber reads 40 kPa at a location where the
atm. pressure is 100 kPa. Determine Absolute pressure.
pgage
pvac = 40 kPa Patm

pabs
patm

STEP-1 Draw the pressure diagram Absolute vacuum

Pvac = 40 kPa Patm

Patm = Pabs + Pvac pvac

patm
100 = Pabs + 40 pabs
Absolute vacuum

pabs = 60 kPa
Note: While solving such problems it is good
idea to draw the side figure
PRESSURE
Pressure at a point
Consider a cylinder filled with water. Need to find out
the pressure at point A.

F Weight of liquid column

P= =
A Area

P = =
(
mg  R 2 h g )
= gh
A R 2
h

Pressure is maximum at the bottom of the tank and

decreases linearly with height.

The pressure shown above is a gage pressure as the

atmospheric pressure is not taken into account A
Pgage = gh Pabs = gh + Patm
 PRESSURE
Pascal’s Law
Pressure exerted anywhere in a confined incompressible fluid is transmitted
equally in all directions throughout the fluid such that the pressure ratio (initial
difference) remains the same.

Lifting up a large weight by a small force

Two hydraulic cylinders of different areas

are connected.

P1 = P2 (both are at same level)

F1 F2 F2 A2 A2
=  =  F2 = F1
A1 A2 F1 A1 A1

The area ratio will increase the force at the

larger cylinder side.
 PRESSURE
Calculating pressure (see the figure below)

What is gauge pressure at A? PA, gage = 0 PA,abs = Patm = 101kPa

What is gauge pressure at B? PB, gage =  H 2O gh1 PB,abs =  H 2O gh1 + Patm

What is the pressure difference between D and B? PD − PB =  H 2O gh2

Atmospheric pressure = 101 kPa

A
C
h1
B
h2 Water = 1000 kg/m3
D
 PRESSURE
Calculating pressure (see the figure)

What is gage pressure at A?

Fluid 1
h1
PA, gage = 1 gh1 +  2 gh2 + 3 gh3
Fluid 2
h2
PA,abs = Patm + 1 gh1 +  2 gh2 + 3 gh3
Fluid 3

h3
A
 PRESSURE
The Barometer
Atmospheric pressure is measured by a device called a barometer, thus
atmospheric pressure is often referred as the barometric pressure.

If a mercury filled tube is inverted in a mercury

filled container then the height of mercury
column in the tube is always approximately 760
mm (at 0oC).

Point B refers to atmospheric pressure.

PB = Patm =  Hg gh = 13.6 x1000x9.81x0.76 Pa

If you use water as a barometric fluid then what would be the column height if atmospheric pressure is 1
bar (1 bar = 105 Pa)?
 PRESSURE
The Barometer
If three tubes of different cross-sectional areas and length are used, as
shown in the figure, then they will still have the same mercury column
height, why?

All tube shows the atmospheric pressure. And

the pressure is independent of cross-sectional
area and length of tube.

P = gh

Problem W1-10
Det. the atm. pressure at a location where barometer reads 740 mm Hg and g =
9.805 m/s2. Density of mercury is 13,570 kg/m3.

Patm = gh = (13570 )(9.805)(0.74 ) = 98459.9 = 98.5 kPa

 PRESSURE
The Manometers
Manometer is a device, which uses the fluid column to measure the pressure or
pressure difference.
The simplest form of manometer is U tube manometer as shown.

Points to remember
The pressure in the tank is same as pressure at point 1 (P1)

P1 = P2
P2 = Patm +  m gh h
A
Problem W1-11
1 2
If sp. Gravity of manometer fluid is 0.85, h = 55
cm and local atm. pressure is 96 kPa then
determine the absolute pressure in the pipe.

P1 = P2 =  m gh + Patm = (0.85 x 1000)(9.81)(0.55) + 96000 Pa

 PRESSURE
The Manometer
Problem W1-12

Determine the gauge pressure in pipe at A. What is

the absolute pressure at A if the atmospheric
pressure is 101.3 kN/m2. The sp. gravity of mercury
is 13.6 and density of water is 1000 kg/m3. Water
A
150 mm
Note: PA is not same as PB, unlike the previous problem why?
B
300 mm
Calculate only gage pressure PD = 0 PC = PD
C D
PC = m g (0.3) +  H 2O g (0.15) + PA, gage = PD = 0

PA, gage = 0 −  H 2O g (0.15) − m g (0.3)

= 0 − (1000)(9.81)(0.15) − (13.6 x1000)(9.81)(0.3)

PA, Abs = 101300− (1000)(9.81)(0.15) − (13.6 x1000)(9.81)(0.3)

 PRESSURE
Pressure drop across a flow section (U tube Manometer)
A ‘U’ tube manometer is connected to pipe

Note: Pressure at point 2 (P2) is lower than point 1 (P1),

because the fluid loses its pressure because of friction
in the pipe.

We know that

PA = PB

PB =  2 gh + 1ga + P2 PA = 1 g (a + h ) + P1

P1 + 1 g (a + h ) = P2 + 1 ga +  2 gh

P1 − P2 = 1 ga +  2 gh − 1 ga − 1 gh

P1 − P2 = gh( 2 − 1 )
 PRESSURE
Problem W1-13
Calculate Pressure difference between two water pipelines

STEP-1 (Write the manometer equations)

A
PC = PD 750 mm
PC = PA +  H 2O g (1.5) B
PD = PB +  H 2O g (0.25) +  Hg g (0.5)
1500 mm
250 mm

C D

PA +  H 2O g (1.5) = PB +  H 2O g (0.25) +  Hg g (0.5)

PA − PB =  H 2O g (0.25) +  Hg g (0.5) −  H 2O g (1.5) Mercury

Sp. Gr.= 13.6

PA − PB = 9.81(1000 )(0.25) + (13.6 x1000 )(0.5) − (1000 )(1.5)

= 54445.5 Pa = 54.45 kPa

 PRESSURE
Problem W1-13 (You can solve this in another way)
Calculate Pressure difference between two water pipelines

STEP-1 (Star from pipe ‘A’ and go along the manometer as

shown, if you are going down then add and if you are going up A
then subtract. In this example let )
750 mm
B
1500 mm
250 mm

C D

PA +  H 2O g (1.5) = PB +  H 2O g (0.25) +  Hg g (0.5)

PA − PB =  H 2O g (0.25) +  Hg g (0.5) −  H 2O g (1.5) Mercury

Sp. Gr.= 13.6

PA − PB = 9.81(1000 )(0.25) + (13.6 x1000 )(0.5) − (1000 )(1.5)

= 54445.5 Pa = 54.45 kPa