Viscous Flow in Pipes

Fully Developed Laminar Flow

Consider steady, fully developed, laminar flow of an incompressible, viscous fluid in a

horizontal pipe.

Velocity variation in radial direction, combined with fluid viscosity, produces shear
stress
If gravity force is neglected, the pressure varies only in x direction. If pressure
decreases in x direction, then

p2  p1  p  p  0
 Fully Developed Laminar Flow

Shear stress varies from zero (at r = 0) to the wall shear stress (at r = D/2)
2 r
 w (b)
D
Pressure drop and wall shear stress are related by
4l w
p  (c)
D
For laminar flow of Newtonian fluid
du
   (d)
dr
 Fully Developed Laminar Flow

Volume flow rate:

 D4 p
Q (i)
128l

Thus, for a horizontal pipe the flowrate is

(a) directly proportional to the pressure drop,

(b) inversely proportional to the viscosity,

(c) inversely proportional to the pipe length,

(d) proportional to the pipe diameter to the fourth power

The flow is termed Hagen-Pouseuille flow and equation (e) is commonly referred to as
Poiseuille’s law
 Fully Developed Laminar Flow
Dimensional Analysis

Which is the same result as previous

Transition from Laminar to Turbulent Flow

Transition from laminar to turbulent flow in a pipe occurs at 2100 < Re < 4000
 Turbulent Flow
Mixing processes and heat and mass transfer processes are considerably
enhanced in turbulent flow compared to laminar flow.

Examples:
Smoke from a chimney would continue for miles as a ribbon of pollutant
without rapid dispersion within the surrounding air if the flow were laminar
rather than turbulent.
Mixing is one positive application of turbulence, as discussed above, but
there are other situations where turbulent flow is desirable. To transfer the
required heat between a solid and an adjacent fluid (such as in the cooling
coils of an air conditioner or a boiler of a power plant) would require an
enormously large heat exchanger if the flow were laminar.
It is considerably easier to mix cream into a cup of coffee (turbulent flow)
than to thoroughly mix two colors of a viscous paint (laminar flow).
 Turbulent Shear Stress

Turbulent flow parameters can be described in terms of mean and fluctuating parameters.
If u = u(x,y,z,t) is x component of instantaneous velocity, then its time average value is
1 t0  T
u  u  x, y, z , t  dt
T t0

The fluctuating part of the velocity, u’ is that time-varying portion that differs from the
average value
u  u  u or u  u  u
 Turbulent Shear Stress

(a) Laminar flow shear stress caused by random motion of molecules.

 Turbulent Shear Stress

(a) Laminar flow shear stress caused by random motion of molecules.

(b) Turbulent flow as a series of random, three-dimensional eddies.
 Turbulent Shear Stress

Shear stress on plane A  A is given by

du
    uv   lam   turb
dy

If flow is laminar, than u   v  0, and above equation reduces to laminar shear stress

For turbulent flow it is found that turbulent shear stress,  turb    u v, is positive. Hence,
shear stress is greater in turbulent flow than in laminar flow.

 
Term of the form   uv or   vw, etc. are called Reynolds stresses.

Note, turbulent shear stress depends on the fluid density

 Dimensional Analysis of Turbulent Flow

In dimensionless form:
p  VD l  
   , , 
1
2
V 2
  D D
where ε/D is a relative roughness. Assuming that pressure drop is proportional to the
pipe length we have
p l   
   Re, 
1
2
V 2
D  D 

With 
f  p D l V 2 2  pressure drop can be written as

l V 2
p  f
D 2
where
  
f    Re, 
 D
 Dimensional Analysis of Turbulent Flow

For laminar fully developed flow, the value of f is f = 64/Re, independent of ε/D.

For turbulent flow, functional dependence f = φ(Re, ε/D) is a complex one that cannot,
as yet, be obtained from theoretical analysis. Results are obtained from experiment and
presented in terms of curve-fitting formula or graphical form.

From energy equation for steady incompressible fully developed flow in constant
diameter (D1 = D2 so that V1 = V2) horizontal pipe follows that

l V2
hL  f
D 2g

This equation, called the Darcy-Weisbach equation, is valid for any fully developed,
steady, incompressible pipe flow – whether pipe is horizontal or on a hill.
 Friction Factor

Functional dependence of friction factor, f, on Reynolds number and relative

roughness is obtained from experiments conducted by J. Nikuradse in 1933.

Original data of Nikuradse were correlated by L.F. Moody and C.F. Colebrook and
presented in Moody chart and Colebrook formula

1  D 2.51 
 2.0 log   
 3.7 Re f
f  

Typical roughness values for various pipe surfaces are given in table
Example 8.5 Air under standard conditions flow through a 4.0-mm-diameter drawn
tubing with an average velocity of V = 50 m/s. For such conditions the flow would
normally be turbulent. However, if precautions are taken to eliminate disturbances to
the flow (the entrance to the tube is very smooth, the air is dust free, the tube does not
vibrate, etc.), it may be possible to maintain laminar flow. (a) Determine the pressure
drop in a 0.1-m section of the tube if the flow is laminar. (b) Repeat the calculations if
the low is turbulent.
Example 8.5 Air under standard conditions flow through a 4.0-mm-diameter drawn
tubing with an average velocity of V = 50 m/s. For such conditions the flow would
normally be turbulent. However, if precautions are taken to eliminate disturbances to
the flow (the entrance to the tube is very smooth, the air is dust free, the tube does not
vibrate, etc.), it may be possible to maintain laminar flow. (a) Determine the pressure
drop in a 0.1-m section of the tube if the flow is laminar. (b) Repeat the calculations if
the low is turbulent.

Solution With density and viscosity known, Reynolds number:

Re  VD   13700

(a) If the flow were laminar, then f = 64/Re = 0.00467, and the pressure drop:

l V 2
p  f  0.179 kPa
D 2

(b) If the flow were turbulent, then from table ε = 0.0015 mm so that ε/D = 0.000375.
From Moody chart, with Re = 1,37x104 and ε/D = 0.000375, f = 0.028. Pressure drop:

l V 2
p  f  1.076 kPa
D 2
p  43.7 kN/m2
 (1)

l h1

p  43.7 kN/m2

h2
(2)
Minor Losses
 Minor Losses

Entrance flow conditions and loss coefficient. (a) Reentrant, KL = 0.8, (b) sharp-edged, KL = 0.5,
(c) slightly rounded, KL = 0.2, well-rounded, KL = 0.04
 Minor Losses

Entrance loss coefficient as a function of rounding of the inlet edge

 Minor Losses

Exit flow conditions and loss coefficient. (a) Reentrant, KL = 1.0, (b) sharp-edged, KL = 1.0,
(c) slightly rounded, KL = 1.0, well-rounded, KL = 1.0
 Minor Losses

Loss coefficient for a sudden contraction

 Minor Losses

Loss coefficient for a sudden expansion

 Noncircular Conduits
4A
Noncircular duct calculations are based on hydraulic diameter Dh 
P

Noncircular duct
Pressure distribution along a horizontal pipe

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Flow in the viscous sublayer
near rough and smooth walls

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Moody Chart

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 Turbulent Flow

Time-averaged, u , and fluctuating, u, description of a parameter for turbulent flow