ChE 323 Transport Phenomena

Australia Malaysia

External Flows
(Flow around Immersed Objects)

@ Agus Saptoro, Deeptangshu Chaudhary, 2011

What are we going to learn…..?

1. Flows: Internal (last week) vs external flow

2. Drag and lift forces
3. Drag and lift coefficient

References:
McCabe et al, Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering
Cengel et al, Fluid Mechanics: Fundamental and Applications
Griskey, transport Phenomena and Unit Operations: A Combined Approach
King, Introduction to Fluid Flow
 Flows
• Internal Flows
 flow in pipe or annulus
 flow through valves
 flow through contraction or expansion
 etc
• External Flows
 flow around a solid / flow around immersed
object
• an F-18 flying at a Mach number of 1.4 at 35,000 feet

a T-38 flying at a Mach number of 1.1 at 13,700 feet

http://www.galleryoffluidmechanics.com/shocks/ifs.htm
http://www.greatmichaelphelps.com (retrieved on 14 March 2011)
http://www.procyclingphotos.com (retrieved on 14 March 2011)
 Flow Around Objects
in Chemical Engineering Problems

• Fixed bed reactor

• Packed absorption column
• Packed distillation column
• Fluidised bed reactor
• etc
Drag, Lift and Forces
 Drag

• A body meets some resistances when it is forced to move through a fluid,

especially a liquid.
• The forced a flowing fluid exerts on a body in the flow direction is called
DRAG
• Drag is usually is undesirable Bluff or blunt body

effects, like friction

• We tend to do minimisation of
drag in automobile, aircraft or
submarine since reducing drag = Streamlined body (contoured & sleek)
reducing fuel consumption
• Pros of drag: ‘a life safer’ in the
brakes of automobile

(Cengel et al, Fluid Mechanics: Fundamental and Applications)

Forces
Dynamic
Fd results from the relative motion of
the object and the fluid (shear stress)

Static

Fs results from external pressure

gradient (Fb) and gravity (Fg).

F  F d  Fg  Fb
 Dynamic Forces

For flow around a submerged object a drag coefficient Cd is defined:

Cd Ap  uo2
Fd 
2
U0 is the velocity of the approaching stream, ρ is the density of the
fluid, A is the projected area of the particle, and Cd is the drag
coefficient analogous to the friction factor in pipe flow (keep this in
mind).
 Projected Area
The projected area used in the Fk is the area “seen” by the
fluid.
Spherical Particle

Ap   R   D 2
2

4
 Projected Area
For objects having shapes other than spherical, it is necessary
to specify the size, geometry and orientation relative to the
direction of flow.

Cylinder
Axis perpendicular to flow Rectangle Ap  LD

D 2
Axis parallel to flow Circle Ap 
4
 Drag coefficient
For flow around a submerged object a drag coefficient Cd is defined:

C d Ap  u 2 Fd / Ap
Fd 
o
Cd  2
2 u o / 2

The local drag coefficient varies along the surface as a result of the changes
in the velocity boundary layer in the flow direction.
Average drag coefficient for a surface of length L
L
1
Cd   Cd  x  dx
L0
 Drag Force
• Drag force is the net force exerted by a fluid on a body in the
direction of flow due to the combined effects of wall shear
and pressure forces

• Drag caused by frictional effects (due directly to wall shear

stress,  w ) is called skin friction drag / friction drag, Fd

• Drag dues directly to pressure, P, is called pressure drag/form

drag (strongly dependence on the form or shape of the body)

Fd  Fd , friction  Fd , pressure Cd  Cd , friction  Cd , pressure

 Friction drag depends on the orientation of the body,
magnitude of the wall shear stress and viscosity

 Friction drag coefficient is analogous to the friction

factor in pipe flow. In laminar flow, it is independent of
surface roughness and it is a strong function of surface
roughness in turbulent flow

 The pressure drag is proportional to the frontal area

and to the difference between the pressure acting on the
front and back of the immersed body
 Example:
drag coefficient of a car
(Cengel et al)
 Drag coefficients of common geometries
• Drag coefficient, in general, depends on Reynold number
• Drag coefficient exhibits different behaviour in the low
(creeping), moderate (laminar) and high (turbulent)
• At low Re (Re < 1), called creeping flow region, the inertia
effects are negligible and the fluid wraps around the body
smoothly

• The drag force acting on a spherical object at low Re

Stokes Law

• This Stokes Law is often applicable to dust particles in the air

and suspended solid particles in water
Drag coefficients at low Re

At low Re, the shape of the body

does not have a major influence
on the drag coefficient
Drag coefficient for high Re
Example: Application of drag force/coefficient
 Parallel Flow over flat plate

The actual of the engineering critical Re for a flat plate

A generally accepted value for the critical Re
 Flat Plate

Local friction coefficient

Average friction coefficient

Flat plate
 Flow over cylinders and spheres

• Flow over cylinders and spheres is frequently encountered in

practice, e.g. the tubes in a shell-and-tube HX involve both
internal flow through the tubes and external flow over the
tubes
Re  2 x105 Laminar

2 x105  Re  2 x1010 Transition

Re  2 x106 Fully-Turbulent
Effect of surface roughness
 Example

A 2.2 cm OD pipe is to cross a river at a 30 m wide section while being

completely immersed in water. The average flow velocity of water is 4 m/s
and the water temperature is 15 C. determine the drag force exerted on
the pipe by the river
 Terminal Velocity
(Superficial Velocity)
 Static Forces
Static forces exist in the absence of fluid motion. They
include the downward force of gravity and the upward force
of buoyancy that results from the gravity induced pressure
gradient in the z-direction
 Fg Fg  m p g  V p  p g
P1

Fb  A P2  P1   A  f gh 
P2  P1   f gh  Vp  f g
 Fb
 Equilibrium
When a particle whose density is greater than that of the fluid
begins to fall in response to the force imbalance, it begins to
accelerate (F=ma). As the velocity increases the viscous drag
force also increases until all forces are in balance. At this point
the particle reaches terminal velocity.

0  Fd  Fg  Fb
2
u
 F  0  C d Ap  f 2  m p g  V p  f g
t
 Terminal Velocity
If the particle has a uniform density , the particle mass is
Vprp and
2
 Vp   f   g  g
u
0  C d Ap  f t
2

2g  p   f  V p 2g  p   f  m p
ut  or ut 
Ap C d  f  p
Ap C d  f
 Lift
• The components of the pressure and wall shear forces in the
direction normal to the flow tend to move the body in that
direction and their sum is called lift

Average lift coefficient for the

entire surface
Example: Effect of spin on a tennis ball
 Keypoints

1. External flows
2. Drag and lift forces
3. Drag and lift coefficient
Any question?