7.4.

2 Loss with gradual change of area

Nguyễn Phúc Chung 20207010

Divergent pipe or diffuser
• The head loss for a divergent pipe as known in fig 7.13 is expressed in the same manner as eqn
7.19 for a suddenly widening pipe:
•

Fig 7.13 divergent flow

The value of ؏ varies according to θ :

• For a circular section ؏= 0,135

(minimum) when θ = 5º30’.

• For the rectangular section, ؏ = 0,145

(minimum) when θ =6°.

• ؏ = 1 (almost constant) whenever θ = 50º -

60º or more.
The value of ؏ for circular divergent pipes is known in fig 7.14:

Fig 7.14 Loss factor for divergent pipes

Two-dimensional
duct

• For a two-dimensional duct,

if θ is small the fluid flows
attaches to one of the side
walls due to a wall
attachment phenomenon
(the wall effect).
• In the case of a circular
pipe , when θ becomes
larger than the angle which
gives the minimum value of
؏, the flow separates
midway as shown in fig
7.15.
Fig 7.15 velocity distribution in a divergent pipe
• Owing to the
turbulence
accompanying such a
separation of flow ,
the loss of head
suddenly increases.
This phenomenon is
visualized in fig 7.16.
Fig 7.16 separation occurring in a divergent pipe
(hydrogen bubble method) in water , inlet velocity 6cm/s,
Re(inlet port)=900, divergent angle 20.
• A divergent pipe is also used as a diffuser to convert velocity into pressure energy. In the case of
fig 7.13, the following equation is obtained by applying Bernoulli’s principle:

𝑝1 𝑣1 2 𝑝2 𝑣 22
+ = + +h 𝑧
𝜌𝑔 2𝑔 𝜌𝑔 2𝑔

Therefore

𝑝2 − 𝑝 1 𝑣 12 − 𝑣 22
= − h𝑧
𝜌𝑔 2𝑔
• Putting for for the case where there is no loss,
•

• The pressure recovery efficienty for a diffuser is therefore

• Substituting in eqn7.28 the above equation becomes

 Convergent pipe

In the case where a pipe section gradually becomes smaller

The pressure decreases in the direction of the flow , the flow

runs freely without extra turbulence.

Therefore , losses other than the pipe friction are normally

negligible.