Fluid Mech Intro
Fluid Mech Intro
Fluid Mech Intro
OVERVIEW:
A bottle would weigh more when filled with water than olive oil. Again, you might have observed that honey flows slower
than water. Fluids differ from one another due to the differences of the inherent properties. In learning mechanics of fluid, it is
important to discuss the different properties of fluid. In this module, the basic properties of fluids are defined and discussed.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Specifically, after learning the module, you are expected to:
1. define fluid mechanics,
2. discuss the characteristics of different fluid types,
3. define the basic concepts of different properties of the fluid, and
4. solve problems related to different properties of the fluid.
1.1 INTRODUCTION
All substances consist of very large number of molecules separated by empty spaces. The intermolecular interaction, depends
to a great extent on the interdistance between them. The difference of the properties of solids, liquids and gases depends mainly
on their molecular structure.
In solids, the molecules can be modeled as being held together by tiny springs that permit them to vibrate about their
equilibrium position. They, almost, do not exchange positions with other molecules. Solids are almost incompressible and they
have, almost, definite volume and shape.
In a liquid, the molecules are also densely packed. They cannot easily escape from one another, but they are free to move with
respect to each other. Molecules continually attract and repel one another so that they move in curved, wavy paths rather than
straight lines. The attraction force between molecules is sufficient to keep the liquid together in a definite volume. Liquids are of
poor compressibility. They have, almost, definite volume but they take the shape of their container and they have a free surface.
In a gas, the molecular activity is very much greater. The space between molecules is large and the intermolecular forces are
negligible. The molecules are free to travel away from each other compared with liquids and solids. Therefore, gases occupy their
container and they are compressible.
SOLID FLUID
definite deformation continuous deformation
GAS LIQUID
Fluid mechanics is the science that deals with the behavior of fluids at rest (Fluid statics) and in motion (Fluid Dynamics). Fluid
Statics, is the study of fluids at rest or in equilibrium; ΣF 0.
TYPES OF FLUID
Fluids are generally divided into two categories: ideal fluids and real fluids
Ideal Fluids
Assumed to have no viscosity (and hence, no resistance o shear)
Incompressible
Have uniform velocity when flowing
No friction between moving layers of fluid
No eddy currents or turbulence.
Real Fluids
Exhibits infinite viscosities
Non-uniform velocity distribution when flowing
Compressible
Experience friction and turbulence in flow
Real fluids are further divided into Newtonian fluids and non-Newtonian fluids.
Most fluid problems assume real fluids with Newtonian characteristics for convenience. This assumption is appropriate for water,
air, gases, steam, and other simple fluids like alcohol, gasoline, acid solutions, etc. However, slurries, pastes, gels, suspensions
may not behave according to simple fluid relationships.
Fluids
1.2.1 DENSITY
The density of a substance is the quantity of matter contained in a unit volume of the substance. It can be expressed in
different forms:
mass of fluid , M
ρ=
volume , V
ρlbm
Units: English: slugs/ft3 Note: ρ slugs=
g
Metric: gram/cm3
SI: kg/m3
The fluid density depends mainly on the pressure and the temperature ρ=f ( p , T ) . The variation of the density with temperature
can be measured by the thermal expansion coefficient (α ). The fluid volume at temperature T can be related to that at reference
temperature To as:
m m
V T =V O ( 1+ α ∆ T ) , ρ T = ∧ρ o=
VT Vo
Then,
ρo
ρT = ≈ ρo ( 1−α ∆ T ) , ∆ T =T −T o
1+ α ∆ T
The densities ρo and ρT are the fluid densities at To and T temperatures respectively where To is the reference temperature.
For an ideal gas, its density can be found from the specific gas constant and ideal gas law:
p
ρ=
RT
where: p = absolute pressure of gas in Pa.
R = gas constant, Joule/kg-oK
For air: R = 287 J/kg - oK
R = 1,716 lb-ft/slug-oR
T = absolute temperature in oKelvin
o
K = oC + 273
o
R = oF + 460
The variation of the density with the pressure can be evaluated by considering the fluid elasticity (or compressibility).
Table 1.2 gives the specific weights of some commonly used fluids.
SPECIFIC VOLUME
Specific volume Vs is the volume occupied by a unit mass of fluid.
1
V S=
ρ
SPECIFIC GRAVITY
Specific gravity(s) is a dimensionless ratio of a fluid’s density to some standard reference density. For liquids and solids,
the reference density is water at 4oC(39,2oF).
ρliquid
s=
ρwater
In gases, the standard reference to calculate the specific gravity is the density of air.
ρ gas
s=
ρ air
For water at 4oC:
γ = 62.4 lb/ft3 = 9.81 kN/m3
ρ = 1.94 slugs/ft3 = 1000 kg/m3
s = 1.0
Example Problem 1: A reservoir of glycerin has a mass of 1,200 kg and a volume of 0.952 cu.m. Find its (a)
weight, W, (b) unit weight, γ, (c) mass density, ρ, and (d) specific gravity, s.
Solution: a. Weight, W = Mg
= (1,200 kg)(9.81 m/s2)
= 11, 772 kg.m/s2 or N
= 11.772 kN
c. Density, ρ = M/V
= 1200/0.952
= 1,260.5 kg/cu.m
ρglycerin
d. Specific Gravity, s =
ρ water
1,260.5
=
1000
= 1.26
Example Problem 2: If the specific volume of a certain gas is 0.7848 cu.m/kg, what is its specific weight?
Solution: 1
V s=
ρ
1 1 kg
ρ= = =1.2742
V s 0.7848 cu . m
N
Specific weight, γ = ρ x g=1.2742 x 9.81=12.5
cu . m
Example Problem 3: At 32oC and 205 kPa gage, the specific weight of a certain gas was 13.7 N/cu.m. Determine
the gas constant of this gas.
Solution: γ 13.7 kg
Density, ρ= = =1.397
g 9.81 cu . m
p
Density, ρ=
RT
Learning Task # 2 Solve the given problem. Write the problem, solution, and answer in your required notebook.
The specific gravity of certain oil is 0.82. Calculate its (a) specific weight, in lb/cu.ft and
kN/cu.m, and (b) mass density in slugs/ft3 and kg/m3.
COMPRESSIBILITY
The fluid compressibility(also known as coefficient of compressibility) is the ability of the fluid to change its volume when
its pressure varies. It is measured by the compressibility coefficient β where:
∆V
−
V m2
β= ,( )
∆p N
The negative sign indicates that the volume decreases as the pressure increases, and vice versa.
The gases are highly compressible while liquids are of very low compressibility. Therefore, liquids are usually assumed
incompressible in many applications.
The bulk modulus of pure liquid is slightly affected by its pressure. Table 3 gives the numerical values of the bulk modulus of pure
water at different working pressures and temperatures. Equation below gives an expression for the effect of the pressure on the
bulk modulus of water, at 20oC.
B = 2.18 x 109 + 6.7p (for p < 100 MPa)
Example Problem 1: Compute the change in pressure that must be applied to water to change its volume by 1.0
percent.
Solution: ∆V
The 1.0 percent volume change indicates that =−0.01. Then, the required change in
V
pressure is:
LEARNING TASK # 3 Solve the given problem. Write the problem, solution, and answer in your required notebook.
What pressure is required to reduce the volume of water by 0.6 percent? Bulk modulus of
elasticity of water, EB=2.2 GPa
Ans. p2=13.2 GPa
1.2.3 VISCOSITY
Viscosity is defined as the ability of fluid to resist shear force. Simply, it is a measure of the resistance to flow. It results
from the cohesion and interaction between the molecules. The viscosity of fluids has dominant effects in many applications such as
lubrication, damping and leakage. This section illustrates some of these effects.
Consider the fluid contained between two infinite plates, Fig.1. The lower plate is fixed, while the upper plate is moving at
a steady velocity v. Assuming no-slip between the fluid and plates, a velocity distribution is created. At certain conditions, this
velocity distribution is linear as shown in Fig.1. The upper and lower plates will experience shear (friction) forces. The fluid is
subjected to shear stress . Newton's law of viscosity is expressed as:
du du
τα ∨τ=μ
dy dy
The proportionality coefficient is known as the coefficient of dynamic viscosity;
τ
μ=
du / dy
where: = Shear stress, N/m2 or kg/ms
μ = Coefficient of dynamic viscosity, Ns/m2 .
μ is often expressed in Poise, where 1 Poise = 0.1 Ns/m2 = 1 gm/cm s
u = Fluid velocity, m/s
y = Perpendicular distance to the velocity vector u, m.
du / dy = Velocity gradient or shear strain rate, s-1.
The fluids, which obey Newton’s law of viscosity, are known as Newtonian fluids. Other fluids are known as non-Newtonian fluids.
The non-Newtonian fluids are of special and complicated behavior. Therefore, there is a branch of the fluid mechanics, known as
Rheology, which deals with the non-Newtonian fluids.
At certain operating shear strain, the coefficient of dynamic viscosity μ is constant for Newtonian fluids. Meanwhile, the viscosity of
Non-Newtonian fluids, changes depending on the shear strain, as shown in Fig. 2. Some non-Newtonian fluids exhibit viscosity
change with time. The ideal fluid is non-viscous; μ = 0.
Kinematic Viscosity υ is defined as the ratio of dynamic viscosity of fluid to its density.
μ
ν=
ρ
where: ν = kinematic viscosity
The kinematic viscosity ν is often expressed in Stokes, where: 1 St = 1 cm 2/s =10-4 m2 /s, or in cSt, where 1cSt = 1 mm 2/s = 10-6
m2/s. The viscosity may be given in other scales as Redwood (R), Saybolt universal seconds (SUS), or in degree Engler ( oE),
according to the measuring method. These units are no longer used, but conversion tables are available.
Example Problem: If the viscosity of water at 70oC is 0.00402 poise and its specific gravity is 0.978. determine
its absolute viscosity in Pa-s and its kinematic viscosity in m2/s and in stokes.
LEARNING TASK # 4 Solve the given problem. Write the problem, solution, and answer in your required notebook.
Calculate the kinematic viscosity of glycerine at 80oF. Use
μ=0.0103lb sec /ft 2∧S=1.26
Ans. 0.00423 sq.ft/sec
Example Problem 1: Estimate the height to which water will rise in a capillary tube of a diameter 3 mm. Use σ =
0.0728 N/m and γ = 9810 N/cu.m for water.
Example Problem 2: An atomizer forms water droplet 45 μm in diameter. Determine the excess pressure within
these droplets using σ = 0.0712 N/m
Solution: 4σ
p=
d
4(0.0712)
p= =6,329 Pa
45 x 10−6
LEARNING TASK # 5 Solve the given problem. Write the problem, solution, and answer in your required notebook.
Estimate the capillary depression for mercury in a glass capillary tube 2 mm in diameter. Use
σ = 0.514 N/m and θ = 1400
Ans. h=5.9 mm
LEARNING TASK # 6 Solve the given problem. Write the problem, solution, and answer in your required notebook.
At what pressure will 800C water?
Ans. 47.4 kPa
BOYLE’S LAW (Perfect Gas). If the temperature of a given mass of gas remains constant, the absolute pressure of the gas varies
inversely with the volume.
k
p= ∨ pV =k
V
p1 V 1=p 2 V 2
CHARLE’S or GUY-LUSSAC’s LAW (Perfect Gas). If a given of gas can expand or contract with the pressure remaining constant,
the volume V of the gas varies directly as the absolute temperature T, i.e. V/T is constant.
PRESSURE DISTURBANCES. Pressure disturbances imposed on a fluid move in waves. The velocity or celerity is expressed as:
EB m
c=
√ ( ∨ft /s)
ρ s
where: c = celerity or velocity of pressure wave in m/s or ft/s.
EB = bulk modulus of elasticity of the fluid in Pa or lb/ft2
Example Problem 1: If 9 m3 of an ideal gas at 24oC and 150 kPa is compressed to 2 cu.m, (a) what is the
resulting pressure assuming isothermal conditions. (b) what would have been the pressure
and temperature if the process is isentropic. Use k=1.3
T2
=¿
T1
T2
=¿
24+273
T 2=466.4 O K or 193.4oC
LEARNING TASK # 7 Solve the given problem. Write the problem, solution, and answer in your required notebook.
What is the resulting pressure when one pound of air at 15 psia and 200 oF is heated at
constant volume to 800oF?
Ans. 28.64 psia
ANSWERS KEY:
1. 1.167 kg/cu.m 2. 0.320 lb/ft3 ; 0.00994 slug/ft3; 101 ft3/slug
3. 89.5 ft/oR; 0.00272 slug/ft3 4. 190 in3
5. a. 2000 psi; b. 533 psi 6. 0.0169 ft2/sec
7. 0.042 N/m 8. 19.2 cm
9. 0.382 in. 10. -0.00394 m or -3.94 m
FEEDBACK:
How are you right now? Does it find you difficult in understanding the given topics and learning
tasks? I hope you are gaining knowledge in this module.
Try to look for review books related to the subject, and I assure you that you will gain
strategies in solving problems. Enjoy learning, and let’s dig more and appreciate the mechanics of fluid.
“Never give up. Hard work is worthless for those that don’t believe in themselves” - Naruto
References:
Kundu, Pijush K, Cohen Ira M, & Dowling, David R, (© 2016) Fluid Mechanics, 6th Ed.,Elsevier, USA
Gerhart, Philip M, Gerhart, Andrew L. & Hochstein, John I (© 2016), Fundamentals of Fluid Mechanics, John Wiley & Sons, Inc, US
Gillesania Diego Inocencio I (© 2015) Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulics, 4th Ed.,Cebu DGPrint,Inc, Cebu, Philippines
Cengel, Yunus A & Cimbala, John M, (2014) Fluid Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications, Third Ed.,McGraw-Hill Companies,
Inc., USA
T. Al-Shemmeri, (2012), Engineering Fluid Mechanics, Al-Shemmeri & Ventus Publishing ApS
Rabie Galal M & Saleh, Ibrahim (2011) Fluid Mechanics for Engineers, Egypt
Janna, William S.(2010) Introduction to Fluid Mechanics, 4th Ed.,CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group, US