PRESSURE DROP IN PIPES

 Pressure drop occurs as the fluid flows along straight lengths of

pipe and tubing.
 Pressure decreases along the pipe and this increase the
amount of power that a pump must deliver to the fluid.
Causes of Pressure drops in pipes:
1. Friction between the fluid and the pipe work
2. Friction within the fluid as sliding between adjacent layers of
fluid takes place.
3. Sudden and gradual enlargement/contraction
 The friction within the fluid is due to the fluid’s viscosity.
 For example, when fluids have a high viscosity, the speed of
flow tends to be low, and resistance to flow becomes almost
totally dependent on the viscosity of the fluid
 PRESSURE DROP EQUATIONS
1. Equation for pressure drop in laminar flow
 The equation (1) below is used to determine the pressure
drop in laminar flow.
8LVm 32LVm
P  P1  P2  2
 2
   (1)
R D
2. Equation for pressure drop in all internal flows
 Equation (2) below can be used to determine the pressure drop
for all cases of fully develop internal flow (Laminar or
Turbulent, Circular or non circular pipes, Smooth or rough
surfaces, Horizontal or inclines) and known as Darcy’s
equation.
2
L V
P  f  m    ( 2)
D 2
8 w
f 
 Where friction factors, f can be defined as: V 2 m
 PRESSURE DROP IN LAMINAR FLOW

 Both equations (1) and (2) can be used to determine the

pressure drop for circular pipe in laminar flow.

 Equating both equations (1) and (2), we find:

64
f 
Re

 The equation shows that for laminar flow the friction

factors is a function of Reynolds number only and
independent of surface roughness.
 HEAD LOSS
 In piping system analysis,
ΔP = ρgh (pressure loss in terms of pressure)

 The pressure loss can also be expressed in

terms of length of water (m) which is:

hL = ΔPL
ρg
 Head loss (hL) represents the additional height
that the fluid need to be raised by a pump to
overcome the frictional losses in the pipe.
EXAMPLE 1:
Determine the energy loss if glycerine at 25°C flows 30m through
a 150mm-diameter pipe with an average velocity of 4.0 m/s.

Solution:
First, we must determine whether the flow is laminar or turbulent
by evaluating the Reynolds number:
for glycerin at 25°C:

Because NR < 2300, the flow is laminar.

 Using Darcy’s equation, we get:

 Notice that each term in each equation is expressed in the

units of the SI unit system.

 Therefore, the resulting units for hL are m or Nm/N.

 This means that 13.2 Nm of energy is lost by each newton of

the glycerine as it flows along the 30 m length pipe.
 Absolute Viscosity
Fluid
(N s/m2, Pa s) (centipoise, cP) (10-4lb/ft s)
Acetic acid 0.001155 1.155 7.76
Acetone 0.000316 0.316 2.12
Alcohol, ethyl (ethanol) 0.001095 1.095 7.36
Alcohol, methyl (methanol) 0.00056 0.56 3.76
Alcohol, propyl 0.00192 1.92 12.9
Benzene 0.000601 0.601 4.04
Blood 0.003 - 0.004
Bromine 0.00095 0.95 6.38
Carbon Disulfide 0.00036 0.36 2.42
Carbon Tetrachloride 0.00091 0.91 6.11
Castor Oil 0.650 650
Chloroform 0.00053 0.53 3.56
Decane 0.000859 0.859 5.77
Dodecane 0.00134 1.374 9.23
Ether 0.000223 0.223 1.50
Ethylene Glycol 0.0162 16.2 109
Trichlorofluoromethane refrigerant R-11 0.00042 0.42 2.82
Glycerine 0.960 960 6380
Heptane 0.000376 0.376 2.53
Hexane 0.000297 0.297 2.00
Kerosene 0.00164 1.64 11.0
Linseed Oil 0.0331 33.1 222
Mercury 0.0015 1.53 10.3
Milk 0.003
Octane 0.00051 0.51 3.43
Phenol 0.0080 8.0 54
Propane 0.00011 0.11 0.74
Propylene 0.00009 0.09 0.60
Propylene glycol 0.042 42
Toluene 0.000550 0.550 3.70
Turpentine 0.001375 1.375 9.24
Water, Fresh 0.00089 0.89 6.0
 FRICTION LOSS IN TURBULENT FLOW

2
L Vm
 Using Darcy equations P  f     ( 2)
D 2
we can calculate the friction losses in turbulent flow.

 friction losses ( f ) depends on the surface roughness (є) of the pipe

as well as Reynolds number (whereas in laminar flow, losses only
depend on the Reynold number)

 The є , the average wall roughness can be obtained from Property

Tables (experiment has been conducted to determine the value).

 The average value is for new and clean pipe.

FRICTION LOSS IN TURBULENT FLOW
Roughness value, є for new and clean pipe
 MOODY DIAGRAM FOR TURBULENT FLOW

 To determine friction factor ( f ) - use the Moody diagram

shown below.
 MOODY DIAGRAM –IMPORTANT OBSERVATION

For a given relative

roughness є/D, the
friction factor f
decreases with
increasing Reynolds
number until the zone
of complete turbulence
is reached.
 MOODY DIAGRAM

The transition region is

shown in the shaded area
( 2300<Re<4000)
The friction factors alternate
between laminar and
turbulent flow.
 USE OF THE MOODY DIAGRAM
 The Moody diagram is used to help determine the value of
the friction factor, f for turbulent flow.

STEPS:
 First determine the value of the Reynolds number
(calculations),
 Then determine the relative roughness (dividing pipe
roughness by diameter of the pipe or vice versa).

BASIC DATA REQUIRED:

1. The pipe inside diameter,
2. The pipe material,
3. The flow velocity, and the kind of fluid and its temperature,
from which the viscosity can be found.
EXAMPLE 2:
Determine the friction factor f if water at 70°C is flowing at 9.14
m/s in an uncoated ductile iron pipe having an inside diameter of
25 mm.

The Reynolds number must first be evaluated to determine

whether the flow is laminar or turbulent:

Here, D = 0.025 m

kinematic viscosity = 4.11x10–7 m2/s.

Thus, the flow is turbulent.
To evaluate the relative roughness. From Table (Roughness) we
find, ε = 2.4 x 10–4 m.

Then, the relative roughness is:

The steps are as follows:

1. Locate the Reynolds number on the abscissa of the Moody
diagram:

2. Project vertically until the curve for D/ε = 104 or ε/D = 0.0096
is reached.

3. Project horizontally to the left, and read f = 0.038

 MINOR LOSSES IN PIPES

 Minor losses is the amount of energy losses that

occurs as fluid flow through devices such as
enlargements and contractions of a pipe.

 It is called minor losses since the energy losses is

small in comparison with the energy losses due to
friction in long, straight section pipes.
 (A) LOSSES DUE TO SUDDEN ENLARGEMENT

 As fluid flows from a smaller pipe into a larger pipe

through a sudden enlargement, its velocity abruptly
decreases, causing turbulence, which generates an
energy loss.

 Figure below shows the sudden enlargement.

 SUDDEN ENLARGEMENT
 The minor loss is calculated from the equation:

where, v1 is the average velocity of flow in the smaller

pipe ahead of the enlargement.

 By making some simplifying assumptions about the

character of the flow stream as it expands through the
sudden enlargement, it is possible to analytically predict
the value of K (resistance coefficient) from the following
equation:
 SUDDEN ENLARGEMENT
 Fig below shows the resistance coefficient—sudden enlargement.
 SUDDEN ENLARGEMENT
 Table below shows the resistance coefficient (K) for a
sudden enlargement
 EXAMPLE 3 – SUDDEN ENLARGEMENT

Determine the energy loss that will occur as 100 L/min of

water flows through a sudden enlargement from a 1-in
copper tube (Type K) to a 3-in tube (Type K). See next
slide for tube dimensions.
 Use the inside dimension of the copper tube.

 Using the subscript 1 for the section just ahead of the

enlargement and 2 for the section downstream from
the enlargement, we get
To find a value for K, the diameter ratio is needed. We
find that:

Try to obtained from graph (Resistance coefficient –

Sudden enlargement), K = 0.72.
Then we have:

This result indicates that 0.40 Nm of energy is

dissipated from each Newton of water that flows through
the sudden enlargement.
EXAMPLE 4:
Determine the difference between the pressure ahead
of a sudden enlargement and the pressure downstream
from the enlargement. Use the data from Example 3.

First, we write the energy equation:

If the enlargement is horizontal, z2 – z1 = 0. Even if it were vertical,
the distance between points 1 and 2 is typically so small that it is
considered negligible. Now, calculating the velocity in the larger
pipe, we get:

Using γ = 9.81 kN/m3 for water and hL = 0.40m from Example 3,

we have:

Therefore, p2 is 1.51 kPa greater than p1.

 (B) ENERGY LOST IN GRADUAL ENLARGEMENT
 If the transition from a smaller to a larger pipe can be made less
abrupt than the square-edged sudden enlargement, the energy loss
is reduced.
 This is normally done by placing a conical section between the two
pipes as shown in the figure below.
Compare gradual enlargement (left) to sudden enlargement
(right).
 ENERGY LOST IN GRADUAL ENLARGEMENT
The energy loss for a gradual enlargement is calculated from

Data for various values are given below:

 ENERGY LOST IN GRADUAL ENLARGEMENT
 The energy loss calculated from previous does
not include the loss due to friction at the
walls of the transition.

 For relatively steep cone angles, the length of

the transition is short and therefore the wall
friction loss is negligible.
 EXAMPLE 5:
Determine the energy loss that will occur as 100 L/min of water
flows from a 1-in copper tube (Type K) into a 3-in copper tube
(Type K) through a gradual enlargement having an included cone
angle of 30 degrees.

From Graph (Resistance coefficient – gradual enlargement), we

find that K = 0.48. Then we have:

Compared with the sudden enlargement described in Example 4,

the energy loss decreases by 33 % when 30 degrees the
gradual enlargement is used.
 DIFFUSER
 Another term for an enlargement is a diffuser.

 The function of a diffuser is to convert kinetic energy

(represented by velocity head) to pressure energy
(represented by the pressure head) by decelerating the
fluid as it flows from the smaller to the larger pipe.

 The theoretical maximum pressure after the expansion

could be computed from Bernoulli’s equation,
 If the diffuser is in a horizontal plane, the elevation terms
can be cancelled out.
 Then the pressure increase across the ideal diffuser is

This is often called pressure recovery.

 In a real diffuser, energy losses do occur and the general

energy equation must be used:
(C)LOSSES DUE TO SUDDEN CONTRACTION
 The energy loss due to a sudden contraction, such as that
sketched in Figure below, is calculated from:

 where v is the velocity in the small pipe downstream from

the contraction.

 Figure below illustrates what happens as the flow stream

converges.

 The lines in the figure represent the paths of various parts

of the flow stream called streamlines.
RESISTANCE COEFFICIENT (K) in SUDDEN CONTRACTION
SUDDEN CONTRACTION
 The following Table shows the Resistance Coefficient (K)
values for different velocities:
 EXAMPLE 6:
Determine the energy loss that will occur as 100 L/min of
water flows from a 3-in copper tube (Type K) into a 1-in
copper tube (Type K) through a sudden contraction.

Energy loss is:

For the copper tube,

From graph, K = 0.42. Then we have,

EXAMPLE 7:
A fan is to produce an air speed of 40m/s throughout the pipe
loop. The 3m diameter pipes are smooth (assume wall roughness
(ε) = nil), and each of the four 90o elbows has a loss coefficient of
0.3. Determine the power added by the fan to the air. For air, take
µ = 1.79x10-5 Pa.s and ρ = 1.23kg/m3.

20m

D = 3m
10m

1≡2
8
fan