Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

Objectives

1. Have a deeper understanding of laminar and

turbulent flow in pipes and the analysis of fully
developed flow
2. Calculate the major and minor losses
associated with pipe flow in piping networks
and determine the pumping power
requirements

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 2 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Introduction

Average velocity in a pipe

Recall - because of the no-slip
condition, the velocity at the walls of
a pipe or duct flow is zero
We are often interested only in Vavg,
which we usually call just V (drop the
subscript for convenience)
Keep in mind that the no-slip
condition causes shear stress and
friction along the pipe walls
Friction force of wall on fluid

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 3 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Introduction

For pipes of constant

diameter and
incompressible flow
Vavg stays the same
down the pipe, even if
the velocity profile
Vavg Vavg changes
Why? Conservation of
Mass

same same
same

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 4 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Introduction

For pipes with variable diameter, m is still the

same due to conservation of mass, but V1 ≠ V2

D1

D2

V1 m V2 m

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 5 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Laminar and Turbulent Flows

Clay Institute Millennium Prize

Inertial forces
Re =
Viscous forces

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 6 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Laminar and Turbulent Flows
Critical Reynolds number
Definition of Reynolds number (Recr) for flow in a round pipe
Re < 2300 ⇒ laminar
2300 ≤ Re ≤ 4000 ⇒ transitional
Re > 4000 ⇒ turbulent

Note that these values are

approximate.
For a given application, Recr
depends upon
Pipe roughness
Vibrations
Upstream fluctuations and
disturbances (valves, elbows, etc.
that may perturb the flow)

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 7 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Osborne Reynolds (1842-1912)

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 8 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Osborne Reynolds 1880 Experiments

Recr ≈ 13000 (??)

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 9 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Laminar and Turbulent Flows
For non-round pipes, define the
hydraulic diameter
Dh = 4Ac/P
Ac = cross-section area
P = wetted perimeter

Example: open channel

Ac = 0.15 * 0.4 = 0.06m2
P = 0.15 + 0.15 + 0.4 = 0.7m
Don’t count free surface, since it does not
contribute to friction along pipe walls!
Dh = 4Ac/P = 4*0.06/0.7 = 0.343m
What does it mean? This channel flow is
equivalent to a round pipe of diameter
0.343m (approximately).

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 10 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 The Entrance Region

Consider a round pipe of diameter D. The flow

can be laminar or turbulent. In either case, the
profile develops downstream over several
diameters called the entry length Lh. Lh/D is a
function of Re.

Lh
∂ u(r,x)
∂x = 0 u = u(r)

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 11 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Fully Developed Pipe Flow

Comparison of laminar and turbulent flow

There are some major differences between laminar
and turbulent fully developed pipe flows
Laminar
Can solve exactly (Chapter 9)
Flow is steady
Velocity profile is parabolic
Pipe roughness not important

It turns out that Vavg = ½ umax and u(r)= 2Vavg(1 - r2/R2)

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 12 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Fully Developed Pipe Flow
Laminar

= − µ du/dr

Ring-shaped differential volume element

µ d (r du ) = dP = constant
r dr dr dx
u(r) = …, P1 – P2 = 32 µ L Vavg/D2 = constant

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 13 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Example
Oil at 20°C (ρ = 888 kg/m3 and µ = 0.800 kg/m.s)
flows steadily through a 5-cm-diameter 40-m-long
pipe. The pressure at the pipe inlet and outlet are
measured to be 745 and 97 kPa, respectively.
1) Determine the average velocity and the flow rate through the pipe;
2) Verify that the flow through the pipe is laminar;
3) Determine the value of the Darcy friction factor f ;
4) Determine the pumping power required to overcome the pressure drop.

L ρ Vavg2
Definition: ∆ PL = f f : Darcy friction factor
D 2
(this definition applies to both laminar and turbulent flows)

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 14 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Fully Developed Pipe Flow
Turbulent
Cannot solve exactly (too complex)
Flow is unsteady (3D swirling eddies), but it is steady in the mean
Mean velocity profile is fuller (shape more like a top-hat profile,
with very sharp slope at the wall)
Pipe roughness is very important

Instantaneous
profiles

Vavg 85% of umax (depends on Re a bit)

No analytical solution, but there are some good semi-empirical
expressions that approximate the velocity profile shape. See text
Logarithmic law (Eq. 8-46)
Power law (Eq. 8-49)

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 15 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Fully Developed Pipe Flow
Wall-shear stress
Recall, for simple shear flows u=u(y), we had
τ = µ du/dy
In fully developed pipe flow, it turns out that
τ = -µ du/dr
Laminar Turbulent

slope
slope

τw τw
τw = shear stress at the wall,
acting on the fluid τw,turb > τw,lam
Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 16 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes
 Fully Developed Pipe Flow
Pressure drop
There is a direct connection between the pressure drop in a pipe and
the shear stress at the wall
Consider a horizontal pipe, fully developed, and incompressible flow
τw

Take CV inside the pipe wall

P1 V P2

L
1 2

Let’s apply conservation of mass, momentum, and energy to this CV

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 17 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Fully Developed Pipe Flow
Pressure drop
Conservation of Mass

Conservation of x-momentum

Terms cancel since β1 = β2

and V1 = V2

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 18 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Fully Developed Pipe Flow
Pressure drop
Thus, x-momentum reduces to

or

Energy equation (in head form)

cancel (horizontal pipe)

Velocity terms cancel again because V1 = V2

hL = irreversible head
loss; it is felt as a pressure
drop in the pipe

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 19 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Fully Developed Pipe Flow
Head Loss
From momentum CV analysis

From energy CV analysis

Equating the two gives

To predict head loss, we need to be able to calculate τw. How?

Laminar flow: solve exactly
Turbulent flow: rely on empirical data (experiments)
In either case, we can benefit from dimensional analysis!

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 20 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Fully Developed Pipe Flow
Darcy Friction Factor
τw = func(ρ, V, D, µ, ε) ε = average roughness of the
inside wall of the pipe
Π-analysis gives

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 21 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Fully Developed Pipe Flow
Friction Factor
Now go back to equation for hL and substitute f for τw

Our problem is now reduced to solving

for Darcy friction factor f
Recall
Therefore
Laminar flow: f = 64/Re (exact)
Turbulent flow: Use charts or But for laminar flow, roughness
empirical equations (Moody Chart, does not affect the flow unless it
a famous plot of f vs. Re and ε/D) is huge

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 22 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 23 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes
Fully Developed Pipe Flow
Friction Factor
Moody chart was developed for circular pipes, but can
be used for non-circular pipes using hydraulic diameter
Colebrook equation is a curve-fit of the data which is
convenient for computations

Implicit equation for f which can be solved with

an iterative numerical method

Both Moody chart and Colebrook equation are accurate

to ±15% due to roughness size, experimental error,
curve fitting of data, etc.

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 24 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Types of Fluid Flow Problems
In design and analysis of piping systems, 3
problem types are encountered
1. Determine ∆ p (or hL) given L, D, V (or flow rate)
Can be solved directly using Moody chart and Colebrook
equation
2. Determine V, given L, D, ∆ p
3. Determine D, given L, ∆ p, V (or flow rate)
Types 2 and 3 are common engineering
design problems, i.e., selection of pipe
diameters to minimize construction and
pumping costs. However, iterative approach
required since both V and D are in the
Reynolds number.
Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 25 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes
 Types of Fluid Flow Problems

Explicit relations have been developed which

eliminate iterations. They are useful for quick,
direct calculation, but introduce an additional 2%
error

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 26 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Example
Heated air at 1 atm and 35°C is to be transported in a 150-m–long
circular plastic duct at a rate of 0.35 m3/s. If the head loss in the pipe
is not to exceed 20 m, determine the maximum required pumping
power, the minimum diameter of the duct, average velocity, the
Reynolds number and the Darcy friction factor.

ρ = 1.145 kg/m3, ν = 1.655 10-5 m2/s

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 27 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Minor Losses

Piping systems include fittings, valves, bends, elbows,

tees, inlets, exits, enlargements, and contractions.
These components interrupt the smooth flow of fluid and
cause additional losses because of flow separation and
mixing
We introduce a relation for the minor losses associated
with these components
• KL is the loss coefficient.
• It is different for each component.
• It is assumed to be independent of Re.
• Typically provided by manufacturer or
generic table (e.g., Table 8-4 in text).
Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 28 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes
 Minor Losses

The loss coefficient KL is determined by measuring

the additional pressure loss the component causes, The head loss at the inlet of
and dividing it by the dynamic pressure in the pipe a pipe is almost negligible for
well rounded inlets

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 29 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Minor Losses

Total head loss in a system is comprised of major losses

(in the pipe sections) and the minor losses (in the
components)

i pipe j components
sections

If the piping system has constant diameter

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 30 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 α = 2 for fully developed
laminar flow
α ≈ 1 for fully developed
turbulent flow

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 31 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 32 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes
 Head Loss at a Sharp-Edge Inlet

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 33 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Example
A 9-cm-diameter horizontal water pipe contracts gradually to a 6-cm-
diameter pipe. The walls of the contraction section are angled 30° from
the horizontal. The average velocity and pressure of water at the exit of
the contraction section are 7 m/s and 150 kPa, respectively. Determine
the head loss in the contraction section and the pressure in the larger-
diameter pipe.

2 1

Turbulent fully developed flow at sections 1 and 2, ρ = 1000 kg/m3, KL ?

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 34 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Piping Networks and Pump Selection

Two general types of

networks
Pipes in series
Volume flow rate is
constant
Head loss is the
summation of parts
Pipes in parallel
Volume flow rate is the
sum of the components
Pressure loss across all
branches is the same
Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 35 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes
 Piping Networks and Pump Selection

For parallel pipes, perform CV analysis between

points A and B

Since ∆ P is the same for all branches, head loss

in all branches is the same

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 36 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Piping Networks and Pump Selection
Head loss relationship between branches allows the following ratios
to be developed

so that the relative flow rates in parallel pipes are established from
the requirements that the head loss in each pipe is the same

Real pipe systems result in a system of non-linear equations.

Note: the analogy with electrical circuits should be obvious
.
Flow rate (V ): current (I)
Pressure gradient (∆p): electrical potential (V)
Head loss (hL): resistance (R), however hL is very nonlinear

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 37 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes

 Piping Networks and Pump Selection
When a piping system involves pumps and/or
turbines, pump and turbine head must be included in
the energy equation

The useful head of the pump (hpump,u) or the head

extracted by the turbine (hturbine,e), are functions of
volume flow rate, i.e., they are not constants.
Operating point of system is where the system is in
balance, e.g., where pump head is equal to the
head loss (plus elevation difference, velocity head
difference, etc.)
Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 38 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes
 Pump and systems curves
Supply curve for hpump,u:
determined experimentally by
manufacturer. It is possible to
build a functional relationship
for hpump,u.
System curve determined from
analysis of fluid dynamics
equations
Operating point is the
intersection of supply and
demand curves
If peak efficiency is far from
operating point, pump is wrong
for that application.

Meccanica dei Fluidi I (ME) 39 Chapter 8: Flow in Pipes