Experiment: 3

Step Response of a U-
tube Manometer System

Group: 5
Authored by: Group - 5
Date of experiment: 13/02/2024
Date of submission: 01/03/2024

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❖AIM:
To model U-Manometer dynamics to understand its behavior towards step
response.

❖THEORY:
1. Initial State: Initially, the U-tube manometer is filled with the chosen fluid, and the
pressure at both ends is equal, initially the pressure greater than atmospheric pressure is
applied from one side of the pump and other end is kept open to atmospheric pressure
causing the fluid column to raise at one end of the U-Tube .
2. Step Input: A step change in pressure is introduced at one end of the U-tube via the
pressure source. This creates a pressure difference between the two sides, causing the
fluid to oscillate.
3. Fluid Dynamics: The pressure difference creates a force imbalance that acts on the fluid
column. This force is balanced by the weight of the displaced fluid on the other side. As
the fluid column rises on one side, the pressure exerted by its weight increases.
4. Equilibrium: The fluid continues to oscillate for some time and finally after dissipating all
the energies it comes to equilibrium.
5. System Dynamics: The rising fluid column can be modelled as a first-order system with a
time constant dependent on the properties of the fluid, the dimensions of the U-tube, and
the pressure change. The time constant represents the time it takes for the system to
reach approximately 63% of its final steady-state value.

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❖EXPERIMENTAL SETUP
The experimental setup consists of a U-shaped manometer mounted on a
experimental with one end exposed to atmospheric pressure and one end
connected to pressure pump.

❖PROCESURE
1. From the two liquids, water is chosen as the operating fluid for the experiment.
2. Initially one end of the manometer tube is open and exposed to atmospheric
pressure and the other end is connected to the pressure pump and a constant
pressure is maintained so that the water in the manometer tube is raised up to
some height initially.
3. An impulse in the form of step input is given by removing the applied pressure by the
pump from one end i.e., making the ends of manometer under the atmospheric
pressure.
4. The observation is recorded to take the note of the values i.e., height at every second
for further calculations.
5. The whole setup is turned off after the experiment is completed.

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❖OBSERVATIONS
S. No. Time (in seconds) Height
(in mm)
1. 0 240
2. 1 18
3. 2 -116
4. 3 127
5. 4 -27
6. 5 -64
7. 6 77
8. 7 -44
9. 8 -16
10. 9 47
11. 10 35
12. 11 -3
13. 12 28
14. 13 26
15. 14 3
16. 15 5
17. 16 -16
18. 17 3
19. 18 8
20. 19 11
21. 20 2
22. 21 4
23. 22 -4
24. 23 -1
25. 24 1
26. 25 0
27. 26 0
28. 27 0
29. 28 0
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 30. 29 0
31. 30 0
32. 31 0
33. 32 0
34. 33 0
35. 34 0
36. 35 0

❖ Experimental Graph

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 Peak Time (tp)
b (value) Ultimate Value

a (value)
c (value) Settling
Rise Time Time (ts)
(tr)

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 ❖CALCULATIONS:
1. Ultimate value (b) = 0
2. a = -116
3. b = 240
4. c = -62
𝒂
5. Overshoot (𝒃) : | -116/240 | = 0.483
𝒂
6. Decay Ratio (𝒄 ) : | -116/-62 | = 1.87
7. Time Period (T): 5.9/2 = 2.95 seconds
8. Frequency (f): 1/T = 1/2.95 = 0.338 Hz
9. Angular frequency (ω) = 2πf = 2.13 rad/s
10. Rise Time (tr): 1.103 seconds
11. Peak Time (tp): 2.97 seconds
12. Settling Time (ts): 35 seconds
13. Damming Coefficient (ξ):
14. Time Constant (𝜏):
15. Response Time: 35 seconds (nearly same as settling time)

❖RESULTS:

Observation Overshoot Decay Time Frequency Rise ξ 𝜏 Response

No. Ratio Period (in Hz) Time Time
(in (in (in
seconds) seconds) seconds)
1. 0.483 1.87 2.95 0.338 1.103 35 seconds

❖DISCUSSIONS
In the experiment we observe that the system starts damping as soon as the step input is
given, also due to it we observe that there is rapid decrease in amplitude after each passing
oscillation and finally after some time the system comes to new equilibrium.
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❖REFERENCES
1. Fluid Mechanics Engineering Lab - RGUKT Basar. Available at:
https://www.rgukt.ac.in/assets/images/civil/MANUALS FOR FLUID MECHANICS
LAB.pdf (Accessed: 01 March 2024).
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SQ2FPHCZJk (U-Tube Manometer on
YouTube)
3. Matplotlib Docs [Python]

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❖Python Code:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

data = [
240, 18, -116, 127, -27, -64, 77, -44, -16, 47, 35, -3, 28, 26, 3, 5, -16, 3, 8, 11, 2, 4, -4,
-1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
]

time = [i for i in range(0, 36)]

fig, height_plot = plt.subplots(1, 1, sharex=True, gridspec_kw={'height_ratios': [1]})

# Adjust the layout for better visibility of labels

plt.subplots_adjust(hspace=0.6)

line_height, = height_plot.plot([], [], label="Return")

height_plot.set_title("Height (mm) v/s Time")

height_plot.set_xlabel("Time (in sec)")
height_plot.set_ylabel("Height (in mm)")
height_plot.legend()
height_plot.grid(True)

line_height.set_data(time, data)

height_plot.relim()
height_plot.autoscale_view()

plt.show()

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❖Reading Data [Photos]:

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