FULLY DEVELOPED FLOW IN PIPERS

Water at 70°F passes through 0.75-in-internal-diameter copper tubes at a rate of 0.5 lbm/s.
Determine the pumping power per ft of pipe length required to maintain this flow at the
specified rate.
Heated air at 1 atm and 100°F is to be transported in a 400-ft-long circular plastic duct at a rate
of 12 ft3 /s. If the head loss in the pipe is not to exceed 50 ft, determine the minimum diameter
of the duct.
In fully developed laminar flow in a circular pipe, the velocity at R/2 (midway between the wall
surface and the centerline) is measured to be 11 m/s. Determine the velocity at the center of the
pipe. Answer: 14.7 m/s
Consider an air solar collector that is 1 m wide and 4 m long and
has a constant spacing of 3 cm between the glass cover and the
collector plate. Air flows at an average temperature of 45°C at a
rate of 0.12 m3 /s through the 1-m-wide edge of the collector along
the 4-m-long passageway. Disregarding the entrance and roughness
effects and the 90° bend, determine the pressure drop in the
collector. Answer: 17.5 Pa
Glycerin at 40°C with 𝜌 = 1252 kg/m3 , 𝜇 = 0.27 kg/m·s is flowing through a 3-cm-diameter,

is 0.075 L/s. (a) Determine the absolute pressure 25 m before the pipe exit. (b) At what angle 𝜃
25-m-long pipe that discharges into the atmosphere at 100 kPa. The flow rate through the pipe

must the pipe be inclined downward from the horizontal for the pressure in the entire pipe to be
atmospheric pressure and the flow rate to be maintained the same?
In an air heating system, heated air at 40°C and 105 kPa absolute is distributed through a 0.2 m
× 0.3 m rectangular duct made of commercial steel at a rate of 0.5 m3 /s. Determine the pressure
drop and head loss through a 40-m-long section of the duct. Answers: 124 Pa, 10.8 m
Glycerin at 40°C with 𝜌 = 1252 kg/m3 and 𝜇 = 0.27 kg/m·s is flowing through a 6-cm-diameter
horizontal smooth pipe with an average velocity of 3.5 m/s. Determine the pressure drop per 10
m of the pipe.
Liquid ammonia at −20°C is flowing through a 20-m-long section of a 5-mm-diameter copper
tube at a rate of 0.09 kg/s. Determine the pressure drop, the head loss, and the pumping power
required to overcome the frictional losses in the tube. Answers: 1240 kPa, 189 m, 0.167 Kw
Consider the fully developed flow of glycerin at
40°C through a 70-m-long, 4-cm-diameter,
horizontal, circular pipe. If the flow velocity at the
centerline is measured to be 6 m/s, determine the
velocity profile and the pressure difference across
this 70-m-long section of the pipe, and the useful
pumping power required to maintain this flow.
Water at 15°C is drained from a large reservoir using
two horizontal plastic pipes connected in series. The
first pipe is 13 m long and has a 10-cm diameter,
while the second pipe is 35 m long and has a 5-cm
diameter. The water level in the reservoir is 18 m
above the centerline of the pipe. The pipe entrance is
sharp-edged, and the contraction between the two
pipes is sudden. Neglecting the effect of the kinetic
energy correction factor, determine the discharge rate
of water from the reservoir.
A 2.4-m-diameter tank is initially filled with water 4 m above the
center of a sharp-edged 10-cm-diameter orifice. The tank water
surface is open to the atmosphere, and the orifice drains to the
atmosphere. Neglecting the effect of the kinetic energy correction
factor, calculate (a) the initial velocity from the tank and (b) the
time required to empty the tank. Does the loss coefficient of the
orifice cause a significant increase in the draining time of the
tank?
A 3-m-diameter tank is initially filled with water 2 m above the center of a sharp-edged 10-cm-
diameter orifice. The tank water surface is open to the atmosphere, and the orifice drains to the
atmosphere through a 100-m-long pipe. The friction coefficient of the pipe is taken to be 0.015
and the effect of the kinetic energy correction factor can be neglected. Determine (a) the initial
velocity from the tank and (b) the time required to empty the tank.
Gasoline (𝜌 = 680 kg/m3 and 𝜈 = 4.29 × 10−7 m2 /s) is transported at a rate of 240 L/s for a
distance of 2 km. The surface roughness of the piping is 0.03 mm. If the head loss due to pipe
friction is not to exceed 10 m, determine the minimum diameter of the pipe.
A clothes dryer discharges air at 1 atm and 120°F at a rate of 1.2
ft3 /s when its 5-in-diameter, well-rounded vent with negligible
loss is not connected to any duct. Determine the flow rate when
the vent is connected to a 15-ft-long, 5-in-diameter duct made of
galvanized iron, with three 90° flanged smooth bends. Take the
friction factor of the duct to be 0.019 and assume the fan power
input to remain constant.
Oil at 20°C is flowing through a vertical glass funnel that consists of a
20-cm-high cylindrical reservoir and a 1-cm-diameter, 40-cm-high pipe.
The funnel is always maintained full by the addition of oil from a tank.
Assuming the entrance effects to be negligible, determine the flow rate
of oil through the funnel and calculate the “funnel effectiveness,” which
is defined as the ratio of the actual flow rate through the funnel to the
maximum flow rate for the “frictionless” case. Answers: 3.83 × 10−6
m3/s, 1.4 percent
A farmer is to pump water at 70°F from a river to a water storage tank nearby using a 125-ft-
long, 5-in-diameterplastic pipe with three flanged 90° smooth bends. The water velocity near
the river surface is 6 ft/s, and the pipe inlet is placed in the river normal to the flow direction of
water to take advantage of the dynamic pressure. The elevation difference between the river and
the free surface of the tank is 12 ft. For a flow rate of 1.5 ft 3 /s and an overall pump efficiency
of 70 percent, determine the required electric power input to the pump.
Two water reservoirs A and B are connected to each other
through a 40-m-long, 2-cm-diameter cast iron pipe with a
sharp-edged entrance. The pipe also involves a swing check
valve and a fully open gate valve. The water level in both
reservoirs is the same, but reservoir A is pressurized by
compressed air while reservoir B is open to the atmosphere at
95 kPa. If the initial flow rate through the pipe is 1.5 L/s,
determine the absolute air pressure on top of reservoir A.
Take the water temperature to be 10°C. Answer: 1100 kPa.
A vented tanker is to be filled with fuel oil with 𝜌 = 920 kg/m3
and 𝜇 = 0.045 kg/m·s from an underground reservoir using a
25-m-long, 4-cm-diameter plastic hose with a slightly rounded
entrance and two 90° smooth bends. The elevation difference
between the oil level in the reservoir and the top of the tanker
where the hose is discharged is 5m. The capacity of the tanker
is 18 m3 and the filling time is 30 min. Taking the kinetic
energy correction factor at the hose discharge to be 1.05 and
assuming an overall pump efficiency of 82 percent, determine
the required power input to the pump.
Water at 15°C is to be pumped from a reservoir (z A = 2 m) to
another reservoir at a higher elevation (z B = 9 m) through two
25-m-long plastic pipes connected in parallel. The diameters
of the two pipes are 3 cm and 5 cm. Water is to be pumped
by a 68 percent efficient motor–pump unit that draws 8 kW
of electric power during operation. The minor losses and the
head loss in the pipes that connect the parallel pipes to the
two reservoirs are considered to be negligible. Determine the
total flow rate between the reservoirs and the flow rates through each of the parallel pipes.
A certain part of cast iron piping of a water distribution
system involves a parallel section. Both parallel pipes
have a diameter of 30 cm, and the flow is fully turbulent.
One of the branches (pipe A) is 1500 m long while the
other branch (pipe B) is 2500 m long. If the flow rate
through pipe A is 0.4 m 3/s, determine the flow rate
through pipe B. Disregard minor losses and assume the
water temperature to be 15°C. Show that the flow is
fully rough, and thus the friction factor is independent of
Reynolds number. Answer: 0.310 m3/s
elevation gradient of 0.01 (i.e., an elevation drops of 1 m per 100 m of pipe length). Taking 𝜌 =
Water is transported by gravity through a 10-cm diameter 550-m-long plastic pipe with an

1000 kg/m3 and 𝜈 = 1 × 10−6 m2 /s for water, determine the flow rate of water through the pipe.
If the pipe were horizontal, what would the power requirements be to maintain the same flow
rate?
REVIEW PROBLEMS

Oil at 20°C is flowing steadily through a 6-cm diameter 33-m-long pipe. The pressures at the
pipe inlet and outlet are measured to be 745 and 97.0 kPa, respectively, and the flow is expected
to be laminar. Determine the flow rate of oil through the pipe, assuming fully developed flow
and that the pipe is (a) horizontal, (b) inclined 15° upward, and (c) inclined 15° downward.
Also, verify that the flow through the pipe is laminar.
Water at 15°C is to be discharged from a reservoir at a
rate of 18 L/s using two horizontal cast iron pipes
connected in series and a pump between them. The first
pipe is 20 m long and has a 6-cm diameter, while the
second pipe is 35 m long and has a 3-cm diameter. The
water level in the reservoir is 30 m above the centerline of
the pipe. The pipe entrance is sharp-edged, and losses
associated with the connection of the pump are negligible.
Neglecting the effect of the kinetic energy correction
factor, determine the required pumping head and the minimum pumping power to maintain the
indicated flow rate.
A pipeline that transports oil at 40°C at a rate of 3 m3 /s
branches out into two parallel pipes made of commercial
steel that reconnect downstream. Pipe A is 500 m long
and has a diameter of 30 cm while pipe B is 800 m long
and has a diameter of 45 cm. The minor losses are
negligible. Determine the flow rate through each of the
parallel pipes.
A water fountain is to be installed at a remote location
by attaching a cast iron pipe directly to a water main
through which water is flowing at 70°F and 60 psig.
The entrance to the pipe is sharp-edged, and the 70-ft-
long piping system involves three 90° miter bends
without vanes, a fully open gate valve, and an angle
valve with a loss coefficient of 5 when fully open. If
the system is to provide water at a rate of 15 gal/min
and the elevation difference between the pipe and the
fountain is negligible, determine the minimum diameter of the piping system. Answer: 0.713 in
The water at 20°C in a 10-m-diameter, 2-m-high
aboveground swimming pool is to be emptied by
unplugging a 5-cm-diameter, 25-m-long horizontal
plastic pipe attached to the bottom of the pool.
Determine the initial rate of discharge of water through
the pipe and the time (hours) it would take to empty the
swimming pool completely assuming the entrance to the
pipe is well-rounded with negligible loss. Take the
friction factor of the pipe to be 0.022. Using the initial
discharge velocity, check if this is a reasonable value for the friction factor. Answers: 3.55 L/s,
24.6 h