Mary Catherine Rubisch

BSEN 3230
Homework 1
1/30/2014
1a) Reynolds Number The ratio of the inertial force to the viscous or friction forces, which
indicates the state of flow of a fluid. The Reynolds number is used to differentiate between
laminar (Re < 2300), transient (2300<Re<4000), and turbulent Re > 4000 flow. The Reynolds
number is dimensionless.

Where is the fluid density in kg/m3, v is the velocity in m/s, R is the hydraulic radius in m, and
is the dynamic viscosity in

. R can be calculated using R =

where A is the cross-sectional

area of flow and P is the wetted perimeter of the channel.

1b) Froude number The ratio of inertial to gravitational forces, and indicates whether the state
of flow of a fluid is subcritical (Fr < 1), critical (Fr = 1), or supercritical (Fr > 1).

Where g is the acceleration due to gravity (m/s ), y is the depth of the flow (m), and v is the
velocity (m/s).
2

1c) Kinetic Energy The energy an object possesses due to motion.

Where k is the kinetic energy in joules, m is mass (kg) and v is velocity (m/s).
1d) Velocity Head The static pressure (head) required for a fluid to flow at a particular velocity.

Where v is the velocity in m/s, and g is the acceleration due to gravity (m/s2). Velocity head is
measured in feet of water.
1e) Total Energy Head Static pressure (head) necessary for fluid to flow at a particular
velocity, pressure and elevation.

Where h is the total energy head in feet of water, P is pressure (Pa), is density (kg/m3), g is
the acceleration due to gravity (m/s2), v is the velocity (m/s), and z is the elevation in feet.
1f) Bernoulli Equation vs. Conservation of Energy Equation The Bernoulli equation is used to
determine the approximate relationship between pressure, velocity and elevation in situations
with steady incompressible flow where frictional forces are negligible. The conservation of

energy equation can be used to solve for the same things, but also takes frictional forces into
account. Bernoullis equation can be written as:

Where P is pressure (Pa), is density (kg/m3), g is the acceleration due to gravity (m/s2), v is
the velocity (m/s), and z is the elevation in feet.
The conservation of energy equation can be written as:

Where P is pressure (Pa), is density (kg/m3), g is the acceleration due to gravity (m/s2), v is
the velocity (m/s), z is the elevation in feet,
is the head loss due to the pump in feet of
water,
is the head loss due to the turbine in feet of water, and
is the total mechanical
head loss in feet of water.
2a) 101.325 kPa
2b) 14.696 psi
2c) 10.3323 m H2O
2d) 29.9213 in Hg
2e) 1,013.25 mb (millibars)
3a)
Although the two largest concerns for a natural resource conservation engineer are the
health of soil water, monitoring and protecting air quality is also important. This is because the
air quality is so closely linked with the hydrologic cycle. As water moves through the cycle, it
spends a significant amount of time up in the atmosphere. In order to condense and fall to the
earth as precipitation, salts and particulates are a vital source for water droplets to form around.
This creates a possibility for water quality to be tainted by poor air quality.
One of the biggest effects poor air quality can have on water quality is the formation of
acid rain. This occurs as water droplets in the atmosphere mix with carbon dioxide,
anthropogenic sulfur, and nitrogen before falling to the ground in the form of precipitation. On
the ground acid rain can react with soils, kill plants, or acidify bodies of surface water. These all
alter the existing ecosystem of an area, making it potentially unsuitable for some forms of life.
This can cause detrimental effects to food supply and recreational activities (which affects
places that rely heavily on tourism).
3b)
Two of the most important indicators of water quality are pH and dissolved oxygen. They
are two of the easiest parameters to monitor, and are often indicative of others issues the water
quality may be having. For example, pH has a strong correlation to temperature, so a change in
pH could be a result of an increase in temperature of a body of water that may have otherwise
been missed. pH is a reflection of how acidic or basic a fluid is. Naturally, water exists in the
ecosystem in the range of 6-9. A pH outside of that scale would result in poor drinking water and
the endangerment of fish and other animal species humans depend on. Additionally, a change
in pH even within the 6-9 range could be detrimental because the ecosystem in which it exists is
dependent on water being more or less acidic.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is the amount of oxygen available to fish, plants, and other
organisms within a body of water. DO varies with depth in stagnant or slow-moving bodies of
water, and mixes vertically in faster moving streams. Like pH, organisms are fine-tuned to the
amount of DO within their ecosystem and a shift could be detrimental. One of the biggest factors
that changes DO is the influx of nitrogen and phosphorus as pesticides. Upon entering the
water, they fuel outbursts of algal growth which blocks sunlight, affecting the temperature of the
water and also diminish DO supply as algae decomposes after their death. This process is
known as eutrophication. Organic matter (which also contributes to turbidity) also depletes DO.