Fluid Flow Through Pipes And

Measurement Devices




Team C:
Garret Baudoin
Ryan Benoit
Josh Camel
Mohammed Gazzaz
Tina Huynh
Savian Morris
Khai Nguyen
Cody Wood





OBJECTIVES:

Team C will experimentally determine the discharge coefficient for the orifice plate meter and
compare it to nominal values reported for this flow measurement device. Team C will also attempt to
experimentally measure the head loss due to friction in each of the four pipes and compare these
measurements to the theoretically determined quantities. The objectives set forth are intended to improve
Team Cs understanding of how fluid flows through an orifice meter and how friction from various
devices effects fluid flow.




















Plan of Investigation:
An investigation will be conducted in order to compare experimental data and reported nominal
values displayed by pressure transmitters. In order to relate experimental data and calculated numerical
values, multiple trial runs with distinct flow rates will be performed. A centrifugal pump that is attached
to a water tank will circulate water through specific pipes with known inner diameters and pressure drop
will be determined. By attaching an orifice meter to the piping, the discharge coefficient will be
experimentally determined. Another pressure transmitter attached to the piping will make values available
for head loss calculations.
During the experiment, the first plan of action will be to measure flow rate though the piping.
Once the flow rate is determined using a five gallon bucket, the differential pressure will be determined
through multiple trial runs. The experiment will begin with maximum flow and gradually be lowered in
each following run. Four separate diameter pipes will be used to evaluate head loss due to friction as well
as determining the discharge coefficient experimentally. At least four trials will be completed with
different fluid flow rates for each pipe.










THEORY:

"Fluid flow in circular and noncircular pipes is commonly encountered in practice. Most fluids,
especially liquids are transported in circular pipes. This is because pipes with a circular cross section can
withstand large pressure difference between the inside and the outside without undergoing significant
distortion. Noncircular pipes are usually used in applications such as the heating and cooling systems of
buildings where the pressure difference is relatively small, the manufacturing and installation costs are
lower and the available space is limited for ductwork. (Engel & Cimbala, pg. 322)"
For this lab we will be using circular pipes. The diameter of the pipes are given in the chart below.

Copper Pipe Diameters (inches)
Nominal Size O.D. I.D.
1 1.125 1.025
3/4 0.875 0.785
1/2 0.625 0.545
3/8 0.500 0.430

There are two types of flow, laminar and turbulent. Laminar flow is when fluid particles move in
a straight line. "Turbulent flow is an irregular flow of particles; characterized by whirlpool-like regions.
Unlike the straight line motion of laminar flow, the particles of turbulent flow are in a state of chaos,
some actually with opposite velocity vectors to each other." Both types of flow occur inside an object or
outside an object. For this lab the fluid flow should be turbulent. To determine if a fluid flow is laminar or
turbulent one should calculate Reynolds Number. If Reynolds number is less than 2,100 then flow is
considered laminar. If Reynolds Number is greater than 4,000 the flow is turbulent. Laminar flow can be
defined as flow with a well-defined and even flow profile whereas turbulent flow has more chaotic and
less defined profile, examples are given in figure 2 and 3.

Figure 1. Laminar (a) vs Turbulent (b) (http://www.nptel.ac.in/courses/Webcourse-contents/IIT-KANPUR/FLUID-
MECHANICS/lecture-32/32-2_char_turbo_flow.htm)

Figure 2. Abstract Laminar vs Turbulent flow .
(http://blog.nialbarker.com/252/slow_is_faster)
To calculate Reynolds Number Equation 1-1 should be used.

Equation 1-1: =

Re = Reynolds Number (dimensionless)
= Fluid Density (
2
)
u = Fluid Bulk Velocity ()
L = Characteristic Length (ft)
= Dynamic Viscosity (lb s / ft
2
)
Figure 2 offers an insight into one of the fundamental assumptions made when it comes to pipe flow; the
no slip condition. This assumption states that no matter what the flow in pipe might be, no matter what
fluid, that the boundary layer of the fluid that comes into contact with the pipe itself has a velocity of
zero. This gives rise to a gradient change between the non moving boundary layer and the fastest moving
centerline of the flow, this is defined as the flow profile. This profile is very important when it comes to
considering the loss of energy of the fluid as it travels through the pipe. The flow rate of the fluid can be
determined by solving Equation 1-1 for velocity and plugging the calculated velocity in to Equation 1-2,
shown below.
Equation 1-2: =
Q = Volumetric Flow rate (ft
3
/s)
u = Fluid Bulk Velocity ()
A = Cross-Sectional Area (ft
2
)
Using the above equations, flow rates for each pipe which gives Reynolds Numbers of 2,100 can be
calculated.
=
2,100 1.002 10
3

2
.026035 999.99

3
= 0.08082

0.026035
2

4
0.08082

= 4.303 10
5

= .6820

=
I.D (meters) u (m/s) Q (m
3
/s) Q (gallons/minute)
.026035 .08082 4.303 x 10
-5
.6820
.019939 .10553 3.295 x 10
-5
.5222
.013843 .15200 2.288 x 10
-5
.3626
.010922 .19266 1.805 x 10
-5
.2861

As a fluid travels through a pipe there are numerous factors impede the flow and cause a loss of
energy imbued on the fluid by the driving force. These forces are what cause the fluid to slow down, to
lose pressure, generate heat and sometimes halt the flow entirely. The simplest of these is loss due to
friction. This is quantified in the equation in Fig 4.


Figure 3. Head Loss (http://me.queensu.ca/People/Sellens/LossesinPipes.html)

There are several other factors that contribute to head loss but this is our primary concern for lab 3. Team
C will be using an orifice meter and determining the discharge coefficient along with the flowrate of the
meter itself. The orifice meter is a tool used in pipes to determine the velocity of the fluid empirically. It
is simply a constricting plate with a hole in the middle, as the fluid is forced through the hole two taps,
one prior to the plate and one directly after the plate measure the change in pressure experienced by the
fluid. From this change in pressure we use a derived Bernoullis equation (Figure 5) to determine the
actual volumetric flowrate of the liquid.

Figure 5.
Q = Volumetric Flowrate
Cd = Discharge coefficient
Ao = Area of the orifice meter
A1 = Area of the pipe upstream
h1 - h2 = Differential head
g = gravitational acceleration






SKETCH OF EQUIPMENT/APPARATUS:












PROCEDURE OF OPERATION/SAFETY PRECAUTIONS:

To begin any lab experiment, every group member should be sure to put on safety lab equipment
(hard hat, safety glasses, and long pants). For this particular experiment the green water tank should first
be filled with water. During the duration of the experiment, a group member should monitor the tank to
ensure it stays full and does not over heat. Once the tank is full, the group members should calibrate a five
gallon bucket. Next the discharge valve should be closed and the valve to the hose should be open to
measure flow into the bucket. A flow is then obtained; then the valve to the hose should be slightly closed
to get at least four different flows through the hose. Once those trials are completed four times per run,
then the group can open the discharge valve to circulate water through the orifice plate and pipes to make
sure there is no air running through the system. To measure the differential pressure through the orifice
plate all the head valves should be closed except the valve that allows water to circulate back to the tank.
The same process should occur to measure differential pressure in in. H2O through the remaining pipes.
As stated before, each pipe should run a total of four runs per trial. Once the experiment is completed, the
group should practice good housing keeping.











DATA TABLES:


Orifice Meter
PRESSURE
(in. H2O)
TRIAL 1
time (s)
TRIAL 2
time (s)
TRIAL 3
time (s)
TRIAL 4
time (s)
AVERAGE
time (s)
FLOW
(gal/s)








Head Loss

Nominal
Size
Head
Loss
Time Head
Loss
Time Head
Loss
Time
1


3/8














MATERIALS:

Water:
MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET
Water
Section 1 - Chemical Product and Company Identification
MSDS Name: Water
Catalog
Numbers:
26830-0000, 26830-0010, 26830-0025, 27601-0000, 27601-0050, 27601-0200, 32665-
0000, 32665-0010, 32665-0025, 32739-0000, 32739-0010, 32739-0050, 34547-0000,
34547-0050, 38939-0000, 38939-0010, 38939-0025, 38940-0000, 38940-0010, 38940-
0025
Synonyms:
Company Identification: Acros Organics BVBA
Janssen Pharmaceuticalaan 3a
2440 Geel, Belgium
Company Identification: (USA) Acros Organics
One Reagent Lane
Fair Lawn, NJ 07410
For information in the US, call: 800-ACROS-01
For information in Europe, call: +32 14 57 52 11
Emergency Number, Europe: +32 14 57 52 99
Emergency Number US: 201-796-7100
CHEMTREC Phone Number, US: 800-424-9300
CHEMTREC Phone Number, Europe: 703-527-3887
Section 2 - Composition, Information on Ingredients
CAS# Chemical Name: % EINECS#
7732-18-5 Water 231-791-2
Hazard Symbols: None listed
Risk Phrases: None listed
Section 3 - Hazards Identification
EMERGENCY OVERVIEW
Not available
Potential Health Effects
Eye: Non-irritating to the eyes.
Skin: Non-irritating to the skin.
Ingestion: No hazard expected in normal industrial use.
Inhalation: No hazard expected in normal industrial use.
Chronic: None
Section 4 - First Aid Measures
Eyes:
Skin:









WORK ASSIGNMENT:
Group Leader: Josh Camel
Floater: Cody Wood & Garret Baudoin
Record Data: Tina Huynh
Control Valve: Ryan Benoit
Timer: Khai Nguyen
Fill Bucket: Mohammed Gazzaz



















LITERATURE CITATION:

1. Engel, Y., & Cimbala, J. (n.d.). Flow Pipes. In Fluid mechanics: Fundamentals and applications(Third
ed., p. 322).
2. Objectives_template. (n.d.). Retrieved September 14, 2014, from
http://www.nptel.ac.in/courses/Webcourse-contents/IIT-KANPUR/FLUID-MECHANICS/lecture-32/32-
2_char_turbo_flow.htm
3. Lorem ipsum. (n.d.). Retrieved September 14, 2014, from
http://blog.nialbarker.com/252/slow_is_faster
4. Losses in Pipes. (n.d.). Retrieved September 14, 2014, from
http://me.queensu.ca/People/Sellens/LossesinPipes.html