Transport Phenomena 1

CHEN 10031
st
1

Year Chem Eng & Pet Eng

Renold Building C16
Dr Hosam Aleem
Week 3 13/10/2014

Today
Pressure
Hydrostatic Pressure
Pressure Measurement

Pressure
Pressure is Force per unit Area
P = F/A

Units of pressure
Units of force/ Units of area
N/m2
(or N.m-2) Pascal, Pa
Many other units are still common in industry,
e.g. psi, bar, mm Hg, etc.

Atmospheric Pressure
Atmospheric Pressure
1 atm = 101.325 kPa
14.7 psi
1.01325 bar
760 mm Hg (Torr)
The unit Torr is named after an Italian physicist called
E. Torricelli (No, not a type of Pasta!)

Pressure measuring devices normally measure the

difference between the pressure to be measured and
atmospheric pressure.

Pressure Scale
Absolute Pressure = Gauge Pressure + Atmospheric Pressure

P abs =

P gauge +

P atm

Pressure Scale
Absolute Pressure = Gauge Pressure + Atmospheric Pressure

P abs =
Above atmospheric
pressure

Atmospheric pressure

Below atmospheric
pressure vacuum or
suction
Absolute vacuum

P gauge +

P atm

2 atm = 202650 Pa
= 1520 mm Hg 2 bar 30 psi (all absolute)
= 1 atm = 101325 Pa
= 760 mm Hg 1 bar 15 psi (all gauge)

Atmospheric pressure = 1 atm = 101325 Pa

= 760 mm Hg 1 bar 15 psi (all absolute)
= 0 pressure (in any units) gauge

Absolute vacuum
= 0 pressure (in any units) absolute
= 1 atm = 101325 Pa
= 760 mm Hg 1 bar 15 psi (all gauge)

Today
Pressure
Hydrostatic Pressure
Pressure Measurement

Fluid Mechanics The big picture

Fluid
Mechanics

Fluid Statics

Hydrostatics

Fluid Dynamics

Aerostatics

Hydrodynamics

Aerodynamics

Hydrostatics
Is the study of (incompressible) fluids at rest.
More formally:
Is the study of fluid problems in which there is
no relative motion between fluid elements.
Thus no shear stress

Variation of Pressure with position in a

Fluid at rest
Consider a fluid element in the form of a cube of
dimensions xyz inside the fluid.
y

z
y
x

The fluid is at rest, no motion

All forces acting on the fluid element must be in
equilibrium, for all directions.
Remember that force is related to pressure by
P = F/A

Horizontal direction
Forces in the x-direction
Fx = Px . yz
Fx+x = Px +x . yz

At Equilibrium
Fx = Fx+x
Px . yz = Px +x . yz
Px = Px +x
but Px +x = Px + Px

Px
z

Px+x
y

Fx
z

y
x

Thus Px = 0
no change in pressure in the horizontal direction
Same argument applies to y direction

Fx+x

Vertical direction
Pz+z

Forces in the z-direction

Fz = Pz xy
Fz+z = Pz +z xy
Fg = m g

= (xyz) g

Fz+z
y
z

Fg

At Equilibrium
Fz+z + Fg = Fz
Pz +z xy + (xyz) g

Fz
Pz

= Pz xy

Fz+z + Fg = Fz
Pz +z xy + (xyz) g = Pz xy
Pz +z xy - Pz xy = - (xyz) g
Dividing by the volume

Taking the limit as z 0

P P0 = - gz

Pressure Profile

P P0 = - gz
Can also be expressed as
P = gh
where h is the depth,
the opposite of z the elevation

In general, the difference in pressure between

any two points with h difference in depth is
P = gh

Another view
P P0 = gh
P = P0 + gh
If P0 is atmospheric pressure
Pgauge = gh

For gases Pressure is the same in all directions

Hydrostatic Pressure in a Tank

P = gh

Pressure
Profile

NB: a number to remember, every 10 m of water is

approximately 1 atm (Prove)

Tank with Two Liquids

X
P = agha+ bghb

Tank with Two Liquids and a Gas

P = Pg + agha+ bghb

Today
Pressure
Hydrostatic Pressure
Pressure Measurement

Pressure Measurements
Mercury Barometer
At the surface of the mercury
we have
Pressure due to mercury column
= Atmospheric Pressure
P0 = gh
For Mercury we have
= 13560 kg/m3
h = 760 mm = 0.760 m

U-Tube Manometer
(not

Manometer)

Points A and A are at the

same horizontal level
So must have same pressure
PA = PA
P1 = P2 + gh

To increase the range we can increase either h or or both

U-Tube Manometer in Pilot Plant - JCB

Bourdon Gauge
Very common in industry because
it is reliable, easy to use,
does not need a source of power, etc.
Curved metal tube with elliptic
cross section
Hence pressure generates
a force that causes the tube
to expand outward
Returns back to shape when
pressure is removed or reduced,
due to the elasticity of the metal.

Only one Pressure

Gauge was harmed in
the making of this slide!

Today
Pressure
Hydrostatic Pressure
Pressure Measurement