LAMINAIRE

I am an old man now, and when I die and go to heaven

there are two matters on which I hope for enlightenment.
One is quantum electrodynamics, and the other is the
turbulent motion of fluids. And about the former I am rather
optimistic."
-Horace Lamb, British Mathematician
ABOUT
Fluid mechanics is an integral and significant branch of Chemical
Engineering. Laminar flow is an important concept with applications in
fountains, water spray devices as well as fire brigade water pumping
system. Conversion of turbulent flow to laminar flow thus is an important
aspect not only for designing attractive LED fountains but also for
industrial and daily life application. As the name suggests, Laminaire tries
to accomplish the same by designing a model which reduces turbulence
of the fluid flowing through the model.

AIM
The basic objective of the competition is to convert the turbulent inlet
water flow into a laminar jet with your model at its heart. For better
visualization of the expected model, please visit the following links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHh8hLxXGgc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvReD5Xyjo4

Each team will be provided a considerable amount of water content (in a

storage bucket) with a submersible electrical pump for drawing water in
the input of your model. At the output, a laminar jet is expected which
will shoot through the outlet orifice. You will be allotted a stipulated time
for the run (mentioned below). Within this time your maximum range of
the jet will be measured. Also what matters is your models compactness
and consistency of the laminar flow.

Team Specification
1.
2.
3.
4.

Each team may consist of maximum 4 participants.

Students of different institutions can also form a team.
The participants can be of any department.
Teams should first register for Laminaire and get a unique Team ID
exclusive for Laminaire competition.
5. No participant can register in more than one team. In this case,
both the teams will be disqualified.

Structure of the Competition

Stage 1: Abstract Screening
It is MUST for each team to submit an abstract of your model and
progress made until then to be eligible for participation on the event day.
It serves as a brief description of the model prototype. Kindly do not
exceed the word limit of 500 words. You can support your write up with
appropriate images or video of the model. Photos of incomplete
prototype may be attached.

Based on your abstract submissions, teams will be shortlisted for the

event day competition. Teams shortlisted will be notified about their
selection through a mail.
The decision regarding the selection of proposals rests with the Selection
Committee. No further correspondence shall be entertained in this
regard.
Deadline for the abstract submission is 8th February 11:59 PM.
The abstract should contain the following details:
1. Name of the members and Team ID for Laminaire
2. Specification of the components to be used in the prototype
3. Properly labelled diagram/schematic of the model with its
dimensions mentioned. It must clear the following details:
Shape of the main body
Support mechanism used
Dimensions of the main body and support mechanism
Overall design of the model showing how all the components fit
into the model
4. Brief explanation of the working mechanism of your model
5. Any advantageous/ innovative idea used for the competition
You may mention the progress made until then in the abstract. It is
advised to support your description with images or videos of the model as
it enhances your chances for getting shortlisted for the event day
competition.
NOTE: Attaching images/ video of your model is a plus for getting
shortlisted though not compulsory. You are not expected to complete the
practical aspect of the model in stage 1.

Send your abstracts to sanket@azeotropy.com in PDF or MS Word file

only.
Subject of the mail: Laminaire (Abstract), AZeotropy 2016, Team ID
Stage 2: Final Round on Event Day
Once the abstract is selected, your team is eligible to participate on the
event day at IIT Bombay. The winners of the competition will be decided
based on the model presented on the event day and its performance.

MODEL
The model should have the following components:
1. The main body with inlet arrangements at bottom and outlet orifice
at the top for the laminar jet to shoot.
2. The inlet arrangement at the bottom should be such that the inlet
pipe provided by us is perpendicular to the axis along the body
length.
3. A support mechanism for the model. Note that during the run on
the event day participants are not allowed to handle/touch the
model. You can refer to the type of supports used in the video links
above to avoid human interference or come up with an innovative
support mechanism for the same.
4. Irrespective of the type of support mechanism used, the bottom of
main body should touch the ground during the run to avoid undue
advantage of extra range owing to main body at an elevated height.

SIZE CONSTRAINTS
1. The outlet orifice of the model through which the jet shoots MUST
have a diameter of 10mm.
2. The body should fit within dimensions of 180mm X 180mm X 550mm.
3. The axial length of the body should not exceed 550mm.
SPECIFICATIONS
1. A submersible water pump with 12-15 litres/ minute constant flow
rate will be provided to draw water from storage tank
2. Each team will be given a run of 2 min 30 seconds.
3. The size of the inlet pipe will be 1 diameter. Teams MUST make a
corresponding arrangement for the inlet pipe to exactly fit into it.

SOME INSIGHTS
1. As the outlet orifice diameter and inlet flow rate are fixed, the
range of the laminar jet depends upon the velocity at the outlet.
2. A large diameter body allows the turbulent flow to convert into
laminar easily. Thus, minimizing the diameter of the main body
without compromising on the consistency of laminar flow is a key
parameter.
3. Larger the length of main body, easier is the laminar flow. So,
minimizing the axial length would carry incentives as well.
4. The consistency of the laminar jet will be reflected by the clarity of
the stream, zero splashing of the stream on hitting the ground, etc.

JUDGING CRITERIA
Along with your performance on the event day, teams will be asked to
give a brief overview of the model to the judges. It is COMPULSORY to
bring a copy of the submitted abstracts. Based on the model and its
working theory, teams need to answer the technical questions by the
judges. The criteria for judging will be:

1. Range of the laminar jet 50%

The maximum horizontal range will be measured during the
run and will be graded accordingly.

2. Compactness -20%
The overall compactness of the model will be graded
depending upon the axial length of the body, area of cross
section of the main body and to some extent the support
mechanism used.
More compact your model, better it is for domestic or
application purpose.
Note: The compactness of the model is significant but not at the
cost of laminar output. Teams must remember that laminar flow
is important and without it, compactness has no significance.

3. Judge overview 30%

15% weightage based on the understanding of the model and
its working. The participants need to give an overview of the
model to the judges and answer the relevant technical viva
questions (5 minutes) for the same.
15% weightage to the consistency of the laminar flow. Based
on certain parameters which reflects the laminarity of the
flow, judges will grade the team on the consistency of flow.

GENERAL RULES
1. Participants must submit the abstracts of their OWN work.
2. The decision regarding final selection of the teams rests with team
AZeotropy 2016.
3. No second attempts will be allowed for any team on the event day.
4. The judging criteria and specifications are subject to changes
between now and event day. Team AZeotropy holds the right to do
the same.
CERTIFICATE POLICY
1. The top 3 teams on the event day will be awarded Certificate of
Excellence and Cash prizes.
2. Certificates and Cash prizes will also be awarded to a team with
overall best model.
3. Certificate of Participation will be given to all teams performing on
the event day.
CONTACT
For any doubts related to the Problem Statement or registration,
participants can contact:
Sanket Kadulkar
+91-7738674085
sanket@azeotropy.com