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Fluid Mechanics II
Chapter 4
Turbulent Boundary Layers
Fluid Mechanics II 1
How Does Turbulence Look?
Fluid Mechanics II 2
Laminar and Turbulent Boundary Layer
Fluid Mechanics II 3
Flow over bodies is commonly encountered in practice.
Fluid Mechanics II 4
Fluid Mechanics II 5
Outlines
Characteristics of Turbulent Flow
Characteristics of Turbulent Flow
Eddy
Reynolds Time-Averaging
Concept
Time-averaged Continuity Equation
Time-average Momentum Balance
Turbulent Shear Stress
Turbulent Velocity Profile
Turbulent Velocity Profile
Turbulent Boundary Layer
Drag Force and Roughness
Momentum Integral Equation
Turbulent Modeling
Fluid Mechanics II 6
Some Applications
Fluid Mechanics II 7
Characteristics of Turbulent Flow
Fluid Mechanics II 8
Why Turbulent?
Turbulent flow is a complex mechanism dominated by fluctuations.
Most flows encountered in engineering practice are turbulent.
Why turbulent? Examples:
Increased turbulence is needed in chemical mixing or heat transfer
when fluids with dissimilar properties are brought together.
turbulence increases drag due to increased frictional forces.
We must rely on experiments and the empirical or semi-empirical
correlations developed for various situations.
Fluid Mechanics II 9
What Is Turbulent Flow?
Turbulent flow is characterized by random and rapid fluctuations
of swirling regions of fluid, called eddies, throughout the flow.
These fluctuations provide an additional mechanism for
momentum and energy transfer.
In laminar flow, momentum and energy are transferred across
streamlines by molecular diffusion.
In turbulent flow, the swirling eddies transport mass, momentum,
and energy to other regions of flow much more rapidly than
molecular diffusion, such that associated with much higher
values of friction, heat transfer, and mass transfer coefficients.
Fluid Mechanics II 10
Turbulent Eddies
At low Re, viscous effects dominate, and will dampen out any small
perturbations in the flow.
At higher Re, there is an amplification of small perturbations,
leading to superimposed eddies, being regions that are typically
rotating and hence have vorticity.
Roughly speaking, there is a cascade of energy from the large
scale to the smallest scales. This happens because the large
eddies interact with each other and breakdown into smaller eddies
which are the ones where the energy is dissipated.
The smallest scales are called the Kolmogorov scales (). At
these scales, the Reynolds number of the eddies is small enough
that viscous effects become dominant and the energy is dissipated
by converting the mechanical energy into heat (by the action of
viscosity).
The Kolmorogov limit is reached when the length scale is sufficiently small
that the fluctuations do finally look smooth.
Fluid Mechanics II 11
Large-scale vs Small-scale Structure
Fluid Mechanics II 12
Characteristics of Turbulent Flow
Unsteadiness: Turbulence is always transient.
Three-dimensional vorticity fluctuations (rotational):
Turbulence is rotational, and vorticity dynamics plays an
important role. Energy is transferred from large to small
scale by the interaction of vortices.
Irregularity: Turbulence is random and irregular.
Diffusivitity: The rapid mixing of momentum, heat, and
mass is a typical feature of turbulent flows.
Dissipation: The kinetic energy of turbulent motion is
dissipated into heat under the influence of viscosity.
Reynolds Number: Turbulence occurs at high Re.
Fluid Mechanics II 13
Reynolds Time-Averaging Concept
Fluid Mechanics II 14
Continuity And Momentum Equations
u v w
Continuity : + + =0
x y z
(1)
DV
Momentum : = p + g + 2V
Dt
Fluid Mechanics II 15
Reynolds Time-Averaging Concept
Fluid Mechanics II 16
Reynolds Time-Averaging Concept
Fluid Mechanics II 17
Reynolds Time-Averaging Concept
The fluctuation u is defined as the deviation of u from its
average value:
u' = u u
T 0
Fluid Mechanics II 18
Reynolds Time-Averaging Concept
The time averages of the mean quantities are the mean quantities
themselves:
u =u
The intensity of the turbulence is typically in the range:
u~ '
~ 0.01 to 0.1
u
in which the root-mean-square of the fluctuating velocity component is
defined as
u~ ' ~ u '2
The larger the turbulence velocity, the larger the fluctuations of velocity (&
other parameters)
In general, the mean fluctuation products are NOT zero in a typical turbulent
flow.
u ' v' 0
Fluid Mechanics II 19
Time-averaged Continuity Equation
Reynolds idea was to split each property into mean plus fluctuating
variables.
Substitute these into Eq (1), and take the time mean of each
equation. A representative term is
(u + u ' ) (u + u ' ) (u + u ') u
= = =
x x x x
The time average of the partial derivative of a quantity equals the partial
derivative of the time average of that quantity.
The time average of the sum of two quantities equals the sum of their
individual time averages.
The time average of a mean quantity is that mean quantity itself.
The time average of a fluctuating component is zero.
Time-averaged continuity equation: u v w
+ + =0
x y z
which is no difference from a laminar continuity relation, except that
the time-averaged velocities replace the instantaneous velocities.
Fluid Mechanics II 20
Time-averaged Momentum Balances
However, each component of the momentum equation,
after time averaging, will contain mean values plus
three mean products, or correlations, of fluctuating
velocities.
The most important of these is the momentum relation
in the main stream, or x-direction, which takes the form
Du p u
= + g x + u '2
Dx x x x
u u
+ u ' v' + u ' w'
y y z z
Fluid Mechanics II 21
Time-averaged Momentum Balances
2
The three correlation terms u ' , u ' v ' and u ' w'
are called turbulent stresses or Reynolds stress
because they have the same dimensions and occur
right alongside the Newtonian (laminar) stress terms
and so on.
The time-averaged momentum balance is the same as
the original (instantaneous) momentum balance, except
that:
Time-averaged values have replaced the original instantaneous
values.
Additional turbulent stresses have now appeared on the rhs, and
represent the transport of momentum due to turbulent velocity
fluctuations.
Fluid Mechanics II 22
Time-averaged Momentum Balances
Fluid Mechanics II 23
The Effects of Turbulent Fluctuations on Properties
of the Mean Flow
Consider a CV in a 2-D turbulent shear flow parallel to the x-axis
with a mean velocity gradient in the y-direction. The vertical eddy
motions creates strong mixing, and transports fluid across its
boundaries.
These re-circulating fluid motions cannot create or destroy mass,
but fluid parcels transported by the eddies will carry momentum
and energy into and out of the CV.
Because of the existence of the velocity gradient, fluctuations
with a negative y-velocity will generally bring fluid parcels with a
higher x-momentum into the CV across its top boundary and will
also transport CV fluid to a region of slower moving fluid across
the bottom boundary. Besides, positive velocity fluctuations will
transport slower moving fluid into regions of higher velocity.
Fluid Mechanics II 24
The Effects of Turbulent Fluctuations on Properties
of the Mean Flow
The net result is momentum exchange due to the convective
transport by the eddies, which causes the faster moving fluid
layers to be decelerated and the slower moving layers to be
accelerated.
So, the fluid layers experience additional turbulent shear stresses,
which are known as the Reynolds stresses.
In the presence of temperature or concentration gradients, the
eddy motions will also generate turbulent heat or species
concentration fluxes across the CV boundaries.
This discussion suggests that the equations for momentum and
energy should be affected by the appearance of fluctuations.
Fluid Mechanics II 25
Turbulent Shear Stress
The total shear stress consists of two parts: the laminar
component, and the turbulent component, i.e.,
total = lam + turb
The laminar component: accounts for the friction between
layers in the flow direction
The turbulent component: accounts for the friction between
the fluctuating fluid particles and the fluid body (related to the
fluctuation components of velocity).
Fluid Mechanics II 26
Turbulent Shear Stress
Consider turbulent flow in a
horizontal pipe, and the upward
eddy motion of fluid particles in a
layer of lower velocity to an
adjacent layer of higher velocity
through a differential area dA as a
result of the velocity fluctuation v.
The mass flow rate of the fluid
particles rising through dA is v' dA ,
and its net effect on the layer
above dA is a reduction in its
average flow velocity because of
momentum transfer to the fluid
particles with lower average flow
velocity.
Fluid Mechanics II 27
Turbulent Shear Stress
This momentum transfer causes the horizontal velocity of
these fluid particles to increase by u, and so its momentum in
the horizontal direction to increase at a rate of (v' dA)u ' ,
which must be equal to the decrease in the momentum of the
upper fluid layer.
The force in a given direction is equal to the rate of change of
momentum in that direction.
The horizontal force acting on a fluid element above dA due
to the passing of fluid particles through dA
is F = (v' dA)( u ') .
The shear force per unit area due to the eddy motion of fluid
particles F / dA = u ' v' can be viewed as the instantaneous
turbulent shear stress.
Fluid Mechanics II 28
Turbulent Shear Stress
Then, the turbulent shear stress or turbulent stresses
can be expressed as
turb = u ' v' Note: u ' v' 0 u ' = 0 v' = 0 u 'v' = 0
The bar over these terms denotes the product of uv
averaged over a period of time. The expression for
turbulent shear stress is not very useful in this form.
Experimental results show that u 'v' is usually a negative
quantity.
Turbulence models have been developed to model the
Reynolds stress in terms of average velocity gradients.
Fluid Mechanics II 29
Total Shear Stress
The total shear stress can thus be expressed conveniently as
where t = t /
is the kinematic eddy viscosity or kinematic
turbulent viscosity or the eddy diffusivity of momentum.
The molecular diffusivity is a fluid property (listed in
handbook).
But eddy diffusivity t is not a fluid properties, and its value
depends on flow conditions. Its value ranges from zero at the
wall to several thousands times the value of the molecular
diffusivity in the core region.
Fluid Mechanics II 30
Velocity Profiles Based on Mixing Length Theory
Prandtl developed a theory to relate the turbulent shear stress to the
temporal mean velocity distribution.
The fluctuating velocity component u is expressed as
du
u' = l
dy
du/dy is the mean velocity gradient, and l is the distance the small
fluid mass travels in the transverse direction.
Prandtl assumed that v' = u '
The turbulent shear stress is expressed as
2
du du 2
t l
du
turb 2
= u ' v' = l = t
dy dy dy
t is the eddy viscosity or turbulent viscosity, which accounts for
momentum transport by turbulent eddies.
Fluid Mechanics II 31
Velocity Profiles Based on Mixing Length Theory
Prandtl assumed that the mixing length is proportional to the distance
from the wall (l = y) for the region near the wall.
2
du
turb = y
2 2
dy
For the zone of flow near the boundary, the shear stress is uniform
and approximately equal to the shear stress at the wall.
2
du w / dy
w = y
2 2
du =
dy y
Integrating and substituting u* for (w/)0.5
u 1
= ln y + C
u*
Since lny is fairly insensitive to changes in y, there is a fairly flat
turbulent velocity profile.
Fluid Mechanics II 32
Total Shear Stress
Laminar shear is dominant near the wall (the wall layer), and
turbulent shear dominates in the outer layer. There is an
intermediate region, called the overlap layer, where both laminar
and turbulent shear are important.
Fluid Mechanics II 33
Turbulent Velocity Profile
Fluid Mechanics II 34
Turbulent Velocity Profile
The very thin layer next to the wall where viscous
effects are dominant is the viscous (or laminar or
linear or wall) sublayer. The velocity profile in this
layer is very nearly linear, and the flow is streamlined.
Because the no-slip condition forces the fluctuating
velocity components to zero at the wall, the turbulent
stresses are negligible compared to laminar ones.
Fluid Mechanics II 36
Viscous Sublayer
The thickness of this sublayer is very small (typically, much less
than 1 % of the pipe diameter), but this thin layer behaves as a
Couette flow.
The wall dampens any eddy motion, and thus the flow in this
layer is essentially laminar.
The shear stress is constant and equals to the shear stress at
the wall. It consists of laminar shear stress which is proportional
to the fluid viscosity.
The velocity profile in this layer to be very nearly linear.
Fluid Mechanics II 37
Viscous Sublayer
The velocity gradient in the viscous sublayer remains nearly
constant at du/dy = u/y, and the wall shear stress can be expressed
as
Fluid Mechanics II 38
Viscous Sublayer
This equation is known as the law of the wall, and it is found to
satisfactorily correlate with experimental data for smooth surfaces
for 0 yu*/ 5 or 0 y+ 5 .
The thickness of the viscous sublayer is roughly
or sublayer = 11.6/u*
(three/four layers) (two layers, ignoring buffer layer)
where u is the flow velocity at the edge of the viscous sublayer.
sublayer increases as w decreases in the downstream direction.
sublayer decreases as the velocity (and thus the Re) increases
because the more vigorous turbulent eddies approach the wall
more closely. Consequently, the velocity profile becomes nearly flat
and thus the velocity distribution becomes more uniform at very
high Reynolds numbers.
Fluid Mechanics II 39
Viscous Sublayer
The quantity /u* is called the viscous length; it is used to
nondimensionalize the distance y from the surface;
In boundary layer analysis, it is convenient to work with
nondimensionalized distance and nondimensionalized
velocity defined as
Fluid Mechanics II 40
Overlap Layer
In the overlap region, the velocity varies with the
logarithm of y, and the velocity profile:
(A)
Fluid Mechanics II 41
Overlap Layer
The logarithmic law satisfactorily represents
experimental data for the entire flow except for the
regions very close to the wall and near the pipe center,
and viewed as a universal velocity profile for turbulent
flow in smooth pipes or over smooth surfaces.
The logarithmic-law velocity profile is quite accurate for
y+ > 30.
The logarithmic law is applicable for nearly all wall-
bounded turbulent boundary layers.
Fluid Mechanics II 42
Buffer Layer The nominal thickness of the
viscous sublayer is y = 11.6/u*
Note from the figure that
the logarithmic-law velocity
profile is quite accurate for
y+ > 30, but neither 11.6
velocity profile is accurate
in the buffer layer, i.e., the
region 5 < y+ < 30.
u + = 5 ln y + 3.05
Fluid Mechanics II 43
Outer Turbulent Layer
Krmn deduced that u in the outer layer is independent
of molecular viscosity, but its deviation from the free
stream velocity U must depend on the layer thickness
and the other properties:
(U u ) outer = g ( , w , , y )
Again, by dimensional analysis, we rewrite this as
U u y
= G
u*
Fluid Mechanics II 44
Outer Turbulent Layer
If Eq. (A) is evaluated at the centerline (y = R and u =
umax), we get
Centerline velocity
(B)
Fluid Mechanics II 46
Example
Air at 20C flows through a 14-cm-diameter tube under
fully developed conditions. The centerline velocity is u0 =
5 m/s. Estimate the friction velocity and the wall shear
stress.
The turbulent pipe flow has u0 = 5 m/s at R = 7 cm. So,
u0 1 Ru * 5 1 0.07u *
= ln +B or = ln 5
+5
u* u * 0.41 1.5110
Fluid Mechanics II 47
Spaldings Law of the Wall
A clever expression that is valid all the way to the wall is
called Spaldings law of the wall,
Fluid Mechanics II 48
Fluid Mechanics II 49
Fluid Mechanics II 50
Fluid Mechanics II 51
Power-law Equation
Numerous other empirical velocity profiles exist for turbulent pipe flow.
Among those, the simplest and the best known is the power-law
velocity profile (105 < Re < 107) expressed as
Figure 8.17
Fluid Mechanics II 52
Power-law Equation
Note that the turbulent velocity
profile is fuller than the laminar
one, and it becomes more flat as
n (and thus Re) increases.
The power-law profile cannot be
used to calculate wall shear
stress since it gives a velocity
gradient of infinity there, and it
fails to give zero slope at the
centerline.
But these regions of discrepancy
Power-law velocity profiles for fully
constitute a small portion of flow,
developed turbulent flow in a pipe for
and the power-law profile gives different exponents, and its comparison
highly accurate results for with the laminar velocity profile.
turbulent flow through a pipe.
Fluid Mechanics II 53
Example
Water at 20C flows through a horizontal pipe of 0.1-m diameter
with a flowrate of Q = 410-2 m3/s and a pressure gradient of 2.59
kPa/m.
Determine
a) the approximate thickness of the viscous sublayer
b) the approximate centerline velocity
c) the ratio of the turbulent to laminar shear stress at point midway
between the centerline and the pipe wall (i.e., r = 0.025 m)
0.5
Dp / 4l
a) 0.5
w
u* = = = 0.255 m/s
5
sublayer = = 0.02 mm
u*
Fluid Mechanics II 54
Example (cont)
b) Q
V = = 5.09 m/s
A
Re = 5.07 105
From Fig. 8.17, n = 8.4, so
1 / 8.4
u r
1
Vc R
1/ n
r
2
r =R n
Q = AV = udA = Vc 1 (2r )dr = 2R 2Vc
r =0
R (n + 1)(2n + 1)
V 2n 2
= Vc = 6.04 m/s
Vc (n + 1)(2n + 1)
Fluid Mechanics II 55
Example (cont)
c) 2 w r
= lam + turb = = 32.4 N/m 2
D
du
lam =
dy
From the power-law velocity profile, we get
(1 n ) / n
du Vc r
= 1 = 26.5 m/s
dy nR R
lam = 0.0266 N/m 2
turb lam
= = 1220
lam lam
Fluid Mechanics II 56
Atmospheric Boundary Layer
The mean velocity profile in the atmospheric boundary layer is
typically written (with the meteorological convention of z for a
vertical coordinate) as:
u 1 z
= ln
u * z0
Fluid Mechanics II 57
Fluid Mechanics II 58
Example
In a meteorological lab, wind velocity measurements gave velocities of 4 and
5 m/s at a height of 3 and 6 m, respectively. What should be velocity at a
height of 20 m above the ground? Assume similar atmospheric conditions to
prevail at this height.
z 4 3
u
= 5.75 log = 5.75 log
u* (1)
u* z0 z0
5 6 (2)
= 5.75 log
u* z0
Solve (1) and (2) and obtain u* = 0.577 m/s.
u20 20
At a height of 20 m, = 5.75 log (3)
u* z0
Solve (1) and (3) and obtain u20 = 6.74 m/s
Fluid Mechanics II 59
Summary: Turbulent Velocity Profile (3 or 4 layers)
1. Viscous Sublayer : y+ < 5
+ +
u =y
+
2. Buffer Layer : 5 < y < 30
u + = 5.0 ln y + 3.05
3. Outer turbulent Layer : y + > 30
+ +
u = 2.5 ln y + 5.0
4. Outer region: U u y
*
= 2.5 2.44 ln
u
Fluid Mechanics II 60
Summary: Turbulent Velocity Profile (2 layers)
1. Laminar Sublayer : 0 < y + < 11.6
u+ = y+
The thickness of the laminar
sublayer and the velocity u at the
laminar sublayer/turbulent core
junction are:
= 11.6 and u = 11.6u *
u*
+
2. Turbulent Layer : y > 11.6
u + = 2.5 ln y + + 5.5
Fluid Mechanics II 61
Friction and Pressure Drag
The drag force is the net force exerted by a fluid on a body in the direction of
flow due to the combined effects of wall shear and pressure forces.
The part of drag that is due directly to wall shear stress is called the skin
friction drag (or just friction drag) since it is caused by frictional effects, and
the part that is due directly to pressure is called the pressure drag (also
called the form drag because of its strong dependence on the form or shape
of the body).
The friction drag is the component of the wall shear force in the direction of
flow, and thus it depends on the orientation of the body as well as the
magnitude of the wall shear stress.
For parallel flow over a flat surface, the drag coefficient is equal to the
friction drag coefficient.
Friction drag is a strong function of viscosity, and increases with increasing
viscosity.
9.12 Jet ski
9.13 Drag on a truck Fluid Mechanics II 62
9.14 Automobile streamlining
Drag is due entirely to friction drag for
a flat plate parallel to the flow; it is
due entirely to pressure drag for a flat
plate normal to the flow; and it is due
to both (but mostly pressure drag) for
a cylinder normal to the flow. The total
drag coefficient CD is lowest for a
parallel flat plate, highest for a vertical
flat plate, and in between (but close to
that of a vertical flat plate) for a
cylinder.
Fluid Mechanics II 63
Flow over Cylinders and Spheres
Flow over cylinders and spheres is frequently encountered in practice.
The tubes in a shell-and-tube heat exchanger involve both internal flow through
the tubes and external flow over the tubes.
Many sports such as soccer, tennis, and golf involve flow over spherical balls.
Fluid Mechanics II 64
For flow over cylinder or sphere, both the friction drag and the pressure drag can
be significant.
The high pressure in the vicinity of the stagnation point and the low pressure on
the opposite side in the wake produce a net force on the body in the direction of
flow.
The drag force is primarily due to friction drag at low Reynolds numbers (Re<10)
and to pressure drag at high Reynolds numbers (Re>5000).
Both effects are significant at intermediate Reynolds numbers.
Figure 11-34
Average drag
coefficient for
cross-flow
over a smooth
circular cylinder
and a smooth
sphere.
Fluid Mechanics II 65
Observations from CD Curves
For Re<1, we have creeping flow, and the CD decreases with increasing Re. For a
sphere, it is CD=24/Re. There is no flow separation in this regime.
At about Re 10, separation starts occurring on the rear of the body with vortex
shedding starting at about Re 90. The region of separation increases with
increasing Re up to about Re 103. At this point, the drag is mostly (about 95
percent) due to pressure drag. The CD continues to decrease with increasing Re in
this range of 10<Re<103.
In the moderate range of 103<Re<105, the CD remains relatively constant. This
behavior is characteristic of bluff bodies. The flow in the BL is laminar in this range,
but the flow in the separated region past the cylinder or sphere is highly turbulent
with a wide turbulent wake.
There is a sudden drop in the CD somewhere in the range of 105<Re<106 (usually,
at about 2105). This large reduction in CD is due to the flow in the boundary layer
becoming turbulent, which moves the separation point further on the rear of the
body, reducing the size of the wake and thus the magnitude of the pressure drag.
This is in contrast to streamlined bodies, which experience an increase in the CD
(mostly due to friction drag) when the boundary layer becomes turbulent.
There is a transitional regime for 2105<Re<2106, in which CD dips to a minimum
value and then slowly rises to its final turbulent value.
Fluid Mechanics II 66
Flow separation occurs at about
80 (measured from the front
stagnation point of a cylinder) when
the boundary layer is laminar and at
about 140 when it is turbulent.
The delay of separation in turbulent
flow is caused by the rapid
fluctuations of the fluid in the
transverse direction, which enables
the turbulent boundary layer to
travel farther along the surface
before separation occurs, resulting
in a narrower wake and a smaller
pressure drag.
The effect of
surface
roughness on
the drag
coefficient of
a sphere.
Fluid Mechanics II 68
Surface roughness
Drag force
may increase or
relation
decrease the drag
coefficient of a
spherical object,
depending on the
value of the Re. Frontal area for
a cylinder and
sphere
Roughening the surface can be used to great advantage in
reducing drag.
Golf balls are intentionally roughened to induce turbulence at a
lower Re to take advantage of the sharp drop in the drag
coefficient at the onset of turbulence in the boundary layer (the
typical velocity range of golf balls is 15 to 150 m/s, and the Re
< 4105). The occurrence of turbulent flow at this Re reduces
the drag coefficient of a golf ball by about half. For a given hit,
this means a longer distance for the ball.
For a table tennis ball, however, the speeds are slower and the
ball is smallerit never reaches speeds in the turbulent range.
Therefore, the surfaces of table tennis balls are made smooth.
Fluid Mechanics II 69
Fluid Mechanics II 70
Roughness
The characteristics of the flow in viscous sublayer are
very important since they set the stage for flow in the rest
of the pipe.
Any irregularity or roughness on the surface disturbs this
layer and affects the flow.
Therefore, unlike laminar flow, the friction factor in
turbulent flow is a strong function of surface roughness.
Fluid Mechanics II 71
Roughness
The roughness is a relative concept.
It has significance when its height is comparable to the
thickness of the laminar sublayer (which is a function of the
Re). All materials appear rough under a microscope with
sufficient magnification. In fluid mechanics, a surface is
characterized as being rough when > ysublayer and is said to
be smooth when < ysublayer .
Fluid Mechanics II 72
Roughness
The criterion to determine whether the surface will behave as
smooth or rough is:
u *
Hydraulically smooth: 0< < 5; f = f (Re)
u *
Fully rough: > 70; f = f ( )
R
u *
Transition region : 5< < 70; f = f (Re, )
R
Fluid Mechanics II 73
Velocity Distribution (local velocity)
The velocity distribution over a smooth surface
u u* y
= 5.75 log + 5 .0
u*
Fluid Mechanics II 74
Velocity Distribution (average velocity)
The velocity distribution over a smooth surface
uavg u* R
= 5.75 log + 1.75
u*
Fluid Mechanics II 75
Velocity Distribution (centerline and average velocity)
The difference of velocity, (u uavg)/u* versus y is found
to be the same for both smooth and rough surfaces.
u uavg y ucenter uavg
= 5.75 log + 3.75 = 3.75
u* R u*
Fluid Mechanics II 76
Example
For a turbulent flow in pipes, determine the distance from the
wall, whose velocity is equal to the mean velocity of the flow.
0 as u = uavg
u uavg y
= 5.75 log + 3.75
u* R
y
3.75 = 5.75 log
R
y = 0.223R
Fluid Mechanics II 77
Example
A rough pipe (height of roughness projection = 2.5 mm) of 100 cm diameter
and 1000 m length carries water, such that a pitot tube records a velocity of
70.8 cm/s at a distance of 25 cm from the centerline. Calculate the friction
velocity, head loss, and the discharge flowing through it.
u y u* = uavg f /8
= 5.75 log + 8.5
u* u*
2
f = 8
70.8 250 u
= 5.75 log + 8.5 avg
u* 2. 5 2
Fluid Mechanics II 78
Friction Factor
The friction factor in fully developed turbulent pipe flow
depends on the Re and the relative roughness /D,
which is the ratio of the mean height of roughness of the
pipe to the pipe diameter.
It is no way to find a mathematical closed form for friction
factor by theoretical analysis; therefore, all the available
results are obtained from painstaking experiments.
The friction factor was calculated from the measurements
of the flow rate and the pressure drop.
Fluid Mechanics II 79
Moody Chart and Colebrook Equation
In 1939, Cyril F. Colebrook combined the available data
for transition and turbulent flow in smooth as well as
rough pipes into the Colebrook equation:
1
= 2.0 log(Re f 1/ 2 ) 0.8 (smooth walled pipe) ( = 0)
f 1/ 2
1 /D
1/ 2
= 2.0 log (fully rough wall) (Re )
f 3.7
Fluid Mechanics II 80
Moody Chart and Colebrook Equation
In 1942, the American engineer Hunter Rouse verified
Colebrooks equation and produced a graphical plot of f.
In 1944, Lewis F. Moody redrew Rouses diagram into
the form commonly used today, called Moody Chart.
An alternative explicit formula given by Haaland as
1 6.9 / D 1.11
1.8 log +
f 1/ 2 Re 3.7
Fluid Mechanics II 81
Fluid Mechanics II 82
Moody Chart and Colebrook Equation
The Moody chart presents the Darcy friction factor for
pipe flow as a function of the Re and /D over a wide
range.
Although it is developed for circular pipes, it can also be
used for noncircular pipe and open-channel flows by
replacing the diameter by the hydraulic diameter.
Both Moody chart and Colebrook equation are accurate
to 15% due to roughness size, experimental error, curve
fitting of data, etc.
Fluid Mechanics II 83
Equivalent Roughness Values for New Commercial
Pipes
Fluid Mechanics II 84
Observations from the Moody Chart
For laminar flow, the friction factor decreases with increasing Re,
and it is independent of surface roughness.
The friction factor is a
minimum for a smooth
pipe and increases
with roughness
The data in the
transition region are
the least reliable.
In the transition region,
at small relative
roughness, the friction
factor increases and
approaches the value
for smooth pipes.
Fluid Mechanics II 85
Observations from the Moody Chart
At very large Re, the friction factor curves corresponding to
specified relative roughness curves are nearly horizontal, and
thus the friction factors are independent of the Re. The flow in
that region is called fully rough turbulent flow (or fully
rough flow) because ysublayer decreases with increasing Re,
and it becomes so thin that it is negligibly small compared to
the surface roughness height.
(Smooth wall)
Fluid Mechanics II 86
Turbulent Boundary Layer
The turbulent flows are inherently unsteady, and
the instantaneous velocity profile shape varies
with time (wavy black lines). Thus, all turbulent
expressions here represent time-averaged
values (thick purple line).
is not the 99% boundary layer thickness, but
rather the actual edge of the boundary layer.
If the laminar and turbulent BLs were the same
thickness, the turbulent one would be much fuller
than the laminar one.
The turbulent BL would fill the BL with higher-
speed flow close to the wall as the large
turbulent eddies that transport high-speed fluid
from the outer part of the BL down to the lower
parts of the BL (and vice versa).
A turbulent BL has a much greater degree of
mixing, whereas in the laminar case, fluid mixes
slowly due to viscous diffusion.
Fluid Mechanics II 87
Laminar and Turbulent Velocity Profile: Velocity
Gradient
Fluid Mechanics II 88
Fluid Mechanics II 89
Fluid Mechanics II 90
Fluid Mechanics II 91
Fluid Mechanics II 92
Laminar and Turbulent Velocity Profile: Shape
The velocity profile in fully
developed pipe flow is parabolic
in laminar flow, but is much fuller
in turbulent flow, with a sharp
drop near the pipe wall. Note that
u(r) in the turbulent case is the
time-averaged velocity
component in the axial direction
The fullness increases with Re,
and the velocity profile becomes
more nearly uniform; however,
the flow speed at the stationary
wall is always zero.
Fluid Mechanics II 93
Comparison of Laminar and Turbulent Fully
Developed Pipe Flow
Laminar
Velocity profile can be solved exactly.
Flow is steady.
Velocity profile is parabolic.
Pipe roughness is not important.
It turns out that uavg = umax and u(r)= 2 uavg(1 - r2/R2)
Fluid Mechanics II 94
Turbulent
Velocity profile cannot be solved exactly (too complex).
Flow is unsteady (3D swirling eddies), but it is steady in the mean.
Mean velocity profile is fuller (shape more like a top-hat profile,
with very sharp slope at the wall).
Pipe roughness is very important.
uavg is about 85% of umax (depends on Re a bit).
No analytical solution, but there are some good semi-empirical
expressions that approximate the velocity profile shape.
Logarithmic law
Power law
Instantaneous
profiles w,turb > w,lam
Fluid Mechanics II 95
Momentum Integral Equation
Fluid Mechanics II 96
Momentum Integral Equation
The turbulent parameters could be computed if the wall
shear stress is known in terms of time averaged mean
velocity, i.e., turbulent shear stress must be included
along with viscous shear stress. But, such a relation is
too much complex.
So, an approximate solution could be obtained using
momentum integral equation, if a reasonable velocity
profile for turbulent flow is assumed.
In addition, some relations for shear stress should also
be assumed.
One seventh power law for velocity distribution in smooth
pipe is found to be valid for the flow over the flat plate.
Fluid Mechanics II 97
Momentum Integral Equation
The Blasius equation for friction factor f applicable within the range of
105 to 107 is given as
Re equal to 5
0.3164 0.3164
f = =
Re1/ 4 (uavg R / )1/ 4
For a fully developed turbulent flow, mean velocity is related to
maximum velocity at the centerline.
u avg = 0.85u max
Substituting the values of f and uavg into the equation
2
w = uavg f /8 0.0288 U 2
1/ 4 w =
0.8umax R Re1x/ 5
w = (0.8umax ) 2
0.3164 /
8
1/ 4
The turbulent shear stress
2 decreases as x-1/5, whereas
= 0.0225 umax Pipe flow x-1/2 for laminar shear
umax R stress.
Fluid Mechanics II 98
Momentum Integral Equation
The previous equation applicable to pipe flow can also be used to flat
plate if it is assumed that a pipe is made by wrapping a flat plate. In
that case, R = and umax = U. So,
, 1/ 4
w = 0.0225U 2 Flat plate
U
The momentum thickness can be computed for the assumed one
seventh power law of velocity distribution.
7 u u 7
= = 0
1 dy =
1 1/ 7
0 (1 1/ 7
)d =
72 U U 72
Substituting the values of w and into the momentum integral equation,
d 2 2
1/ 4
7 d
w = U So, 0. 0225 U = U 2
dx U 72 dx
Fluid Mechanics II 99
Momentum Integral Equation
Solving it for all whole turbulent boundary layer with the
known boundary condition, = 0 at x = 0, yields
0.37 The turbulent boundary grows as x4/5, faster than the
,
=
x (Re x )1/ 5 laminar boundary layer (x1/2).
w 0.059 FD / A 0.072
Cf = = CDf = =
0.5U 2
(Re x )1/ 5 0.5U 2
(Re x )1/ 5
* = 0 1
u
dy =
1
0(1 1/ 7
)d =
(5 105 < Re < 107 )
U 8
1/ 6
dx = d = 0.12
7 U x Ux
0.72 1/ 6 x 6 7/ 6 0.162
7 U 1/ 6
= + C (C = 0 as = 0 when x = 0)
7
= 1/ 7
x Re x
The turbulent boundary grows as x6/7, faster than the laminar
boundary layer (x1/2). x6/ 7
0.032 7
C Df = 1/ 7 = C f
Re L 6
The CDf is only 16% greater than the trailing-edge Cf,
compared to 50% for laminar flow (CDf = 2Cf).
Cf increases several
folds with roughness in
turbulent flow. Boundary Layer Flow
Cf is independent of
the Reynolds number
in the fully rough
region.
This chart is the flat-
plate analog of the
Moody chart for pipe
flows.
0.15 m
0 1m=l
Ul
Re l = = 9.96 105U
With U = 3 m/s, or Rel = 3106,
0.37 x
tur = = 0.0966 m
Re1L/ 5
FD1 0.0424
Therefore = = 1.35
FD 2 0.0315