JOMO KENYATTA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND

TECHNOLOGY

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL OF MECHANICAL, MANUFACTURING AND MATERIALS

ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF MARINE ENGINEERING AND MARITIME

OPERATIONS

BSc. MARINE ENGINEERING

FLUID MECHANICS 2

LABORATORY REPORT

TITLE: Determination Of The Energy Loss In Flow Through A Straight Pipe

NAME:AMINA AHMED

REG NO:ENM241-0087/2022
Report on Determination Of The Energy Loss In Flow Through A
Straight Pipe
Abstract

Friction and the many singularities encountered are the primary causes of energy
losses in fluid

transport pipelines. In most cases, these losses are transformed into head decreases
in the

direction of flow. The ability to determine the required power to move fluid between
two sites is

made possible by having access to data from such a transformation. It serves as the
foundation

for transport and distribution network design and analysis. Universal fluid flow
concepts underlie

pipe technology. A portion of the energy expended by a real fluid flowing through a
pipe is used

to keep the flow going. This energy is transformed into thermal energy by internal
friction and

turbulence. As a result of this conversion, the energy loss is expressed in terms of fluid
height as

"head loss," which is often divided into two groups. Linear or significant head loss is
the most

common form, and it is primarily caused by friction. The purpose of this experiment is
to

examine the many relationships that may be used to determine these losses and
compare them to

the experimental results.

Report on Determination Of The Energy Loss In Flow Through A Straight Pipe

Theory

The total energy loss in a pipe system is the sum of the major and minor losses. Major

losses are associated with frictional energy loss that is caused by the viscous effects of
the fluid

and roughness of the pipe wall. Major losses create a pressure drop along the pipe
since the

pressure must work to overcome the frictional resistance.

The Darcy’s Equation is the most widely accepted formula for determining the energy

loss in pipe flow. In this equation, the friction factor f, a dimensionless quantity, is
used to

describe the friction loss in a pipe. In laminar flows, the friction factor is only a
function of the

Reynolds number and is independent of the surface roughness of the pipe. In fully
turbulent

flows, the friction factor depends on both the Reynolds’s number and relative
roughness of the
pipe wall. In engineering problems, the friction factor is determined by using the
Moody

diagram.

When liquids flow through pipes there is loss of energy due to viscous action of the
fluid.

This loss of energy occurs at the expense of the available pressure head and hence the
energy

loss is expressed in terms of loss of pressure head which may be expressed as:

ΔP=4f × l/d × (pv2 )/2

Where ΔP= pressure loss

f = friction factor

l= length of the pipe

d= internal diameter of pipe

v = mean flow velocity of pipe

The use of this experiment is to investigate the frictional forces inherent in laminar
and turbulent

pipe flow. By measuring the pressure drop and flow rate through a pipe, an estimate
of the

coefficient of friction (friction factor) can be obtained.

The Reynolds’s number is the ratio of inertial forces to viscous forces within a fluid

which is subjected to relative internal movement due to different fluid velocities. A

region where

these forces change behavior is known as a boundary layer, such as the bounding
surface in the

interior of a pipe. It is used to determine whether the flow is laminar or turbulent. It is

calculated

by multiplying the fluid velocity by the internal pipe diameter (to obtain the inertia
force of the

fluid) and then dividing the result by the kinematic viscosity (viscous force per unit
length).

The friction factor is determined by measuring the pressure head difference between
two
fixed points in a straight pipe with a circular cross section for steady flows. The fiction
factor in

this experiment was determined using the Darcy’s Equation.

Darcy’s Equation is a theoretical equation that predicts the frictional energy loss in a
pipe

based on the velocity of the fluid and the resistance due to friction. It is used almost
exclusively

to calculate head loss due to friction in turbulent flow.

Darcy’s Equation:

Hf= 4f× l/d× (v2 )/2g

Where:

hf = head loss

f = friction factor

l= length of the pipe

d= internal diameter of pipe

v = mean flow velocity of pipe

Objectives

The Objective is to confirm the following relationship when water flows through a

straight pipe of uniform diameter.

Hf = 4f l/d v2 /2g - known as Darcy’s equation.

Where hf= head loss along the pipe due to friction.

l = length of pipe

d= internal diameter of the pipe

v= mean flow velocity in the pipe

f= friction factor

This experiment will investigate head loss due to friction in a pipe, and to determine
the

associated friction factor under a range of flow rates and flow regimes, i.e., laminar,
transitional,

and turbulent.
Apparatus

1. Hygro-synthetic machine

2. Thermometer

3. Weighing Machine

Experimental Procedure

The hygro-synthetic machine was first turned on and water allowed to run for a while.

The manometer was checked to confirm it was functioning properly. The weight of the
empty

bucket was then measured using the beam balance and the value recorded. The valve
was the

opened a little to allow a small discharge to flow out of the system. The corresponding

temperature was measured using a thermometer and the value recorded. The
manometric

readings for h1 and h2 were then measured and recorded for the same discharge. The
collector

was then engaged for a timed period and the weight of the bucket with the collected
water was

measured. The above steps were then repeated to obtain 9 more sets of data with
increasing

discharge after each step.

Experiment Procedure

Run H2, H1, H, WEIGHT OF WATER TIME T

(mm) (mm) (m) COLLECTED (S) °C
H2- INITIAL, FINAL, ACTUAL
H1 U(KG) F(KG) (F-U)
1 824 822 0.002 24.1 27.25 3.15 48.53 21
2 825 823 0.002 27.25 33.0 5.75 45.60 21
3 815 811 0.004 33.0 40.5 7.5 40.52 21
4 797 783 0.014 40.5 48.9 8.4 35.72 21
5 794 771 0.023 48.9 61.9 13 29.99 21
6 775 744 0.031 61.9 72.8 10.9 25.05 21
7 771 719 0.052 72.8 84.15 11.35 19.39 21
8 721 596 0.125 84.15 93.7 9.55 15.08 21
9 702 570 0.132 93.7 102.6 8.9 10.08 21
 10 688 538 0.150 102.6 107.8 5.2 5.19 21

Empty tank weight=24KG

Data Analysis
Data Presentation
Acual Mass volume
TIME( weight flow flow rate Friction velocity
Runs Hf(m) S) (kg) rate(kg/s) Q(m^2/s) factor f u(m/s) Re(u*D/V) u^2/2g u^2

0.0042
1 0.002 48.53 3.15 0.06491 6.491E-05 0.05553 0.06484 2314.9578 0.000214 0

0.0158
2 0.002 45.6 5.75 0.12610 1.261E-04 0.01471 0.12597 4497.2374 0.000809 7

0.0341
3 0.004 40.52 7.5 0.18509 1.851E-04 0.01366 0.18491 6601.3786 0.001743 9

0.0551
4 0.014 35.72 8.4 0.23516 2.352E-04 0.02961 0.23493 8387.0774 0.002813 9

15460.007 0.1875
5 0.023 29.99 13 0.43348 4.335E-04 0.01432 0.43305 6 0.009558 4

15518.923 0.1889
6 0.031 25.05 10.9 0.43513 4.351E-04 0.01915 0.43470 2 0.009631 7

20876.652 0.3419
7 0.052 19.39 11.35 0.58535 5.854E-04 0.01775 0.58478 8 0.017430 7

22586.287 0.4002
8 0.125 15.08 9.55 0.63329 6.333E-04 0.03646 0.63267 2 0.020401 7

31489.973 0.7780
9 0.132 10.08 8.9 0.88294 8.829E-04 0.01981 0.88207 2 0.039656 5

35733.767 1.0018
10 0.15 5.19 5.2 1.00193 1.002E-03 0.01748 1.00095 0 0.051065 9

0.0010
Area 0098
 density 1000

L 1.5

D 0.0357

kinema
tic
viscocit 0.0000
y 01

g 9.81 19.62

42.016
L/D 80672

Actual weight = Final weight – Initial weight

Mass flow rate (kg/s) =

Density ℓ = therefore volume =

Known density of water = 1000kgm-3

Diameter d of pipe = 3.57cm= 0.0357m

Length of pipe L =1.5m

Area A=d2 =2 =1.00098x10-3m2

Q=Av therefore v= Q/A

From Darcy’s Equations;
lOMoARcPSD|49677856lOMoARcPSD|49677856

hf= 4f l/d v2 /2g

Therefore f =[ hf / (l/d *v2 /2g)]/4

where; f -friction factor

Value of g= 9.81
Determination of Reynaldo's Number;
To calculate Reynold’s number for each flow, use the formula;

Re =u*L/V

where; u – velocity(m/s)
L – characteristic length(m);diameter
V – kinematic viscosity of water(m2 /s)
V=10-6m/s L= 0.0357m

Discussion

From tabulated results containing the calculated Reynolds number it can be deduced
that

an increase in velocity (u) results in a corresponding increase in Reynolds number. This

shows
that the inertial forces are dominant over the viscous forces, thus resulting in erratic
movement in

the particles of the water. The range of Re is from 2314.96 to 35733.6.

Head pressure is seen to be directly proportional to velocity which is a condition that

directly affects the inertial forces resulting in a higher Reynolds number, which takes
the flow

towards the turbulent side. Frictional factor decreases with increase in discharge (Q),
which

shows an inverse relationship between the two variables. This relationship leads to
the

conclusion that as the friction factor decreases the Reynolds number increases. Thus
the inertial

forces are dominant. The graph of friction factor against Re signifies an inverse

relationship.

Figure 1: Turbulent Flow

Sources Of Errors

1. Parallax error while reading the height of the manometer. The readings of the
manometer

might have been done in a wrong angle, which is not perpendicular, hence resulting to

errors.

2. Water splashed out of the collecting bucket hence resulted into wrong readings of
the

discharge at some runs. The bucket also leaked some water during some runs

3. Inaccurate starting and stopping of the stop watch resulted to wrong values of time
in some runs
4. Fluctuations of the electric current led to unsteady flow of water supplied by the
pump.

Recommendations

The electric current supplying to the pump should be ensured to be stable by all
means

for more accurate results. The tap opening to the bucket should also be calibrated for
equal

opening in each run to avoid less openings in the final runs. The collecting bucket
should be

repaired so that it does not leak collected water. An electronic mass balance can also
be used to

measure mass for more accurate results.

Practical Application

In engineering applications, it is important to increase pipe productivity, i.e.

maximizing

the flow rate capacity and minimizing head loss per unit length. According to the
Darcy

Weisbach equation, for a given flow rate, the head loss decreases with the inverse
fifth power of

the pipe diameter. Doubling the diameter of a pipe results in the head loss decreasing
by a factor

of 32 (≈ 97% reduction), while the amount of material required per unit length of the
pipe and its

installation cost nearly doubles.

This means that energy consumption, to overcome the frictional resistance in a pipe
conveying a

certain flow rate, can be significantly reduced at a relatively small capital cost.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the laminar flow occurs when the fluid is flowing slowly and the
turbulent

flow occurs when it is flowing fast. In transitional flow, the flow switches between
laminar and

turbulent in a disorderly fashion.

Laminar flow occurs when the Reynolds number calculated is below than 2000,

transitional flow occurs when Reynolds number calculated is between 2000 and 4000
while

turbulent flow occurs when Reynolds number calculated is above 4000.

References

Fester, V., Mbiya, B., & Slatter, P. (2008). Energy losses of non-Newtonian fluids in
sudden pipe

contractions. Chemical Engineering Journal, 145(1), 57-63.

Rennels, D. C., & Hudson, H. M. (2012). Pipe Flow. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons,
Inc.

Olson, J. R., & Swift, G. W. (1996). Energy dissipation in oscillating flow through
straight and

coiled pipes. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 100(4), 2123-2131.