Chapter 14

INTERNAL FLOW

Lecture 6
Dr. Hassan K. Abdulrahim
14/11/2017
 Objectives
• Have a deeper understanding of laminar and
turbulent flow in pipes and the analysis of fully
developed flow
• Calculate the major and minor losses
associated with pipe flow in piping networks
and determine the pumping power
requirements
• Understand various velocity and flow rate
measurement techniques and learn their
advantages and disadvantages

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14-1 ■ INTRODUCTION

• Fluid flow is classified as external or

internal, depending on whether the fluid is
forced to flow over a surface or in a conduit.
• Internal and external flows exhibit very
different characteristics. In this chapter we
consider internal flow where the conduit is
completely filled with the fluid, and the flow
is driven primarily by a pressure difference.
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• Liquid or gas flow through pipes or ducts is commonly used in heating and
cooling applications and fluid distribution networks.
• The fluid in such applications is usually forced to flow by a fan or pump
through a flow section.
• We pay particular attention to friction, which is directly related to the pressure
drop and head loss during flow through pipes and ducts.
• The pressure drop is then used to determine the pumping power requirement.

Circular pipes can withstand large pressure differences

between the inside and the outside without undergoing any
significant distortion, but noncircular pipes cannot. 4
14–2 ■ LAMINAR Laminar flow is encountered when highly
viscous fluids such as oils flow in small
AND TURBULENT pipes or narrow passages.

FLOWS Laminar: Smooth

streamlines and highly
ordered motion.
Turbulent: Velocity
fluctuations and highly
disordered motion.
Transition: The flow
fluctuates between
laminar and turbulent
flows.
Most flows encountered
in practice are turbulent.

Laminar and The behavior of

turbulent flow colored fluid
regimes of injected into the
candle smoke flow in laminar
plume. and turbulent
flows in a pipe. 5
Reynolds Number
• After exhaustive experiments in the 1880s,
Osborne Reynolds discovered that the flow
regime depends mainly on the ratio of inertial
forces to viscous forces in the fluid.

• where Vavg = average flow velocity (m/s), D =

characteristic length of the geometry (diameter
in this case, in m), and n = m/r = kinematic
viscosity of the fluid (m2/s). 6
Reynolds Number At large Reynolds numbers, the inertial
forces, which are proportional to the
The transition from laminar to fluid density and the square of the fluid
turbulent flow depends on the velocity, are large relative to the viscous
geometry, surface roughness, flow forces, and thus the viscous forces
velocity, surface temperature, and cannot prevent the random and rapid
type of fluid. fluctuations of the fluid (turbulent).
At small or moderate Reynolds
The flow regime depends mainly on numbers, the viscous forces are large
the ratio of inertial forces to viscous enough to suppress these fluctuations
forces (Reynolds number). and to keep the fluid “in line” (laminar).

Critical Reynolds number,

Recr: The Reynolds number
at which the flow becomes
where Vavg = average flow velocity
turbulent.
(m/s), D = characteristic length of
the geometry (diameter in this The value of the critical
case, in m), and n = m/r = Reynolds number is different
kinematic viscosity of the fluid for different geometries and
(m2/s).
flow conditions. 7
For flow through noncircular pipes, the
Reynolds number is based on the
hydraulic diameter

For flow in a circular pipe:

The hydraulic diameter

In the transitional flow region of 2300  Re Dh = 4Ac/p is defined such that
 4000, the flow switches between laminar it reduces to ordinary diameter
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and turbulent randomly. for circular tubes.
14–3 ■ THE ENTRANCE REGION
Velocity boundary layer: The region of the flow in which the effects of the
viscous shearing forces caused by fluid viscosity are felt.
Boundary layer region: The viscous effects and the velocity changes are
significant.
Irrotational (core) flow region: The frictional effects are negligible and the
velocity remains essentially constant in the radial direction.

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Hydrodynamic entrance region: The region from the pipe inlet to the point
at which the boundary layer merges at the centerline.
Hydrodynamic entry length Lh: The length of this region.
Hydrodynamically developing flow: Flow in the entrance region. This is the
region where the velocity profile develops.
Hydrodynamically fully developed region: The region beyond the entrance
region in which the velocity profile is fully developed and remains unchanged.
Fully developed: When both the velocity profile and the normalized
temperature profile remain unchanged.
Hydrodynamically fully developed

In the fully developed flow region

of a pipe, the velocity profile does
not change downstream, and thus
the wall shear stress remains
constant as well.
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 Entry Lengths

The variation of wall shear stress in the flow direction for flow in a pipe 11
from the entrance region into the fully developed region.
 Entry Lengths
The hydrodynamic entry length is usually taken to be the
distance from the pipe entrance to where the wall shear
stress (and thus the friction factor) reaches within about
2 percent of the fully developed value.

hydrodynamic entry
length for laminar flow

hydrodynamic entry
length for turbulent flow

hydrodynamic entry length for

turbulent flow, an approximation

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14–4 ■ LAMINAR FLOW IN PIPES

• Assumptions:
• steady, laminar, incompressible, constant properties, fully
developed flow in a straight circular pipe.
• There is no motion in the radial direction, and thus the velocity
component in the direction normal to the pipe axis is everywhere
zero.
• There is no acceleration since the flow is steady and fully
developed.
• In fully developed laminar flow, each fluid particle moves
at a constant axial velocity along a streamline and the
velocity profile u(r) remains unchanged in the flow
direction.
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14–4 ■ LAMINAR FLOW IN PIPES

Free-body diagram
of a ring-shaped
differential fluid
element of radius r,
thickness dr, and
length dx oriented
coaxially with a
horizontal pipe in
fully developed
laminar flow.
 14–4 ■ LAMINAR FLOW IN PIPES
the velocity profile in fully
developed laminar flow in
a pipe is parabolic with a
maximum at the centerline
and a minimum (zero) at
the pipe wall.

Therefore, the average velocity in

fully developed laminar pipe flow
is one half of the maximum
velocity.
 Pressure Drop
A quantity of interest in the analysis of pipe flow is the
pressure drop ∆P since it is directly related to the power
requirements of the fan or pump to maintain flow.

A pressure drop due to viscous effects represents an

irreversible losses, and it is called pressure loss PL.
 Pressure Drop
Pressure loss for all types of fully developed internal flows
(laminar / turbulent flows, circular/ non-circular pipes,
smooth / rough surfaces, and horizontal or inclined pipes)

Dynamic pressure Darcy friction factor Circular pipe, laminar

In laminar flow, the friction factor is a function of the Reynolds number

only and is independent of the roughness of the pipe surface.
 Head Loss and Pumping Power
The head loss represents the additional height that the fluid needs to be
raised by a pump in order to overcome the frictional losses in the pipe.
Head loss (laminar/turbulent,
circular/non-circular pipes)

The relation for pressure loss (and head

loss) is one of the most general
relations in fluid mechanics, and it is
valid for laminar or turbulent flows,
circular or noncircular pipes, and pipes
with smooth or rough surfaces.
The required pumping power to overcome the pressure loss.
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Laminar Flow (Horizontal pipe)

Poiseuille’s law

For a specified flow rate, the pressure drop and thus

the required pumping power is proportional to the
length of the pipe and the viscosity of the fluid, but it
is inversely proportional to the fourth power of the
diameter of the pipe.

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Effect of Gravity on Velocity and Flow Rate in
Laminar Flow
Laminar Flow (Inclined pipe)

Free-body diagram of a ring-shaped

differential fluid element of radius r,
thickness dr, and length dx oriented
coaxially with an inclined pipe in fully
developed laminar flow.
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The relations
developed for fully
developed laminar
flow through
horizontal pipes can
also be used for
inclined pipes by
replacing P with
P - rgL sinq.

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Laminar Flow in
Noncircular Pipes
The friction factor f relations
are given in Table 14–1 for fully
developed laminar flow in
pipes of various cross
sections.
The Reynolds number for flow
in these pipes is based on the
hydraulic diameter Dh = 4Ac/p,
where Ac is the cross-sectional
area of the pipe and p is its
wetted perimeter

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EXAMPLE 14–1 Laminar Flow in
Horizontal and Inclined Pipes
Consider the fully developed flow of glycerin at 40oC,
through a 70-m-long, 4-cm-diameter, horizontal, circular
pipe. If the flow velocity at the centerline is measured to
be 6 m/s, determine the velocity profile and the pressure
difference across this 70-m-long section of the pipe, and
the useful pumping power required to maintain this flow.
For the same useful pumping power input, determine the
percent increase of the flow rate if the pipe is inclined 15
downward and the percent decrease if it is inclined 15
upward. The pump is located outside this pipe section.
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Solution

• Assumptions
✓ 1 The flow is steady, incompressible,
and fully developed.
✓ 2 There are no pumps or turbines in
the flow section.
✓ 3 There are no valves, elbows, or
other devices that may cause local
losses.

• Properties The density and

dynamic viscosity of glycerin at
40oC are
✓ r = 1252 kg/m3 and m = 0.3073 kg/ms,
respectively.
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which is less than 2300. Therefore, the flow is indeed
laminar.

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• Then the friction factor and the head loss
become

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14–5 ■ TURBULENT FLOW IN PIPES
Most flows encountered in engineering practice are turbulent, and thus it is
important to understand how turbulence affects wall shear stress.

Turbulent flow is characterized by disorderly 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 turbulent flow, the swirling eddies transport mass, momentum, and energy to
other regions of flow much more rapidly than molecular diffusion, greatly
enhancing mass, momentum, and heat transfer.
As a result, turbulent flow is associated with much higher values of friction, heat
transfer, and mass transfer coefficients

The intense mixing in turbulent

flow brings fluid particles at
different momentums into close
contact and thus enhances
momentum transfer.
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Turbulent Velocity Profile
Viscous sublayer: the velocity profile in
this layer is very nearly linear, and the flow
is streamlined.
Buffer layer: Next to the viscous sublayer,
in which turbulent effects are becoming
significant, but the flow is still dominated by
viscous effects.
Overlap (or transition) layer: Above the
buffer layer, also called the inertial
sublayer, in which the turbulent effects are
much more significant, but still not
dominant.
Outer (or turbulent) layer: In the
remaining part of the flow in which turbulent
effects dominate over molecular diffusion
(viscous) effects.

The velocity profile in fully developed pipe flow is parabolic in laminar

flow, but much fuller in turbulent flow. 32
Turbulent Velocity Profile

• Flow characteristics are quite

different in different regions,
and thus it is difficult to come up
with an analytic relation for the
velocity profile for the entire
flow as we did for laminar flow.

• Several equations have been generated in this manner to

approximate the velocity profile shape in fully developed
turbulent pipe flow. Discussion of these equations is
beyond the scope of the present text.

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The Moody Chart and the Colebrook
Equation
• The friction factor (f) in fully developed turbulent
pipe flow depends on the Reynolds number
and the relative roughness e/D, which is the
ratio of the mean height of roughness of the pipe
to the pipe diameter.
• The functional form of this dependence cannot
be obtained from a theoretical analysis
• The friction factor was calculated from
measurements of the flow rate and the pressure
drop.
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Colebrook equation (for
smooth and rough pipes)

Explicit Haaland equation

The friction factor for a smooth pipe and Re = 106

from Colebrook eqn.

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In 1944, Lewis F. Moody (1880–1953) produced the now
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famous Moody chart
 In calculations, we should
make sure that we use the
actual internal diameter
of the pipe, which may be
different than the nominal
diameter.

At very large Reynolds numbers, the friction factor

curves on the Moody chart are nearly horizontal, and
thus the friction factors are independent of the
Reynolds number. See Fig. A–27 for a full-page
moody chart.

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 Types of Fluid Flow Problems
1. Determining the pressure drop (or head
loss) when the pipe length and diameter
are given for a specified flow rate (or
velocity)
2. Determining the flow rate when the pipe
length and diameter are given for a
specified pressure drop (or head loss)
The three types of problems
3. Determining the pipe diameter when the encountered in pipe flow.
pipe length and flow rate are given for a
specified pressure drop (or head loss)

To avoid tedious
iterations in head
loss, flow rate, and
diameter calculations,
these explicit relations
that are accurate to
within 2 percent of the
Moody chart may be
used. 38
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14–6 ■ MINOR LOSSES
The fluid in a typical piping system passes
through various fittings, valves, bends,
elbows, tees, inlets, exits, expansions, and
contractions in addition to the pipes.
These components interrupt the smooth
flow of the fluid and cause additional
losses because of the flow separation and
mixing they induce.
In a typical system with long pipes, these
losses are minor compared to the total
head loss in the pipes (the major losses)
and are called minor losses.
Minor losses are usually expressed in For a constant-diameter section of a pipe
terms of the loss coefficient KL. with a minor loss component, the loss
coefficient of the component (such as the
gate valve shown) is determined by
measuring the additional pressure loss it
Head loss due causes and dividing it by the dynamic
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to component pressure in the pipe.
When the inlet diameter equals outlet
diameter, the loss coefficient of a
component can also be determined by
measuring the pressure loss across the
component and dividing it by the dynamic
pressure:
KL = PL /(rV2/2).
When the loss coefficient for a component
is available, the head loss for that
component is

Minor loss

Minor losses are also expressed in terms The head loss caused by a
of the equivalent length Lequiv. component (such as the
angle valve shown) is
equivalent to the head loss
caused by a section of the
pipe whose length is the
equivalent length.
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Total head loss (general)

Total head loss (D = constant)

The head loss at the inlet of a pipe is

almost negligible for well-rounded
inlets (KL = 0.03 for r/D > 0.2) but
increases to about 0.50 for sharp-
edged inlets.

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The losses during
changes of direction can
be minimized by making
the turn “easy” on the fluid
by using circular arcs
instead of sharp turns.

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14–7 ■ PIPING NETWORKS AND PUMP SELECTION

For pipes in series, the flow rate is the same

in each pipe, and the total head loss is the
sum of the head losses in individual pipes.
A piping network in an
industrial facility.

For pipes in parallel, the

head loss is the same in
each pipe, and the total flow
rate is the sum of the flow
rates in individual pipes. 53
The relative flow rates in parallel pipes are established from the
requirement that the head loss in each pipe be the same.

The flow rate in one of the parallel branches is proportional

to its diameter to the power 5/2 and is inversely proportional
to the square root of its length and friction factor.

The analysis of piping networks is based on two simple principles:

1. Conservation of mass throughout the system must be satisfied.
This is done by requiring the total flow into a junction to be equal to the
total flow out of the junction for all junctions in the system.
2. Pressure drop (and thus head loss) between two junctions must be
the same for all paths between the two junctions. This is because
pressure is a point function and it cannot have two values at a specified
point. In practice this rule is used by requiring that the algebraic sum of
head losses in a loop (for all loops) be equal to zero.
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 Summary
• Introduction
• Laminar and Turbulent Flows
✓ Reynolds Number
• The Entrance Region
✓ Entry Lengths
• Laminar Flow in Pipes
✓ Pressure Drop and Head Loss
✓ Effect of Gravity on Velocity and Flow Rate in Laminar
Flow
✓ Laminar Flow in Noncircular Pipes
• Turbulent Flow in Pipes
✓ Turbulent Shear Stress
✓ Turbulent Velocity Profile
✓ The Moody Chart and the Colebrook Equation
✓ Types of Fluid Flow Problems
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• Minor Losses
• Piping Networks and Pump Selection
✓ Serial and Parallel Pipes
✓ Piping Systems with Pumps and Turbines

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Thank You…☺

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