PIPING/FLUID FLOW
An improved experimental
correlation for Darcy friction factor
The pressure drop estimate may be on the unsafe side
when using the traditional Moody chart
G. 0. CORDERG, Techint Engineering & Construction, Buenos Aires, Argentina
‘cent research has shown that the traditional formulas
smooth pipes by as much as 2.796 at intermediate Reyn-
colds numbers and up to 2.9% at the highest Reynolds numbers
measured.
Deviations reaching ~2.8% are also expected in rough pipes.
This small underestimace should be acceptable for most applica-
tions, but engineering companies would certainly prefer a con-
servative approach for al eitical lines when the contract includes
hydraulic guarantees
Moody's chart. Moody published his chart for finding Darcy
friction factor as a function of Reynolds number and relative
roughness in 1944." Through computerized approximations, this
chart is tll the most widely used source in pipe low design. [tis
based on the following formulas:
+ For laminar flow (Re < 2,000):
Hagen (1839)-Poiseuille (1840)
+ For turbulent flow (Re> 4,000):
Colebrook-White (1939)?
(Ciencia cones Padi aed pipe lwand
Ahad sgh pps lm providing conserve amar fot
the transition:
Smooth pipe lv: rand (1938)
1 251 |
Fh = aog( te/7)-0.8 = -2log| 254 |
vf (ed) nd
so aig ton ealig-Iogaril eo
profile with the friction factor and deriving the constants from
Nikuradse experiments,
Rough pipe ve Nikuradse (1933)
1 {Dp {_& \
ee? sy) +1 74—-2 —
Feel ae) 21 7A= ale Sr
Where isthe artificial sand roughness applied by Nikuads on
the inner wall ofthe pipes used for his measurements.
* For transition flow (2,000 < Re-< 4,000): Moody's chart pro-
vides a shaded area, showing that laminar flow may extend beyond
Re 2,00 and wurbulent How may devlop before aching Re =
4,000. Experimental results show a wide dispersion in this zone.
Research in Princeton and Oregon universities. Z1-
pa 425) rola’s research (1996) with the SuperPipe facility in Princeton Uni-
ip "*\370 ‘ersty reached Reynolds numbers rom 31,300 up to 35,500,000
V Ref 9 ) P
(beyond the maximum 3,400,000 covered by Nikuradse), show-
oor 4 —
ox isi
on smooth
02a]
ono toy 2=2828in, 5 [Wey =i,
ke amiron Foon | __yeaborsin "|
Fae re
Pe eet
0.008. 0.020) bis
“000,000 6 000,000 17,00q000 16,000000 21,000,000,
Reynolds
Cn res
10,000 20,000. 30,000 40000 $0,000 60,000 70,000
Reynolds
of refiner
rr
HYDROCARBON PROCESSING suey 2008 | 97PIPING/FLUID FLOW
ko=
itt
Re
ace
Ae
(0008
002
iaaee
1,990 10,000 100,600. 1,000,000 10,000,000 100,000,000,
Reynolds number
Function CBNIN(, 6, Re)
"Dare ction factor combining Colebrook, Blsus, McKeon eta and Nikuradse
"c= roughness, d= ise diameter, Re = Reynolds, kand din the same units
Dim Rau, Fo, Ft,
"Raux=ouxliny Reynolds, Ft = transmision factor = fDarey* 05
“Fto= previous guest for Ft, Fk= relative roughness factor = 3.7")
If Re e= 2000 Then
“Fr laminar flow (Reynolds <= 2000) Hagen Poisculle formula
BUN = 64 Re.
che
HH Re <= 65964 Then
"Blasus for Re<=B6964
IF Re < 3080 Then
“for anstion flow (2000 = 3080)
Raux= Re
indit
CBM =0.3164/Raux 025,
Itk>0Then
Jebrook White to account fr roughness contribution
“Log = natural logarithm, Log'0 = common logarithm = Log? 302585083
(CBM = (2 * Log 7 *) + 10*(-1/(2* SplCBMIN)) 2302585083) ®-2
fndif
Re-<3080 Then
“near iterpolation for transition flow (2000 65964
‘elatveroughnes factor
Fk =k/G7*0)
“nial value for transmission factor
e712
Do
Fo=Ft
“Colebrook: White to account for roughness contribution
Fra -2* LoglPk + 1855667 *(Fto/ Re) “0:965)/2.302585003
Loop Until Abs(to Ft 1) < 0.0000001
CBMN= FM?
Endif
nd if
nd Function
ing a clear trend fora frition factor slightly higher than predicted
by Prandil’s smooth pipe law.
Another team at Oregon University, working with a com:
pletely different type of facility, investigated smooth pipe flow for
Reynolds numbers from 11 up to 1,050,000.
Both teams? published the comparison between their experi
‘mental results and the forrmula with new constants in Prandt!s law
proposed by the Princeton group" to fi the SuperPipe measure
‘ments for Re> 31,300:
McKeon, Zagarola and Smits:
1
$e tosita iF -0597
‘The above formula is within £0.5% of Princeton's pub-
lished results for Reynolds numbers between 400,000 and
24,000,000 and beeween ~1.78% and +0.84% for the whole
Princeton set
After refining the initial measurements of Zagarola, the
Princeton group claims an experimental error of #1.19, The
Oregon group acknowledges +2% to 4%. The region where
both researches overlap shows differences within the exper
mental error.
More complex velocity profiles, including corrections for
the region near the wall, showed no improvement compared
‘with the previous formula in approaching the experimental
results!
Another interesting conclusion from the same refer-
‘ence is that the exponential law represents velocity profile
better than the logarithmic law for Reynolds numbers
below approximately 98,000. Blasius’s law (related to the
exponential velocity profile) is considered more accurate
than Prandt!’s law in that region.
Blasius (1911)
0.3164
"pees
From a practical point of view, itis best co apply Blasiuss
law up 10 Re = 66,964 where it coincides with McKeon’
thus providing a continuous friction factor. In that range,
Blasius is between ~0.36% and +0.62% of Princeton's
results. For all Reynolds numbers in the turbulent region
below 66,964, Blasius remains between ~1.7% and +1.4%
‘of Oregon's results, well within the experimental error
The only exception is an Oregon test point 6% below the
Princeton points.
In the transition regime, Oregon tests show decreasing
n factor up to Re = 2,868 (f= 0.02804). Then the fric
tion factor increases rapidly up 10 0.04285 at Re = 3,080,
A review of Moody's chart for smooth pipe indicates
shat
‘In the turbulene region, fiom Re = 4,300 up 10 Re =
66,964, Colebrook remains below Blasius with a maximum
deviation of -2.7%. From Re = 66,964, Colebrook remains
always below McKeor's formula with a maximum deviation
of -2.9% at Re = 35,500,000.
A review of Moody's chart for typical cases of rough pipe
shows that:
* For a 35.25-in. ID epoxy-lined pipe with 4-micron
28 | sur 2008 iocanson Rocpipelines), the Moody factor remains below the Princeton
smooth pipe up to Re = 3,100,000. If Colebrook’s procedure is
applied to McKeon’s formula to account for roughness, Moody
falls to -2% at Re = 5,000,000 (Fig, 1).
+ Fora 10 in-ID bare sted pipe with 0.0018-in, sand rough-
ness (typical of refinery piping), the Moody factor is 1.6%
below Blasius smooth pipe at Re = 13,600 and 2.8% below
Blasius corrected for roughness at Re = 17,000 (Fig. 2).
‘As a conclusion, Moody’ chart may underestimate pressure
drop by up to almost 3%, both for smooth and commercial
rough pipes. This margin should be acceptable for most indus-
trial applications, but critical cases require a more accurate
approach.
A practical way to update Moody's chart. The
recent experiments cited suggest the use of both Blasius’s and
Prandtl’s laws with McKeon constants for representing (ur
bulent smooth pipe flow up to the highest Reynolds number
measured (35,500,000). McKeon’s formula for Re < 31,300
falls below Moody's friction factor and needs to be replaced
by Blasius’s formula, which gives the est approach to experi-
‘mental results.
For rough pipe, if Nikuradse’s equivalent sand rough-
ness and Colebrook’s procedure for estimating the transition
between smooth and rough regimes are to be kept, the follow-
ing formulas result:
For turbulent flow (Re> 3,080 to match the Oregon tests):
+ Re 66,964:
‘Smooth pipe:
03164 (os)
316 Ds atog 10-25 |
wes Vp
Rough pipe:
Mca)
Trae hs)
+ Re> 66,964
Smooth pip:
1.85567
1
pe = 1.930log| Re, |= 0.537 = =2k
if og( keV 7) |
Rough pipe:
1.85567
nap
The basic program procedure fora spreadsheet in Fig, 4 easily
makes available a continuous function for obtaining Darcy fric-
tion factor for any equivalent sand roughness, inside diameter
and Reynolds number, through the combined use of Colebrook,
Blasius, McKeon and Nikuradse formulas:
f= CBMN (,D,Re)
PIPING/FLUID FLOW
‘This function covers laminar flow through the Hagen-Pe
seule formula up to Re= 2,000 and transition flow through linear
interpolation between the laminar friction factor at Re = 2,000
and the turbulene friction factor at Re = 3,080. 4
LITERATURE CITED
* Moody, LF, “Fretion factors fo pipe flow” Thaw ASME 671, 1944
2 Colebrook, C. Ry “Turbulent low in pipes with particular reference 10 the
transition region berween the smooth and the wugh pipe laws.” Jetson
Ghul Engineer, 1939.
® McKeon, B. J, C.J. Swanson, M.V. Zagarola, RJ. Donnelly and A.J Smits
“Breton factor for smooth pipe om”. Haid Mech, Val. 511, pp. I-44
2004.
“ MeKeon, BJs MV. Zagato and AJ Smits,“ new ction ite ratoahip oe
filly developed pipe ow J Fluid Mec, Vol. 538, pp. 29-443, 205.
NOMENCLATURE
CBMN’ Colebrook Blais McKeon NikuraseFancion for €
‘Inside pipe diameter
Ff, Darcy fron fitoe
1 Equivalent sand roughness of pipe wall
Re Reynolds umber
Guillermo Cordero tis been with lechint Engineering &
CConsructon for 38 years t Buenos Aes headquarters, where he
Is the head ofthe Poces Deparment. is work covers basic and
etaled engineering for pipelines, refineries and petrochemical
‘nis. Hei @ chemical engineer from the Univesity of Buenos
‘es, where he has bee a profesor of Unit Operations
Select 172 at www HydrocarbonProcessing,com/RS
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