TUTORIAL 1 : VISCOUS FLOW IN PIPES

1)

Which fluid at room temperature requires a larger pump to flow at a specified

velocity in a given pipe: water or engine oil? Why?

2)

Consider the flow of air and water in pipes of the same diameter, at the same
temperature, and at the same mean velocity. Which flow is more likely to be
turbulent? Why?

Fully Developed Flow in Pipes

3)

How does the wall shear stress tw vary along the flow direction in the fully
developed region in (a) laminar flow and (b) turbulent flow?

4)

What fluid property is responsible for the development of the velocity

boundary layer? For what kinds of fluids will there be no velocity boundary
layer in a pipe?

5)

In the fully developed region of flow in a circular pipe, will the velocity profile
change in the flow direction?

6)

How is the friction factor for flow in a pipe related to the pressure loss? How is
the pressure loss related to the pumping power requirement for a given mass
flow rate?

7)

Someone claims that the shear stress at the center of a circular pipe during
fully developed laminar flow is zero. Do you agree with this claim? Explain.

8)

Someone claims that in fully developed turbulent flow in a pipe, the shear
stress is a maximum at the pipe surface. Do you agree with this claim?
Explain.

9)

Consider fully developed flow in a circular pipe with negligible entrance

effects. If the length of the pipe is doubled, the head loss will (a) double, (b)
more than double, (c) less than double, (d) reduce by half, or (e) remain
constant.

10)

Someone claims that the average velocity in a circular pipe in fully developed
laminar flow can be determined by simply measuring the velocity at R/2

Siti Mariam Basharie FKMP 2012

(midway between the wall surface and the centerline). Do you agree?
Explain.
11)

How is head loss related to pressure loss? For a given fluid, explain how you
would convert head loss to pressure loss.

12)

Consider laminar flow of air in a circular pipe with perfectly smooth surfaces.
Do you think the friction factor for this flow will be zero? Explain.

13)

Explain why the friction factor is independent of the Reynolds number at very
large Reynolds numbers.

14)

Water at 10C ( = 999.7 kg/m3 and = 1.307 X 10-3 kg/m s) is flowing

steadily in a 0.20-cm-diameter, 15-m-long pipe at an average velocity of 1.2
m/s. Determine
(a)
the pressure drop,
(b)
the head loss, and
(c)
the pumping power requirement to overcome this pressure drop.
Answers: (a) 188 kPa, (b) 19.2 m, (c) 0.71 W

15)

Water at 15C ( = 999.1 kg/m3 and = 1.138 x 10-3 kg/m s) is flowing

steadily in a 30-m-long and 4-cm-diameter horizontal pipe made of stainless
steel at a rate of 8 L/s. Determine
(a)
the pressure drop,
(b)
the head loss, and
(c)
the pumping power requirement to overcome this pressure drop.

16)

In fully developed laminar flow in a circular pipe, the velocity at R/2 (midway
between the wall surface and the centerline) is measured to be 6 m/s.
Determine the velocity at the center of the pipe.
Answer: 8 m/s

17)

The velocity profile in fully developed laminar flow in a circular pipe of inner
radius R = 2 cm, in m/s, is given by u(r) = 4(1- r 2/R2). Determine the average
and maximum velocities in the pipe and the volume flow rate.

Siti Mariam Basharie FKMP 2012

Figure 1

18)

Glycerin at 20C flows upward in a vertical 75 mm diameter pipe with a

centerline velocity of 1.0 m/s. Determine the head loss and pressure drop in a
10 m length of the pipe.

19)

Oil with = 876 kg/m3 and = 0.24 kg/m.s is flowing through a 1.5 cm
diameter pipe that discharges into the atmosphere at 88 kPa. The absolute
pressure 15 m before the exit is measured to be 135 kPa. Determine the flow
rate of oil through the pipe if the pipe is (a) horizontal, (b) inclined 8 upward
from the horizontal, and (c) inclined 8 downward from the horizontal.

20)

Glycerin at 40C with = 1252 kg/m3 and = 0.27 kg/m.s is flowing through
a 2-cm-diameter, 25-m long pipe that discharges into the atmosphere at 100
kPa. The flow rate through the pipe is 0.035 L/s. (a) Determine the absolute
pressure 25 m before the pipe exit. (b) At what angle must the pipe be
inclined downward from the horizontal for the pressure in the entire pipe to be
atmospheric pressure and the flow rate to be maintained the same?

21)

Glycerin at 40C with = 1252 kg/m3 and = 0.27 kg/m.s is flowing through
a 5-cm-diameter horizontal smooth pipe with an average velocity of 3.5 m/s.
Determine the pressure drop per 10 m of the pipe.

22)

A horizontal pipe has an abrupt expansion from D1 = 8 cm to D2 = 16 cm.

The water velocity in the smaller section is 10 m/s and the flow is turbulent.

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The pressure in the smaller section is P1 = 300 kPa. Taking the kinetic energy
correction factor to be 1.06 at both the inlet and the outlet, determine the
downstream pressure P2, and estimate the error that would have occurred if
Bernoullis equation had been used.
Answers: 321 kPa, 28 kPa

Pump power requirement

23)

Consider the flow of oil with = 894 kg/m3 and = 2.33 kg/m.s in a 40-cmdiameter pipeline at an average velocity of 0.5 m/s. A 300-m-long section of
the pipeline passes through the icy waters of a lake. Disregarding the
entrance effects, determine the pumping power required to overcome the
pressure losses and to maintain the flow of oil in the pipe.

24)

Liquid ammonia at 20C is flowing through a 30 m long section of a 5 mm

diameter copper tube at a rate of 0.15 kg/s. Determine the pressure drop, the
head loss, and the pumping power required to overcome the frictional losses
in the tube.
Answers: 4792 kPa, 743 m, 1.08 kW

25)

A farmer is to pump water at 20C from a river to a water storage tank nearby
using a 38.1 m-long, 12.7 cm-diameter plastic pipe with three flanged 90
smooth bends. The water velocity near the river surface is 1.83 m/s, and the
pipe inlet is placed in the river normal to the flow direction of water to take
advantage of the dynamic pressure. The elevation difference between the
river and the free surface of the tank is 3.66 m. For a flow rate of 0.0357 m 3/s
and an overall pump efficiency of 70 percent, determine the required electric
power input to the pump.

Siti Mariam Basharie FKMP 2012

26)

A vented tanker is to be filled with fuel oil with = 920 kg/m3 and = 0.045
kg/m.s from an underground reservoir using a 20-m-long, 5-cm-diameter
plastic hose with a slightly rounded entrance and two 90 smooth bends. The
elevation difference between the oil level in the reservoir and the top of the
tanker where the hose is discharged is 5 m. The capacity of the tanker is 18
m3 and the filling time is 30 min. Taking the kinetic energy correction factor at
hose discharge to be 1.05 and assuming an overall pump efficiency of 82
percent, determine the required power input to the pump.

Non-circular ducts
27)

Air enters a 7-m-long section of a rectangular duct of cross section 15 cm x

20 cm made of commercial steel at 1 atm and 35C at an average velocity of
7 m/s. Disregarding the entrance effects, determine the fan power needed to
overcome the pressure losses in this section of the duct.
Answer: 4.9 W

28)

In an air heating system, heated air at 40C and 105 kPa absolute is
distributed through a 0.2 m x 0.3 m rectangular duct made of commercial
steel at a rate of 0.5 m3/s. Determine the pressure drop and head loss
through a 40 m long section of the duct.
Answers: 128 Pa, 93.8 m

Siti Mariam Basharie FKMP 2012