PRESSURE DROP IN PIPES

- Pressure drop occurs as the fluid flows along straight lengths of

pipe and tubing.
- It causes pressure to decrease along the pipe and this increase
the amount of power that a pump must deliver to the fluid.
- Pressure drops is caused by friction, kinetic energy, etc.
changes in
- Friction may occur between the fluid & the pipe work, but
friction also occurs within the fluid as sliding between adjacent
layers of fluid takes place.
- The friction within the fluid is due to the fluid’s viscosity.
When fluids have a high viscosity, the speed of flow tends to be
low, and resistance to flow becomes almost totally dependent on
the viscosity of the fluid, this condition is known as “laminar flow”.
 PRESSURE DROP
8LVm 32LVm
P  P1  P2  2
 2
   (1)
R D
The above equation is used to determine the pressure drop in
laminar flow.
However, the following equation can be used to determine the
pressure drop for all cases of fully develop internal flow (Laminar
or Turbulent, Circular or non circular pipes, Smooth or rough
surfaces, Horizontal or inclines) and known as Darcy’s
equation.
2
L Vm
P  f     ( 2)
D 2

8 w
Where friction factors, f can be defined as f 
V 2 m
 PRESSURE DROP IN LAMINAR FLOW

Both equations (1) and (2) can be used to determine the

pressure drop for circular pipe in laminar flow, equating
both, we find,
64
f 
Re

The equation shows that for laminar flow the friction

factors is a function of Reynolds number only and
independent of surface roughness.
 HEAD LOSS
In piping system analysis,
ΔP = ρgh (pressure loss in terms of pressure)

The pressure loss can also be expressed in terms of

length of water (m) which is:

hL = ΔPL/ρg

hL represents the additional height that the fluid

need to be raised by a pump to overcome the
frictional losses in the pipe.
 ENERGY LOSS
EXAMPLE 1:
Determine the energy loss if glycerine at 25°C
flows 30 m through a 150-mm-diameter pipe with
an average velocity of 4.0 m/s.
First, we must determine whether the flow is
laminar or turbulent by evaluating the Reynolds
number:
for glycerin at 25°C:
Because NR < 2000, the flow is laminar. Using
Darcy’s equation, we get

Notice that each term in each equation is

expressed in the units of the SI unit system.
Therefore, the resulting units for hL are m or Nm/N.
This means that 13.2 Nm of energy is lost by each
newton of the glycerine as it flows along the 30 m
of pipe.
 Absolute Viscosity
Fluid
(N s/m2, Pa s) (centipoise, cP) (10-4lb/ft s)
Acetic acid 0.001155 1.155 7.76
Acetone 0.000316 0.316 2.12
Alcohol, ethyl (ethanol) 0.001095 1.095 7.36
Alcohol, methyl (methanol) 0.00056 0.56 3.76
Alcohol, propyl 0.00192 1.92 12.9
Benzene 0.000601 0.601 4.04
Blood 0.003 - 0.004
Bromine 0.00095 0.95 6.38
Carbon Disulfide 0.00036 0.36 2.42
Carbon Tetrachloride 0.00091 0.91 6.11
Castor Oil 0.650 650
Chloroform 0.00053 0.53 3.56
Decane 0.000859 0.859 5.77
Dodecane 0.00134 1.374 9.23
Ether 0.000223 0.223 1.50
Ethylene Glycol 0.0162 16.2 109
Trichlorofluoromethane refrigerant R-11 0.00042 0.42 2.82
Glycerine 0.950 950 6380
Heptane 0.000376 0.376 2.53
Hexane 0.000297 0.297 2.00
Kerosene 0.00164 1.64 11.0
Linseed Oil 0.0331 33.1 222
Mercury 0.0015 1.53 10.3
Milk 0.003
Octane 0.00051 0.51 3.43
Phenol 0.0080 8.0 54
Propane 0.00011 0.11 0.74
Propylene 0.00009 0.09 0.60
Propylene glycol 0.042 42
Toluene 0.000550 0.550 3.70
Turpentine 0.001375 1.375 9.24
Water, Fresh 0.00089 0.89 6.0
FRICTION LOSS IN TURBULENT FLOW

 Using Darcy equations we can calculate the friction losses in

turbulent flow. It depends on the surface roughness of the pipe
as well as Reynolds number (IN LAMINAR, LOSSES ONLY
DEPEND ON THE REYNOLD NUMBER)
 The є , the average wall roughness can be obtained from tables
(experiment has been conducted to determine the value). The
average value is for new and clean pipe.
FRICTION LOSS IN TURBULENT FLOW
Roughness value, є for new and clean pipe
 MOODY DIAGRAM FOR TURBULENT FLOW

 One of the most widely used methods for evaluating the

friction factor employs the Moody diagram shown below.
 MOODY DIAGRAM –IMPORTANT OBSERVATION

For a given relative

roughness , the friction
factor f decreases with
increasing Reynolds
number until the zone
of complete turbulence
is reached.
 MOODY DIAGRAM

The transition region is

shown in the shaded area
( 2300<Re<4000)
The friction factors alternate
between laminar and
turbulent flow.
 MOODY DIAGRAM

Within the zone of complete

turbulence, the Reynolds
number has no effect on
the friction factor.

The friction factor is a minimum

for a smooth pipe and
increases with roughness.
 USE OF THE MOODY DIAGRAM
Why do we need the Moody diagram?
The Moody diagram is used to help determine the
value of the friction factor, f for turbulent flow.
How ?
 First determine the value of the Reynolds number
(calculations),
 Then determine the relative roughness (dividing Diameter
of the pipe to the pipe roughness).
Therefore, the basic data required are:
1. The pipe inside diameter,
2. The pipe material,
3. The flow velocity, and the kind of fluid and its temperature,
from which the viscosity can be found.
 EXAMPLE 2:
Determine the friction factor f if water at 70°C is
flowing at 9.14 m/s in an uncoated ductile iron pipe
having an inside diameter of 25 mm.

The Reynolds number must first be evaluated to

determine whether the flow is laminar or turbulent:

Here D=0.025 m and kinematic viscosity=4.11x10–7

m2/s. We now have
Thus, the flow is turbulent. Now the relative
roughness must be evaluated. From Table 8.2
we find ε = 2.4 x 10–4 m. Then, the relative
roughness is

The steps are as follows:

1. Locate the Reynolds number on the abscissa

of the Moody diagram:
2. Project vertically until the curve for D/ε = 104
is reached. Because 104 is so close to 100, that
curve can be used.

3. Project horizontally to the left, and read f =

0.038.
 MINOR LOSSES IN PIPES
The amount of energy losses that
occurs as fluid flow through devices as
enlargements and contractions in the
size of paths.
It is called minor losses since the energy
losses is small in comparison with the
energy losses due to friction in long,
straight section pipes.
 Sudden Enlargement
 As a fluid flows from a smaller pipe into a larger pipe
through a sudden enlargement, its velocity abruptly
decreases, causing turbulence, which generates an
energy loss.
 Figure below shows the sudden enlargement.
 SUDDEN ENLARGEMENT
 The minor loss is calculated from the equation

where v1 is the average velocity of flow in the smaller

pipe ahead of the enlargement.
 By making some simplifying assumptions about the
character of the flow stream as it expands through the
sudden enlargement, it is possible to analytically
predict the value of K from the following equation:
 SUDDEN ENLARGEMENT
 Fig below shows the resistance coefficient—sudden
enlargement.
 SUDDEN ENLARGEMENT
Table below shows the resistance coefficient—
sudden enlargement
 EXAMPLE 3 – SUDDEN ENLARGEMENT

Determine the energy loss that will occur as 100 L/min of

water flows through a sudden enlargement from a 1-in
copper tube (Type K) to a 3-in tube (Type K). See next
slide for tube dimensions.
Using the subscript 1 for the section just ahead
of the enlargement and 2 for the section
downstream from the enlargement, we get
To find a value for K, the diameter ratio is needed. We
find that:

Try to obtained from graph( Resistance coefficient –

Sudden enlargement ), K = 0.72. Then we have:

This result indicates that 0.40 Nm of energy is

dissipated from each Newton of water that flows through
the sudden enlargement.
EXAMPLE 4:
Determine the difference between the pressure ahead
of a sudden enlargement and the pressure
downstream from the enlargement. Use the data from
Example 3.

First, we write the energy equation:

If the enlargement is horizontal, z2 – z1 = 0. Even if it were vertical,
the distance between points 1 and 2 is typically so small that it is
considered negligible. Now, calculating the velocity in the larger
pipe, we get:

Using γ = 9.81 kN/m3 for water and hL = 0.40m from Example 3,

we have:

Therefore, p2 is 1.51 kPa greater than p1.

 ENERGY LOST IN GRADUAL ENLARGEMENT
 If the transition from a smaller to a larger pipe can be made less
abrupt than the square-edged sudden enlargement, the energy loss
is reduced.
 This is normally done by placing a conical section between the two
pipes as shown in the below figure.
Compare gradual enlargement (left) to sudden
enlargement (right).
 ENERGY LOST IN GRADUAL ENLARGEMENT
The energy loss for a gradual enlargement is calculated from

Data for various values are given below:

 ENERGY LOST IN GRADUAL ENLARGEMENT
The energy loss calculated from previous does
not include the loss due to friction at the
walls of the transition.

For relatively steep cone angles, the length of the

transition is short and therefore the wall
friction loss is negligible.
 EXAMPLE 5:
Determine the energy loss that will occur as 100 L/min of water
flows from a 1-in copper tube (Type K) into a 3-in copper tube
(Type K) through a gradual enlargement having an included cone
angle of 30 degrees.

From Graph (Resistance coefficient – gradual enlargement), we

find that K = 0.48. Then we have:

Compared with the sudden enlargement described in Example 4,

the energy loss decreases by 33 % when 30 degrees the
gradual enlargement is used.
 DIFFUSER
Another term for an enlargement is a diffuser.

The function of a diffuser is to convert kinetic energy

(represented by velocity head) to pressure energy
(represented by the pressure head) by decelerating the
fluid as it flows from the smaller to the larger pipe.

The theoretical maximum pressure after the expansion could

be computed from Bernoulli’s equation,
If the diffuser is in a horizontal plane, the elevation terms
can be cancelled out.
Then the pressure increase across the ideal diffuser is

This is often called pressure recovery.

In a real diffuser, energy losses do occur and the
general energy equation must be used:
 SUDDEN CONTRACTION
 The energy loss due to a sudden contraction, such as that
sketched in Figure below, is calculated from

where v2 is the velocity in the small pipe downstream from

the contraction.
 Figure below illustrates what happens as the flow stream
converges. The lines in the figure represent the paths of
various parts of the flow stream called streamlines.
RESISTANCE COEFFICIENT (K) in SUDDEN CONTRACTION
SUDDEN CONTRACTION
 The following Table shows the Resistance Coefficient (K)
values for different velocities:
 EXAMPLE 6:
Determine the energy loss that will occur as 100 L/min of
water flows from a 3-in copper tube (Type K) into a 1-in
copper tube (Type K) through a sudden contraction.

Energy loss is:

For the copper tube,

From graph, K = 0.42. Then we have,

EXAMPLE 7:
A fan is to produce an air speed of 40m/s throughout the pipe
loop. The 3m diameter pipes are smooth (assume wall roughness
(ε) = 0), and each of the four 90o elbows has a loss coefficient of
0.3. Determine the power added by the fan to the air. For air, take
µ = 1.79x10-5 Pa.s and ρ = 1.23kg/m3.

20m

D = 3m
10m

1≡2
8
fan