College of Engineering and Computer Science

Mechanical Engineering Department

Mechanical Engineering 390
Fluid Mechanics
Spring 2008 Number: 11971
Instructor: Larry Caretto

April 15 Homework Solutions

8.5 Carbon dioxide at 20oC and a pressure of 550 kPa (abs) flows in a pipe at a
rate of 0.04 N/s. Determine the maximum diameter allowed if the flow is to
be turbulent.
To ensure turbulent flow, the Reynolds number must be greater than 4000. This gives:
VD
Re   4000

We are given the weight flow rate which is the mass flow rate times g. We can use this to get a
relationship between the velocity and the area as follows:

 W
W  m g  VAg  V D 2 g  V 
4 
 D2 g
4
Substituting this expression for velocity into the Reynolds number (and the condition for turbulent
flow) gives.

W
 D
 2
 D g
VD 4 4 W 1 4 W W
Re     4000  D 
   Dg 4000  g 1000g
The dynamic viscosity of carbon dioxide at 20oC and atmospheric pressure is found in Table 1.8
as  = 1.47x10-5 Ns/m2. Since the dyanmic viscosity does not have a significant dependence on
pressure, except for very large pressures, we can use this value at the given pressure of 550
kPa(abs). Substituting this value and the other given data into the inequality for diameter gives
0.04 N
W s 100 cm
D  = 8.83 cm
1000g 5
1.47 x10 N  s 9.80655 m m
1000
m2 s2
8.6 The pressure distribution measured along a straight horizontal portion of a
50-mm-diameter pipe attached to a tank is shown in the table below.
Approximately how long is the entrance length? In the fully developed
portion of the flow, what is the wall shear stress?
The data in the table below have been used to compute a finite-difference approximation to the
pressure gradient. That is we compute p/x as an approximation to dp/dx according to the
following equation.
dp p i 1  p i

dx xi 1 / 2 xi t  xi

Jacaranda (Engineering) 3333 Mail Code Phone: 818.677.6448

E-mail: lcaretto@csun.edu 8348 Fax: 818.677.7062
Locating the value of the estimated gradient at the mid point of the measured pressure data gives
a so-called cnetral difference approximation to the deivative which is more accurate than placing
the gradient at either of the end points. The gradient data are also shown in table below along
with a plot of the data. The plot also shows a straight line fitted through the last few data poitns
and extrpolated back to x = 0..

p (mm
x (m) H2O) p/x
mm
0.00 520 H2O/m
0.25 -186
0.50 427
0.75 -152
1.00 351
1.25 -126
1.50 288
1.75 -104
2.00 236
2.25 -96
2.50 188
2.75 -86
3.00 145
3.25 -72
3.50 109
3.75 -72
4.00 73
4.25 -74
4.50 36
4.75 -72
5.00 0
We see that the magnitude of the pressure gradient decreases with distance and
eventually reaches a nearly constant value after x = 3.25 m. In the plotted data the
straight line fit appears to match the data to a point slightly below x = 3.0 m. Thus a
reasonable estimate of the entry length, to within the accuracy of the data is that
the entry length is 3 meters .
The relationship between the wall shear stress and the pressure gradient in fully-
developed flow can be used to compute the wall shear stress.

4 w  p D
p   w 
D  4
The average pressure gradient in the region where the gradient is nearly constant is
72.5 mm H2O/m. To get this into conventional units we have to multiply by the
specific weight of water. Thus, 1 mm H2O = (0.001 m)(9800 N/m3) = 9.80 N/m2. With
this conversion factor we can find the wall shear stress as follows

p D 72.25 mm H 2 O 9.80 N 50 mm m
w    8.88 N/m2
 4 m m   mm H 2 O  4 1000 mm
2

Jacaranda (Engineering) 3333 Mail Code Phone: 818.677.6448

E-mail: lcaretto@csun.edu 8348 Fax: 818.677.7062
 April 15 homework solutions Page 3
ME 390, L. S. Caretto, Spring 2008

8.15 A fluid of density  = 1000 kg/m3 and viscosity  = 0.30 Ns/m2 flows steadily
down a vertical 0.10-m-diameter pipe and exits as a free jet from the lower
end. Determine the maximum pressure allowed in the pipe at a location 10
m above the pipe exit if the flow is to be laminar.
The maximum pressure allowed in the pipe will be the pressure that produces the largest flow
rate that remains laminar. Since laminar flow requires the Reynolds number to be less than 2100,
we have to satisfy the following inequaltiy.
0.30 N  s 1 kg  m
VD  m2 N  s 2  6.30 m
Re   2100  V  2100  2100
 D 1000 kg  m s
 0.10 m 
m3
So we have the result that V < 6.30 m/s; we need to connect this result to the presure. The
relationship for pressure drop in laminar flow in a pipe that makes an angle  with the horizontal is
given by equation 8.11 on page 412 of the text, where p is defined as pin – pout.

 p  sin   D 2  pin  pout  sin   D 2

V 
32  32 
Setting the inequality that V < 6.30 m/s and solving for the inlet pressure gives.

 pin  pout  sin   D 2 6.30 m 6.30 m 32

V   pin   pout  sin 
32  s s D2
Since the exit is a free jet, pout = 0. The coordinate system for  takes = 0 when the flow is in a
horizontal direction to the right. A pipe that has a vertical upflow would have  = 90o; a pipe, like
the one here, that has a vertical downflow has  = –90o. and sin() = –1. We are given the
density of the fluid as 1000 kg/m3, so its specific weight,  = g = (1000 kg/m3)(9.80655 m/s2)
(1 Ns2/kgm) = 9807 N/m3.
6.30 m 32  6.30 m 3210 m  0.30 N  s 9807 N
pin   p out  sin   0 10 m   1
s D 2
s  0.10 m 2
m 2
m3
pin < –3.759x104 Pa = –37.6 kPa
 April 15 homework solutions Page 4
ME 390, L. S. Caretto, Spring 2008

8.20 Oil flows through the

horizontal pipe shown in
Figure P8.20 (copied from the
text at the right) under
laminar conditions. All
sections of the pipe are the
same except one. Which
section of the pipe (A, B, C, D,
or E) is slightly smaller
diameter than the others?
Explain.
For laminar flow in a horizontal pipe the
pressure drop is related to the diameter by the following equation.
128Q p 128Q
p   
D 4  D 4
This equation tells us that the pressure gradient, p/l, varies as D-4 if all other terms in the
equation are constant. If we assume that the temperature in the pipe is constant, the viscosity
and density in the pipe will be constant, and the constant density means that the volume flow
rate, Q, will be constant, even if the diameter changes, according to the continuity equation
We can compute the gradient in head measured by the piezometer tubes as a measure of the pressure
gradient. This is shown in the table below.
Section A B C D E
Distance, x (ft) 15 25 50 66 96
Head, h (in) 60 56 46 39 26
h/x -0.4 -0.4 -0.438 -0.433
We see that the gradient is the same (-0.4 in/ft) for the differences between section A and B and
section B and C; the first change occurs in section D, where the magnitude of the gradient
increases. This indicates that section D is the one with the smaller diameter. To confirm this we
can compute the gradient in section E to see if it is the same as the previous gradients, -0.4 in/ft.
To compute the gradient in section E, we have to start at the measurement point in section C,
where the total distance, x = 50 ft. The distance to the end of section C (which the same as the
start of section D) is 10 ft. (We know this because we are told that each section is 20 ft long.)
Thus with the gradient of -0.4 in/ft, the head at the start of section D would be 46 in – (0.4in/ft)(10
ft) = 42 in. We can then compute the gradient in D because we know that the head is 39 in over a
6 ft length of section D. This gives the gradient in section D as (39 in – 42 in)/(6 ft) = -0.5 in/ft.
This gradient would reduce the head over the remaining 14 ft section D to 39 in – (0.5 in/ft)(14 ft)
= 32 in. With this head at the end of section D, which is the same as the start of section E, we
can compute the gradient in section E from the measured head of 26 in, 6 ft into section E as (26
in – 32 in)/(6 ft) = -0.4 in/ft, the same as at the start of the pipe. This confirms our preliminary
conclusion that section D has the smaller diameter .
 April 15 homework solutions Page 5
ME 390, L. S. Caretto, Spring 2008

8.22 Oil of SG = 0.78 and a kinematic viscosity,  =

2.2x10-4 m2/s flows through the vertical pipe
shown in Figure P8.22 (copied at the right) 1
at a rate of 4x10-4 m3/s. Determine the
manometer reading, h.
We can write the head loss in the energy equation
as p/ = p/g =[ f (l/D) V2/2 ] / (g) = f(l/D)V2/2g
h1
so that the energy can be written to give the
following relationship between the downstream
point (2) and the upstream point (1).
p 2 V22 p V2 p V2 V2
z2    z1  1  1  h L  z1  1  1  f
 2g  2g  2g D 2g 2
h2
We have to compute the Reynolds number as the first
step in determining the friction factotr. For this pipe D =
20 mm = 0.02 m and the area = D2/4 = (0.02 m)2 =
0.001257 m2. The velocity is found from the volume flow rate by the usual equation and then
used to compute the Reynolds number.
4 x104 m3
Q s 1.273 m
V   2

A 0.01257 m s
1.237 m
VD VD
 0.02 m 
Re    s  115 .7
  2.2 x10  4 m 2
s
Since Re < 2,100, the flow is laminar and we find the friction factor as 64/Re. With this friction
factor, we can find the pressure difference from the energy equation after cancelling the equal
velocity terms.
2
 1.237 m 
 
p2  p1 64  V 2
64 4m  s   5.14 m
 z1  z2  4m
 Re D 2 g 115.7 0.02 m 9.80665 m
s2
The manometer reading can be analyzed by starting with the lower level on the right
of the manometer. At this point, the pressures on both sides of the mamometer are
the same and can be equated to pressures in the pipe by the manometer formula.
p2  p1 
pright  p1   oil  h1  h   pleft  p2   oil h2   mano h   h1  h2  h  mano h
 oil  oil
From the diagram we see that the sum h1 + h2 is the length of 4 m between the pressure taps.
Furthermore, the ratio of the specific weights of the oil and manometer fluid can also be written as
the ratio of the specific gravity of each fluid. Thus we can solve for the unknown height, h, as
follows.
 April 15 homework solutions Page 6
ME 390, L. S. Caretto, Spring 2008

p2  p1
h1  h2 
 oil 4 m    5.14 m 
h  = 18.5 m
  mano  1.3
  1 1

 oil  . 87

8.29 Air at standard conditions flows through an 8-in-diameter, 14.6-ft-long,

straight duct with the velocity versus pressure drop data indicated in the
table below. Determine the average friction factor over this range of data.
The usual equation for pressure drop in terms of friction factor can be solved for the
friction factor as follows.

 V 2 2 Dp
p  f  f 
D 2 V 2
The data shown in the table below have the velocity in ft/min and pressure drop in
inches of water. To get the pressure drop in lbf/ft2 we have to multiply the pressure
drop in inches of water by the specific weight of water. Doing this and inserting the
necessary conversion factors gives the following calculation formula for the friction
factor. (The density of air at standard conditions, 0.00238 slug/ft 3, is taken from Table
1.7.)

62.4 lb f ft 2 slug  ft
2 8 in   h in H 2O 
2 Dp ft 3 144 in 2 1 lb f  s 2 718315 h in H 2O 
f   
V 2 2 2

14.6 ft   0.002383 slug  V ft min 

 V ft 
 
 ft  min 60 s   min 
Applying this computational equation to all the data in the table below gives a set of data for
friction factors from which we can compute the average value.

faverage = 0.0162

V ft/min p (in H2O) f

3950 0.35 0.0161
3730 0.32 0.0165
3610 0.30 0.0165
3430 0.27 0.0165
3280 0.24 0.0160
3000 0.20 0.0160
2700 0.16 0.0158
Average f 0.0162