Chapter 3

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The aim of the study is to determine the coefficient of discharge of sharp-edged orifice

and to obtain data on pressure drop versus water flow rate.

An orifice meter is a device used for measuring the volumetric flow rate. It uses the same

principle as a Venturi nozzle, namely Bernoulli's principle which states that there is a

relationship between the pressure of the fluid and the velocity of the fluid

Data regarding to the head loss for different flow rates in the experiment can be found in

Table 3.1

Table 3.1 Parameters in Determining the Head Losses of Different Types of Fittings
Flow Rate Rm
Velocity (m/s) Head Loss (Pa) Coefficient of Discharge
(gph) (mmHg)

110 1 0.4429 123.6194 0.8717

210 4 0.8418 494.4770 0.8321

310 7 1.2427 865.3348 0.9286

410 12 1.6435 1483.4311 0.9380

The Rm in the table is the difference in height of mercury in the manometer. This was

measured using a ruler and has a unit of milimeter. The experimental head losses was

computed using the formula . The venturi constant c , also known as the coefficeint of

discharge. Coefficient of discharge is stated as the ratio between the actual flow discharge

and theoretical flow discharge. It is also referred to as the ratio of mass flow rate at nozzle's

discharge edge to the standard nozzle which enlarges an exact working fluid maintained at

the similar initial conditions and pressures. The discharge coefficient is raised by increasing
the overall pressure ratio and reducing the convergence semi angle. The venturi constant c

was computed using the formula where ω is the mass flowrate, q1 is the volumetric flowrate,

� is the density of the fluid, Y is the expansion factor which is equal to 1 for liquids, ∆P is the

head loss, and β is the ratio of throat diameter to pipe diameter. The same formula with the

venturi meter was used since orrifice and venturi uses the same principle, which is the flow

of incompressible fluid through a varying cross sectional area, specifically a converging and

diverging cross sectional area.

As compared to the venturi meter, orifice permits lesser head loss and has a higher value

of coefficient of discharge. This is because as we could see in Figure 1, the fluid has

minimum contact with the surface that is why frictional losses or head loss is reduced. The

average coefficient of discharge in the orrifice is 0.8926 as compared to venturi which is

0.6504.

Chapter 4

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

 The largest contribution to the uncertainty in the measured coefficient is due to the

pressure drop measurement. The simplest solution to this problem would be to allow the fluid

flow to “settle” and stabilize before reading the manometer. If the orifice plate is to be used at

higher flow rates than those presented in the experiment, it would be necessary to recalibrate.

The main disadvantage of this meter is the greater frictional loss it causes as compared with

the other devices and hence causes large power consumption. While water passes through the

orifice, it increases the velocity head at the expense of the pressure head. But when it again

expands at downstream all of the pressure loss is not recovered because of friction and

turbulence in the stream. The investigators recommend a sufficient length of pipe upstream

of the orifice to insure fully developed flow prior to the orifice. Within the limits of the

experimental uncertainty, the results obtained for the discharge coefficient through an orifice

plate agree with the empirical relation. Unfortunately, the large uncertainty in the

experimental data significantly reduces the reliability and utility of the data. The orifice plate

should be re-tested prior to its use as a volumetric flow rate sensor.