School of Civil, Environmental, and

Geological Engineering

MECHANICS OF FLUIDS
LABORATORY REPORT
Experiment No. 05
FLOW THROUGH AN ORIFICE
Group Members:

GRADE CE140-1P_C1

Professor : ____________________________________
Date Performed : ____________________________________
Date Submitted : ____________________________________

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 Experiment no. 5
FLOW THROUGH AN ORIFICE
I. Objective

This experiment is to determine the coefficient of discharge, velocity, and contraction of a small orifice
II. Apparatus

Hydraulic Bench, Flow through an Orifice Apparatus, Stopwatch

III. Laboratory Procedure

1. Position the apparatus across the channel on top of the hydraulic bench and level it using the adjustable
feet and the spirit level on the base. Connect the flexible inlet pipe to the hydraulic bench snap
connector in the top channel. Place the end of the overflow tube directly into the hydraulics bench
overflow tube directly into the hydraulics bench overflow and adjust the inlet pipe to the approximate
level of the head required for the experiment
2. Remove the orifice plate from the recess in the cylinder base by releasing the two screws. Check the
orifice profile.
3. Replace the required orifice. The sharp-edged orifice should be installed with the sharp edge
uppermost.
4. Turn on the pump and the open the bench vale gradually. As the water level rises in the reservoir
towards the top of the overflow tube, adjust the bench valve to give the water level of 2 to 3 mm above
the overflow level, with the end of the inlet tube fully submerged. This will ensure a constant head and
produce a steady flow through the orifice.
5. Take results

IV. Application of principle

1. Is justifiable to assume that Cd is a constant over the range of steady flows tested?
Yes. It is justifiable to assume that C d is a constant over the range of steady flows which were
tested. The data may not coincide with the latter’s point. To rebut my idea, I say that during the
experiment, there was no actual constancy of flow in the small glass tank. Bubbles entering the
tank are always inevitable.

2. Why are the Cd values significantly less than 1.00?

The reason why C d values are always less than 1 is because the actual discharge will always be
less than the theoretical discharge. This is so due to the effect of surface tension and friction from
the external fluid.

3. Comparing Cd values for the steady and the falling head tests, which value is likely to be more
reliable?

It is more likely reliable to measure the coefficient of discharge with a constant head rather than a
falling head. With a constant flow, yielding a constant head, measurement could be done more
accurately since variables are less. Such produces a less probability of committing errors in
measurement. However with a decreasing head, the experimenters also have to measure the time
elapsed that took the head from its initial to a final height. No doubt, it is more difficult to attain an
accurate final answer for C d since the error might have piled from every step of the computation

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