PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY

FOR ENGINEERS 1
CHE157
FLUIDS
CO1 – MO11
 FLUID – A D E F I N I T I O N
• According to Encyclopedia Britannica, a FLUID is any liquid or gas or
generally any material that cannot sustain a tangential, or shearing, force
applied to them. This inability to sustain to such forces is constitutes its
flow.

• A liquid has a definite volume but no definite shape, while a gas has
neither definite shape nor volume

• A liquid adopts the shape of the contains but will retain its definite
volume while a gas will fill completely any container in which the gas is
confined
EXAMPLES
OF FLUIDS
FLUID PROPERTIES
- LIQUID
 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF LIQUIDS
• The following are perhaps the properties of liquids that is
very important when it comes to the study of Physical
Chemistry
• Density
• Specific Gravity
• Viscosity
• Surface Tension
 DENSITY and SPECIFIC GRAVITY
• Density is the defined as the total mass of a material per unit
volume.
• For liquids, density depends primarily on the particular liquid
and, to a much smaller extent, on its temperature.
• The general formula in calculating density is
𝐦 𝐌
𝛒= =
𝐕 𝐋𝟑
 DENSITY and SPECIFIC GRAVITY
• However, not all liquids are expressed in the notation, M/L3

• Petroleum products is expressed in °API which was a notation implemented by

the American Petroleum Institute. This uses the specific gravity of the petroleum
and is calculated,
𝟏𝟒𝟏. 𝟓
°𝐀𝐏𝐈 = − 𝟏𝟑𝟏. 𝟓
𝐒𝐆
• Note that water is 10 °API
• A petroleum that is less dense than water has greater °API (floats in water)
• A petroleum that is denser than water lesser greater °API (sinks in water)
 DENSITY and SPECIFIC GRAVITY
• Specific Gravity (SG), also known as relative density, is the ration of the density
of the substance and that of a reference or standard substance. For liquids, the
reference substance is water. For gases, the reference substance is dry air

𝜌𝑆𝑢𝑏𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒
𝑆𝐺 =
𝜌𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑟 𝐷𝑟𝑦 𝐴𝑖𝑟

Where:
Density of Water @ 4°C = 1000 kg/m3
Density of Dry Air @STP = 1.29 kg/m3
 VISCOSITY, 𝛈
• Viscosity is a property that is present in both liquid and gases

• It can be defined as the resistance that one part of the fluid offers
to the flow of another part of the fluid

• It may be thought as caused by internal friction within the fluid

• Viscosity denotes opposition to flow in which its reciprocal is fluidity

 𝐅 𝐝𝛎
𝛕= =𝛈
𝐀 𝐝𝐲

𝐅 = 𝛈𝐀𝐝𝐯
𝐝𝐲

𝐅 = 𝛈𝐀𝐯𝐲ത
 UNITS FOR VISCOSITY
𝐯
𝐅= 𝛈𝐀 𝐲ത
 VISCOSITY OF LIQUID IN A PIPE
• T H E P O I S E U I L L E E Q U A T I O N - This Poiseuille’s equation is for the rate of flow of
an incompressible liquid undergoing laminar flow in a tube of radius R.

Where:
dV/dt = Q = volumetric flow rate, m3/s
𝐝𝐕 𝚫𝐏𝛑𝐫 𝟒 𝚫𝐏𝛑𝐫 𝟒
= Q= 𝛈 = coefficient of viscosity, Pa-s
𝟖𝐋𝛈
𝐝𝐭 𝟖𝐋𝛈 𝚫𝐏 = Pressure head, Pa
r = radius of the capillary tube, m
𝟐 𝟐 L = length of capillary tube, m
𝟏 𝐝𝐕 𝚫𝐏𝐫 𝐐 𝚫𝐏𝐫
𝐯= 𝟐 = 𝐯= 𝟐= v = average speed of the fluid, m/s
𝛑𝐫 𝐝𝐭 𝟖𝐋𝛈 𝛑𝐫 𝟖𝐋𝛈
 𝛑𝚫𝐏𝐫 𝟒 𝐭
𝛈=
𝟖𝐋𝐕
 SURFACE TENSION,𝛄
• According to US Geological Survey, Surface
Tension is the property of the surface of a
liquid to resist an external force, due to the
cohesive nature of its molecules

• It is also defined as a property of a liquid

surface displayed by its acting as if it were a
stretched elastic membrane.

• Surface tension is found in many situations

like Water Strider walking in the surface of
the water
 DETERMINING SURFACE TENSION

• Capillary Rise Method – oldest method used for

surface tension determination. In this method, a
capillary tube (usually a thin glass) is dipped in
the liquid that is tested. The surface tension of
the liquid will prompt the liquid to rise in the
capillary

Where:
𝛄 = Surface Tension, N/m
𝛒𝐠𝐫𝐡 𝛒 = Density of the Fluid, kg/m3
𝛄= 𝐫 = Radius of the capillary, m
𝟐 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝛉
𝐡 = height of the capillary, m
𝛉 = Contact Angle
 UNIT FOR SURFACE TENSION
𝛒𝐠𝐫𝐡
𝛄=
𝟐 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝛉
SAMPLE PROBLEMS
SP1. A liquid (SG = 0.85) is encased in a cylindrical container where its
diameter is equal to its height. If the height of the cylinder is 2.5 m, what
is the total mass of the liquid in pound-mass if the cylinder is full? What is
its density using the API notation.
SP2. The viscosity coefficient of water at 20◦C equals 0.001002 kg m−1 s−1
(0.001002 Pa s). Find the force per unit area required to keep the upper 𝐅 𝐝𝛎
plate moving at a speed of 0.250 m/s if the tank is 0.0500m deep. 𝛕= =𝛈
(Viscosity, 5.01 x 10-3 N/m2) 𝐀 𝐝𝐲
SP3. Assume that the lower portion of a buret (including the stopcock) consists of a tube of length 7.00 cm
and a radius of 0.500 mm. The upper portion is a tube of uniform diameter that is large enough so that the
upper tube does not inhibit the flow. The distance from the 0.00-mL mark to the constriction of the lower part
is 57.00 cm and the distance from the 50.00-mL mark to the constriction is 4.50 cm. If the buret is filled with
water at 20.0◦C, find the volume rate of flow and the mean speed of flow when the meniscus is at the 0.00-mL
mark. Assume laminar flow. Viscosity of Water at 20.0◦C is 0.001002 Pa-s and density is at 998.23 kg/m3
(Poiseuille Equation, V/t = 1.95 x 10-6 m3/s, v = 2.48 m/s)

𝐝𝐕 𝚫𝐏𝛑𝐫 𝟒 𝟏 𝐝𝐕 𝚫𝐏𝐫 𝟐
= 𝐯= 𝟐 =
𝐝𝐭 𝟖𝐋𝛈 𝛑𝐫 𝐝𝐭 𝟖𝐋𝛈
SP4. Find the height to which water at 20◦C will rise in a
glass capillary tube of diameter 0.60 mm.
𝛒𝐠𝐫𝐡
𝛄=
(Surface Tension – Capillary Rise Method, 4.9 cm) 𝟐 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝛉
SP5. Assuming a contact angle of 180◦, calculate the
distance to which a mercury meniscus is depressed in 𝛒𝐠𝐫𝐡
a glass capillary tube of radius 0.500mm at 20◦C. 𝛄=
(Surface Tension – Capillary Rise Method, ) 𝟐 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝛉
~DAS ENDE~