Experiment No.

Question: Estimate the friction factor using the Colebrook equation assuming turbulent flow
through a pipe of inner diameter D = 0.005 m, when the other parameters are  = 1.23 kg/m3, 
= 1.79 × 10–5 N · s/m2, V = 40 m/s and  = 0.0015 mm.

Theory: For turbulent flow, the Colebrook equation provides a means to calculate the friction
factor:

1  / D 2.51 
 0.86 ln   

f  3.7 Re f 

where ε = the roughness, D = diameter, and Re = the Reynolds number:

DV 
Re 


where ρ = the fluid’s density, V = its velocity, and μ = dynamic viscosity.

The equation is a nonlinear implicit equation so it can only be solved using numerical
techniques. Here we are using Newton Raphson method to get the solution as it gives a better
approximation.

The method requires an intial approximation. It is obtained by an explicit formulation called the
Swamee-Jain equation, which provides an approximate estimate to solve the problem

1.325
f  2
   / D 5.74  
ln  3.7  Re0.9  
  

 = 0.0015 mm = 1.5 × 10-7

D = 0.005 m = 5.0 × 10-3

 / D  3.0 × 10-4
 0.005 m× 40 ( m/s ) ×1.23 ( kg/m3 )
Re = = 13,743
1.79× 10−5 ( N · s/m2 )

By substitution, the initial approximation is 0.02903;

The given nonlinear equation is

1  / D 2.51 
g f    0.86 ln   

f  3.7 Re f 

0.5 1.0793
g  f    
3
 / D 2.51  3
f 2
Re    f 2
 3.7 Re f
 

MATLAB CODE:
OUTPUT: