UNIVERSITI TUN HUSSEIN ONN MALAYSIA

Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology

Faculty of Engineering Technology

COURSE INFORMATION

COURSE TITTLE: ENGINEERING LABORATORY III (BN J 37201)

TOPIC: AIR FLOW THROUGH A VENTURI SECTION

1. OBJECTIVES

The objective of this experiment is to measure the distribution of total pressure and
static pressure along the Venturi Meter.

2. LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this experiment, students should be able to verify Bernoulli’s theorem
with Venturi apparatus.

3. INTRODUCTION

A Venturi Meter is a measuring device that is usually used to measure the flow of a
fluid in the pipe. It consists essentially of a diverging section, along which the fluid
accelerates towards a throat, followed by a section which diverges gently back to t he
original pipe section. A Venturi creates a constriction within a pipe that varies the
flow characteristics of a fluid travelling through the duct.

It basically works on the principle of Bernoulli's theorem where the sum of pressure,
the kinetic and potential energies per unit volume in a steady flow of an in
compressible fluid remains constant. The pressure in a fluid moving through a small
cross section of throat drops suddenly leading to an increase in velocity of the flow.
The fluid of the characteristics of high pressure and low velocity gets converted to
the low pressure and high velocity at a particular point and again reaches to high
pressure and low velocity. The point where the characteristics become low pressure
and high velocity is the place where the Venturi flow meter is used.
 UNIVERSITI TUN HUSSEIN ONN MALAYSIA
Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology
Faculty of Engineering Technology

4. THEORY

The aim of this experiment is to measure the distribution of total pressure P

and static pressure p along the Venturi meter and to compare these with the
predictions of Bernoulli’s equation. In this experiment, the test is conducted in
Air Flow Bench apparatus consists of a Venturi machined in clear acrylics
shown in Figure 1. A pitot tube is used to measure the static and total pressure
distribution along the converging and diverging section.

Figure 1: Venturi Meter Set Up on Air Flow Bench

According to Bernoulli’s equation the total pressure P of pitot tube, defined by

V 2
P  p
2

should be constant along this duct, provided the flow is steady and that the air is
incompressible and inviscid. Then we should expect the measured value of P along the
passage to be the same everywhere, if Bernoulli’s theorem is valid for this motion.

The pressure recorded by the Pitot tube is therefore the local value of total pressure P.
If Bernoulli’s equation applies along the whole length of the streamline from the air
box, then P should be the same everywhere as the initial total pressure.
 UNIVERSITI TUN HUSSEIN ONN MALAYSIA
Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology
Faculty of Engineering Technology

To compare the measured values of p with the results of calculations we must use the
continuity equation as well as the Bernoulli equation. Taking the flow as one
dimensional, that is assuming the velocity over any chosen cross-section to be uniform
over that section, then the continuity equation for incompressible flow gives the volume
flow rate as:
Q1  VA  Vt At (1)

(The suffix t indicates conditions at the throat). The velocity distribution along the
duct may thus be written in the form of the ratio:

V A
 t (2)
Vt A

and since the depth of the duct is constant, and the cross-sectional area is proportional
to the width, then
V B
 t (3)
Vt B

The velocity ratio following from continuity may therefore be calculated simply from
the dimensions of the convergent-divergent passage. This now may be compared with
the velocity ratio inferred from pressure distribution using Bernoulli’s theorem. This
gives the local velocity as:

2P  p 
V (4)


and in particular the velocity Vt at the throat is

2Pt  pt 
Vt  (5)


so from Equations (4) and (5)

V P p
 (6)
Vt Pt  pt

The right-hand side of this equation may be evaluated from the measured pressure
distribution and compared with the values from Equation (3).
 UNIVERSITI TUN HUSSEIN ONN MALAYSIA
Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology
Faculty of Engineering Technology

5. APPARATUS

Details of the apparatus are as below (see Figure 2):

a. Air Flow Bench

b. Venturi Section
c. Pitot tube
d. Multitube manometer

Figure 2: Experimental Set Up

 UNIVERSITI TUN HUSSEIN ONN MALAYSIA
Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology
Faculty of Engineering Technology

6. PROCEDURE

i. Mount Venturi Meter on air flow bench with help of quick releasing
clamps.
ii. Adjust the height of the water tank as per requirement.
iii. Adjust the vertical Pitot tube at the center of horizontal Venturi section
and connect the flexible pipes of Pitot tube to Multitube Manometer.
iv. Switch ON the mains switch and VFD.
v. Run the blower.
vi. Take the pressure readings h1 and h2 at different distance of x (vertical
height of Venturi section) for same flow rate.
vii. Stop the blower.

7. RESULTS AND CALCULATIONS

7.1 Experimental Data and Re s ults

Calculate and complete Table 1

Table 1: Experimental and Calculated data

x P p
No h1 (mm) h2 (mm)
(mm) (N/m2) (N/m2)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

For pressure calculation, take the density of air, 𝜌𝑎𝑖𝑟 = 1.22 kg/m3 and gravity acceleration,
g = 9.81 m/s2.
 UNIVERSITI TUN HUSSEIN ONN MALAYSIA
Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology
Faculty of Engineering Technology

7.2 Sample of Calculation

7.3 Graphs

Plot the graphs of static and total pressure versus distance x..
 UNIVERSITI TUN HUSSEIN ONN MALAYSIA
Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology
Faculty of Engineering Technology

7.4 Observation

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 UNIVERSITI TUN HUSSEIN ONN MALAYSIA
Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology
Faculty of Engineering Technology

8. DISCUSSION

8.1 Discuss the graph and experimental results

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 UNIVERSITI TUN HUSSEIN ONN MALAYSIA
Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology
Faculty of Engineering Technology

9. CONCLUSION

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10. REFERENCES

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