FRICTION LOSSES IN PIPES.

Fluid
Mechanics Lab Experiment number 4

ABSTRACT

Determining the amount of frictional dissipation is vital in different processes industries because it determines how
much mechanical energy is lost during a process. There are two types of friction being accounted, the skin friction
and form friction. Skin friction refers to the friction when the fluid is being contacted with the pipe’s inside surface.
The form friction refers to the friction produced by valves and fittings. The total frictional dissipation is produced by
both types of friction. A dimensionless wall stress is quantified to describe the amount if frictional dissipation. This
is the frictional factor. In laminar flow, the friction factor is only a function of Reynolds Number. In turbulent flow,
the friction factor is a function of Reynolds Number and relative roughness. Relative roughness represents the average
roughness or depth of the surface irregularities. The amount of the mechanical energy in a fluid flowing through a
pipe is equal to its pressure head. Experimentally, Fanning equation is used to compute for the factor based in
experimental data. From the results of the experiment, the trial that has a greater Reynolds number, has the lower
friction factor computed. This satisfies the trend of the curves in friction factor chart. The slope of the curves in the
chart have negative slopes, which suggests the inverse proportionality between the Reynolds number and the friction
factor. In physical description, this just signifies that as the fluid achieves turbulence at constant relative roughness,
the amount of the resistance in the fluid decreases, thus, friction factor is decrease.

Keywords: friction factor, Fanning equation, skin friction, form friction.

INTRODUCTION energy dissipation that occurs when boundary layer

separates and form wakes; for example, flow through
For every engineering process involving piping
valves, fittings, and obstruction such as sudden
systems, pressure drop is affected by the kinetic energy
contraction or enlargement of cross section. Whenever
loss and friction. This friction produces the pressure
a fluid changes path to pass around a solid body set in
drop, which introduces the flow of the fluid.
the flow path, the fluid accelerates and significant
frictional losses consequently occurs because of
There are two types of friction: the skin friction and the
acceleration and deceleration of the fluid.
other one is the form friction. Skin friction is generated
in unseparated boundary layers; for example, in
As the fluid flows through a straight pipe or tube, some
straight pipes. If any surface is in contact with a fluid
of the mechanical energy are lost due to the effect of
and a relative motion exists between the surface and
friction which is a function of the fluid properties and
the fluid, the transfer of momentum results in a
the scope of the piping system as well. The total
tangential stress or drag on the surface that is oriented
frictional dissipation is caused by both skin and from
parallel to the direction of flow. Form friction is an
type of friction:

EXPERIMENT NO. 4 | GROUP AA | June 24,2021 1

 FF s FF (1)
For a laminar flow (Re < 2100), the friction factor is
only a function of Reynolds Number, which is
represented by the Blasius equation:

F 4f DL Ke Kc Kf 16 Re
2ug2c (2)

f (3)
For a turbulent flow (Re > 4000), the friction factor is
Form friction can be evaluated in terms of loss determined through the use of Churchill equation:
coefficient, K, which is defined as the number of
velocity heads lost due to fluids passing through
valves, fittings or any obstructions. Alternately, form
friction can also be estimated in terms of the equivalent f 1 4log 0.27D Re7
0.9
length of a pipe that has the same effect (i.e. pressure (4)

drop due to friction) as the valve, fitting, or obstruction For the mechanical energy balance that accounts the
under in the system considered. frictional losses, the total frictional dissipation (F) is
equal to the total pressure drop:
For a fluid being compressed as it enters the pipe from
a source having large diameter compared to that of the
pipe, the value for Kc is 0.5 while for a fluid which
F = −∆ 𝑃 = Rm (ρ 𝐻𝑔 −1)(𝑔)
expands as it flows from the pipe to a tank or reservoir (5)
having large diameter, the value for Ke is 1.0. 𝜌 ρ 𝑔𝑐

For a fluid flowing inside pipe, a dimensionless wall To compute for the frictional dissipation
stress is defined so as to describe the frictional loss of experimentally, Fanning equation is being used which
the fluid’s mechanical energy as it flows through a is a function of friction factor and other fluid and pipe
pipe. This parameter is call the friction factor. It is the properties:
ratio of the wall stress to the inertial force per unit area
that would result from the impingement of a stream of 4fLu2 2g Dc
density and velocity normally against the wall. The
fluid’s amount of friction loss is dependent on its Fs (6)
density, velocity and viscosity and as well as pipe’s For this experiment, the friction factor of water as the
diameter, length and the roughness. The equivalent working fluid should be determined as well as to
roughness of the pipe is also determined to characterize determine the effect for the Reynold Number and the
the average roughness or depth of the irregularities of
the surface.

relative roughness on the friction factor of the fluid RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS flow.

EXPERIMENT NO. 4 | GROUP AA | June 24,2021 2

 The data gathered from the experiment are tabulated
METHODOLOGY below:
The equipment used in the experiment was the
fluidflow set-up and the materials used were steel tape, V. m3/s 1.33x10-4 1.25x10-4
stopwatch and thermometer. Water was used as the
working fluid.
U, m/s 1.67 1.57

D. m 10.06x10-3 10.06x10-3

T(o C) 24.7 24.8

ρ, kg/m3 996.688 996.673

µ, cP 0.9088 0.9063

NRe 18424.91 17369.14

FIGURE 1: Fluid Flow Set-Up. Rm 3 7

The pump was primed and started in order for the fluid
to initiate flowing along the piping system. The length F 3.69 8.63
of the pipeline used was measured. For a time span of
60 seconds, the amount of water collected was
measured and the volumetric flowrate was then L, m 1.085 1.085
calculated. After getting the volumetric flowrate, the
temperature was determined in order to evaluated the
ɛ 4.57x10-5 4.57x10-5
Reynolds Number with the corresponding fluid
properties at the temperature measured. Also, the
manometer reading was measured. The total friction ɛ/D 4.54x10-3 4.54x10-3
losses were calculated from the results gathered, as
well as the experimental friction factor. The
percentage error based on the theoretical value of fexp 6.13x10-3 0.001623
friction factor computed. Same procedures were done
for the remaining trials.
ftheo 8.66x10-3 8.73x10-3

EXPERIMENT NO. 4 | GROUP AA | June 24,2021 3


which is a plot of Reynolds Number versus the friction
The effect of friction has been significant for
various engineering processes. It affects the
behavior of the fluid as it flows through a pipe.
When the fluid flows through a pipe, the amount
of mechanical energy lost due to friction is
dependent on different properties of the fluid as
well as on the scope of the piping system. For a
fluid flowing through a pipe of uniform diameter,
the friction dissipation is affected by the density,
viscosity, and velocity of the fluid, and as well as
on the diameter, length of relative roughness of the
pipe.
factor, the curves produced have negative slopes. This
just mean that NRe and f are inversely proportional to
each other. Therefore, at a constant relative roughness
of the pipe and as the fluid approaches turbulence, the
value for the friction factor decreases, thus, the
frictional dissipation also decreases. Turbulence in
fluid flow reduces the magnitude of the resistance
experienced by the fluid, so less friction will be
encountered by the fluid. At a high Reynolds Number,
friction factor becomes constant and only dependent to
the relative roughness of the pipe.
EXPERIMENT NO. 4 | GROUP AA | June 24,2021
% error 29.21 85.91
TABLE 1: Tabulated data from the experiment.
From TABLE 1, comparing the theoretical friction
factor calculated for the two trials with respect to their
corresponding Reynolds Number, the trial that has a
higher Reynold Number, has the lower theoretical
friction factor. Referring to the friction factor chart,
Some sources of errors arise in this experiment, which
By interpolation: T (o
C)
ρ (kg/m3)
15.6 996.4
24.8 ρ
26.7 998.0
ρ = 996.688 kg/m3
makes deviations of the experimental value of friction
factor from the theoretical values. One of these might
be the inaccurate reading of the manometer. Reading
the manometer is always a tedious part of the
experiment especially when there is a little to
negligible difference in height. This inaccuracy alone
can make a dramatic effect to the computed friction
factor. Another possible source of error is the
measurement of the time. Obviously, the time gathered
would not be as exact as needed because the
measurement is very manual.
4
CONCLUSION T (o C) µ (cP)
Friction factor is being accounted to describe the
frictional dissipation on the fluid as it flows. At 15.6 1.131
constant relative roughness and low Reynolds
Number, the friction on the fluid is very high, thus, 24.8 µ
having a high friction factor. As the fluid approaches
turbulence, the resistance on the fluid reduces, so the 26.7 0.860
friction factor is being decreased. This relationship µ = 0.9088 cP
between Reynolds Number and the friction factor is
being described in the friction factor chart, wherein E. Reynold Number (NRe)

curves produced have negative slopes. At high

Reynolds Number, the value of friction factor is
NRe = 𝐷𝑢𝜌µ = (10.03𝑥100.−90883 𝑚)𝑥(101.67−3𝑚𝑠 𝑃𝑎)(996−𝑠
constant and only dependent on the relative roughness .688𝑚𝑘𝑔3)

of the pipe.

APPENDIX = 18424.91

Sample Computations: F. Mechanical Energy Due to Friction Loss (F)

A. Volumetric Flow Rate of Water (V) F = − ∆𝑃 = Rm (ρ𝐻𝑔 − 1) ( 𝑔 )

𝜌 ρ 𝑔𝑐

1 𝑚2
-4 3
V = 𝑉𝐻2𝑂 = 6 𝐿 (1000 𝐿) = 1.33x10 m /s
𝑡 60 𝑠 =( m) ( − 1) (9.8)

B. Velocity of the Water (u) = 3.69

−3 𝑚3 G. Experimental Fanning Friction, fexp

1.67 m/s
𝑠
U = 𝑉𝐴 = 𝜋(108.𝑥0610𝑥10−3
𝑚)2 = F=2 𝑓𝑢2𝐿
4 𝑔𝑐𝐷

C.Density of Water (ρH2O)

3.69 = (21𝑓)(110.67.032(𝑥110.085−3))
D. Viscosity of Water (µH2O)
fexp = 6.13x10-3
By interpolation:
H. Theoretical Fanning Friction, turbulent
(Churchill Equation)

EXPERIMENT NO. 4 | GROUP AA | June 24,2021 5

 = −4 log[0.27 (
)+( ) ]
√𝑓 𝐷 𝑁𝑅𝑒

f = 8.66x10-3

I. Percentage Error

|8.66𝑥10−3 − 6.13𝑥10−3|
% 𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟 = 8.66𝑥10−3
𝑥100%

=29.2 %

Disscussion;

1. What is the effect if change of the value or

on hf?
The inverse relationship between the hf and
diameter of any increase occurs to the
diameter of the reduction of the of hf
according to the following law:

𝐿 𝑣2
𝐻𝐹 = 𝑓
𝐷 2𝑔

2. What is the effect of changing the water to

oil on hf?

Viscosity if oil great than viscosity of water

𝑝𝑣𝐷
Re=
𝜇
Re oil < Re water
F oil > f water
3. What suggestion do you have on improving
the apparatus?
• Pressure control by acute sensors
that take readings
• Develop the Reservoir so that the
accurate sampling and connection
with the sensors to take reading
• His reading scale put the amount of

EXPERIMENT NO. 4 | GROUP AA | June 24,2021 6

 • Flow to compare
• Taking into the account of safety
and handling electricity system
development of the control of the
protection.

EXPERIMENT NO. 4 | GROUP AA | June 24,2021 7