VISCOUS FLOW
FLOW
IN PIPES
Dr. Azmahani Sadikin

Room : C16-101-09
Off no : 07-
07- 453
453775
7750
0
azmah@uthm.edu.my
WHY PIPES?
• Have many application in engineering system
(particularly in fluid and thermal system).
• E.g : not only in water supply system also in human
body (blood vessel system), oil & gas industry, steam
power plant, air-conditioning system, hydraulic system,
in car etc…
• Pipes (circular x-section) = ducts (non-circular),
conduits, tubes (small circular pipes)…

• Q : Why study this topic?

To understand the flow characteristics in pipes –
pipes – viscous
flow -›
-› friction -› directly related to pressure drop and
head loss in pipes -›-› the pressure drop is then used to

determine the pumping power requirement

requirement..
 General Characteristics of Pipe Flow

 Assumptions:
 The pipe is completely filled with fluid (if the pipe is not
full, it is called open channel and not possible to maintain
pressure difference).
 The conduit is round.
 The fluid is incompressible.
  Viscous fluid.
 Classification of Fluid Flow in Pipes
 The fluid flow in pipes can be classified as laminar or
turbulent..
turbulent
 This laminar or turbulent flow can be characteriz
characterized
ed by
using Reynolds number
number..
 The laminar flow is characterize
characterized
d by smooth streamlines
and occur at low velocities or at Re < 2100.
 While turbulent flow is characterize
characterized
d by velocity
fluctuations and highly disordered motion (called eddies )
and occur at high velocities or at Re > 4000.

 The flow between 2100 < Re < 4000 is called

transitional flow