Fluid Lab

Air Flow velocity measurement using pitot-static tube

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Objective
The aim of this experiment is to:
1- Study of the function of a Pitot static tube.
2- Learn how to use a Pitot static tube.
3- Learn how to Determine flow speed profiles in a
pipe.
4- Demonstrate that flow speed is proportional to the
pressure difference between total pressure and
static pressure.
Introduction
A slender tube aligned with the flow can measure
local velocity by means of pressure differences. It
has sidewall holes to measure the static pressure
ps in the moving stream and a hole in the front to
measure the stagnation pressure po, where the
stream is decelerated to zero velocity. The pitot
static tube may also be of the modified ellipsoidal-
nose type. The tube has a very small diameter
compared to that of the duct diameter, but the
resultant error caused by the additional blockage
effect is considered minimal for this investigation.
Instead of measuring po and ps separately, it
is customary to measure their difference with, say, a
transducer.
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Pitot tubes are affected by Reynolds number at low
fluid velocities. The minimum Reynolds number for
total pressure measurements is approximately 30.
This is the point where the characteristic length of
the pitot tube is equal to the diameter of the impact
hole. Below this value, the indicated impact pressure
is higher than the stream impact pressure due to
viscosity effects.
The measurements of static pressure is also
sensitive to the presence of fluid boundaries. The
presence of a pitot tube in a pipe also affects the
static pressure. The pitot tube partially blocks the
flow passage which increases the flow velocity in the
vicinity of the device. This results in an indicated
static pressure which is less than the actual static
pressure.

Equipment
1. air flow bench.
2. pitot-static tube.
3. piezometers

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Procedure
Try to run the blower by plug the electric motor to
AC source. Adjust the pitot-static tube to any
distance (X) from the upper end of the duct. Read
the static pressure and total pressure heads from
the piezometer readings. Read the temperature of
air inside the duct by using the thermometer.
Estimate the length of duct (B) at every distance (X)
from the upper end of the duct by using the above
equations. Apply B.E to find velocity ratio of
convergent and divergent portion to throat portion air
then compare it with velocity ratio produced from
continuity equation.

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Calculation and Results
X Ptotal Ptotal pstatic pstatic B
(mm) H (pa) h (pa) (mm) √
(mm) (mm)
34 71 696.51 84 - 60 0.73 0.73
156.9
45 71 696.51 68 - 55.43 0.79 0.8
313.8
50 71 696.51 59 -402 54.67 0.8 0.83
90 71 696.51 11 - 44 1 1
873.1
130 71 696.51 15 - 46.7 0.94 0.98
833.5
180 71 696.51 50 - 55.12 0.79 0.86
490.3
220 71 696.51 69 -304 61.86 0.71 0.79

Discussion
1. Is the stagnation pressure constant along the duct
length?
Answer: The stagnation pressure is directly
proportional to thr duct length meaning an increase
in length will also result an increase in stagnation
pressure.

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2. Is the discharge is constant at every duct section?
Answer: yes, the discharge is constant at every duct
section.
3. If you compare (v VS x) & (p VS x), what you see?
Discuss these figures in details.
Answer: The figures show that as the area
increases, both pressure and velocity decrease.
4. What are the benefits of this experiment?
Answer: Pitot tubes are well suited for mid to high
velocity airflow measurement, and are considered
the standard by which all other airflow devices are
compared. Accurate measurement requires density
correction and a careful traverse. Because the
accuracy is dictated by the pressure measurement
device attached to the Pitot tube, there are often
more economical ways (hot wire and vane) to
measure airflow in low flow applications. For high
flow or high temperature applications the Pitot tube
is ideal.
5. Is the flow velocity gradient being the same at
each cross-section area? Explain your answer.
The rate, or velocity, of blood flow varies inversely
with the total cross-sectional area of the blood
vessels. As the total cross-sectional area of the
vessels increases, the velocity of flow decreases.
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6. Is the discharge where constant at every duct
section? Explain your answer.
Answer: Yes, the discharge is constant at every duct
section.
7. What is the relationship between static pressure
and total pressure in this experiment?
Answer: The Total Pressure is the sum of the Static
Pressure and the Dynamic Pressure.

Conclusion
The experimental results show that the difference
between the static pressure picked up by the Pitot-
static tube and the static pressure measured at the
wall is sufficiently small in order to allow one to have
confidence in the calculated flow rates. This finding
may open the way to a simplification of a
standardized flow rate measurement method that is
based on a velocity traverse with Pitot-static tubes.
Likely it may also provide a solution to the difficult
and not yet satisfactory solved problem of
measuring flow rates in industrial ventilation
applications where the duty points of one or more
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fans are due to change in time. Indeed, one could
build a rather low cost equipment that is an
assembly of ordinary Pitot tubes. This assembly
being permanently installed in a well chosen section
of the circuit, would yield the advantage of having an
almost simultaneous measurement of the total
pressure values at all predefined locations within
one plane. The static pressure being measured at
the wall would allow the velocity profile to be
determined and hence, the volume flow rate to be
calculated. From a theoretical point of view, the
observed difference between both static pressure
values is certainly an interesting aspect that needs
further and thoroughly investigation.