COURSE CODE: BCHE 221L (9489)

NAME: VENTEROSO, JEREMIE JOHN P.

PROGRAM: BS CHEMICAL ENGINEERING -2ND YEAR

ULO 2B – Let’s Check

1. What is friction factor? What is its significance?
The friction factor is the number without dimensions that depends mostly on the
Reynold’s number and the relative roughness of a pipe. Specifically, in laminar
flow, the friction factor depends on both the Reynold’s number and relative
roughness of the pipe. In contrast, in turbulent flow, the friction factor will depend
always on the relative roughness of a pipe but may not be affected by the
Reynold’s number in some cases. The friction factor is an important number in
solving for the frictional losses in pipes, ducts and conduits through the Darcy-
Weisbach Equation.
2. When ℰ/D is more, are the friction losses more or less for the same Reynolds
number? Why?

According to the graph, for the same Reynold’s number, the friction factor
increases as ℰ/D increases. Also, the friction factor is proportional to the frictional
losses, meaning the greater the friction factor, the greater the magnitude of
 frictional losses. Hence, the frictional losses increase as the ℰ/D increases over
the same Reynold’s number.
3. Friction losses are more in a bend or in an elbow?
Between a pipe bend and an elbow, the losses due to friction will be
greater in the elbow. This is because the loss factor K f is greater in pipes
with larger degree of curvature (angle in elbow > angle in bend).
4. Is there any effect of temperature on friction factors for flow through a pipe?
In general, the temperature does not have any effect on the friction factors
for flow in the pipe since the equation for frictional losses only depend on
the parameters such as cross-sectional area of pipe and the fluid velocity.
However, in laminar fluid flow through pipe bends and elbows,
temperature can affect the friction factors.

Since the friction factor K depends on the Reynold’s number, and the
latter depend on density which also depends on the fluid temperature.
Thus, it can be concluded that friction factor in this special case will
depend on the temperature of the fluid.