EMPTYING A TANK

Tank (or pond or reservoir) is open to the atmosphere. The tank can be cylindrical or other cross-
section but must have the same cross-section for its entire height. The orifice can be circular or
non-circular. If tank or orifice is non-circular, enter their area into our calculation. Hi, Hf, and h are
measured vertically from the centerline of the orifice.

Introduction
Water (or other liquid) draining out of a tank, reservoir, or pond is a common situation. Our
calculation allows you to compute the time needed to lower the water from one depth to a lower
depth or to empty the tank. Alternatively, the user can input a time and choose another variable
to be computed - orifice coefficient, orifice diameter or orifice area, tank diameter or tank area,
initial liquid depth, or final liquid depth.

Equations
If a tank and orifice are both at atmospheric pressure and the liquid is above the top of the orifice,
the discharge (flow rate) out of the orifice is:

Note: The above equation is valid if both the tank and orifice are at the same pressure, even if the
pressure is not atmospheric.

For a tank with a constant cross-sectional geometry A in the plan view (i.e., as you look down on
it), substitute:

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Integrate h from Hi to Hf and integrate t from 0 to t, then solve for time t, which is the time
required for the liquid to fall from Hi to Hf:

If the tank is circular in plan view (i.e., looking down on it):

If the orifice is circular:

Our calculation allows you to solve for any of the variables: C, d, a, D, A, Hi, Hf , or t. The orifice
and tank can be either circular or non-circular. If non-circular, then the diameter dimension is not
used in the calculation.

Validity
If h drops below the top of the orifice (for instance if Hf is below the top of the orifice), the method
will give shorter emptying times than in reality. The program assumes that liquid is flowing out
through the entire orifice area. However, when the liquid drops below the top of the orifice, flow
is out of an area less than the full orifice area.

The tank and orifice discharge are assumed to be at the same pressure.

The tank is assumed to be of sufficiently larger area than the orifice so that friction effects from
the tank wall are negligible; that is, A>10a as a rule of thumb.

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INTRODUCTION

An orifice is an opening, of any size or shape, in a pipe or at the bottom or side wall of a container
(water tank, reservoir, etc.), through which fluid is discharged.

If the geometric properties of the orifice and the inherent properties of the fluid are known, the
orifice can be used to measure flow rates. Flow measurement by an orifice is based on the
application of Bernoulli’s equation, which states that a relationship exists between the pressure of the
fluid and its velocity.

The flow velocity and discharge calculated based on the Bernoulli’s equation should be corrected
to include the effects of energy loss and viscosity. Therefore, for accurate results, the coefficient
of velocity (Cv) and the coefficient of discharge (Cd) should be calculated for an orifice. This
experiment is being conducted to calibrate the coefficients of the given orifices in the lab.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

Orifices have many applications in engineering practice besides the metering of fluid flow in
pipes and reservoirs. Flow entering a culvert or storm drain inlet may act as orifice flow; the
bottom outlet of a dam is another example. The coefficients of velocity and discharge are
necessary to accurately predict flow rates from orifices.

THEORY

The orifice outflow velocity can be calculated by applying Bernoulli’s equation (for a steady,
incompressible, frictionless flow) to a large reservoir with an opening (orifice) on its side (Figure
6.2):

where h is the height of fluid above the orifice. This is the ideal velocity since the effect of fluid
viscosity is not considered in deriving Equation 1. The actual flow velocity, however, is smaller
than vi and is calculated as:

Cv is the coefficient of velocity, which allows for the effects of viscosity; therefore, Cv < 1. The actual
outflow velocity calculated by Equation (2) is the velocity at the vena contracta, where the
diameter of the jet is the least and the flow velocity is at its maximum

The actual outflow rate may be calculated as:

where Ac is the flow area at the vena contracta. Ac is smaller than the orifice area, Ao, and is given
by:

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Figure: Orifice and Jet Flow Parameters

where Cc is the coefficient of contraction; therefore, Cc < 1.

Substituting v and Ac from Equations 2 and 4 into Equation 3 results in:

The product CvCc is called the coefficient of discharge, Cd; Thus, Equation 5 can be written as:

The coefficient of velocity, Cv, and coefficient of discharge, Cd, are determined experimentally as
follows.

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DISCHARGE LOSSES, TIME FOR EMPTYING A TANK

1.0 Discharge Losses

In an orifice actual discharge is always less than the theoretical discharge due to the following
losses;

a) Energy loss due to fluid viscosity

b) Formation of vena-contracta, thus it reduces the area of flow.

Such losses are expressed using coefficient of discharge Cd. Coefficient of discharge for an orifice
is the ratio of actual discharge to theoretical discharge.

1.1 Time for Emptying a Tank

Fig.: Tank emptied from an orifice in the bottom

Area of orifice = a

Area of tank = A

Suppose the liquid level from H1 falls to H2 in time T seconds.

Suppose in time dt the fall in level is dh.

Volume of fluid discharged in time dt = (Adh)

Volume of fluid discharged from orifice =

Equating both equations

- (A dh) =

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[-ve sign is from the fact that the head on the orifice decreases with increasing time]

When tank is empty H2 = 0

Note: The above equation is also applicable in case where the orifice is at the side wall of the tank.
Head is measured from the centre of the orifice to the free surface of the liquid.

20.3 Time of Emptying a Circular Horizontal Tank

Consider a circular horizontal tank filled with liquid and having an orifice at its bottom.

Fig. 20.2 Horizontal circular tank emptied from an orifice in the bottom

R = radius of the tank; L = length of the tank;

H1 = initial height of the liquid; H2 = final height of the liquid

a = area of orifice

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 T = time in seconds for the liquid to fall from height H1 to H2

Suppose at any instance height of the liquid in tank is h and there is decrease by dh distance in
time dt. If x is the radius of liquid surface, at distance h from the orifice.

Volume of liquid leaving the tank in time dt.

=A dh = SU × L × dh

=2xLdh

Flow velocity through the orifice = √2𝑔ℎ

Discharge through orifice in time dt,

= Cd × area of orifice × flow velocity × dt

= 𝐶𝑑 𝑎√2𝑔ℎ 𝑑𝑡

Since volume of liquid leaving the tank = volume of liquid flowing through the orifice

Equating (i) & (ii)

−𝟐𝒙𝑳𝒅𝒉 = 𝑪𝒅 𝒂√𝟐𝒈𝒉 𝒅𝒕

Negative sign in above equation is because of decrease in head on the orifice with increasing time.

From the geometry of horizontal circular tank,

OS = R and OT = (R-h)

Substituting this value of x in (iii)

Total time T to empty tank from height H1 to H2, can be calculated by integrating above
expression between H1 and H2.

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Case 1: Time for emptying the tank completely (H2 = 0), From (iv)

Case 2: Tank is half-full at the beginning and is being emptied H1 = R and H2 = 0

From (iv)