Al Zawiya University / Faculty of Oil and Gas Engineering

Chemical Engineering Department

CHE431L Unit operation lab I

Experiment 1

Osborne Reynolds experiment

Date of experiment 03/02/2022

‫مرام الطاهر محمد أبو القاسم‬

1611121714 :‫رقم القيد‬

2022-2021 ‫ربيع‬

‫ حافظ جمعه‬: ‫األستاذ‬

‫ عبد الوهاب األزرق‬: ‫األستاذ المشرف‬

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Objective:
1. To determine the Reynolds number
2. Then to determine the type of flow.

introduction:

The Reynolds number (Re), provides a useful way of characterizing the flow.
It is defined as:
ρVD
ℜ=
µ
where ( µ) is the dynamic viscosity of the fluid.
V is the mean flow velocity m/s.
D is the diameter of the pipe m.
The Reynolds number is a dimensionless parameter that is the ratio of the
inertial (destabilizing) force to the viscosity (stabilizing) force. As ℜ increases,
the inertial force becomes relatively larger, and the flow destabilizes and
becomes fully turbulent.

The limiting values of Reynolds number is given in Table1.

Table1
Type of flow Reynolds number
Laminar flow Re<2000
Transition flow 2000<Re<4000
turbulent Re>4000

Materials and Materials description:

The following equipment is required to perform the Reynolds number
:experiment
1. F1-10 hydraulics bench,
2. The F1-20 Reynolds demonstration apparatus,
3. Cylinder for measuring flow,
4. Stopwatch for timing the flow measurement.
5. Thermometer.
The equipment includes a vertical head tank that provides a constant head of
water through a bell mouth entry to the flow visualization glass pipe. Stilling
media (marbles) are placed inside the tank to tranquilize the flow of water
entering the pipe. The discharge through this pipe is regulated by a control
valve and can be measured using a measuring cylinder , The flow velocity,
therefore, can be determined to calculate Reynolds number. A dye reservoir is
mounted on top of the head tank, from which a blue dye can be injected into
the water to enable observation of flow conditions. ( Figure1)

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 Figure1.shows Reynolds apparatus

F1-10 hydraulics bench, includes a volumetric measuring tank stepped to

accommodate low or high flow rates and a stilling baffle to reduce turbulence.
A remote sight tube with scale gives an instantaneous indication of water level
(Figure2).

(Figure2). armfield F1-10 hydraulics bench

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Note:

The dye isn't used in this experiment, (dye injecting needle doesn't work) .

Procedure:

1. Start the pump, slightly open the apparatus flow control valve to produce a
low overflow rate, and open the bench valve, and allow the head tank to fill
with water, Make sure that the flow visualization pipe is properly filled,
close the ball valve.
2. Watch carefully the volume score on the bench , when the water reaches
to ( 0 ) on the score , start the Stopwatch.
3. When the water gets in the required volume v, stop the Stopwatch,
4. Record the water volume and the time on the table.
5. open the ball valve.
6. Repeat these steps for different flow rates, and record them In the table.
7. Measure water temperature, then take the density of water and dynamic
viscosity from tables.

Results and calculations:

Table2 shows the experimental data.

Table2

Volume (L) 3 3 3 3 3 3

Time (min) 02:52 01:4 01:04 00:56 00:39 00:36

:Results

℃ Temperature T = 20

.Water density (from table) ρ = 998.29kg/m3

.Dynamic viscosity (from table) µ = 1.003×10-3 N.s/m2

.Gravity g = 9.81m/s2

.Inner diameter of visualization pipe = 10mm

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 Table3 shows the calculations.

ρVD
ℜ=
µ
2
d
A=π
4
2
0.01
A=π = 7.85×10-5
4

Table3
Reynolds
Volume flow rate Velocity
number
Q (m3/s) V(m/s)
Volume Time Type of flow
Vol (m3) t (sec) ρVD
Q=Vol/t V=Q/A ℜ=
µ
0.003 72 1.744×10-5 0.2222 2211.56 Transition flow
0.003 100 3×10-5 0.3822 3804.05 Transition flow
0.003 64 4.6875×10-5 0.59713 5943.3 turbulent
0.003 56 5.357×10-5 0.6824 6791.96 turbulent
0.003 39 7.69×10-5 0.9796 9749.9 turbulent
0.003 36 8.333×10-5 1.062 10570.02 turbulent

The figure below shows the relationship between Reynolds number and
velocity of the water.

1.2

turbulent
0.8
Velocity m/s

0.6

0.4 transition flow

0.2

0
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000
Re

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:Results discussion
from the results it is clearly that Reynolds number mainly depends on the
velocity of the water , as the velocity increases Reynolds number increases
too.

Conclusion :

Reynolds number is very useful to estimate the type of the flow.

Answers:

What is Reynolds number?

The Reynolds Number is defined as the ratio of inertial forces to viscous

forces in a flowing fluid. It is used in many fluid flow correlations and is used to
describe the boundaries of fluid flow regimes (laminar, transitional and
turbulent).

State some practical examples of laminar and turbulent flow.

A typical example of laminar flow is the flow of honey or thick syrup from a
bottle. Turbulent flows are characterized by a mixing action throughout the
flow field caused by eddies in the flow

What is the critical velocity of the flow?

Critical velocity is the speed and direction at which the flow of a liquid through
a tube changes from smooth to turbulent.

Can we use the concept of Reynolds number in open channel?

Yes, Reynolds number can also be used In open channel flow, it is common
practice to use the Darcy friction factor f, which is related to the skin friction
coefficient.

State the difference between the laminar and turbulent flow.

 Laminar flow is the flow that corresponds with low velocities and Reynolds
numbers less than 2300.

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 In this type of flow, the fluid flows in parallel layers, with no disruption
between the layers.
 laminar flow is entirely reversible. This means that we can always return to
almost exactly where we began when the flow started

 turbulent flow is the most common form of flow in nature, and corresponds
to the Reynolds numbers higher than a value of 4000 with fluids at high
velocities.
 The flow undergoes irregular fluctuations, or mixing, and continuously
changes magnitude and direction.

What is the viscosity of fluid?

Viscosity is a measure of a fluid's resistance to flow. It describes the internal

friction of a moving fluid. A fluid with large viscosity resists motion because its
molecular makeup gives it a lot of internal friction. A fluid with low viscosity
flows easily because its molecular makeup results in very little friction when it
is in motion.

Which liquid has more viscosity ? water or oil?

fuel oil is more viscous than water but the actual viscosity depends on the
temperature.

What are the applications of other than type of flow?

The Reynolds number also predicts the viscous behavior of the flow in case
fluids are Newtonian.