UNIVERSIDAD SANTO TOMÁS

PRIMER CLAUSTRO UNIVERSITARIO DE COLOMBIA

FACULTY OF ELECTRONIC
ENGINEERING

Bernoulli equation
for flow measurement.
Bryan Andrés López Guerrero, Code: 2239505.

The Bernoulli principle describes the relationship between the flow velocity of a fluid and its pressure.
Therefore, an increase in velocity in a fluid causes a drop in static pressure and vice versa. The total
pressure of the fluid remains constant. Bernoulli’s equation is also called the law of conservation of flow
energy (G.U.N.T. Gerätebau GmbH, 2022).

To deduce the equation from what Bernoulli proposed in his book "Hydrodynamics", it is necessary to
consider the following image:

Figure 1.

Figure 1. Application of the Bernoulli principle (Apolonio, 2020).

This theorem is based on fundamental principles such as: kinetic energy, the energy of a fluid flow and
potential energy, it is also important to note that this equation does not consider the friction energy losses
between the fluid and the material through which it is transported (Torres, et. al., 2020).

- Kinetics: Energy due to the speed of the fluid.

- Gravitational potential: It is the energy due to the altitude that a fluid possesses.
- Flow energy: The energy that a fluid contains due to the pressure it possesses (Universidad
Nacional Pedro Ruiz Gallo, s. f.).
 UNIVERSIDAD SANTO TOMÁS
PRIMER CLAUSTRO UNIVERSITARIO DE COLOMBIA

FACULTY OF ELECTRONIC
ENGINEERING

Mathematically the Bernoulli equation can be expressed as follows:

2 2
P1 v 1❑ P2 v 2❑
+h1 + = +h2 + (1)
γ 2g γ 2g

Where:

P= Point pressure (KgPa)

γ= Specific weight of fluid (Kg/m3)
h= Point height (m)
v= Point speed (m/s)
g= Gravity (m/s2)

To apply this equation, these constraints must be taken into account:

a) It is valid only for incompressible fluids, since the specific weight of the fluid is taken as the same
in the two sections of interest (Rengifo, 2022).
b) There can be no friction losses
c) No accessories or equipment can add or remove power from the system
d) Constant flow (Universidad Nacional Pedro Ruiz Gallo, s. f.)

In reality no system satisfies all these restrictions. However, there are many systems where the Bernoulli
equation is used, and only minimal errors are generated. Also, the use of this equation allows to make a
quick estimate of the result, when this is all that is desired (Rengifo, 2022).

FLOW

It is the amount of fluid circulating through a section of the pipeline (pipeline, pipeline, pipeline, river,
channel,...) per unit of time. It normally identifies with the volumetric flow or volume passing through a
given area in time. Less frequently, it is identified with the omasa mass flow that passes through a given
area in the unit of time (Torres, et. al., 2020).

Assuming that there are no energy losses along the tube, and that the piezometric velocity and heights are
constant across each of the sections considered, then from the energy equation we have to:
 UNIVERSIDAD SANTO TOMÁS
PRIMER CLAUSTRO UNIVERSITARIO DE COLOMBIA

FACULTY OF ELECTRONIC
ENGINEERING

2 2 2
v 1❑ v 2❑ v n❑
h1 + =h2 + =hn + (2)
2g 2g 2g

Where: V1, V2 and Vn are the velocities of the flow through sections 1, 2 and n (Rengifo, 2022).

The continuity equation for this situation is:

v1 A1=v 2 A 2=v n A n=Q (3)

That is to say:

v1 =v 2 ( A ¿ ¿ 2/ A1 )¿ (4)

Replacing in (2) for V1 coming from equation (4)

2 2
v2 A2 v 2❑
h1 + ( ) =h2+ (5)
2 g A1 2g

Solving for V2:

√
2 g(h1−h 2)
V 2=
A2
2 (6)
1−( )
A1

Now replaced in (3) taking into account that: Q=V ∗A

√
2 g(h 1−h2 )
Q= A 2∗ 2
(7)
A2
1−( )
A1

Since the flow calculated in this way is not the actual flow, since it does not take into account the
energy losses existing in the system, it is necessary to correct it, for which the discharge
coefficient (Cd) is defined as the relationship between the actual flow and the theoretical flow
(IQR, 2020).
 UNIVERSIDAD SANTO TOMÁS
PRIMER CLAUSTRO UNIVERSITARIO DE COLOMBIA

FACULTY OF ELECTRONIC
ENGINEERING

That is to say:

√
2 g( h1−h2 )
Q r =Cd∗Q t =C d∗A 2∗
A2
2 (8)
1−( )
A1

It should be taken into account that this ratio must be less than 1, in this way, the discharge
coefficient serves as a correction factor of the measured flow to take into account the energy
losses present (IQR, 2020).

Qr
C d= < 1 (9)
Qt

Bibliography:

- Ecuación de Bernoulli. (2022). En G. Rengifo, 4A: Mecánica de fluidos. Universidad Santo

Tomás.
 UNIVERSIDAD SANTO TOMÁS
PRIMER CLAUSTRO UNIVERSITARIO DE COLOMBIA

FACULTY OF ELECTRONIC
ENGINEERING

- G.U.N.T. Gerätebau GmbH. (2022). HM 150.07 Principio de Bernoulli. Gunt Hamburg.

https://www.gunt.de/index.php?
option=com_gunt&task=gunt.list.category&product_id=554&lang=es&Itemid=150

- Guía de Bernoulli 4 MEDIO. (2020). En I. Apolonio, 4-MA Física. Colegio Creación.

- IQR. (2020). ¿Qué es la ecuación de Bernoulli?. IQR Ingeniería Química.

https://www.ingenieriaquimicareviews.com/2020/10/ecuacion-de-bernoulli.html

- Torres, D., et. al. (2020). Práctica De Medidores De Flujo- Venturímetro. (Teorema De Bernoulli)
(No. 1). Universidad de La Guajira.

- Universidad Nacional Pedro Ruiz Gallo (s. f.). Ecuación de Bernoulli. Escuela profesional de
Ingeniería Civil.