MTE 314

Hydraulics and Pneumatics Control

Lecture 8
Dr. Amr Kamel
amr.mohamed@nub.edu.eg
Frictional Losses in Hydraulic Pipeline
• BERNOULLI’S EQUATION
• An ideal frictionless system that does not contain pumps and hydraulic motors
between stations 1 and 2
• The total energy per pound of fluid at station 1 equals the total energy per pound of
fluid at station 2

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Frictional Losses in Hydraulic Pipeline
• The Energy Equation
• Bernoulli modified his original equation to take into account that frictional losses (HL)
take place between stations 1 and 2
• HL (called head loss) represents the energy per pound of fluid loss due to friction in
going from station 1 to station 2.
• Account for a pump (which adds energy to fluid), HP (pump head) represents the
energy per pound of fluid added by a pump
• Account for hydraulic motor (which removes energy from fluid) may exist between
stations 1 and 2, Hm (motor head) represents the energy per pound of fluid removed
by a hydraulic motor
• The total energy possessed by a 1-lb chunk of fluid at station 1 plus the energy
added to it by a pump minus the energy removed from it by a hydraulic motor minus
the energy it loses due to friction, equals the total energy possessed by the 1-lb
chunk of fluid when it arrives at station 2

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Frictional Losses in Hydraulic Pipeline
• When a fluid flows through a pipe, the layer of fluid at the wall has zero velocity
• Layers of fluid at the progressively greater distances from the pipe surface have
higher velocities, with the maximum velocity occurring at the pipe centerline
• There are two types of flow in pipes. The first type is laminar flow, which is
characterized by the fluid flowing in smooth layers or laminae
• In this type of flow, a particle of fluid in a given layer stays in that layer
• This type of fluid motion is called streamline flow because all the particles of fluid are
moving in parallel paths
• laminar flow is smooth with essentially no collision of particles
• For laminar flow, the friction is caused by the sliding of one layer or particle of fluid
over another in a smooth continuous fashion

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Frictional Losses in Hydraulic Pipeline
• If the velocity of flow reaches a high enough value, the flow ceases to be laminar and
becomes turbulent
• Turbulent flow the movement of a particle becomes random and fluctuates up and
down in a direction perpendicular as well as parallel to the mean flow direction
• This mixing action generates turbulence due to the colliding fluid particles. This
causes considerably more resistance to flow and thus greater energy losses than
that produced by laminar flow

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Frictional Losses in Hydraulic Pipeline
• know whether the flow pattern inside a pipe is laminar or turbulent
• To determine the conditions governing the transition from laminar to turbulent flow
𝛖𝐃𝛒 𝛖𝐃
• Renold’s number, NR = = • NR dimensionless
𝛍 𝝂
• 𝛖 , fluid velocity • 𝐃, pipe inside diameter

• 𝛒, fluid density • 𝛍, absolute viscosity of the fluid

• NR < 2000, the flow is laminar

• NR > 4000, the flow is turbulent
• NR between 2000 and 4000 cover a critical zone between laminar and
turbulent flow, turbulent flow should be assumed

• since turbulent flow results in greater losses, hydraulic systems should normally be
designed to operate in the laminar flow region

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Frictional Losses in Hydraulic Pipeline
• The Reynolds number can be calculated in several ways depending on the units
used for each of its dependent variables
𝛖𝐃𝛒 𝛖𝐃
• Renold’s number, NR = =
𝛍 𝝂

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Frictional Losses in Hydraulic Pipeline
• The Reynolds number can be calculated in several ways depending on the units
used for each of its dependent variables
𝛖𝐃𝛒 𝛖𝐃
• Renold’s number, NR = =
𝛍 𝝂

• the constant contains the proper units to cause the Reynolds number to be
dimensionless
• If turbulent flow is allowed to exist, higher fluid temperatures will occur due to greater
frictional energy losses.

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Frictional Losses in Hydraulic Pipeline
• Example1
The kinematic viscosity of a hydraulic oil is 100 cS. If the fluid is flowing in a
1-in-diameter pipe at a velocity of 10 ft/s, what is the Reynolds number?

𝒇𝒕
𝛖𝐃𝛒 𝛖 𝒔 𝐃(𝐢𝐧) 𝟕𝟕𝟒𝟎 (𝟏𝟎)(𝟏)
NR = = = = 𝟕𝟕𝟒
𝛍 𝝂 (𝒄𝑺) 𝟏𝟎𝟎

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Frictional Losses in Hydraulic Pipeline
• DARCY’S EQUATION
• Friction is the main cause of energy losses in fluid power systems
• The energy loss due to friction is transferred into heat, which is given off to the
surrounding air
• The result is a loss of potential energy in the system, and this shows up as a
loss in pressure or head
• The head loss 𝐻𝐿 in a system is consists of two components
• Losses in pipes
• Losses in valves and fittings

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Frictional Losses in Hydraulic Pipeline
• Frictional losses in laminar flow
• Darcy’s equation can be used to calculate the head loss due to friction in pipes
for both laminar and turbulent flow
• The difference between the two lies in the evaluation of the friction factor f
• Darcy’s equation can be used to find head losses in pipes experiencing laminar
flow by noting that for laminar flow the friction factor equals the constant 64
divided by the Reynolds number

The Hagen-Poiseuille equation for laminar flow only

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Frictional Losses in Hydraulic Pipeline
• Frictional losses in turbulent flow
• Darcy’s equation will be used for calculating energy losses in turbulent fluid flow
• The friction factor cannot be represented by a simple formula as was the case
for laminar flow
• The friction factor is a function of not only the Reynolds number but also the
relative roughness of the pipe
• The relative roughness is defined as the pipe inside surface roughness,
𝜀, divided by the pipe inside diameter D

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Frictional Losses in Hydraulic Pipeline
• Frictional losses in turbulent flow
• To determine the value of the friction factor for use in Darcy’s equation, use the
Moody diagram
• Each curve represents values of friction factor as a function of the Reynolds
number for a given value of relative roughness
• know the Reynolds number and relative roughness, you can quickly determine
the friction factor

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Frictional Losses in Hydraulic Pipeline
• LOSSES IN VALVES AND FITTINGS
• there also are energy losses in valves and fittings such as tees, elbows, and
bends
• The majority of the energy losses occur in these valves and fittings in which
there is a change in the cross section of the flow path and a change in the
direction of flow.
• Experimental techniques are used to determine losses. Tests have shown that
head losses in valves and fittings are proportional to the square of the velocity of
the fluid

• The constant of proportionality (K) is

called the K factor (also called loss
coefficient) of the valve or fitting

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Frictional Losses in Hydraulic Pipeline
• LOSSES IN VALVES AND FITTINGS
• there also are energy losses in valves and fittings such as tees, elbows, and
bends
• The majority of the energy losses occur in these valves and fittings in which
there is a change in the cross section of the flow path and a change in the
direction of flow.
• Experimental techniques are used to determine losses. Tests have shown that
head losses in valves and fittings are proportional to the square of the velocity of
the fluid

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Frictional Losses in Hydraulic Pipeline
• Pressure Drop versus Flow Rate Curves
• For some fluid power valves, in
addition to specifying K factors,
empirical curves of pressure drop
versus flow rate are given by the valve
manufacturer
• if the flow rate through the valve is
known, the pressure drop can be
determined by referring to the curve
• This is normally done for directional
control valves and also for flow control
valves for various opening positions

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Frictional Losses in Hydraulic Pipeline
• EQUIVALENT-LENGTH TECHNIQUE
• Darcy’s equation shows that the head loss in a pipe, due to fluid friction, is
proportional not only to the square of the fluid velocity but also to the length of
the pipe
• A similarity between Darcy’s equation and the head loss in a valve or fitting
which proportional to the square of the fluid velocity
• find a length of pipe that for the same flow rate would produce the same head
loss as a valve or fitting
• This length of pipe, which is called the equivalent length of a valve or fitting, can
be found by equating the head losses across the valve or fitting and the pipe

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Frictional Losses in Hydraulic Pipeline
• EQUIVALENT-LENGTH TECHNIQUE

• Since the velocities are equal, we can cancel the υ2/2g terms from both sides of
the equation

• where Le is the equivalent length of a valve or fitting whose K factor is K

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Frictional Losses in Hydraulic Pipeline
• Example

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