Osborne Reynolds demonstration

Introduction:
The Osborne Reynolds experiment demonstrates the effect of velocity of a fluid in a pipe on the
Reynold’s number and ultimately the nature of the flow. It demonstrates the laminar, transitional
or turbulent nature of flow of a fluid as it flow in a pipe.
This experiment is designed for students to study laminar, transition and turbulent flow. The
objective is to observe laminar, transitional and turbulent flow and compute the Reynolds
number.

Equipment description:
The apparatus consists of a two tanks for storage of water (stilling tank) and ink. The ink is used
to visualize the flow in a transparent pipe in which water flows from the stilling tank. Small
rocks and pebbles are put in the stilling tank to calm the inflow water so that there won’t be any
turbulence to interfere with the experiment. The flow rate of the water can be calculated be
measuring the volume collected in a container in some time.
The Osborne Reynolds Demonstration apparatus is equipped with a visualization tube for
students to observe the flow condition. The rocks inside the stilling tank are to calm the inflow
water so that there will not be any turbulence to interfere with the experiment. The water
inlet/outlet valve and dye injector are utilized to generate the required flow.

1. Dye reservoir
2. Dye injector
3. Stilling tank
4. Observation tube
5. Water inlet valve
6. Bell mouth
7. Water outlet valve
8. Overflow tube

Theory:
For water flowing in pipe or circular conduits of ‘D’ diameter the Reynolds number is
. Where V is velocity (m/s) and ν is Kinematic viscosity (m2/s).

For Re < 2300, the pipe flow will be laminar. For 2300 < Re < 4000 the pipe flow will be
considered a transitional flow. Turbulent occur when Re > 4000. The viscosity of the fluid also
determines the characteristic of the flow becoming laminar or turbulent. Fluid with higher
viscosity is easier to achieve a turbulent flow condition. The viscosity of fluid is also dependent
on the temperature.

Laminar Flow:
Laminar flow denotes a steady flow condition where all streamlines
follow parallel paths, there being no interaction (mixing) between shear planes.
Under this condition the dye observed will remain as a solid, straight and
identifiable component of flow.

Transitional Flow:
Transitional flow is a mixture of laminar and turbulent flow with turbulence in the center
of the pipe, and laminar flow near the edges. Each of these flows behaves in different manners in
terms of their frictional energy loss while flowing and have different equations that predict their
behavior.

Turbulent Flow:
Turbulent flow denotes an unsteady flow condition where streamlines interact causing
shear plane collapse and mixing of the fluid. In this condition the dye observed will become
disperse in the water and mix with the water. The observed dye will not be identifiable at this
point.

Procedure:
1. The Osborne Reynolds apparatus was placed on the hydraulic bench and a water supply
was connected to the inlet of the stilling tank.
2. A hose was connected to the outlet of the apparatus and was directed in a container to
collect water.
3. The die tank was filled with blue die.
4. Using the water supply of the hydraulic bench, the stilling tank was filled upto the
required level and then the outlet was opened.
5. Then the die was injected into the flowing water using the die injector.
6. Initially, small flowrate was set and the flowrate was calculated by measuring the volume
of water collected in the container and the time taken to collect the water. This flowrate
was noted against Laminar flow.
 7. Then the water flow was regulated to obtain transitional and turbulent flow visualized in
the transparent tube and the corresponding flowrates were calculated.
8. Using the area of the transparent tube, the velocity in the tube was calculated.

Observations:

Pipe Diameter (D) = 0.0156 m

Pipe Area (A) = 1.91x10-4 m2

Kinematics viscosity for 25°C water =υ = 0.89 x 10-6 m/s.

Volume
Q=
Time
𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒
𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑉𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 =
𝑃𝑖𝑝𝑒 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎

Mean velocity × Pipe Diameter

ℜ=
DynamicViscosity

vD
ℜ=
υ

Volume Time Volume flow Volume Flow Mean Reynolds Flow Type
(L) (s) rate Rate (m3/s) Velocity number
(L/s) (m/s) (Re)
0.4 60.24 0.006640106 6.64011E-06 0.02760628 542.820 Laminar
0.9 33.52 0.026849642 2.68496E-05 0.11162757 2194.92 Transitional
1.5 23.32 0.06432247 6.43225E-05 0.26742112 5258.28 Turbulent

Result and Conclusion:

The Osborne Reynolds experiment was used to visualize and analyze laminar, transitional
and turbulent flows within a pipe. The transition from laminar to turbulent was also observed
during the experiment. This occurs after a limiting velocity upon which the Reynolds number
becomes sufficiently high such that the flow becomes turbulent.
It was observed that as the water flow rate is increased, the mean velocity of water in the
pipe increases, which in-turn increases the Reynolds number. In the laminar flow, the die follows
straight and undisturbed paths. In the transition region, the die experiences some fluctuations
along the tube. Once the flow becomes fully turbulent, the die starts to mix with the flowing
water right when it is injected into the stream.
The flow remains laminar upto a Reynolds number of 2300. Between 2300 and 4000, the
flow exhibits transitional flow and above Reynolds number of 4000, the flow becomes turbulent.