MODULE 6: FLOW IN CLOSED CONDUITS

Introduction
In general, confined or closed conduits flow is flow in a pipe carrying fluids under pressure.
For structural strength and simplicity, circular pipes are commonly used. In addition, for a given
cross-sectional flow area, a circular pipe has the smallest perimeter and surface area in contact
with the flowing fluid. Consequently, circular pipes have the advantage of offering the least
resistance to surface friction, resulting into smaller head losses.
The primary consideration in the design and operation of a pipeline are head losses, forces
and stresses on the pipe material and the rate of flow. For a known discharge of the fluid mass,
the head loss relates to flow efficiency, that is, having knowledge of the optimum size of pipe that
will yield the least cost of installation and operation for the desired flow rate. Choosing a small
pipe that has a low initial cost is not necessarily economically feasible since it may entail
subsequent costs that is excessively great because of high energy costs due to large head losses.
Forces and stresses result from fluid pressure in a pipe. In particular, forces are the consequence
of the change in momentum associated with the flow around bends or through other types of pipe
fittings.
Topic Outcomes
At the end of the module, the students must learn how to:
• Understand the difference between laminar and turbulent flow; and familiarize themselves
with the idea of critical velocity
• Apply the Reynold’s number in determining the flow type of liquid
• Analyze the head losses, whether minor or major, in a pipe flow
• Analyze problems relating to series and parallel pipes
• Apply the principle of a parallel pipe system in making a pipe network
• Apply the head losses in solving for reservoir problems
6.1 LAMINAR AND TURBULENT FLOW; CRITICAL VELOCITY
Experimentally established, the motion of a stream of fluid behaves in two widely distinct
ways:
6.1.1 Laminar Flow
The flow is said to be laminar when the path of individual fluid particles does not cross or
intersect. The flow is always laminar when the Reynold’s number, Re, is less than 2000.
6.1.2 Turbulent Flow
 The flow is said to be turbulent when the path of individual particles are irregular and
continuously cross each other. Turbulent flow normally occurs when the Reynold’s number
exceeds 2000.
Laminar flow in circular pipes can be maintained up to values of Re as high as 50,000.
However, in such cases, this type of flow is inherently unstable, and the least disturbance will
transform it instantly into turbulent flow. On the other hand, it is practically impossible for
turbulent flow in a straight pipe to persist at values of Re much below 2000, because any turbulence
that is set up will be damped out by viscous friction.
6.1.3 Critical Velocity
The critical velocity in pipes is the velocity below which all turbulence is damped out by
the viscosity of the fluid. This is represented by a Reynold’s number of 2000.
6.2 REYNOLD’S NUMBER
Through the efforts of Reynolds, the limiting condition, defining the transition from
laminar to turbulent flow, as mentioned above, was determined. His experiments on pipe flow,
conducted in 1883, and the conclusion Reynolds derived from the results.
Reynold’s Number, which is dimensionless, is the ratio of the inertia force to viscous force.
• For pipes flowing full

where: ʋ = mean velocity in m/s

D = pipe diameter in meter
ν = kinematic viscosity of the fluid in m2/s
μ = absolute or dynamic viscosity in Pa-s
• For non-circular pipes, use D = 4R, then the formula becomes;
NOTE:
(i) Re = 2000, corresponding to the lower or true critical velocity (Vennard, in his Fluid
Mechanics text, suggests Re = 2100)
(ii) Re = 3000, corresponding to the upper critical velocity or the lower limit for turbulent
flow (Blasius characterized turbulent flow for smooth pipes within the limit, 3000 < Re
< 100000)
SAMPLE PROBLEMS:
1. Water having kinematic viscosity ν = 1.3 x 10-6 m2/s flows in a 100-mm diameter pipe at a
velocity of 4.5 m/s. Is the flow laminar or turbulent?

2. Oil of specific gravity 0.80 flows in a 200 mm diameter pipe. Find the critical velocity.
Use μ =8.14 x 10-2 Pa-s.
3. For laminar flow conditions, what size of pipe will deliver 6 liters per second of oil having
kinematic viscosity of 6.1 x 10-6 m2/s?

4. A fluid flows at 0.001 m3/s through a 100-mm diameter pipe. Determine whether the flow
is laminar or turbulent if the fluid is:
a. Hydrogen (ν = 1.08 x 10-4 m2/s)
b. Air (ν = 1.51 x 10-5 m2/s)
c. Gasoline (ν = 4.06 x 10-7 m2/s)
d. Water (ν = 1.02 x 10-6 m2/s)