ME753 Page 1 of 1

Assignment no. 6
1. Fig. 1 below shows a room humidifier, in which a circular impeller rotates about its axis with
angular velocity . A conical extension dips into a water-bath, sucking up the liquid (of
density  and viscosity ), which then spreads out over the impeller as a thin laminar film that
rotates everywhere with an angular velocity , eventually breaking into drops after leaving
the periphery.

a) Assuming incompressible steady flow, with symmetry about the vertical (z) axis, and a
relatively small value of Vz, what can you say from the continuity equation about the term
 r Vr 
?
r
b) If the pressure in the liquid film is everywhere atmospheric, simplify the r-momentum
equation and prove that the velocity Vr in the radial direction is a half-parabola in the z-
direction.

c) Derive an expression for the total volumetric flow rate Q.

d) Assuming that the film thickness,, is constant, prove that  is given by:

Fig .1
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2. A closed cylinder tank of 2 meters height and 1 meter diameter contains water. The air space
in the tank above the water surface has a pressure of 100 kPa. Height of water in the tank
before rotation is 1.5 m. If the tank is rotated about its axis with an angular velocity of 12
radians/sec, after reaching steady-state,

a) Derive expressions for velocity components of water in the tank.

b) Derive expressions for the shape of the free surface of water in the tank.
c) Find the value of pressure at the bottom of the tank:
i. At the center.
ii. At the edge.

3. Derive an expression for viscous dissipation in the following vortex flows: -

a. Solid body rotation
b. Free vortex.
Comment on these expressions.