1ITP (Introduction to Transport Phenomena) summary:

Intro lectures, looked to set the scene of this module in a wider chemical engineering context
around the transport phenomena theme.

You were told the assessment would be 80% exam (in the summer), 20% class test in week 9.

We considered heat transfer, mass transfer and momentum transfer, as we are interested as
(chemical) engineers in the movement (transport) of energy and mass.

We found that engineers like to try and formulate problems so they can be written as:

driving force
rate of transfer =
resistance

A number of variables and concepts were introduced, and an example paper was given getting you
to look at various units and dimensions to help familiarise you with these things.

01 Units and Dimensions – lecture notes. Key aspect really is understanding the example below,
particularly the creation of a typical element, that is then used to do some form of balance on (here
it is a force balance):

Example 2: Pressure drop in pipes

τ
r

dL
P P+dP
z

τ
L
2
πD
τπD dL=[ P−( P+dP ) ]
4
−D dP
** τ= . **
4 dL

The shear stress is likely to depend on the velocity, v, diameter, D, fluid density, ρ and viscosity, µ, and surface
roughness, e but not much else, so:
τ =f (v , D , ρ , μ , e)
Number of parameters = 6 (, v, D, , , e)
Number of dimensions = 3 (M, L , T)
Number of groups = 3 (6 – 3 = 3)
Take v (covers T), D (covers L), and ρ (covers M) as primary variables, leaving , , e to form groups from:
 −1 −2
τ ML T τ
Π 1= α β γ
= ⇒ γ =1 , α=2 , β=0 ⇒ Π 1 = 2
−1 α β −3 γ
v D ρ (LT ) L (M L ) ρv
−1 −1
μ ML T μ
Π 2= α β γ
= α γ
⇒ γ =1 , α=1 , β=1 ⇒ Π 2=
v D ρ ( L T −1) L β ( M L−3 ) ρvD

ρvD
we will see 2 a lot during the course, but more often as the Reynolds Number, ℜ¿
μ
e L e
Π 3= = ⇒ γ =0 , α =0 , β=1 ⇒ Π 3=
α β γ −1 α β −3 γ
v D ρ (LT ) L ( M L ) D
So we would expect experiments to show that

τ
ρv
2
=f (
μ e
ρvD
,
D )
02 Introduction to Fluids – lecture notes:

We saw that a fluid can be contrasted to a solid by how it responds to a shear stress. We then saw
how analysing two parallel plates leads us to the idea of viscosity and a generalised form of
Newton’s law:

du
τ =μ
dy
We then had a number of definitions of material parameters, before considering fluid statics. In a
static fluid the pressure at a point is the same in all directions, and so this allows us to know that the
pressure along a constant horizontal level in a static fluid is the same. The pressure increases though
with the depth of fluid, we have very generally that:

dP
=ρg
dz
and for an incompressible fluid (density constant) then that

P = P2 – P1 = ρgh

Then saw some manometers (lots of practice questions for these on the example papers) and
buoyancy (which had again later, along with drag coefficient).

We discovered through the worked lecture examples that this fluid pressure exerts a force on
objects, and we can calculate this force and where it acts (by considering the turning force (moment)
generated).

03 Fluids in Motion (fluid mechanics) – lecture notes:

We are introduced to the idea of laminar and turbulent flows (particularly in pipe flow).
If you are interested in some of the history of this, please see the file on canvas
(FluidMec_history.pdf) linked in the additional resources part. This file tries to say a little about the
historical development of fluid mechanics. Note the material on boundary layers is important, but
you will cover more of that around heat and mass transfer next term, and then a lot more in MHM in
the 2nd year and ATP in the 4th year of the course.

L
We derive Δ P=−4 τ again (it is important to be able to do this!) and then for laminar flow are
D o
able to relate this to Newton’s Law to predict the velocity profile in the pipe for laminar flow (called
officially Hagen-Poiseuille flow), this also allows us to find that in laminar flow that

τ 8
ϕ= 2
=ℜ
ρv

For turbulent flow we are reliant on experimentally derived equations (data fitted empirical
equations) or looking up the value of  from a Moody chart. We also note there are different friction
factor, f = 8, Cf = 2, and hope that they are properly defined so we know which one is being stated
– clearly if we are looking them up it is our choice which to use!

04 Fluid Energy Balance – lecture notes:

Saw

(i) conservation of mass (mass flow at steady state is the same at any point, and so if fluid is
incompressible the volume flow is the same), also called continuity equations;
(ii) conservation of energy – this leads to the Bernoulli equation;
(iii) conservation of momentum – this leads to forces on pipe work when fluid is accelerated
(either by changing the diameter of pipes or by changing the direction of flow, note that
the reaction force experienced may often also need to include the pressure). It can also
be used to find the force a fluid jet will exert on a surface.

We then extended the Bernoulli equation to see how we could cope with frictional losses.

Worked Examples #1

1. Can you apply Pascal’s law in an incompressible, static fluid, so P = gh? Can you relate the
Pressure at point P, Q and R? You need to know very little to be able to do this question (i)
the pressure at a horizontal level in a static fluid is the same (this is always true) and (ii) the
pressure due to the fluid at the bottom of a static incompressible fluid column is gh, where
h is the vertical height.
2. This question needs you to know again that the pressure in a particular depth, y in an
incompressible static fluid is gy. It then needs you to recognise that as the pressure
changes with depth, the force on the object changes with depth, and so we need a means to
calculate the total force, we found out that to do this correctly we should integrate.
 h+ w

∫ ρgy
¿
. wdy
¿
h ¿
¿

3. Similar idea to 2, but now we also need to know where the equivalent horizontal force acts,
so we have to also do a moment balance (turning force balance – think see-saws or levers).
h
1
Γ =∫ y . ρgy .1 dy = ρgh y cp
2

0 ¿ ¿
¿
¿ 2 ¿
¿
¿ ¿
¿

4. More complex geometry than 2 and 3, allows us to see in a static fluid situation, a clever
choice of the freebody diagram we draw can help a lot (here it turns it into a geometry
problem rather than a very tricky integral around a curved surface).

5. A venturi meter, variation of qu 1 (which was an orifice plate), and also includes use of
Bernoulli to relate the velocities to the pressure drop which is measured by the manometer.

6. Do you know Bernoulli and can you apply it, is it clear to you the P2 will be Pa, are you happy
with the assumption the surface velocity is approximately 0? Do you recognise the use of a
discharge coefficient to deal with losses in such a situation?

7. Can you convert Force to pressure and apply Bernoulli?

8. Can you extend the information generated in #6, then integrate this to find how long it takes
to empty the tank?

Worked Examples #2 (as of 6/11/23 not done yet)

du
1. Can you set up the problem and recognise need τ =μ , do you understand the required
dr
assumptions (laminar flow, incompressible fluid, linear velocity gradient) and why you
couldn’t yet solve the problem if you didn’t assume these?

2. Simple check of fluid statics and unit conversion.

3. Geometry and manometers, are you happy when in less simple geometries and the impact
this has on the problem set up?
4. A much more testing example, can you keep at a problem and working through how to get
information from the situation to eventually get to an answer?