KING FAISAL UNIVERSITY

College of Engineering
Fluid Mechanics Lab (312)

Name & No. of

Experiment
)3 ( Flow Measurement

Date of Submission
18 2 2024
the Report

• Abdulelah Hussain Alabdulwahab - 220026262

Students’ names & • Qasem Mwafaq Alsuliman - 220027039
ID numbers • Mohammed Alqadim 220025260
• Mohannad Alkadhim - 220019578

Group no. Group #2

Section no.-Section
Sec 1 – Sunday
Day

Lab Instructor Eng.Amerِ Aljabr

Abstract:
The experiment teaches students about measuring fluid discharge using Venturi,
orifice plate, and Rotameter methods, utilizing the Steady-Flow Energy Equation and
Bernoulli's equation.

Introduction:
Flow measurement of water from a hydraulic bench typically involves using various
instruments to quantify the rate at which water moves through a system. Hydraulic
benches are common in fluid mechanics laboratories and are used to demonstrate
principles of flow measurement and fluid behavior.

The water flow rate can be measured using instruments such as flow meters, which
come in various types such as orifice meters, venturi meters, and rotameters. These
meters work on different principles but essentially measure the volume or velocity of
water passing through them to determine the flow rate.

Additionally, the flow of water can be visualized using dye injection or by using flow
visualization techniques such as adding particles to the water to observe the flow
patterns. These techniques help in understanding the behavior of water flow in the
hydraulic bench setup.

Overall, flow measurement of water from a hydraulic bench is a fundamental aspect

of fluid mechanics education and research, providing insights into the principles of
flow and fluid behavior in various systems.

Objectives:
The flow measurement experiment familiarizes students with the typical methods of
measuring the discharge of an essentially incompressible fluid, whilst giving
applications of the Steady-Flow Energy Equation and Bernoulli's equation. The
discharge is determined using a Venturi meter, an orifice plate meter, and a
Rotameter.

Theory:
Bernoulli’s Equation Demonstration Bernoulli’s theorem states that: “The total head
of flowing liquid between two points remains constant assuming there are no loss due
to friction and no gain due to application of external work between the two points”.
The total head (Ht) of a flowing liquid is made up of Elevation head (Hz), pressure head
(Hs) and velocity head (Hv) and according to Bernoulli’s theorem the total head is
constant between any two points along the streamline of a flowing fluid.

Figure 1: The Steady Flow

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Where:
Ht is the total head (m),
V is the average velocity (m/s),
P is the pressure (Pa),
Z is the elevation (m),
 is the density (Kg/m3 ) and
g is the gravitational acceleration (m/s2 ).

Thus between point 1 and 2 for example (Figure 1)

If the Bernoulli’s tube is horizontal then Z1 = Z2 and if loss between point 1 and 2 is
negligible then the equation becomes

If point 1 and point 2 are of different diameters, then V1 and V2 are different. It is
demonstrated by the difference in manometer water level reading between point 1
and 2.
Therefore

From continuity

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Orifice (between points E and F)
For orifice Coefficient of discharge introduced in equation due to high head losses

Rotameter
For Rotameter use the calibration curve shown in Figure 2 to find flow rate through
the Rotameter.

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Methods and Materials:
Figure 3 shows the Flow Measurement apparatus. Water from the
Hydraulic Bench enters the equipment through a venturi meter, which
consists of a gradually converging section, followed by a throat, and a
long gradually diverging section. After a change in cross-section
through a rapidly diverging section, the flow continues along a settling
length and through an orifice plate meter. This is manufactured in
accordance with BS1042, from a plate with a hole of reduced diameter
through which the fluid flows [Figure 4]. The H10 has eleven
manometers, nine are connected to tapping's in the pipework and two
are left free for other measurements.

Figure 3: Flow Measurement Apparatus

Figure 4: Explanatory Diagram of the Flow Measurement Apparatus

Experimental Procedure:
1- Connect Power supply of the hydraulic Bench.
2- Check that the valve on hydraulic bench is open and the control valve on the
apparatus are closed.
3- Operate the pump, then open the control valve on the apparatus to give a
Rotameter reading of 25 mm.
4- Check that all pipes and manometers are empty from air bubbles.
5- Record all manometer readings.
6- Record the time taken to ‘collect’ a given amount of water in the volumetric tank
(with the drain valve in place). For improved accuracy at greater flow rates, measure
a larger volume. Ensure the water level is at 0 before readings are taken.

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7- Drain the water collected in the volumetric tank, simply by lifting the drain valve,
allowing water to return to the sump tank.
8- Repeat the experiment for rotameter readings of 50 mm, 75 mm, 100 mm, 125 mm,
and 150 mm.

Results:
Test Number
1 2 3 4 5 6
Rotameter (mm) 25 50 75 100 125 150
A 200 212 234 266 298 342
B 190 188 184 180 174 166
Manometer C 195 206 222 242 264 298
D 195 206 222 242 264 298
Level (mm) E 193.5 208 226 248 272 310
F 189.5 184 174 160 146 120
Water collected (L) 5 5 5 5 5 5
Time (s) 59.89 35.00 23.00 19.10 15.30 12.90
Venturi 0.068 0.129 0.187 0.239 0.288 0.349
Mass Flow Orifice 0.534 0.310 0.193 0.251 0.300 0.369
Rate ṁ (kg/s) Rotameter 0.058 0.115 0.175 0.233 0. 296 0.350
Weight 0.0835 0.1428 0.2174 0.2617 0.3268 0.3876
Tank
Table 1: Experimental Results

Section B C E F
Diameter (mm) 16 26 51.9 20
Area (𝑚𝑚2 ) 201.06 530.93 2115.56 314.16
Area (𝑚2 ) 0.00020106 0.00053093 0.00211556 0.00031416

Table 2: Piezometer Area

Sample of Calculations:- (Area of section B)
𝝅𝑫𝟐𝑩
𝑨=
𝟒
16
𝜋(1000)2
𝐴= = 0.00020106 𝑚2
4

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 Rotameter Reading Time (s) Time Collected Collected Collected
(mm) (min) water (L) water (L/s) water (L/min)
25 59.89 0.998 5 0.0834 5.009
50 35.00 0.583 5 0.143 8.571
75 23.00 0.383 5 0.217 13.043
100 19.10 0.318 5 0.262 15.707
125 15.30 0.255 5 0.327 19.608
150 12.90 0.215 5 0.388 23.256
Table 3: Mass Flow Rate by Weight Tank

Sample of Calculations:- (At 25 mm)

𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑾𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 (𝑳) 𝟓
𝒎̇𝑾𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑻𝒂𝒏𝒌 = = = 𝟓. 𝟎𝟎𝟗 𝑳/𝒎𝒊𝒏
𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆 (𝒎𝒊𝒏) 𝟎. 𝟗𝟗𝟖

Sample of Calculations:- (Test no. 1)

Venturi (At 25 mm)
ℎ𝐵 = 0.190 𝑚 , ℎ𝐶 = 0.195 𝑚 , 𝑔 = 9.81 𝑚/𝑠 2

𝟐𝒈(𝒉𝑩 − 𝒉𝑪 )
𝑽𝑪 = √
𝑨
𝟏 − ( 𝑪 )𝟐
𝑨𝑩

2 × 9.81(0.190 − 0.195)
𝑉𝐶 = √ = 0.128 𝑚/𝑠
0.00053093
1 − (0.00020106)2

𝑸𝑽𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒊 = 𝑨𝑪 𝑽𝑪
𝑄𝑉𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑖 = 0.00053093 × 0.128 = 0.0000679 𝑚3 /𝑠

𝒎̇𝑽𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒊 = 𝝆𝒘 𝑸𝑽𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒊
𝑚̇ 𝑉𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑖 = 1000 × 0.0000679 = 0.068 𝑘𝑔/𝑠

Orifice (At 25 mm)

ℎ𝐵 = 0.1935 𝑚 , ℎ𝐶 = 0.1895 𝑚 , 𝑔 = 9.81 𝑚/𝑠 2

𝟐𝒈(𝒉𝑬 − 𝒉𝑭 )
𝑽𝑭 = 𝑪√ 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝐶 = 0.601
𝑨
𝟏 − (𝑨𝑭 )𝟐
𝑬

2 × 9.81(0.1935 − 0.1895)
𝑉𝐹 = 0.601 × √ = 0.170 𝑚/𝑠
0.00031416 2
1−( )
0.00211556

𝑸𝑶𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒆 = 𝑨𝑭 𝑽𝑭
𝑄𝑂𝑟𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒 = 0.00031416 × 0.170 = 0.000534 𝑚3 /𝑠

𝒎̇𝑶𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒆 = 𝝆𝒘 𝑸𝑶𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒆
𝑚̇ 𝑂𝑟𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒 = 1000 × 0.000534 = 0.534 𝑘𝑔/𝑠

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 Figure 5: Rotameter Reading vs Flow Rate

Sample of Calculations:- (At 25 mm)

Q = 3.5 L/min = 3.5 kg/min
3.5
(𝑚̇) = = 0.0583 𝑘𝑔/𝑠
60

Rotameter (mm) 25 50 75 100 125 150

Mass Venturi 0.068 0.129 0.187 0.239 0.288 0.349
Flow Rate Rotameter 0.058 0.115 0.175 0.233 0.296 0.350
(kg/s) Weight Tank 0.0835 0.1428 0.2174 0.2617 0.3268 0.3876
Difference Venturi 0.0155 0.0138 0.0304 0.0227 0.0388 0.0386
in (kg/s) Rotameter 0.0255 0.0278 0.0424 0.0287 0.0308 0.0376
Table 4: Difference between the flow rate & the weight tank flow rate

• Weight Tank (at 25 mm) = 0.0835 kg/s

• Difference between the flow rate of each meter and the weight tank flow rate. (at 25 mm)
Venturi = Venturi – weight tank = |0.068 − 0.0835| = 0.0155 𝑘𝑔/𝑠
Rotameter = Rotameter – weight tank = |0.058 − 0.0835| = 0.0255 𝑘𝑔/𝑠

Graph:

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Discussion:
In this experiment, we calculated the flow rate by three methods, which are by orifice
meter, a venturi meter, and a rotameter, and each method gave us different readings.
We taked the readings at different levels to make the data more reliable. for orifice
meter, we observe that it has the highest value of flow rate compare with the venturi
mater and rotameter, and this indicate that the highest pressure occurs in this piece.

Conclusion:
An orific meter, a venturi meter, and a rotameter were used in this experiment to
measure the flow rate. The functioning and properties of this measurement technique
will be ascertained by comparing the pressure drop, which will be computed in
relation to the fluid velocity in the pipe using the Bernoulli and Continuity equations.
Nevertheless, the information gathered from every device produced outcomes that
differed from the anticipated flow rate. This discrepancy may be attributed to
uncertainties that emerged from mistakes made throughout the experiment.

References:
• Fluid mechanics laboratory manual.

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