FRICTION LOSSES IN PIPES

Date: 11th January, 2023

Samuel Aidoo Jerry Mary Doe
Department of Chemical Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Sci. and Tech.

REPORT ABSTRACT
INFO This laboratory report seeks to determine the effect of
Keywords:
flow regime, pipe diameter and fittings on the pressure
Pressure drops
drop of fluids flowing through pipes. It also provides
Friction loss
Friction factor information about the different flow regimes or regions

Reynolds number and how Reynolds number affects pressure drop and
Flow regime
friction factor. Virtual friction loss setup is used in the

study to show a correlation between pressure drop,

Reynolds number, fittings and flow rates. This has a

significant impact on fluid transmission economics

because greater pressure must be provided at the

pipeline's entry to offset pressure loss downstream.

Pipe diameter has a significant effect on flow

characteristics and frictional losses.

At the end of the experiment, it was proven that the

pipe diameter, flow regime and fittings have an effect

on the pressure drop of fluids flowing through pipes.

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1.0. INTRODUCTION
Fluid flow in pipes is a fundamental concept in fluid mechanics with wide-ranging

applications in various industries such as oil and gas, water distribution and chemical

processing. Fluid flow can be considered as laminar, turbulent or transitional. The type of

flow is determined using the Reynolds number (Re). Reynolds number greater than 4000

implies turbulent flow, Re less than 2100 implies laminar flow and 2100<Re<4000 implies

transitional flow (Zhao et al, 1996). Friction occurs due to relative motion between two

surfaces in contact and in the case of fluid flow in pipes, friction occurs between the fluid and

the pipe surface leading to friction loss in pipes.

Friction loss is the loss of pressure or energy that occurs as a fluid moves through a pipe due

to the resistance encountered from the pipe walls and the friction between the fluid and the

pipe surface. This energy loss manifests as a decrease in pressure along the length of the pipe,

ultimately reducing the flow rate and efficiency of the system. Calculating the friction loss is

essential to determine the amount of pressure sufficient to deliver fluids from one end to the

other of pipes (Prosser et al, 1978). The effect of friction loss in pipes is the pressure drop

across the pipe. Factors that affect the pressure drop in pipes are the pipe length, the pipe

roughness, the flow velocity, pipe diameter, fluid viscosity and fittings and bends in the pipe.

All these factors are expressed in the Darcy-Weisbach equation.

( )
2
L v
ΔP = 4 f ρ ……………. eqn 1.
D 2

In this equation, the dimensionless Darcy friction factor (fD) is employed to characterize

frictional losses within pipes. This friction factor is contingent upon both the Reynolds

number and the surface roughness of the pipe for turbulent flows, whereas, for laminar flows,

it solely relies on the Reynolds number (Turian et al, 1978). The determination of this factor

2
is frequently facilitated by referencing the Moody chart. Notably, the Darcy friction factor is

fourfold that of the Fanning friction factor (fD = 4fF).

When friction loss in pipes is not negligible and affects the flow of fluids, this can lead to

finding means of increasing the pressure of the system which ultimately leads to several

economic implications such as increased energy consumption, reduced system efficiency,

higher maintenance costs and constraints on the system design.

1.1. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To ascertain how fittings, pipe diameter, and flow regime affect the pressure drop between

pipes.

2.0. METHODOLOGY
The virtual friction loss app was used. The app on the desktop was double-clicked to open it.

The inlet and the outlet valves were opened by clicking on them. The manometer was

connected to the first pipe with a diameter of 6 mm and a length of 1 m. The flow rate was

adjusted for ten data values and the head loss across the pipe was measured and recorded.

The same procedure was repeated for four different pipes with diameters of 10 mm, 17 mm,

17 mm and 17 mm respectively.

3
Figure 1: Virtual friction loss app or software interface (source: Dr Jude K Bonsu, Unit

Operations Lab II)

Relations used:

( )
2
L v
ΔP = 4 f ρ ……………. eqn 1.
D 2

2
v
ΔP = 4 f ¿ ( )
ρ ……………. eqn 2.
D 2

ρvd
Re =
μ

ΔP = ρgh

2
πd
A=
4

Q = vA

Where

ΔP = Pressure drop (cmHg or Pa)

f is the Fanning friction factor

D is the diameter of the pipe (m)

L is the length of the pipe m)

v is the fluid velocity (m/s)

ρ is the density of the fluid (in kg/𝑚3)

Le / D = Equivalent Lenth /Pipe Diameter

Q = flowrate (m3 /s)

4
μ = viscosity of water = 1 cP or 1 × 10-3 Pa. s

3.0. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

A Graph of ΔP(Pa) against Re for Pipe 1

160000

140000

120000

100000

80000

60000

40000

20000

0
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000

Figure 2. A graph of Pressure drop against Reynolds number for Pipe 1

A Graph of friction factor(f) against Re for Pipe 1

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000

Figure 3. A graph of friction factor against Reynolds number for Pipe 1

5
 A Graph of ΔP(Pa) against Re for pipe 2
45000
40000
35000
30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000

Figure 4. A graph of Pressure drop against Reynolds number for Pipe 2

A Graph of friction factor(f) against Re for Pipe 2

1.2

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000

Figure 5. A graph of friction factor against Reynolds number for Pipe 2

6
 A Graph of ΔP(Pa) against Re for Pipe 3
35000

30000

25000

20000

15000

10000

5000

0
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000

Figure 6. A graph of Pressure drop against Reynolds number for Pipe 3

A Graph of friction factor(f) against Re for Pipe 3

0.7

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000

Figure 7. A graph of friction factor against Reynolds number for Pipe 3

7
 A Graph of ΔP(Pa) against Re for Pipe 4
12000

10000

8000

6000

4000

2000

0
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000

Figure 8. A graph of Pressure drop against Reynolds number for Pipe 4

A Graph of friction factor(f) against Re for Pipe 4

0.7

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000

Figure 9. A graph of friction factor against Reynolds number for Pipe 4

8
 A Graph of ΔP(Pa) against Re for Pipe 5
45000
40000
35000
30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000
`

Figure 10. A graph of Pressure drop against Reynolds number for Pipe 5

A Graph of friction factor(f) against Re for Pipe 5

0.7

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000

Figure 11. A graph of friction factor against Reynolds number for Pipe 5

3.1. Discussion on graphs of pressure drop against Reynolds number

From pipe 1 to pipe 5 it can be seen from the graphs that pressure drops increase with

Reynolds number. A higher Reynolds number results in higher pressure drop values.
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Reynolds numbers for the various flow regimes that is laminar, transitional and turbulent

flow are less than 2100, between 2100 and 4000 and above 4000 respectively (Zhao et al,

1996). The velocity in the laminar regime is very low and an increase in this velocity causes

an increase in the turbulence of the fluid causing the other flow regimes. It can be seen from

the graphs that from 2100 below the curve is almost linear but begins to deviate from

linearity from between 2100 to 4000 where the flow begins to rise steadily. An increase in

velocity through the pipes causes an increase in pressure drop. Pipes 1 and 2 recorded higher

pressure drops compared to all the pipes for higher velocities, the highest value being

137149.9Pa. This is due to the smaller diameter of pipe 1 and 2, pipes with larger diameter

experience lower pressure drops because they offer less resistance to flow allowing fluids to

move more freely with less frictional losses. Conversely, smaller diameter pipes result in

higher pressure drops due to increased resistance and higher velocities, leading to greater

frictional losses. Increasing velocity in small-diameter pipes causes large pressure drops

across the pipes. Pipes 3 to 5 have equal diameters but have fittings or valves on them. Pipe 3

has a globe, pipe 4 a returned bend and pipe 5 a globe valve and a returned bend. From the

graph, pipe 5 recorded the highest pressure drop compared to pipes 3 and 4. This is due to the

presence of fittings (returned bend and globe valve) which causes fluids to change direction

and causes an increase in turbulence and additional friction. This affects the smooth flow of

the fluids, causing energy loss and higher resistance which reduces the pressure of the fluids

causing higher pressure drops compared to straight pipes. Also, from the pressure drop

equation (eqn 1), pressure drop is directly proportional to the velocity and length-to-diameter

ratio hence increasing the velocity of a fluid causes an increase in the pressure drop and also

for the constant length of pipe bigger diameter causes lesser pressure drops than the smaller

diameter of pipes.

3.2. Discussion on graphs of friction factor against Reynolds number

10
The graph of friction factor against the Reynolds number for all five pipes showed a similar

pattern. The friction factor is a dimensionless quantity used to characterize the frictional

resistance encountered by fluids flowing through a pipe (Kamel & Shaqliah, 2015). The

Reynolds number is also a dimensionless quantity used to predict the flow regime of fluids

within a pipe. A plot of friction factor against Reynolds shows the regions in the flow regime

and their subsequent frictional losses. From the graphs, the highest friction loss value from all

the pipes was recorded with the lowest Reynolds number at the point of entry of the fluid this

then decreases to around 2000 which indicates an end to the laminar regime and starts to rise

again to a maximum value mostly between 2000 and 3000 before it starts to decline once

again. The higher friction factor at the inlets of the pipes can be accounted for by the

difference in pressure between the fluid and the empty pipe causing slowed motion and

higher frictional losses. The Reynolds number is directly proportional to velocity hence as the

flow increases, the flow regime changes from laminar to turbulent which causes lower

frictional losses and hence low friction factor values. This explains the decline in friction

factor in the turbulent regime as the velocity increases. This shows an inverse relation

between the friction factor and the Reynolds number (Kamel & Shaqliah, 2015).

4.0. CONCLUSION
From the results of the experiment, it can be deduced that smaller-diameter pipes have larger

pressure drops than larger pipe diameters. Also, the presence of fittings and valves on pipes

increases the pressure drop due to increased resistance and turbulence than in straight pipes.

It was further deduced that pressure drop increases with increasing Reynolds number. The

Reynolds number hence affects the pressure drop and establishes flow regimes. In

conclusion, it can be said that pipe diameter, fittings and flow regime affect the pressure drop

in pipes.

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5.0. REFERENCES
Kamel, A.H. and Shaqlaih, A.S., 2015. Frictional pressure losses of fluids flowing in

circular conduits: A review. SPE Drilling & Completion, 30(02), pp.129-140.

Prosser, L.E., Worster, R.C. and Bonnington, S.T., 1951. Friction losses in turbulent

pipe flow. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, 165(1), pp.88-111.

TURIAN, R.M., Hsu, F.L. and Selim, M.S., 1983. Friction losses for flow of slurries

in pipeline bends, fittings, and valves. Particulate Science and Technology, 1(4),

pp.365-392.

Zhao, T.S. and Cheng, P., 1996. Experimental studies on the onset of turbulence and

frictional losses in an oscillatory turbulent pipe flow. International journal of heat and

fluid flow, 17(4), pp.356-362

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6.0. APPENDIX
Flowrate(cm3/s) Flowrate(m3/s) Head ΔP(Pa) velocity(m/s) Re f

loss(cmHg)

2 0.000002 0.6 796.6112 0.070707071 424.2424 0.478016

6 0.000006 1.6 2124.297 0.212121212 1272.727 0.141634

10 0.00001 16.2 21508.5 0.353535354 2121.212 0.516257

13 0.000013 25 33192.14 0.45959596 2757.576 0.471416

16 0.000016 35.4 47000.06 0.565656566 3393.939 0.440671

19 0.000019 47.3 62799.52 0.671717172 4030.303 0.417546

22 0.000022 60.6 80457.74 0.777777778 4666.667 0.399005

25 0.000025 75.5 100240.2 0.883838384 5303.03 0.384962

27 0.000027 86.1 114313.7 0.954545455 5727.273 0.37638

30 0.00003 103.3 137149.9 1.060606061 6363.636 0.36577

Flowrate(cm3/ Flowrate(m3/ Head ΔP(Pa) velocity(m/ Re F

s) s) loss(cmHg s)

4 0.000004 0.4 531.427 0.050909 509.090 1.025234

3 9

7 0.000007 0.4 531.427 0.089091 890.909 0.33477

3 1

12 0.000012 0.5 664.284 0.152727 1527.27 0.142394

2 3

15 0.000015 0.7 929.997 0.190909 1909.09 0.127585

13
 8 1

19 0.000019 4.5 5978.55 0.241818 2418.18 0.511197

7 2

27 0.000027 7.9 10495.6 0.343636 3436.36 0.444409

9 4

35 0.000035 12.1 16075.6 0.445455 4454.54 0.405072

8 5

43 0.000043 17.2 22851.3 0.547273 5472.72 0.381483

7 7

54 0.000054 25.3 33612.7 0.687273 6872.72 0.355808

8 7

62 0.000062 32.1 42647.0 0.789091 7890.90 0.342456

4 9

Flowrate(cm3/ Flowrate(m3/ Head ΔP(Pa) velocity(m/ Re f

s) s) loss(cmHg s)

7 0.000007 0.3 398.305 0.030827 524.064 0.584029

6 2

14 0.000014 0.5 663.842 0.061655 1048.12 0.243345

7 8

21 0.000021 0.7 929.379 0.092482 1572.19 0.151415

8 3

29 0.000029 4.6 6107.35 0.127713 2171.12 0.52176

3 3

14
36 0.000036 6.5 8629.95 0.15854 2695.18 0.478429

5 7

42 0.000042 8.4 11152.5 0.184964 3144.38 0.454245

6 5

49 0.000049 10.8 14339 0.215791 3668.44 0.429083

58 0.000058 14.3 18985.9 0.255426 4342.24 0.405499

64 0.000064 16.8 22305.1 0.28185 4791.44 0.391254

1 4

76 0.000076 22.6 30005.6 0.334696 5689.84 0.373242

Flowrate(cm3/ Flowrate(m3/ Head ΔP(Pa) velocity(m/ Re f

s) s) loss(cmHg s)

11 0.000011 0.3 398.305 0.048443 823.529 0.634152

6 4

16 0.000016 0.3 398.305 0.070462 1197.86 0.299736

6 1

26 0.000026 0.4 531.074 0.114501 1946.52 0.151346

2 4

31 0.000031 2 2655.37 0.136521 2320.85 0.53231

1 6

38 0.000038 2.8 3717.51 0.167348 2844.92 0.495962

15
 9

43 0.000043 3.4 4514.13 0.189368 3219.25 0.470327

49 0.000049 4.2 5576.27 0.215791 3668.44 0.447419

9 9

54 0.000054 4.9 6505.65 0.237811 4042.78 0.4298

8 1

61 0.000061 6 7966.11 0.268638 4566.84 0.412429

2 5

73 0.000073 8 10621.4 0.321485 5465.24 0.383974

8 1

Flowrate(cm3/ Flowrate(m3/ Head ΔP(Pa) velocity(m/ Re f

s) s) loss(cmHg s)

7 0.000007 0.4 531.074 0.030827 524.064 0.644082

2 2

13 0.000013 0.5 663.842 0.057251 973.262 0.233432

20 0.00002 0.7 929.379 0.088078 1497.32 0.138075

8 6

28 0.000028 1 1327.68 0.123309 2096.25 0.100638

5 7

37 0.000037 8.2 10887.0 0.162944 2770.05 0.472593

2 3

16
44 0.000044 10.9 14471.7 0.193772 3294.11 0.44422

7 8

54 0.000054 15.3 20313.5 0.237811 4042.78 0.413982

9 1

61 0.000061 18.8 24960.4 0.268638 4566.84 0.398635

9 5

70 0.00007 23.7 31466.1 0.308273 5240.64 0.381618

4 2

82 0.000082 30.9 41025.4 0.36112 6139.03 0.362583

8 7

DECLARATION
I declare that:
 This report is my unaided work and is a true reflection of the lab I participated in.
 Large portions of it have not been submitted by another student for assessment.
 Significant portions of it were not copied from an internet source or a book.
 Significant portions of it were not written using chatgpt or any other AI tool.
 If any of the above statements turn out to be false, I forfeit the marks awarded to this
report.

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Name Date Signature

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Name Date Signature

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