Venturi Meter

By Vincent El Ghoubaira, Mohamad Abou Daher and Nazih Harb

Table of Content

 Introduction
 Theoretical Background
 Experimental Setup
 Experimental Procedure
 Results and Discussion
 Error Analysis
 Conclusion
 References
Introduction

 Many tools exist to determine the flow rate and one of them is the Venturi
meter.
 A Venturi meter is a device used to determine the fluid flow rate by
measuring the pressure differences.
 Increases the fluid velocity by the use of a converging section.
 An experiment was conducted to better understand the concept, the
characteristics of the Venturi meter, and the validity of the Bernoulli's
equation.
 A relation between Reynolds number and discharge coefficient was
established and found to be almost parabolic.
 The higher the velocity the less the friction.
Theoretical Background

  For the theoretical calculation the following assumptions were made:

- Steady flow
- Frictionless flow
- Incompressible flows
- Streamline flow
 Applying Bernoulli’s equation:
 + = + (A)
 After solving the equation, the following equation was obtained:
 =
   order to take into account friction discharge coefficient Cv was included
In
into the equation
 The equation becomes
 =
 So
 It is important to understand the theoretical in order to apply it in the
industry where it is used to calculate the flow rate.
Experimental Setup
 Water is pumped into the meter through a hose.
 Water passes through the device and another valve before discharging into
the reservoir tank.
 Pressure taps are placed along the venture meter to measure the pressures
along the Venturi tube.
 Common manifold at the top of the manometer
 Hand pump used to adjust pressure in the manifold to adjust water
uniformity.
Experimental Procedure
1. After making sure that the supply valve on the bench and the manometer spindle are
closed, open the exit valve on the Venturi apparatus.
2. Turn on the pump and then slowly open the supply valve until the water starts freely
flowing in the pipe.
3. Release the air out of the tubes by opening the manometer spindle and close the
exit valve in order for the water to fill all the manometers completely until it starts
dripping from the spindle.
4. Close the spindle, then shut the supply valve completely and open the exit valve.
5. Allow some air into the system by slowly opening the spindle in order to push down
the water levels in the manometer tubes to around 160 then close the spindle.
6. Turn the supply valve slightly and wait till the tube levels stabilize and record the
pressure readings for the taps 1 to 6. If the pressure reading for tap 1 exceeds 300 or
tap 6 goes bellow 0, reduce the discharge.
7. Measure 5 times the outflow volume for error analysis.
8. Adjust the supply valve to obtain readings for 5 different flow different
discharges and record the readings.
9. After the experiment is completed, shut the supply valve, then turn off the
pump.
10. Then open the supply valve and spindle to drain the water from the
manometer turbes then shut the supply valve.
Results and Discussion
 Table 1 Tap readings, time needed to fill 5l and volumetric flow rate
Pressure readings (mmH2O)  
1 2 3 4 5 6 Time(s) Volumetric Flow (m3/s)
290 245 192 138 97 13 30.55 0.000164
273 230 186 143 99 35 34.98 0.000143
238 209 179 149 120 77 43.2 0.000116
214 194 173 152 134 102 52.36 0.000095
195 182 169 155 142 122 72.53 0.000069

 Volumetric flow Q=V/t

 As time decreases, the volumetric flow is increasing.
 Table 2 Pressure readings of taps 1 and 6, theoretical and experimental
velocity at tap 1, and the experimental discharge coefficient

Pressure Readings (mm H2O)

1 6 Pressure Drop Experimental Velocity(m/s) Theoretical velocity (m/s) Cv
290 13 277 0.33 0.38 0.86
273 35 238 0.31 0.35 0.88
238 77 161 0.25 0.29 0.86
214 102 112 0.19 0.24 0.81
195 122 73 0.14 0.19 0.72

 Table 3 Pressure readings of taps 2 and 6, theoretical and experimental

velocity at tap 2, and the experimental discharge coefficient

Pressure Readings (mm H2O)

2 6 Pressure Drop Experimental Velocity(m/s) Theoretical velocity (m/s) Cv
245 13 232 0.96 1.13 0.84
230 35 195 0.91 1.04 0.87
209 77 132 0.72 0.85 0.85
194 102 92 0.57 0.71 0.80
182 122 60 0.41 0.58 0.71
  
Table 4 Pressure readings of taps 4 and 6, theoretical and experimental
velocity at tap 4, and the experimental discharge coefficient
Pressure Readings (mm H2O)
4 6 Pressure Drop Experimental Velocity(m/s) Theoretical velocity (m/s) Cv
138 13 125 1.60 1.97 0.81
143 35 108 1.51 1.83 0.82
149 77 72 1.21 1.50 0.81
152 102 50 0.95 1.25 0.76
155 122 33 0.69 1.01 0.68

 =
 V=Q/A
 Cv =
 As pressure drop decreases, theoretical velocity decreases.
 Cv decreases with decrease in velocity.
 Increase in friction as diameter decreases
   Reynolds Number vs Cv at tap 5
0.95

0.9

0.85
Cv

0.8

0.75

0.7
6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 16000 18000 20000

Reynolds Number

 Re =
 As the Reynold number increases, Cv increases minimizing friction losses.
 Theoretical and Experimental Velocities at taps 1 and 2
3

2.5

2
Velocity (m/s)

1.5
Theoretical 1
Logarithmic (Theoretical 1)
Experimental 1
1
Logarithmic (Experimental 1)
Theoretical 2
0.5 Logarithmic (Theoretical 2 )
Experimental 2
Logarithmic (Experimental 2)
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Tap Number
 Theoretical and Experimental Velocities at taps 3, 4 and 5

2.5

Theoretical 3
2 Logarithmic (Theoretical 3)
Experimental 3
Logarithmic (Experimental 3)
1.5
Velocity (m/s)

Theoretical 4
Logarithmic (Theoretical 4)
Experimental 4
1
Logarithmic (Experimental 4)
Theoretical 5
Logarithmic (Theoretical 5)
0.5
Experimental 5
Logarithmic (Experimental 5)

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Tap Number

 Theoretical values greater than the experimental values due to friction losses
in the experimental values.
Error Analysis

Volume (L) Time (s) Volumetric Flow Q(L/s) Volumetric Flow Q(m3/s)*10-3

5 41.74 0.1198 0.1198

5 41.86 0.1194 0.1194

5 41.16 0.1215 0.1215

5 43.17 0.1158 0.1158

5 41.26 0.1212 0.1212

 Q=(0.120±0.003) L/s at 95% confidence.

   Average Error
30

25
Error Percentage

20

15

10

0
1 2 3 4 5 6

Tap Number

 % error = .
 Error sources:
• Random and systematic errors
• Human error
Conclusion
 Venturi meter experiment based on water flowing through a Venturi tube to
measure the pressures across it.
 Fluid velocity increases as the diameter decreases with constant volumetric
flow.
 Theoretical values greater than experimental values since the theoretical
values don’t take into account friction losses.
 As the Reynolds number increases,the friction losses decreases.
 Bernoulli's equation is valid to apply at high fluid velocities.
 Between the theoretical and experimental velocities, and error of around 20
% was found so it is important to take into consideration the friction losses.
References

 Harris, Michael. "A-Z Index." A-Z Index. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.

<http://www.thermopedia.com/content/1241/>.
 <https://uqu.edu.sa/files2/tiny_mce/plugins/filemanager/files/4282164/Ven
turi effect.pdf>.
 "Objectives_template." Objectives_template. Web. 7 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.nptel.ac.in/courses/112104118/lecture-15/15-
1_mesure_flow.htm>.
 White, Frank M. Fluid Mechanics. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.
 "Flow Meter Types - Principle." Flow Meter Types - Principle. Web. 7 Apr.
2015.
<http://www.maxiflo.co.kr/english/technology/flowmetertypes.htm#Pitot>.
Thank You !!!