Pipe Flow: Major and Minor Losses

• When a gas or a liquid flows through a pipe, there is a loss of

pressure in the fluid
• Energy is required to overcome the viscous or frictional forces
exerted by the walls of the pipe on the moving fluid
• Flow also loses energy (or pressure) as it goes through fittings, such
as valves, elbows, contractions and expansions
• Minor losses are mainly due to the fact that flow separates locally as
it moves through such fittings
• The pressure loss in pipe flows is commonly referred to as head loss.
• The frictional losses are referred to as major losses while losses
through valves, fittings, etc. are called minor losses .
• Together they make up the total head losses for pipe flows
• How do we conveniently estimate pressure drop or head loss for
pipes with various components and various types of flow field?
FRICTION FACTOR
 A common parameter used in LAMINAR and
especially in TURBULENT flow is the Fanning
friction factor, f
 ‘f ’is as the ratio defined of wall shear stress to the
product of the density and the velocity head

f 
v  2
2
We know that, for flow of fluid in a circular tube,
 
  DL   P 4 D 2

Sub. the above eqn in the previous one… General Eqn

for “f”

 f  PD
2 v 2 L
32 Lv
For laminar flow, P 
D2
by comparing above two equations,….

f  16 For LAMINAR
Dv flow

16
 f 
N Re
FRICTION L0SS IN BERNOULLI.EQN
 Ina straight pipe…..the friction losses to be used in
B.Eqn is…..
 We know,
 f  PD
2 v 2 L
 Butall the terms in B.Eqn are having the units of
J/kg…..so friction losses is written by modifying the
above eqn as…
 P  L v2
 friction losses    h f  4f
   D 2
2 2
pa v pb v L v2
 gZ a  a
 W P   gZ b   4f b

 2  2 D 2
FRICTION FACTOR---TURBULENT FLOW
 In turbulent flow, it is not possible to predict the value of
‘f ’ theoretically
 It should be determined empirically (experimentally)

 It also depends on surface roughness of the pipe.

 To predict the value ‘f ’ …. Friction factor chart

(MOODY chart) is available
FRICTION FACTOR CHART (MOODY
CHART)
 Relative roughness factors ε/D where ‘ε’ is the roughness
parameter,
 For commercial steel pipe, ε = 4.6 x 10-5m
FRICTION LOSSES IN EXPANSION,
CONTRACTION & PIPE FITTINGS
 Frictionlosses in flow thro straight pipe are calculated by
using Fanning friction factor ‘f ’
 If
the velocity of the fluid is changed in direction or
magnitude, additional friction losses occur.
 This results from additional turbulence which develops
bec’z of vortices and other factors.
 Sudden enlargement losses
 Sudden contraction losses
 Losses in fittings and valves
Sudden enlargement losses
2
va J
hex  K ex          in
2 kg
Sudden contraction losses
2
vb J
hc  K c         
2 kg

Losses in fittings and valves

2
v J
h ff  K f a
       in
2 kg
 We know Bernoulli’s eqn…

pa va2 pb vb2
 gZ a   WP   gZ b   ( Frictionlosses)T
 2  2
 Total
friction losses to be used in Bernoulli’s
equation……

2 2 2
L v2 va vb vb
4f  K ex  Kc Kf
D 2 2 2 2
PROB 2
 An elevated storage tank contains water at 82.2°C as shown in
Fig. It is desired to have a discharge rate at point 2 of
0.223ft3/s. What must be the height H in ft of the surface of the
water in the tank relative to the discharge point? The pipe used
is commercial steel pipe, schedule 40, and the lengths of the
straight portions of pipe are shown.
 Density = 0.97 g/cc ; viscosity = 0.347 cP
For Schedule 40 pipe,
4” = 4.026”
2” = 2.067” and ε = 4.6x10-5m
Kc = 0.55 (for tank – 4”pipe)
Kf = 0.75 (4”elbow & 2”elbow)
Kc = 0.405 (4” – 2” pipe)
1. Contraction loss @ tank exit
2. Friction in 4” pipe
3. Friction in 4” elbow
4. Contraction loss from 4” to 2” pipe
5. Friction in 2” pipe
6. Friction in the two 2” elbow
 v3 = (0.223 ft3 /sec) / CSA of 4” pipe
= 0.7688 m/sec

 v4 = v2 = (0.223 ft3 /sec) / CSA of 2” pipe

= 2.9168 m/sec
1. Contraction loss @ tank exit
2 2
v (0.7688)
hc  K c 3
 0.55  0.1625 J / kg
2 2
2. Friction in 4” pipe
N Re  2.198 x10 5    turbulent

  4.6 x10 m( steelpipe)

5

 / D  4.528 x10 4

from Moody' s chart

 f  0.0047
4 fLv 2
 F .L   0.3312 J / kg
2D
3. Friction in 4” elbow
2
v (0.7688) 2
hf  K f  0.75
3
 0.2216 J / kg
2 2
4. Contraction loss from 4” to 2” pipe

2
v (2.9168) 2
hc  K c 4
 0.405  1.722 J / kg
2 2
5. Friction in 2” pipe
N Re  4.28 x10 5    turbulent
  4.6 x10 5 m( steelpipe)
 / D  8.76 x10  4
from Moody' s chart
 f  0.0048
L  125  10  50  185'  56.388m

2
4 fLv
F .L   87.719 J / kg
2D
6. Friction in the two 2” elbow

v 42 (2.9168) 2
hf  2 x K f  2 x (0.75)  6.3808J / kg
2 2

sum up all frictional losses.........

F .L) T  97.155 J / kg
p1 v12 p2 v 22
 gZ1   W P   gZ 2   ( Frictionlosses) T
 2  2
p1 =p2
 v1<<v2

v 22
 gZ1  gZ 2   ( Frictionlosses ) T
2

 H  10.34m
PROB 3
 Water @ 20ºC is being pumped from a tank at the rate of 5x10-
3 m3/s. All of the piping is 4” schedule 40 pipe. The pump has

an efficiency of 65%. Calculate the kW power needed for the

pump.
Given…for 4” Schedule 40 pipe, D=0.1023m
Kc=0.55 Density = 998.2 kg/m3
Kf=0.75 Viscosity=1.005 cP
Kex=1.0
 Frictional losses are……..

1. Contraction loss @ tank exit

2. Friction in straight pipe
3. Friction in the two elbows
4. Expansion loss @ tank entrance

Velocity = (5x10-3 ) / CSA = 0.6083 m/s

. CONTRACTION LOSS @ TANK
EXIT
v2
hc  K c  0.1017 J / kg
2
2. Friction in straight pipe
MOODY chart.ppt
N Re  6.181x10 4    turbulent
  4.6 x10 5 m( steelpipe) from
 / D  0.00045 Moody' schart , f  0.0051
L  5  50  15  100  170m
4 fLv 2
F .L   6.272 J / kg
2D
 3. FRICTION IN THE TWO
ELBOWS
v2
h f  2K f  0.2774 J / kg
2
4. Expansion loss @ tank entrance
2
v
hex  K ex  0.185 J / kg
2
Total losses = 6.837 J/kg
 By Bernoulli’s eqn…

pa va2 pb vb2
 gZ a   WP   gZ b   ( Frictionlosses)T
 2  2

Wp  236.901J / kg

 Wp  1.182kW
EQUIVALENT LENGTH
 In some applications it is convenient to
calculate pressure drops in fittings from
added equivalent lengths of straight pipe
 ‘Le’ is the equivalent length of st. pipe in m
having the same frictional loss as the fitting.
 The ‘Le’ values for fittings are simply added
to length of the st. pipe to get the total length
of equivalent st. pipe to use in (FL)
FLOW IN NON-CIRCULAR DUCTS
 For flow in a duct of non-circular cross-section, the hydraulic
mean diameter may be used in place of the pipe diameter and
the formulae for circular pipes can then be applied without
introducing a large error. This method of approach is entirely
empirical.

 The hydraulic mean diameter DH is defined as four times the

hydraulic mean radius rH.

 Hydraulic mean radius is defined as the flow cross-sectional

area divided by the wetted perimeter.

rH = (cross sectional area of channel) / (wetted

perimeter of channel)
FEW EXAMPLES……
D 2
 For circular tube…. 4 D
rH  
D 4

 Annulus between two concentric pipes…

 Do 2   Di 2 
    
 4   4   Do  Di
rH 
Di  Do 4

a2 a
 For square duct…. rH  
4a 4
 For rectangular duct….. ab ab
rH  
2a  2b 2(a  b)