Engineering

Hydraulics

Pipeline Calculations
 Pipeline Calculations
 In pipeline calculations the relationship between
head-loss and discharge

 The method involves balancing the difference in head at the

two ends against the sum of all the head changes along the
pipeline:

H(end) – H(start) = sum of head changes along the pipe

 Head changes H are:

positive for pumps
negative for turbines and frictional and minor losses.
 Pipeline Calculations
Reservoirs indicate the head at each end of the pipe
Typical pipeline problems
are: given two of the following
parameters, find the third.

Head loss: h
Quantity of flow: Q
Diameter: D

Length: L Roughness: ks
Kinematic viscosity: ν
Minor loss coefficient: K
Pipeline Calculations
Pipeline calculations involve:

(1) Head losses friction

(1)

(2) Friction factor Colebrook-White equation

(2)
 Pipeline Calculations
 In most problems it is necessary to solve (Eq. 2) iteratively.
 The exception is the calculation Q when h and D are
known, the Reynolds-number can be expanded to give:

The combination λV2 can be found from (Eq. 1), λ can be found directly

Knowledge of both λV2 and λ allows one to find V and hence Q.

Example
A pipeline 10 km long, 300 mm diameter and with roughness 0.03 mm,
conveys water from a reservoir (top water level 850 m above datum) to
a water treatment plant (700 m above datum).

Assuming that the reservoir remains full, and neglecting minor losses,
estimate the quantity of flow.
Take ν = 1.0*10–6 m2 s–1.

Known parameters ;
L = 10 000 m
D = 0.3m
h = 850 – 700 = 150m
ks= 3X10-5 m
ν = 1.0X10-6 m2 s-1 Type 1:
Diameter D and head difference h known;
Q=? find the quantity of flow Q.
Dynamic and Kinematic Viscosity of
Water in SI Units
 Solution
Since D and h are known, the head-loss equation enables us to find λV2

Hence, rewriting the Colebrook-White equation,

Hence
 Solution
Knowledge of both λV2 and λ gives

Finally, the quantity of flow may be computed as velocity X area:

Answer: Quantity of flow (Q) = 0.1788 m3 s–1

Example
The outflow from a pipeline is 30 L s–1. The pipe diameter
is 150 mm, length 500 m and roughness estimated at
0.06 mm. Find the head loss along the pipe.

Known parameters:
Q = 0.03 m3 s–1
L = 500 m
D = 0.15 m
ks = 6X10–5 m
ν = 1.0*10–6 m2 s–1
Type 2:
h = ???? Diameter D and quantity of flow Q known;
find the head difference h.
 Solution
Inspect the head-loss equation:

We can get V from Q and D, but to find h we will require the friction factor.

First V:

Inspect the Colebrook-White equation:

To use this we require the Reynolds number:

 Solution
Substituting values for ks, D and Re in the Colebrook-White equation and
rearranging:

Iterating from an initial guess, with successive values substituted into the Eq
Initial guess: λ = 0.01
First iteration λ = 0.01841
Second iteration λ = 0.01784
Third iteration λ = 0.01787
Fourth iteration λ = 0.01787
λ can then be substituted in the head-loss equation to derive h:
 Example
A flow of 0.4 m3 s–1 is to be conveyed from a head works at
1050 m above datum to a treatment plant at 1000 m
above datum. The length of the pipeline is 5 km. Estimate
the required diameter, assuming that ks = 0.03 mm.

Known parameters:
Q = 0.4 m3 s–1
h = 50 m
L = 5000 m
ks = 3X10–5 m
ν = 1.0X10–6 m2 s–1
Type 3 (Sizing problem):
D = ????? Quantity of flow Q and available head h known;
find the required diameter D
 Solution
Before iterating, try to write D
in terms of λ. From the head-
loss equation:

Substituting values of Q, L and h gives (D in metres)

(*)

The Colebrook-White equation for λ is:

The Reynolds number can be written in terms of the diameter D:

 Solution
Substituting this expression for Re we obtain an iterative formula for

(**)

Iterate (*) and (**) in turn, until convergence.

Guess: λ = 0.01 D = 0.4210 m
Iteration 1: λ = 0.01293 D = 0.4432 m
Iteration 2: λ = 0.01276 D = 0.4420 m
Iteration 3: λ = 0.01277 D = 0.4421 m
Iteration 4: λ = 0.01277 D = 0.4421 m

commercial pipes are only made with certain standard diameters

and the next available larger diameter should be chosen
 Energy and Hydraulic Grade Lines

Energy Grade Line is a

collection of all points
along the axis of the pipe
which show the energy of
flow

Hydraulic Grade Line is the

locus of elevations to
which the water would rise
if open to atmospheric
pressure along a pipe
 Energy and Hydraulic Grade Lines

 Three elevations may be drawn

p is the gauge pressure (pressure relative to atmospheric)

Energy Grade Line
 Shows the change in total head along the pipeline.
– starts at level of water in supply reservoir;
– small discontinuities correspond to entry loss, exit loss or other
minor losses;
– steady downward slope reflects pipe friction (slope change if pipe
radius changes);
– large discontinuities correspond to turbines (loss of head) or
pumps (gain of head)
Non-frictional losses can often be ignored
 The EGL always lies a distance V2/2g above the HGL. For
uniform pipes, the two are parallel.
 The EGL represents, at any station, the maximum height to
which water may be delivered
Hydraulic Grade Line
 Shows the change in piezometric head along the pipeline.
 For pipe flow the HGL lies a distance p/ρg above the pipe
centreline.
Thus, the difference between pipe elevation and hydraulic
grade line gives the static pressure p.
If the HGL drops below pipe elevation this means negative
gauge pressures (less than atmospheric). This is generally
undesirable since
– extraneous matter may be sucked into the pipe through any
leaks;
– for large negative gauge pressures, dissolved gases may
come out of solution and cause cavitation damage.
 A hydraulic grade line more than patm/ρg (about 10 m of water)
below the pipeline is impossible
Hydraulic Grade Lines
Hydraulic Grade Lines
Energy and Hydraulic Grade Lines
Energy and Hydraulic Grade Lines
Pumped system
Example
Two reservoirs, the water levels in which are at elevations 180 m and
150 m respectively, are connected by a pipe 3000 m long, 600 mm
diameter and friction factor 0.025. The elevation of the ground
along the line of the pipeline is given in the table below.

Assuming a well rounded inlet (K = 0) and an abrupt outlet (K = 0.5)

calculate the quantity of flow. Find the maximum depth of the
pipeline below ground if the absolute pressure therein is not to fall
below 3 m of water.

Draw to scale on graph paper, the ground level, pipeline level and
energy and hydraulic grade lines for a suitable pipeline. Take
atmospheric pressure to be 10 m of water.

Distance (m) 0 150 300 1800 3000

Elevation (m) 175 165 190 140 147
 Solution
The losses are as follows (average velocity V in ms–1):
Friction:

Entry loss:

Exit loss:

Total head loss

Total head loss = difference in water levels of reservoirs

The quantity of flow is therefore

Solution
 dynamic head (V2/2g = 0.2391 m)
 exit loss (½*V2/2g = 0.1196 m)

 The energy grade line starts at the water level in the first
reservoir and descends with uniform slope to a height
150.1196 m at the second reservoir.

 The hydraulic grade line V2/2g = 0.2391 m below the

energy grade line. The start and end coordinates give it
an equation (with lengths in metres):
 Solution
Slope = (179.7609 - 149.8805)/3000 = 0.00996015

180 (Water Level)

V2/2g = 0.2391

180 - 0.2391 = 179.7609 150 (Water Level)

Energy loss = (1/2)*(V2/2g) = 0.1196

V2/2g = 0.2391

150 + 0.1196 - 0.2391 = 149.8805

Solution
 We are now asked to ensure that the absolute pressure
does not fall below 3 m of water: in other words (since
atmospheric pressure is equivalent to 10 m of water) that
the pipeline is not more than 7 m above the hydraulic
grade line. The most significant problem occurs at x = 300
m, where the maximum pipeline height can be

Since the ground level here is 190 m, the pipeline depth

below ground must be 190 -183.8 = 6.2 m
Solution
Since unnecessary excavation is undesirable, the pipeline is laid at
ground level, except where it must be lowered to satisfy pressure
constraints. A suitable pipeline is marked on the diagram