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ABSTRACT
Viscous effects generated by the surface of the pipe in pipe flow causes a loss in mechanical energy known as friction loss. Fiction loss
has several causes including: conditions of flow, physical properties of the system, movement of fluid molecules against each other and
against the pipes surface, and the bends and turns along the piping. In order to quantify the amount of frictional losses in the study, the
Fanning friction factor, f is used. In the experiment, a fluid flow set-up was used in order to compute an experimental Fanning friction
factor from the pressure drop, pipe length and fluid velocity. The value of the theoretical friction factor for the same fluid flow set-up was
computed using the Churchill equation. The percentage errors computed between the experimental and theoretical friction factors show
that the data obtained from the experiment is not consistent with theory. The errors in both trials are both almost 100% and suggest that
there may have been errors in performing the experiment and in the equipment used in the experiment itself. The experiment aims to
determine the friction factor of a fluid moving through a straight pipe and to determine the effect of Reynolds number and relative
roughness on the friction factor.
Keywords: Fluid Flow, Reynolds number, Relative Roughness, Fanning Friction Factor
INTRODUCTION
Due to viscous effects generated by the surface of the pipe in
pipe flow, there occurs a loss in mechanical energy known as
friction loss. Fiction loss has several causes including: conditions
of flow, physical properties of the system, movement of fluid
molecules against each other and against the pipes surface, and
the bends and turns along the piping. The determination of
friction factor is important in predicting the amount of mechanical
energy loss due to friction, thus it is an essential tool in predicting
the behavior of fluid flow systems. (Geankoplis, 2003)
One of the accepted methods to calculate friction losses resulting
from fluid motion in pipes is the use of the friction factor, f. The
Fanning friction factor is a dimensionless number used to
quantitatively describe the amount of energy loss due to friction.
Essentially, it is related to the shear stress at the wall through the
equation: (Green & Perry, 2007)
=0.5 f v
F= P/
The objective of this experiment is to determine the friction factor
of the fluid moving through a straight pipe using the Churchill
equation and the Fanning equation. Consequently, an analysis
and a comparison between the two friction factor values are to be
performed. Additionally, it is also the purpose of this experiment
to determine the effect of Reynolds number and relative
roughness on the friction factor of the fluid flow. (Gutierrez &
Ngo, 2005)
1
0.27 7
=4 log(
+
)
D
f
For experimental purposes, the friction factor, f, can be computed
through an alternative solution using the fanning equation:
F=2 f u2 L/ gc D
was measured. The volumetric flow rate and the fluid velocity
were then calculated.
For the theoretical value, the temperature of the water was first
determined thus, allowing for the determination of its properties
using the ChE Handbook. The Reynolds number was then
computed using these values and the Churchill equation given
that the flow is turbulent.
For the experimental friction factor, the pressure drop across the
pipeline was measured using a manometer, then the friction loss
was calculated which, in turn, was used to compute for the
experimental friction factor using the Fanning equation.
The percentage error among the two friction factor values was
computed and, the procedure was repeated for a 2nd trial with
different conditions.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Trial 1
2.50x10-4 m3/s
Trial 2
2.50x10-4 m3/s
35.3678 m/s
35.3678 m/s
3x10-3 m
3x10-3 m
23.7
23.7
997.379 kg/m3
997.379 kg/m3
0.920775 cP
0.920775 cP
114930.57
114933.1231
1.7 cmHg
2.3 cmHg
2.1051 J/kg
2.8481 J/kg
1.0 m
1.0 m
4.57 x10-5 m
4.57 x10-5 m
0.01523
0.01523
/D
Volumetric flow
rate of the
water, V
Velocity of the
water, u
Inside diameter
of the pipe, D
Temperature of
the water,
Density of the
water,
Viscosity of the
water,
Reynolds
number, NRe
Manometer
reading, Rm
Mechanical
energy lost due
to friction, F
Length of the
straight pipe, L
Roughness of
the pipe,
Relative
roughness of
the pipe,
Experimental
Fanning friction
factor, fexperimental
Theoretical
Fanning friction
factor, ftheoretical
% error
Trial 1
2.524x10-6
Trial 2
3.915 x10-6
0.011135
0.011135
99.98%
99.97%
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