Frictional losses in hydraulic pipelines

Reynolds No.

where v = fluid velocity, D = pipe inside diameter, ρ = fluid density,

and µ = absolute viscosity of the fluid
fluid.
ƒ If NR is less than 2000, the flow is laminar.
ƒ If NR is greater than 4000, the flow is turbulent.
ƒ Reynolds numbers between 2000 and 4000 cover a critical zone
between laminar and turbulent flow. It is not possible to predict the
type
yp of flow that will exist within the critical zone. Thus if NR lies in
the critical zone, turbulent flow should be assumed.

Since turbulent
Si t b l t flow
fl results
lt in
i greater
t losses,
l h d li systems
hydraulic t
should normally be designed to operate in the laminar flow region.
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If turbulent flow is allowed to exist,, higher
g fluid temperatures
p will
occur due to greater frictional energy losses. Therefore, turbulent
flow systems suffering from excessive fluid temperatures can be
i
improved
ed by
b increasing
i e i the pipe i e diameter
di ete to t establish
e t bli h laminar
l i fl
flow.

Friction is the main cause of energy losses in fluid power systems.

The result is a loss of potential energy in the system, and this shows
up as a loss in pressure or head.

The head loss (HL) in a system actually consists of two components:

1. Losses in pipes
2. Losses in valves and fittings

Head losses in pipes can be found by using Darcy

Darcy'ss equation:

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Darcy's equation can be used to calculate the head loss due to
friction in pipes for both laminar and turbulent flow. The difference
between the two lies in the evaluation of the friction factor f.f For
laminar flow:

To determine the value of the friction factor for use in Darcy,s

equation, we use Moody diagram. It gives values of friction factor
as a function of Reynolds number for a given value of relative
roughness.
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Head losses in valves and fittings
g are pproportional
p to the square
q of
the velocity of the fluid:

The constant of proportionality (K) is called the K factor (also called

loss coefficient) of the valve or fitting. Typical K-factor values for
several common types of valves and fittings are:

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Pressure drop
p versus flow rate

For some fluid power valves, in

addition
dditi tot specifying
if i K factors,
f t
empirical curves of pressure
dropp versus flow rate are ggiven
by the valve manufacturer. Thus,
if the flow rate through the valve
is known,
known the pressure drop can
be determined by referring to the
curve. This is normally done for
directional control valves and
also for flow control valves for
various opening positions.
positions

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Equivalent length
We ccan findd a length
e g oof ppipe
pe that for
o thee ssamee flow
ow ratee wou
would d
produce the same head loss as a valve or fitting. This length of pipe,
which is called the equivalent length of a valve or fitting, can be
f
found
d by
b equating
ti the
th head
h d losses
l across the
th valve
l or fitting
fitti andd the
th
pipe:

where Le is the equivalent length of a valve or fitting whose K factor

is K. Note that K and f are both dimensionless. Therefore, Le and D
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will have the same dimensions.
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