Jordan University of Science and Technology

Civil Engineering Department

Fluid mechanics and hydraulics lab (CE354)

Student Name: abdallah alhassan ID: 120034

Experiment number : 4

Experiment Name : osborne reynolds apparatus

Instructor: DR.Fayez Abdullah TA Name:Tasneem Alkatib

Submission Date: 2/8/2019 SEC# 1

Evaluation Elements Grade

1 Cover page

2 Introduction

3 Objectives

4 Apparatus

5 Theory

6 Procedure

7 Calculations

8 Sample calculation

9 Discussion

10 Conclusions

Total
  Introduction

The experiment is conducted mainly to study the criterion of laminar,

transition and turbulent flow. In fluid mechanics, internal flow is defined as a flow
for which the fluid is confined by a surface. The flow may be laminar or turbulent.
Osborne Reynolds (23 August 1832 – 21 February 1912) was a prominent
innovator in the understanding of fluid dynamics and mechanics.

Osborne Reynolds Apparatus consists of water resource for the system

supply, fix-head water input to big and small transparent pipes, dye input by
injection unit, and water output unit to determine water flow rate. The laminar,
transition and turbulent flows can be obtained by varying the water flow rate using
the water outlet control valve. Water flow rate and hence the flow velocity is
measured by the volumetric measuring tank. The supply tank consists of glass
beads to reduce flow disturbances. Flow patterns are visualized using dye injection
through a needle valve. The dye injection rate can be controlled and adjusted to
improve the quality of flow patterns.

 Objectives
To perform the classical experiment conducted by Reynolds concerning fluid flow
condition, (i.e., laminar, transitional, turbulent flow),
  Apparatus

Water supply, Osborne Reynolds apparatus ( shown in fig ), measuring cylinder,

stop watch, vegetable Dye and thermometer.
  Theory
In fluid mechanics, Reynolds Number (Re) is a dimensionless number that is
expressed as the ratio of inertial forces (pV2/L) to viscous forces (µV/L2). Thus,
the Reynolds number can be simplified as followings;
Re = (pV2/L) / (µV/L2)
= pVL/µ
Where p is the density of the fluid, V is the mean fluid velocity, L is a
characteristic linear dimension, and µ is the dynamic viscosity of the fluid.

When a fluid flows through a pipe the internal roughness (e) of the pipe wall can
create local eddy currents within the fluid adding a resistance to flow of the fluid.
Pipes with smooth walls such as glass, copper, brass and polyethylene have only a
small effect on the frictional resistance. Pipes with less smooth walls such as
concrete, cast iron and steel will create larger eddy currents which will sometimes
have a significant effect on the frictional resistance. The velocity profile in a pipe
will show that the fluid at the centre of the stream will move more quickly than the
fluid towards the edge of the stream. Therefore friction will occur between layers
within the fluid. Fluids with a high viscosity will flow more slowly and will
generally not support eddy currents and therefore the internal roughness of the pipe
will have no effect on the frictional resistance. This condition is known as laminar
flow.

Reynolds number basically determines the transition of fluid flow form laminar
flow to turbulent flow. When the value of Reynolds number is less than 2300,
laminar flow will occur and the resistance to flow will be independent of the pipe
wall roughness (℮). Meanwhile, turbulent flow occurs when the value of Reynolds
number is exceeding 4000.
For large viscous force, whereby Re value is less than 2300, viscous effects are
great enough to damp any disturbance in the flow and the flow remains laminar.
The flow is called laminar because the flow takes place in layers. Any combination
of low velocity, small diameter, or high kinematic viscosity which results in Re
value of less than 2300 will produce laminar flow. As Re increases, the viscous
damping of flow disturbances or perturbations decreases relative to the inertial
effects. Because of a lack of viscous damping, disturbances are amplified until the
entire flow breaks down into in irregular motion. There is still a definite flow
direction, but there is an irregular motion superimposed on the average motion.
Thus, for turbulent flow in a pipe, the fluid is flowing in the downstream direction,
but fluid particles have an irregular motion in addition to the average motion. The
turbulent fluctuations are inherently unsteady and three dimensional. As a result,
particles which pass though a given point in the flow do not follow the same path
in turbulent flow even though they all are flowing generally downstream. Flows
with 2000 < Re < 4000 are called transitional. The flow can be unstable and the
flow switch back and forth between turbulent and laminar conditions.

 Procedure
i. Fill the reservoir with dye, position the apparatus on the bench connect the
inlet pipe to the beach feed, lower the dye injector until it is just above the
bell mouth inlet.
ii. Close the flow control valve and open bench inlet valve and slowly fill the
head tank to the over flow level.
iii. Close the inlet valve and open and close flow control valve to admit water
to flow visualization pipe.
iv. Flow the apparatus to stand at least tan minutes before proceeding.
v. Measure the temperature of the water.
vi. Open the inlet valve slightly until water trickles from outlet pipe.
vii. Open fractionally the valve and adjust dye control until slow flow with dye
indication is achieved.
viii. During the above step, measure and note the flow rate.
ix. Repeat for increasing flow rates by progressively opening the flow control
valve take a specific measurement of flow rate at the critical condition.
x. Repeat the procedure for decreasing flow rates, taking specific
measurement of flow at the critical condition.
  Sample Calculations

First we calculate the discharge (Q) by the volume of the water over the time
Then we find the velocity(V) which = Q/A where A is the area of the pipe
From V we can calculate the Reynolds number (Re)
Re = vd/ ν where ν is the dynamic viscosity
Ex) Q = v/t = 0.0005/95= 5.263*10^-6 m³/sec
V = Q/A = 5.263*10^-6/7.85*10^-5 = 67*10^-3 m/s
Re = vd/ ν = 67*10^-3*0.01/0.84 *10^-6 = 797
  Test result (calculations)

Internal Diameter of visualization pipe = 10mm

Temperature = 28 c°
ν = 0.84*10^-6
Water volume 500 ml

Flow condition Time Reynolds

number
Min sec
Laminar flow 1 25 797
59.69 1270
43.28 1744
Transition flow 22.40 3380

19.73 3833
20.18 3768.3
Turbulent flow 16.35 4619
10 7582.14
9.44 8030.9
  Discussion
It is necessary to know the differences between laminar, turbulent and
transition flow before one is about to conduct this experiment. As for laminar flow,
it is defined as a highly ordered fluid motion with smooth streamlines. Turbulent
flow is much different with laminar, as it is a highly disordered fluid motion
characterized by velocity and fluctuations and eddies, whereas transition flow is
known as a flow that contains both laminar and turbulent regions.

Based on Reynolds apparatus experiment, laminar flow is obtained when a

single ordered line is seen after a thin filament of dye is injected into the
transparent glass tube. There is not much dispersion of dye can be observed
throughout the flowing fluid. Nevertheless, the case is not the same with turbulent
flow, as there is obvious dispersion of dye along the glass tube, whereby the lines
of dye breaks into myriad entangled threads of dye.

Throughout the experiment, we observed that the red dye line starts flowing
in a straight ordered line through the glass tube, and as the velocity increases after
some time, the ordered streamlines is seen to begin to disperse at about the middle
of the streamlines, but still remain the straight line at the earlier part. Next, the
dispersion started to increase, indicating the turbulent flow. These observations are
concluded as the streamlines is undergoing a change of type of flow, which is from
laminar flow, transition flow to turbulent flow.

There are a few careless mistakes that have been done during this
experiment. Most of all, the accuracy of collecting the fluid flowing out of the tube
within 3 seconds is a bit inaccurate. The one who collect the fluid might not begin
right when the person monitoring the stopwatch started ticking on it, and he/she
might also not stop collecting exactly after the third second. Therefore, the values
calculated in results section might not be exactly 100% correct.
  Conclusions

As a conclusion, as water flow rate is increasing, the Reynolds number will

automatically increase as well, and the red dye line change from straight line to
swirling streamlines. Likewise, it is proven that Reynolds number is dimensionless,
since no unit is representing the value of Reynolds number. Laminar flow is
obtained if the Reynolds number is less than 2000; meanwhile the Reynolds
number for turbulent flow is more than 4000. The Reynolds number for transition
flow is in between 2000 until 4000.