Venturi effect

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The static pressure in the first measuring tube (1) is higher than at the second (2), and the fluid speed at
"1" is lower than at "2", because the cross-sectional area at "1" is greater than at "2".

A flow of air through a venturi meter, showing the columns connected in a manometer and partially filled
with water. The meter is "read" as a differential pressure head in cm or inches of water.

Play media
Video of a venturi meter used in a lab experiment

Idealized flow in a Venturi tube

The Venturi effect is the reduction in fluid pressure that results when a fluid flows through a
constricted section (or choke) of a pipe. The Venturi effect is named after Giovanni Battista
Venturi (1746–1822), an Italian physicist.
 Contents

 1Background
o 1.1Choked flow
o 1.2Expansion of the section
 2Experimental apparatus
o 2.1Venturi tubes
o 2.2Orifice plate
 3Instrumentation and measurement
o 3.1Flow rate
o 3.2Differential pressure
 4Examples
 5See also
 6References
 7External links

Background[edit]
In fluid dynamics, an incompressible fluid's velocity must increase as it passes through a
constriction in accord with the principle of mass continuity, while its static
pressure must decrease in accord with the principle of conservation of mechanical
energy (Bernoulli's principle). Thus, any gain in kinetic energy a fluid may attain due to its
increased velocity through a constriction is balanced by a drop in pressure.
By measuring the change in pressure, the flow rate can be determined, as in various flow
measurement devices such as venturi meters, venturi nozzles and orifice plates.
Referring to the adjacent diagram, using Bernoulli's equation in the special case of steady,
incompressible, inviscid flows (such as the flow of water or other liquid, or low speed flow of gas)
along a streamline, the theoretical pressure drop at the constriction is given by:

where is the density of the fluid, is the (slower) fluid velocity where the pipe is

wider, is the (faster) fluid velocity where the pipe is narrower (as seen in the figure).
Choked flow[edit]
The limiting case of the Venturi effect is when a fluid reaches the state of choked flow, where
the fluid velocity approaches the local speed of sound. When a fluid system is in a state of
choked flow, a further decrease in the downstream pressure environment will not lead to an
increase in the mass flow rate. However, mass flow rate for a compressible fluid will increase
with increased upstream pressure, which will increase the density of the fluid through the
constriction (though the velocity will remain constant). This is the principle of operation of
a de Laval nozzle. Increasing source temperature will also increase the local sonic velocity,
thus allowing for increased mass flow rate but only if the nozzle area is also increased to
compensate for the resulting decrease in density.
Expansion of the section[edit]
The Bernoulli equation is invertible, and pressure should rise when a fluid slows down.
Nevertheless, if there is an expansion of the tube section, turbulence will appear and the
theorem will not hold. Notice that in all experimental Venturi tubes, the pressure in the
entrance is compared to the pressure in the middle section. The output section is never
compared with them.

Experimental apparatus[edit]

Venturi tube demonstration apparatus built out of PVC pipe and operated with a vacuum pump

A pair of venturi tubes on a light aircraft, used to provide airflow for air-driven gyroscopic
instruments

Venturi tubes[edit]
The simplest apparatus is a tubular setup known as a Venturi tube or simply a venturi (plural:
"venturis" or occasionally "venturies"). Fluid flows through a length of pipe of varying
diameter. To avoid undue aerodynamic drag, a Venturi tube typically has an entry cone of 30
degrees and an exit cone of 5 degrees.[1]
Venturi tubes are used in processes where permanent pressure loss is not tolerable and
where maximum accuracy is needed in case of highly viscous liquids.[citation needed]
Orifice plate[edit]
Venturi tubes are more expensive to construct than simple orifice plates, and both function
on the same basic principle. However, for any given differential pressure, orifice plates cause
significantly more permanent energy loss.[2]

Instrumentation and measurement[edit]

Both venturis and orifice plates are used in industrial applications and in scientific
laboratories for measuring the flow rate of liquids.
Flow rate[edit]

A venturi can be used to measure the volumetric flow rate, .

Since

then

A venturi can also be used to mix a liquid with a gas. If a pump forces the liquid
through a tube connected to a system consisting of a venturi to increase the liquid
speed (the diameter decreases), a short piece of tube with a small hole in it, and last
a venturi that decreases speed (so the pipe gets wider again), the gas will be sucked
in through the small hole because of changes in pressure. At the end of the system,
a mixture of liquid and gas will appear. See aspirator and pressure head for
discussion of this type of siphon.
Differential pressure[edit]
Main article: Pressure head
As fluid flows through a venturi, the expansion and compression of the fluids cause
the pressure inside the venturi to change. This principle can be used in metrology for
gauges calibrated for differential pressures. This type of pressure measurement may
be more convenient, for example, to measure fuel or combustion pressures in jet or
rocket engines.
The first large-scale Venturi meters to measure liquid flows were developed
by Clemens Herschel who used them to measure small and large flows of water and
wastewater beginning at the end of the 19th century.[3] While working for the Holyoke
Water Power Company, Herschel would develop the means for measuring these
flows to determine the water power consumption of different mills on the Holyoke
Canal System, first beginning development of the device in 1886, two years later he
would describe his invention of the Venturi meter to William Unwin in a letter dated
June 5, 1888.[4]

Examples[edit]
The Venturi effect may be observed or used in the following:

 Cargo eductors on oil product and chemical ship tankers

 Inspirators that mix air and flammable gas in grills, gas stoves, Bunsen
burners and airbrushes
 Water aspirators that produce a partial vacuum using the kinetic energy from the
faucet water pressure
 Steam siphons using the kinetic energy from the steam pressure to create a
partial vacuum
 Atomizers that disperse perfume or spray paint (i.e. from a spray gun).
 Carburetors that use the effect to suck gasoline into an engine's intake air
stream
 Wine aerators, used to infuse air into wine as it is poured into a glass
 The capillaries of the human circulatory system, where it indicates aortic
regurgitation
 Aortic insufficiency is a chronic heart condition that occurs when the aortic
valve's initial large stroke volume is released and the Venturi effect draws the
walls together, which obstructs blood flow, which leads to a pulsus bisferiens.
 Protein skimmers (filtration devices for saltwater aquaria)
 In automated pool cleaners that use pressure-side water flow to collect sediment
and debris
 The barrel of the modern-day clarinet, which uses a reverse taper to speed the
air down the tube, enabling better tone, response and intonation[citation needed][5]
 Compressed air operated industrial vacuum cleaners
 Venturi scrubbers used to clean flue gas emissions
 Injectors (also called ejectors) used to add chlorine gas to water
treatment chlorination systems
 Steam injectors use the Venturi effect and the latent heat of evaporation to
deliver feed water to a steam locomotive boiler.
 Sandblasting nozzles use Venturi effect to accelerate air and media mixture.
 Emptying bilge water from a moving boat through a small waste gate in the
hull—the air pressure inside the moving boat is greater than the water sliding by
beneath
 A scuba diving regulator to assist the flow of air once it starts flowing
 In recoilless rifles to decrease the recoil of firing