Fluid Flow
UNIT 1. MECHANISMS OF MOMENTUM TRANSPORT
TOPIC 2. REYNOLDS NUMBER AND FLOW REGIMES
Why do you think Chemical Engineers
study Fluid Flow?
Why do Chemical
Engineers study
Fluid Flow?
Liquid or gas flow through pipes or
ducts is commonly used in
Industrial processes like heating or
cooling applications and fluid
distributions networks.
The fluid in such applications is
usually forced to flow by a fan or
pump through a flow section.
As engineers, we have to be able to
calculate the pressure drop through
pipes and ducts and determine the
pumping power requirement.
Fluid Flow: Vocabulary
The terms pipe, pipeline, duct and conduit are usually used
interchangeably for flow sections
Fluid Flow: Vocabulary
Flow sections of circular cross
sections are referred to as
pipes (specially when the fluid is
a liquid). Most liquids are
transported in circular pipes.
Flow sections of non-circular
cross sections are referred to as
ducts (specially when the fluid is
a gas).
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Upstream and downstream in fluid
dynamics
Upstream is the entrance of the fluid to the pipe
Downstream is the flow of fluid towards the end point of a pipe.
Upstream Downstream
Steady flow
What do you understand with the term “Steady Flow”?
The term steady implies no change of properties (velocity,
temperature etc.) at a point with time.
Steady flow
The term steady implies no change of properties (velocity, temperature
etc.) at a point with time.
Steady-flow conditions can be closely approximated by devices that are
intended for continuous operation such as:
Turbines
Pumps
Boilers
Condensers
Heat exchangers
Unsteady flow
Is the opposite of steady flow, where there is a change of the properties with time.
Example: flow through a pipe of variable diameter under variable pressure due to the
opening or closure of a valve.
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341378189_Measurement_of_Pressures_on_AirfoilWing_in_Unsteady_Flow/figures?
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Flow regimes
There are three main Flow regimes in Newtonian One-phase fluids
Laminar
Flow
Transitional
regimes
Turbulent
Flow regimes
To determine the friction
losses and hence the
pressure drop in
pipelines. It is crucial to
distinguish the flow
behavior and the different
regimes of fluid flow.
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Reynolds Number
The transition form laminar to turbulent flow depends on:
Geometry
Surface roughness
Flow velocity
Temperature
Type of fluid
Reynolds Number
After exhaustive experiments in the 1880s, Osborne Reynolds discovered that the flow regime depends
mainly on the ratio of the inertial forces to viscous forces in the fluid.
That ratio is called the Reynolds number and it is expressed for the internal flow in a circular pipe as
𝑙𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑠 𝜌 𝑣𝐷
𝑅𝑒= =
𝑉𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑠 𝜇
Where:
is the average flow velocity (m/s)
is the length of the geometry diameter (m)
is the fluid’s density (kg/m3)
is the fluid’s dynamic viscosity (Pa·s = kg/m·s)
Reynolds Number
The Reynolds Number can be also found as function of the kinematic viscosity
𝑙𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑠 𝑣 𝐷 /
𝑅𝑒= =
𝑉𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑠 𝜅
Where:
is the average flow velocity (m/s) Despite the kinematic viscosity’s units in the SI
system are m2/s, the most common units are
is the length of the geometry diameter (m) Stokes or centiStokes (cSt)
is the fluid’s density (kg/m3) 1 St (Stokes) = 10-4 m2/s = 1 cm2/s =
100 cSt
is the fluid’s dynamic viscosity (Pa·s = kg/m·s)
is the kinematic viscosity (m2/s)
Reynolds Number
At small or moderate Reynolds number, the viscous forces are large enough to suppress
fluctuations and keep the fluid “in line”
At large Reynolds numbers, the inertial forces, are large relative to the viscous forces, and thus
the viscous forces cannot prevent the random and rapid fluctuations of the fluid.
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Reynolds Number
The Reynolds number at which the flow becomes turbulent is called the Critical
Reynolds Number, Recr
For internal flow in a circular pipe, the generally accepted value of the critical
Reynolds Number is Recr = 2300
The transition from laminar to turbulent flow also depends on the degree of
disturbance of the flow by:
Surface Roughness
Pipe vibrations
Flow fluctuations (upstream-downstream)
Reynolds Number
In most practical conditions.
Laminar flow
𝑅𝑒 ≲ 2300
Transitional flow
Turbulent Flow
Reynolds Number
For Flow through noncircular pipes, the Reynolds number is based on the
hydraulic diameter (Dh) defined as
4 𝐴𝑐
𝐷 h=
𝑝
Where “Ac” is the cross-sectional area of the pipe and “p” is the wet perimeter
