Topic 4 (I) : Reynolds' Experiment Objectives:: Figure 6.1 & 6.2
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daabgchiTopic 4 (I) : Reynolds' Experiment Objectives:: Figure 6.1 & 6.2
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daabgchiTopic 4 (I): Reynolds’ Experiment
Objectives:
1. To illustrate the pressure-drop experiment and explain the result from it.
2. To illustrate the Reynolds’ Experiment and explain the result from it.
3. To distinguish the laminar, transition and turbulent flow.
Lecture Outline:
1. The Pressure – Drop Experiment: Figure 6.1 & 6.2
2. Reynolds’ Experiment – introduce a liquid dye into the flowing stream at various
point.
- In low flow rate region, the dye formed a smooth, thin, straight streak
down the pipe. This type of flow, in which all the motion is in the
axial direction, is called Laminar Flow.
- In the high flow rate region, the dye rapidly dispersed throughout the
entire pipe. A rapid, chaotic motion in all directions in the pipe was
superimposed on the overall axial motion and caused the rapid,
crosswise missing of the dye.
- The region of irreproducible results between the regions of laminar and of
turbulent flow is the region of transition from the one type of flow
to the other, called the transition region.
3. The reason for the poor reproducibility here is that laminar flow can exist in
conditions in which it is not the stable flow form, but it fails to switch to turbulent
flow unless some outside disturbance such as microscopic roughness on the pipe
wall or very small vibrations in the equipment triggers the transition.
4. In the transition region the flow can be laminar or turbulent, and the pressure drop
or flow rate can suddenly change by a factor of 2. Under some circumstances the
flow can alternate back and forth between being laminar and turbulent, causing
the pressure drop to oscillate between a higher and a lower value; or for a constant
pressure drop, the velocity can oscillate between a higher and a lower value.
5. Osborne Reynolds showed that for smooth, circular pipes, for all Newtonian
fluids, and for all pipe diameters the transition from laminar to turbulent flow
occurs when the dimensionless group DV/ has a value of about 2000. This
dimensionless group is now called the Reynolds Number, R:
6. Comparison of laminar, transition, and turbulent flows: table 6.1
7. Almost all flows of gases and liquids like water in ordinary-sized pipes are
turbulent. The only exceptions to that statement are flows of fluids much more
viscous than water.
8. In very small tubes or other flow passages the flow is normally laminar.
