CL 326: Integrated Chemical Lab

FRICTION IN CIRCULAR PIPE

Name: Nandan Desai

Group Members:
Divyansh Saini
Divyanshu Chandani
Diya Nandan
Dhruv Choudhary
Dhruv Jalan

Table of Contents:
Objective
Background
Schematic Diagram of Apparatus
Procedure
Assumptions
Known parameters
Formulae and Calculations
Readings
Results and Discussion
Conclusion
References
Objective:
The objective of this experiment is to study the relationship between the Reynolds
number and the friction factor for water flow in circular pipes under turbulent conditions,
and to compare the experimental results with theoretical predictions.

Background:
When a fluid flows through a pipe, shear stresses develop within the boundary layer near
the wall. These stresses oppose the motion of the fluid, creating a resistance to flow. This
resistance results in a pressure drop along the length of the pipe, which increases with
both the flow velocity and the surface roughness of the pipe wall. The pressure drop
caused by these frictional forces can be expressed as a gradient using the
Darcy–Weisbach equation or one of its variations. For incompressible, steady-state flow,
the pressure drop due to friction is given by:
2
2ρ𝑈 𝐿𝑓
∆𝑃 = 𝐷
= φ (𝑅𝑒)

where:

●​ ∆𝑃 = pressure drop (kPa)

●​ ρ = density of water (kg/m³)
●​ U = average velocity (m/s)
●​ L = length of the pipe (m)
●​ f = friction factor (dimensionless)
●​ D = diameter of the pipe (m)
●​ φ (𝑅𝑒) = function of the Reynolds number

The friction factor (f) characterizes the resistance to flow due to internal friction. It is
dimensionless and depends on both the flow regime (laminar or turbulent) and the pipe
surface condition. The flow regime itself is determined using the Reynolds number (Re),
which compares inertial to viscous forces and is defined as:
 ρ*𝑉*𝐷
𝑅𝑒 = µ

where:

●​ ρ = density of water (kg/m³)

●​ U = average velocity (m/s)
●​ D = pipe diameter (m)
●​ μ = viscosity of water (N·s/m²)

The friction factor is a critical dimensionless parameter used to calculate pressure losses
in fluid systems. It varies with the Reynolds number and flow regime. Flow is considered
laminar for Re<2100, turbulent for Re>3000, and transitional in between.
For turbulent flow, the observed friction factor from experiments is calculated as:

∆𝑃 𝐷
𝑓𝑜𝑏𝑠 = 2
2ρ 𝑈 𝐿

Where,

●​ ΔP is the measured pressure drop,

●​ D is the pipe diameter, ρ is the fluid density,
●​ U is the average velocity,
●​ L is the pipe length.

The theoretical friction factor for smooth pipes in the turbulent regime (3000 < Re <
100,000) is expressed as:

0.046
𝑓𝑡ℎ= 0.2
𝑅𝑒

Although the friction factor is primarily a function of the Reynolds number, differences in
pipe surface roughness can also affect the results. Even when pipes have the same
diameter and are made of the same material, rougher internal surfaces create more
turbulence near the walls. This increases the friction factor and leads to higher pressure
drops compared to smoother pipes.

In the experimental procedure, the flow rate (Q), pressure drop (ΔP), and velocity (U) are
measured. Using these values, the Reynolds number and friction factor are calculated for
different test sections. The observed values are then compared with the theoretical
predictions. Data trends are commonly visualized as plots of friction factor versus
Reynolds number, often on log–log scales, which help confirm the power-law
relationship and consistency with flow regime theory.

Schematic Diagram of Apparatus:

Procedure:
1.​ Fill the reservoir with water up to about 90% of its total capacity.
2.​ Select the required test section by opening the ball valves for that section while
keeping all other test section valves closed.
 3.​ Switch on the pump power supply with the bypass valve fully open. Gradually
open the suction-side valve of the pump.
4.​ Slowly close the bypass valve until the desired flow rate is achieved through the
test section.
5.​ Eliminate any air bubbles from the pressure tapping lines and connect them to the
D.P. cell to record the pressure drop across the test section.
6.​ Adjust the water flow rate by regulating the bypass ball valve and the test section
inlet valve. Allow the D.P. cell readings to stabilize, then record the pressure drop
across the section.
7.​ Record the corresponding flow rate shown on the flow meter.
8.​ Repeat steps 6 and 7 for at least 15 different flow rates, taking the final
measurement at the maximum achievable flow rate through the test section.

Assumptions:
●​ Water is assumed to be an incompressible Newtonian fluid.
●​ Flow in the test section is considered fully developed and steady.
●​ Pipe diameter is uniform throughout the test section.
●​ Heat transfer to the surroundings is negligible.

Known Parameters:
1.​ Inner diameter of pipes (D):
Pipe A: 7.3 mm
Pipe B: 10.7 mm (rough)
Pipe C: 10.7 mm (smooth)
Pipe D: 4.5 mm
2.​ Distance between two pressure tappings (L): 0.86 m
3.​ Average water temperature during the run: 25 °C
4.​ Viscosity of water at average temperature (μ): 0.00125 N·s/m²
5.​ Density of water (ρ): 1000 kg/m³

Formulas & Calculations:

1. Reynolds Number

The dimensionless Reynolds number (Re) determines whether the flow is laminar or
turbulent:
 ρ*𝑉*𝐷
𝑅𝑒 = µ

where:

●​ ρ = density of water (kg/m³)

●​ U = average velocity (m/s)
●​ D = pipe diameter (m)
●​ μ = viscosity of water (N·s/m²)

2. Darcy–Weisbach Equation

The observed friction factor (f_{obs}) is related to the measured pressure drop as:

∆𝑃 𝐷
𝑓𝑜𝑏𝑠 = 2
2ρ 𝑈 𝐿

Where,

●​ ΔP is the measured pressure drop,

●​ D is the pipe diameter, ρ is the fluid density,
●​ U is the average velocity,
●​ L is the pipe length.

This relation is used to calculate the observed friction factor from experimental data.

3. Theoretical Friction Factor (f_{theo})

●​ Laminar Flow (Re < 2100):

-​ fth=64/Re
●​ Turbulent Flow (Smooth Pipes, 3000 < Re < 10^5):​

○​ Blasius Correlation:
-​ fth =0.316Re−0.25
○​ Nikuradse / Logarithmic Law:
1
-​ = 4. 0𝑙𝑜𝑔(𝑅𝑒 𝑓) − 0. 4
𝑓

These correlations highlight how the friction factor decreases as Reynolds number
increases. For the same flow conditions, rough pipes exhibit higher friction factors
compared to smooth pipes.
 Readings:

pressure Flowrate(lpm) velocity Re f(theo) f(exp) log(Re) log(fexp) log(ftheo)

difference(kPa) (m/s)

72.8 19.1 7.606 6456 0.005 0.005 4.81 -2.272 -2.299

1.1 3

63.8 18 7.168 6084 0.0051 0.005 4.784 -2.278 -2.294

2.92 3

55.7 16.7 6.65 5644 0.0052 0.005 4.752 -2.272 -2.288

8.71 3

49.3 15.5 6.172 5239 0.0052 0.005 4.719 -2.26 -2.281

2.52 5

38.8 13.8 5.495 4664 0.0054 0.005 4.669 -2.263 -2.271

6.24 5

44.8 14.8 5.894 5002 0.0053 0.005 4.699 -2.262 -2.277

6.4 5

30.9 12.1 4.818 4089 0.0055 0.005 4.612 -2.248 -2.26

9.96 6
28.4 11.6 4.619 3920 0.0055 0.005 4.593 -2.248 -2.256
9.88 6

24.8 10.8 4.301 3650 0.0056 0.005 4.562 -2.245 -2.25

5.75 7

17.8 9 3.584 3042 0.0058 0.005 4.483 -2.23 -2.234

1.46 9

Table 1: The readings table for the first 7.3 mm diameter pipe.

Fig 1. Plot of f(theo) & f(exp) v/s Re

 Fig 2. Plot of log(f(theo)) & log(f(exp)) v/s log(Re)

pressure Flowrate( velocity Re f(theo) f(exp) log(Re) log(fexp) log(ftheo)

difference(kPa) lpm) (m/s)

24.6 28.7 5.32 66184.8 0.005 0.005 4.821 -2.267 -2.301

4 4

24.6 27.6 5.116 63648.1 0.005 0.005 4.804 -2.233 -2.298

4 8

24.7 26.8 4.967 61803.2 0.0051 0.006 4.791 -2.206 -2.295

7 2
23.7 25.6 4.745 59035.9 0.0051 0.006 4.771 -2.184 -2.291
6 5

21.7 24.3 4.504 56038.0 0.0052 0.006 4.748 -2.177 -2.287

4 7

18.2 22.3 4.133 51425.8 0.0053 0.006 4.711 -2.179 -2.279

5 6

14.7 19.7 3.651 45430.0 0.0054 0.006 4.657 -2.164 -2.269

1 9

9.6 15.7 2.91 36205.6 0.0056 0.007 4.559 -2.152 -2.249

5 1

4.5 10.7 1.983 24675.1 0.0061 0.007 4.392 -2.148 -2.216

9 1

Table 2: The readings table for the first 10.7 mm diameter pipe.
 Fig 3. Plot of f(theo) & f(exp) v/s Re

Fig 4. Plot of log(f(theo)) & log(f(exp)) v/s log(Re)

 pressure Flowrate( velocity Re f(theo) f(exp) log(Re) log(fexp) log(ftheo)
difference(kPa) lpm) (m/s)

27.3 26.5 4.912 61111.44 0.0051 0.007 4.786 -2.152 -2.294

22.9 23.7 4.393 54654.38 0.0052 0.0074 4.738 -2.132 -2.285

19.7 21.9 4.059 50503.42 0.0053 0.0074 4.703 -2.129 -2.278

17 20.5 3.8 47274.89 0.0053 0.0073 4.675 -2.135 -2.272

14.3 19 3.522 43815.75 0.0054 0.0072 4.642 -2.144 -2.266

13.5 18.5 3.429 42662.7 0.0055 0.0071 4.63 -2.146 -2.263

10.3 15.7 2.91 36205.65 0.0056 0.0076 4.559 -2.121 -2.249

7.9 13.6 2.521 31362.85 0.0058 0.0077 4.496 -2.112 -2.237

6.1 12.1 2.243 27903.71 0.0059 0.0075 4.446 -2.122 -2.226

4 9.7 1.798 22369.09 0.0062 0.0077 4.35 -2.114 -2.207

Table 3: The readings table for the first 10.7 mm diameter pipe.
Fig 5. Plot of f(theo) & f(exp) v/s Re
 Fig 6. Plot of log(f(theo)) & log(f(exp)) v/s log(Re)

pressure Flowrate velocity Re f(theo) f(exp) log(Re) log(fexp) log(ftheo)

difference(kPa) (lpm) (m/s)

37.4 5.6 5.868 30706. 0.0058 0.002 4.487 -2.546 -2.235

9 8

120.2 5 5.24 27416. 0.006 0.011 4.438 -1.941 -2.225

87 5

57.6 5.3 5.554 29061. 0.0059 0.004 4.463 -2.311 -2.23

89 9

146.3 4.7 4.925 25771. 0.006 0.015 4.411 -1.802 -2.219

86 8

208.7 4.4 4.611 24126. 0.0061 0.025 4.383 -1.59 -2.214

85 7

282.6 3.6 3.773 19740. 0.0064 0.051 4.295 -1.284 -2.196

15 9

356.3 2.4 2.515 13160. 0.0069 0.147 4.119 -0.832 -2.161

1 4

Table 4: The readings table for the first 4.5 mm diameter pipe.
 Fig 7. Plot of f(theo) & f(exp) v/s Re

Fig 8. Plot of log(f(theo)) & log(f(exp)) v/s log(Re)

Results and Discussion:

Variation of Friction Factor with Reynolds Number:

The experiment confirmed an inverse relationship between Reynolds number (Re) and
the friction factor (f). Both theoretical and experimental values of f decreased with
increasing Re, consistent with predictions from the Darcy–Weisbach and Blasius
correlations.

Flow Regimes:

In the turbulent regime, the experimental friction factors were generally higher than the
theoretical values, reflecting additional head losses caused by factors such as surface
roughness, entrance effects, and flow disturbances. For larger diameter pipes, the
experimental values were closer to theoretical estimates, with deviations falling within
expected limits.

Influence of Surface Roughness:

A comparison of smooth and rough pipes showed that rough pipes consistently exhibited
higher friction factors at the same Reynolds number. This highlights the significant role
of relative roughness in turbulent flow, consistent with established fluid mechanics
principles.

Sources of Deviation:

The discrepancies between experimental and theoretical values can be explained by

factors such as incomplete flow development before pressure taps, air bubbles in the
measurement lines, slight inaccuracies in flow or pressure instrumentation, and
unaccounted minor losses at fittings and bends.

Validation of Trends:

Despite these deviations, the overall trend of decreasing friction factor with increasing
Reynolds number was clearly observed. The log-log plots of f versus Re followed the
theoretical slopes, confirming the reliability of the experimental setup.

Conclusions:
The experiment on frictional losses in circular pipes clearly demonstrated the dependence
of the friction factor on both Reynolds number and pipe roughness. In all cases, the
friction factor decreased with increasing Reynolds number, in agreement with theoretical
models such as the Darcy–Weisbach equation and the Blasius correlation for turbulent
flow. Smooth pipes matched the predicted behavior more closely, while rough pipes
consistently showed higher friction factors, confirming the dominant effect of surface
roughness in turbulent regimes.

Minor deviations between experimental and theoretical values were observed, mainly due
to instrumental limitations, flow disturbances, and pipe surface irregularities.
Nonetheless, the results strongly reinforced key fluid mechanics concepts by showing
how flow conditions and pipe characteristics directly influence pressure drop and energy
losses in fluid systems.

This study emphasizes the importance of reliable friction factor estimation in engineering
practice. The findings are particularly relevant for applications like pipeline design, pump
selection, and process optimization, underscoring the role of experimental fluid dynamics
in connecting theory with real-world engineering challenges.

⇒ Sources of Error in Experimental Setup:

●​ Minor flow rate variations could cause small deviations in the results.
●​ The impact of pipe fittings on flow resistance may not have been fully
accounted for in the theoretical pressure drop calculations.
●​ Theoretical analysis assumes fully developed turbulent flow, which may not
have been present under all test conditions.
●​ Transitional flow between laminar and turbulent regimes could influence the
Reynolds number and related observations.
●​ The presence of air bubbles in the pipeline may have affected the accuracy
of measurements.

⇒Industrial Significance:

●​ Oil & Petroleum Industry – Optimizing pipelines using friction factors lowers
energy consumption and operating costs over long distances.
●​ Water Supply Networks – Accurate friction factors improve design and operation,
ensuring reliable, cost-effective, and energy-efficient distribution.
 ●​ Chemical Industry – Understanding frictional losses aids in pump and pipe sizing,
reducing energy use and ensuring efficient fluid transport.

⇒Academic and Research Relevance:

●​ Reinforces the Darcy–Weisbach equation and its importance in fluid mechanics.
●​ Demonstrates the role of the Reynolds number in distinguishing laminar,
transitional, and turbulent flow regimes.
●​ Highlights real-world deviations from theoretical models caused by pipe
roughness, fittings, and measurement errors.
●​ Provides practical experience in experimental fluid dynamics and data validation.

⇒Future Work:

●​ Extend the study to non-Newtonian fluids such as polymer solutions and slurries.
●​ Investigate the influence of temperature-dependent viscosity on the friction factor.
●​ Explore flow behavior in micro-scale pipes, where surface effects become
significant.
●​ Use CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations to compare and validate
experimental findings.

References:
[1] Lab manual: Integrated Chemical Engineering Lab I - Manuals, Department of
Chemical Engineering, IIT Gandhinagar. Available:
Integrated Chemical Engineering Lab-I_Manuals.pdf