REYNOLDS NUMBER

The Reynolds number (Re) is the ratio of inertial resistance to viscous resistance for a flowing fluid. The Reynolds number is a non-dimensional (unitless) factor governing resistance due to viscosity (among other things).

Flow Regimes For low Reynolds numbers the behavior of a fluid depends mostly on its viscosity and the flow is steady, smooth, viscous, or laminar and n = 1. For high Reynolds numbers the momentum of the fluid determines its behavior more than the viscosity and the flow is unsteady, churning, roiling, or turbulent and n = 2. For intermediate Reynolds numbers the flow is transitional partly laminar and partly turbulent.

The coefficient k is usually determined by experiment due to the complexity of the flow in many things. When getting two manometer readings, the head loss can be calculated, then k for the pipe fitting experiment can be determined. K can be considered to be independent of both friction factor and Reynolds Number because they are related to the pipe friction. Consequently, K is treated as a constant for any given valve or fitting.

The pressure head is dependent on the density of water, which can vary depending on both the temperature and chemical composition (salinity, in particular). This means that the hydraulic head calculation is dependent on the density of the water within the piezometer. If one or more hydraulic head measurements are to be compared, they need to be standardized, usually to their fresh water head.