Mechanical Engineering Science 6

Fittings & Minor Losses

Fittings & Minor Loss Coefficient

Locallsed losses frequenLly occur ln plpellne sysLems
and are caused by:
! an lncrease ln LurbulenL mouon
! Lhe separauon of Lhe shear layer from Lhe wall of
Lhe plpe.
Fittings & Minor Loss Coefficient

1he maln physlcal causes of such losses are:
! LnLry Lo a plpe
! LnlargemenL or lncrease ln dlameLer of Lhe plpe
! ConLracuon or decrease ln dlameLer of Lhe plpe
! 8ends, elbows, Lees and dlvergenL secuons
! arually closed valves & mngs
! LxlL from Lhe plpe
Other Pipe Losses
1he source of loss ls conned Lo a shorL lengLh of plpe,
buL Lhe Lurbulence produced may perslsL far
downsLream.

lL ls assumed, however, LhaL Lhe addluonal head loss ls
concenLraLed aL Lhe devlce causlng lL. 1he LoLal head
loss ln a plpe ls Lhen calculaLed as Lhe sum of Lhe
normal frlcuon losses for Lhe lengLh of plpe consldered
and Lhe addluonal losses.
Pipe Flow
Losses, whlch have been found Lo vary as Lhe square
of veloclLy, are usually wrluen as:





Where k ls a consLanL for a glven devlce and hlgh
8eynolds numbers
g
u
K h
f
2
Loss, Head
2
=
Loss at Flow Expansion
Conslder Lhe eecL on Lhe ow ln a plpe of a sudden
lncrease ln Lhe plpe dlameLer
Loss at Flow Expansion
Applylng Lhe Lnergy Lquauon:
l
h z
g
u
g
p
z
g
u
g
p
+ + + = + +
2 2
2
2 2
2
1 1
! !
1he neL force acung on Lhe uld ln Lhe !"#$%"& ("&)*+
C8S1u ls:
( )
2 2 1 2 1 1
A p A A p A p ! !
"
+
Loss at Flow Expansion
Loss at Flow Expansion
Where p' ls Lhe mean pressure of Lhe eddles on Lhe
annular face 8u. Slnce lL ls noL unreasonable LhaL:
p' = p
1
1he neL force ls:
(p
1
- p
2
)A
2


Shear forces aL Lhe wall are neglecLed slnce Lhe uld
ls ,+-.%.$+/ 0%"* $1+ 2.&& and Lhe wall Lurbulence
wlll be such LhaL Lhe neL force wlll be zero.
lrom Lhe 3"*+#$)* 45).6"#



SubsuLuung Lhls lnLo 7+%#")&&89, 45).6"#
( ) ( )
( )
1 2 2 2 1
1 2 2 2 1
Momentum of Increase of Rate Force Net
u u u p p
u u Q A p p
! = !
! = !
=
"
"
( )
( )
g
u u
h
g
u u
g
u u u
g
u u
g
p p
h
l
l
2
2 2
2
2 1
2
2
2
1 1 2 2
2
2
2
1 2 1
!
= "
!
+
!
=
!
+
!
=
#
Loss aL llow Lxpanslon
Loss at Flow Expansion
:"#6#)8$;<


1herefore Lhe equauon becomes:



2 2 1 1
u A u A =
2
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
2
1
1
2
1
2
!
!
"
#
$
$
%
&
' =
!
!
"
#
$
$
%
&
' = (
A
A
g
u
A
A
g
u
h
l
Example:
ueLermlne energy loss when 100L/mln of waLer moved from 1" copper
Lube Lo 3" .

ueLermlne Lhe pressure dlerence beLween Lhe Lwo plpes


n8: u1= 23.3 mm, u2= 73.8 mm
Loss at Flow Contraction
AlLhough Lhls ls Lhe reverse of an expanslon, Lhe
accelerauon of Lhe uld lnLo Lhe conLracuon has
unknown eecLs on Lhe pressure dlsLrlbuuon
upsLream. lmmedlaLely downsLream, a vena
conLracLa ls formed.
Loss at Flow Contraction
1he loss of head beLween Lhls and Lhe downsLream
secuon as belng glven by:



Where c
c
ls Lhe co-emclenL of conLracuon. AlLhough
Lhe value of A
1
ls noL expllclLly lnvolved ln Lhls
equauon, Lhe value of c
c
of Lhe vena conLracLa
depends on Lhe rauo:
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
2
1
2
!
!
"
#
$
$
%
&
' =
!
!
"
#
$
$
%
&
' = (
c c
l
C g
u
A
A
g
u
h
1
2
A
A
Loss at Flow Contraction
The table gives values for K in the equation:
g
u
K h
l
2
2
2
=
D
2
/D
1
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
K 0.5 0.45 0.38 0.28 0.14 0.00
Loss at Flow Contraction
Rounded Contraction & Inlets
vena conLracLa and losses can be avolded
! 8ounded conLracuons can have k = 0.03

lnleLs: ConLracuons from lnnlLe dlameLer
! llush: Sudden conLracuon u
2
/u
1
= 0 "k = 0.3
! SllghLly rounded: k = 0.2
! Well-rounded: k = 0.04
! roLrudlng: k = 0.8
Loss at Pipe Entrance
As Lhe value of A
1
Lends Lo lnnlLy for Lhe case of a
conLracuon, Lhe value of k Lends Lo 0.5. 1hls ls Lhe
llmlung case of ow from a reservolr lnLo a sharp edged
plpe whlch does noL proLrude lnLo Lhe ow. 1he head
loss for Lhls ls Lherefore glven by:
g
u
h
l
2
5 . 0
2
2
=
Loss at Pipe Entrance
ln Lhe case where Lhe mouLhplece enLers (or
proLrudes) lnLo Lhe uld reservolr, Lhe value of k Lends
Lo 1.0
g
u
h
l
2
8 . 0
2
2
=
Loss at Pipe Entrance
ln order Lo mlnlmlse loss aL plpe enLrances, a bell
mouLh enLrance ls by far Lhe mosL emclenL devlce,
alLhough such bell mouLhs may be expenslve Lo
consLrucL. 1he head loss assoclaLed wlLh a bell mouLh
can be ln Lhe range:
( )
g
u
h
l
2
0 05 . 0
2
2
! =
Loss at Pipe Entrance
If the pipe expands sharply after the entry
point very heavy losses will occur:
Loss at Pipe Exit
1hls ls Lhe llmlL of:



as A
2
-~, such LhaL:


1hus, all Lhe veloclLy head ls losL and ls generally
assumed Lo have gone Lo lncrease Lhe LurbulenL
energy ln Lhe reservolr lnLo whlch lL has dlscharged.
g
u
h
l
2
2
=
2
2
1
2
2
2
2
1
2
1
1
2
1
2
!
!
"
#
$
$
%
&
' =
!
!
"
#
$
$
%
&
' = (
A
A
g
u
A
A
g
u
h
l
Losses in Bends, Tee Junctions etc.
(Secondary Flow Losses)
7+#/, - Mlnlmlsed by use of large radll and also by
curved vanes Lo dlverL ow. CLherwlse, bend losses are
large.
g
u
h
l
2
1 . 1
2
=
Losses ln 8ends, 1ee !uncuons eLc.
(Secondary llow Losses)
=++ > ?)#!6"#, - varlable and deLalls glven ln
manufacLurers speclcauons. Lxample for Lhe slde
exlL of a 1:
g
u
h
l
2
8 . 1
2
=
Losses at Partially Closed Valves
Gate Valve Globe Valve
Loss at Flow Contraction
1he Lable glves values for k ln Lhe equauon:
g
u
K h
l
2
2
=
Valve
Type

Globe
(Open)
Gate
(Open)
Gate
(! Open)
Gate
(" Open)
Gate
(# Open)
K 10 0.2 0.38 0.28 0.14