CIVL2130/ENVE2602 Labs: Transition to turbulence

Transition to turbulence

AIMS
This experiment aims to investigate the transition from laminar flow to fully turbulent flow in a tube.
You will use dye to qualitatively describe the transition point and also quantitatively determine the
friction factor as a function of the Reynolds number.

BACKGROUND
1. Experimental Apparatus


Specifications: Pipe diameter, D = 9.5 mm
Test section length, L = 1 m
Discharge cylinder diameter, D* = 90 mm
(kerosene) = 0.78 (water)

Figure 1. Experimental setup
h
1
H
Discharge cylinder
Water reservoir
2
Kerosene/Water manometer

Dye reservoir

W
K
CIVL2130/ENVE2602 Labs: Transition to turbulence
2. Pipe flow
The flow through a round pipe is characterised by the discharge velocity, U, the pipe diameter, D, the
kinematic viscosity, , and the pipe wall roughness length scale, . All properties of the flow are
determined by this parameter set.
When a fluid flows through a pipe, energy is lost due to friction at the pipe walls. The head loss due to
friction (h
L
) over a length of pipe is determined as follows. For a uniform part of the test section, we
can say
( ) , , , , ,
L
h f L D U g = .
Arranging the variables into dimensionless groups results in

2
2
, , ,
2
L
h UD L U
f
D gD D
U
g

=



The first dimensionless group on the RHS is known as the Reynolds number (Re), and describes the
relationship between inertial and viscous forces in a fluid. The third dimensionless group on the RHS
is known as the Froude number, and describes the relationship between inertial and gravity forces in a
fluid. It can be eliminated here as gravity does not affect the flow pattern in a fully submerged flow.
We are now able to write the Darcy-Weisbach equation:

g
U
D
L
f h
L
2
2

=
Here, f is the friction factor and is a function of (i) Reynolds number and (ii) the relative roughness,
/D. The dependence of f on Reynolds number and /D is shown in the Moody diagram at the end of
these instructions. The lowermost line on the Moody diagram is for smooth pipes.
One of the most intriguing features of pipe flow is that the form of the above function is dependent on
whether the flow is laminar (smooth) or turbulent (chaotic). For small Re, the flow is laminar and
viscosity is important in determining the head loss due to friction, while wall roughness is not
important. For laminar flow, f = 64/Re. As the Reynolds number increases, viscosity plays a
decreasing role and (beyond a critical value) the flow becomes turbulent. The wall roughness becomes
increasingly important since it is the roughness which determines the generation of the turbulence near
the wall and therefore the shear stresses which determine head loss.
Numerical analyses exist for the transition to turbulence in an infinitely long pipe. The results from
these analyses show that the basic velocity profile of laminar flow is unstable at all Reynolds numbers.
However, the action of viscosity near the wall is capable of damping out any tendency for the flow to
become unstable (and thus turbulent) at Reynolds numbers below a critical value of O(1000).
However, a laboratory investigation will differ from an infinitely long pipe in that it has an entrance
and an exit. Whatever the exact configuration of these pipe ends, they may introduce disturbances
which can trigger turbulence and so lead to a lower critical Reynolds number.
Friction reduces the amount of mechanical energy in the flow. Mechanical energy can take 3 forms:
potential energy (PE), kinetic energy (KE) and pressure. The pipe in our experiment is horizontal, so
CIVL2130/ENVE2602 Labs: Transition to turbulence
there is no change in PE. Conservation of mass tells us that the KE cannot change along the pipe. So,
the head loss between Points 1 and 2 is seen as a loss in pressure head. That is:
1 2
L
p p
h
g g
= .

3. Procedure
1. Identify the discharge control valve, discharge cylinder, the manometer, the piezometers and
the dye release mechanism.
2. Close the valve at the bottom of the Discharge Cylinder.
3. Set the flow rate by adjusting the Discharge Control Valve.
4. While the water is flowing through the tube, several measurements must be taken:
(i) Record the reading of the kerosene/water manometer. You must let the manometer reach its
equilibrium position, which can take up to two minutes. Failure to do so can result in
significant underestimation of the head loss in the tube.
(ii) Measure the flow rate through the tube by recording the rate of change of water height (dH/dt)
in the discharge cylinder.
(iii) Release a thin stream of dye and record your observations in the table below.
5. Repeat the experiment for different flows, remembering that the aim of the experiment is to
study the transition from laminar to turbulent flow. You should carry out ten different runs
and cover a range of Reynolds numbers from about 300 to 10000 (observe the dye streak to
ensure you have a few laminar runs and a few fully turbulent runs). For one of these runs,
repeat the measurements twice to get a good idea of the scatter in the data. Manual
measurements should be recorded in the table on the following page.






CIVL2130/ENVE2602 Labs: Transition to turbulence
Run 1 2 3 4 5 6
H
1
(cylinder) (cm)
H
2
(cylinder) (cm)
t (s)
h (manometer) (cm)
Observation
Laminar
Transitional
Turbulent
Run 7 8 9 10 11 12
H
1
(cylinder) (cm)
H
2
(cylinder) (cm)
t (s)
h (manometer) (cm)
Observation
Laminar
Transitional
Turbulent

CIVL2130/ENVE2602 Labs: Transition to turbulence
QUESTIONS
Q1. Derive the equation that relates the velocity in the tube (U) to the rate of change of height in
the discharge cylinder (dH/dt).
Q2. Given that kerosene is only 78% as dense as water, determine the pressure difference at the
bottom of the two manometer tubes as a function of the manometer reading ( h). Using this
expression for the pressure difference, derive the equation that relates the manometer reading
( h) to the head loss (h
L
) in the tube.
Q3. Calculate the Reynolds number and friction factor of each run. Plot your results on the
Moody diagram and use them to obtain an estimate for the roughness of the tube ( ).
Q4. For the repeated run, you have 3 sets of results for exactly the same experimental
conditions. Use this data to estimate the uncertainty in your quoted Re and f values. In this
experiment, what are the largest sources of this uncertainty?
Q5. Discuss the relationship between the visual dye indicator observations and your estimated
Reynolds numbers. What do your results suggest is the critical Reynolds number (or Reynolds
number range) for flow in this tube?
Q6. Discuss the distinguishing features of laminar and turbulent pipe flows.
CIVL2130/ENVE2602 Labs: Transition to turbulence



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