10/16/2015

myChemECalculatingPressureDropsinStraightPipe

myChemE
YourChemicalEngineeringPortal
Menu

Calculation
Design
Technical Data
Properties
Spreadsheets
Equipment
General
Forum

Calculating Pressure Drops in Straight Pipe

February14,2013mycheme

INTRODUCTION
ProcessEngineersoftenneedtocalculatepressuredropforfluidsflowingdownpipes.Thisarticlepresentsamethodof
estimatingpressuredropsinstraightpipe.
EnfieldTechnologies

PneumaticPositioning
Precise.Fast.Accurate.ProportionalServo
Pneumatics

Instraightpipelengths,PressureDrop(?P)canbecalculatedusingtheDarcyEquation,whichinSIunitsispresented
below:

http://www.mycheme.com/calculatingpressuredropsinstraightpipe/

1/8

10/16/2015

myChemECalculatingPressureDropsinStraightPipe

Where:
LPipeLength(m)
uFluidVelocity(m/s)
?FluidDensity(kg/m3)
dPipeInternalPipeDiameter(m)
fDarcyFrictionFactor(Dimensionless)
ThisformoftheDarcyEquationcalculatesthepressuredropinPascal.ToconvertintoBar,dividetheanswerby105.
Otherlinksonsimilarsubjects
PressureDropsinPipeFittings
LiquidPressureDropSpreadsheet
StandardPipesizes

CALCULATING THE DARCY FRICTION FACTOR

TheDarcyfrictionfactor(f)givesameasureofthepressurelossesresultingfromenergydissipationasaresultofshear
stressesatthepipewall.ThefrictionfactorisafunctionoftheReynoldsNumber,Re.Itisoftenconvenienttoestimatethe
frictionfactorusingtheMoodyDiagram.ThisisaplotoftheReynoldsNumberagainsttheFrictionFactor.Acopyofthe
MoodyDiagram(takenfromWikipedia)isshownbelow.

http://www.mycheme.com/calculatingpressuredropsinstraightpipe/

2/8

10/16/2015

myChemECalculatingPressureDropsinStraightPipe

Inlaminarflow(i.e.ReynoldsNumberlessthanapproximately2100),thefrictionfactorisafunctionoftheReynolds
Numberonly(f=64/Re).Inturbulentflow(i.e.ReynoldsNumbergreaterthanapproximately3000),thefrictionfactorisa
fnctionofboththeReynoldsNumberandtherelativeroughnessofthepipe.

Pipe Roughness
Therelativeroughnessofthepipeisthepiperoughness,?,dividedbytheinternalpipediameter.Thepiperoughness,
?,dependsonthepipematerial.TypicalvaluesofpiperoughnessforcommonpipingmaterialsaregivenontheMoody
diagramabove.Pipesmanufacturedfrommaterialswithcoursersurfacefinisheswillhavehigherfrictionfactorsand,all
otherfactorsbeingequal,willthereforehavehigherpressuredrops.Asthepipediameterincreases,thepipesurfacewill
becomelessimportant,thus?isdividedbytheinternaldiameterofthepipetogivetherelativepiperoughness.Itshould
benotedthattherelativepiperoughnessisdimensionlessitisimportanttoensurethatpiperoughnessandtheinternal
diameterareinthesameunits(thevaluesof?givenintheMoodyDiagramaboveareinmillimetres).

FRICTION FACTOR CALCULATION METHODS

InadditiontousingtheMoodyDiagram,itispossibletoestimatetheDarcyFrictionFactorbycalculation.Thisis
particularlyusefulforcomputersoftwarewheregraphicalmethodsareinappropriate
Forlaminarflow,aformulafortheDarcyFrictionFactorcanbederivedfromfirstprinciplesusingPoiseuillesLaw.
FromPoiseuilleslaw,thefrictionfactorcanbeobtainedusingthefollowingequation:

f = 64 / Re
http://www.mycheme.com/calculatingpressuredropsinstraightpipe/

3/8

10/16/2015

myChemECalculatingPressureDropsinStraightPipe

Unfortunately,thisequationisonlyapplicabletolaminarflowwhichisamajordrawbackaspipeflowinthemajorityof
industrialapplicationsisturbulent.Consequently,aconsiderableamountofacademicworkhasbeendoneonobtaining
empiricalcorrelationstodeterminetheDarcyFrictionFactorinturbulentflow.ThemostwellknownistheColebrook
Correlation,givenbelow:

TheColebrookequationisapplicableforturbulentflowconditions(i.e.Reynoldsnumbers,Re,greaterthan3000).Its
maindrawbackisthatthefrictionfactorcannotbeexpressedexplicitly,makingitdifficulttosolve.Itshouldbenotedthat
theaboveequationisexpressedbase10logorithmsnotnaturallogs.Thereareanumberofothercorrelationswhich
allowtheDarcyFrictionFactorinturbulentflowtobesolvedexplicitly:theseincludetheWoodCorrelationandtheJain
Correlation.However,personnallyIbelievethatthemostusefulistheChurchillCorrelation,seebelow:

http://www.mycheme.com/calculatingpressuredropsinstraightpipe/

4/8

10/16/2015

myChemECalculatingPressureDropsinStraightPipe

Inaddition,toallowingtheDarcyFrictionFactortobesolvedexplicitly,theChurchillCorrelationisapplicableforall
ReynoldsNumbers(atlowReynoldsNumbersitreducestof=64/Re).Thismakesitparticularlyusefulincomputer
programsandspreadsheets,asitcanbeappliedtoallflowconditions.

OTHER FRICTION FACTORS

TheDarcyFrictionFactormustnotbeconfusedwithotherfrictionfactors,forexampletheFanningFrictionFactor.The
FanningFrictionFactorisexactlyaquarterofthesizeoftheDarcyFrictionFactorandisusedinamodifiedversionof
theDarcyEquation.IfthewrongformoftheFanningFrictionFactorisusedintheDarcyEquationabove,thepressure
dropwillbeoutbyafactoroffour!
Sometimesitisnotclearwhichformthethefrictionfactorisbeingestimated.Ifthisisthecase,checkthevalueofthe
frictionfactorataReynoldsNumberof1000whichfortheDarcyFrictionFactorwillgaveavalueof0.064
MyChemEprovideaspreadsheetforcalculatingpressuredropsinliquidpipelines,usingtheFanningFrictionFactor,can
befoundhere.
Previous
Next
Calculationshydraulics
Calculation
facebook
Twitter
del.icio.us
digg
stumbleupon
Google+1
Pinterest

Leave a Reply
Youremailaddresswillnotbepublished.Requiredfieldsaremarked*
Name*
Email*
Website

Comment
YoumayusetheseHTMLtagsandattributes:<ahref=""title=""><abbrtitle=""><acronymtitle=""><b>
<blockquotecite=""><cite><code><deldatetime=""><em><i><qcite=""><strike><strong>

Post Comment
Searchfor:

Search

http://www.mycheme.com/calculatingpressuredropsinstraightpipe/

5/8

10/16/2015

myChemECalculatingPressureDropsinStraightPipe

Contribute An Article?
Log in
Entries RSS
Comments RSS
WordPress.org

Supply
Pump
Head
Professional
Manufacturer,
Longer
Precision
PumpCo.,ltd.

Also on myChemE
http://www.mycheme.com/calculatingpressuredropsinstraightpipe/

6/8

10/16/2015

myChemECalculatingPressureDropsinStraightPipe

Introduction to Heat Capacity

AnintroductiontoHeatCapacitygivingapproximatevaluesforsomecommonmaterials.

Vapour Pressure Data

ThisfreeExcelspreadsheetdownloadprovidesadatabankofvapourliquidequilibriumdataforalargevarietyof
chemicals.

Performance of Centrifugal Pumps

Thisarticlepresentstheoperatingperformanceofcentrifugalpumps,themostcommonplacepumpfoundinthe
processindustries.

Choked Flow in Gases

Restrictionsingaslinescanresultinchokedflow.Thisarticlelooksathowtopredictchokedflowconditions.

http://www.mycheme.com/calculatingpressuredropsinstraightpipe/

7/8

10/16/2015

myChemECalculatingPressureDropsinStraightPipe

Introduction to Distillation
Anintroductiontothekeyconceptsbehinddistillationincludingbatchdistillation.

Distillation Model
FREEDOWNLOADSimplifieddistillationmodelforatwocomponentmixtureinanExcelSpreadsheet.

Viscosity
Viscosityisanimportantparameterinthecalculationofhydraulicssuchaspressuredrop.Thisarticlediscusses
howtogetaccurateviscositydata.

Latest myChemE
Managing Fire Safety
Designing Tanks and Vessels Part 2
Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBCs)
Olefins (Alkenes) Latent Heat of Vaporization
Performance of Centrifugal Pumps
ThemebyTowfiqI.
TechnicalHelpWeOffer
Legal
PrivacyPolicy

http://www.mycheme.com/calculatingpressuredropsinstraightpipe/

8/8