Introduction

Fun Facts

Methodology

The pipeline was first set up by referring to the symbol

diagram that was sketched. All connections of the
pipeline are made of copper. The pipeline was
connected using pipe fittings. To solve the drainage
problem, separate isolating valves were connected
throughout the pipeline. The pipeline was held in place
by using a clamp to clamp it on the railings. After
setting up the pipe line, fill up tank A with water. All the
valves were then opened (except the valves that are
used for drainage) to test the system. If water can be
seen leaking out of the connections, close the valves
and use a wrench to tighten the connections. When the
flow rate is zero (pump not on yet), the pressure
exerted by the water was read through the pressure
gauge. By adjusting the control valve, the pressure
readings for the maximum and half maximum flow rate
were recorded. Repeat the experiment another two
times to get 3 sets of readings. Finally, before taking
down the pipeline the isolating valves were opened to
drain all water from the system.

Have you ever wondered when we flush our toilet, where is

the waste transported? How is it transported? The answer
lies in the complex pipelines that run from our house to the
sewage underground. Do you know that we are actually
applying Bernoullis principle when we flush our toilet? When
we flush our toilet, the gush of water causes a pressure
difference that forces the waste down the pipelines. Pipelines
are also used to transport crude oil from the core of the earth
to the surface of earth. Without pipelines imagine how are we
going to transport the crude oil from the core. Pipelines also
help transport industrial by products from silos to the
respective processing plants. For example, the milk
processing industry uses pipelines to transport fresh milk
from silos to the centrifugal machines that help separate fat
from milk.

Results
Diagram
When using the Bernoullis equation,
there are some aspects that we have to
fix.
1) The value of Z1= 0 m, since we are
taking this point as the datum point.
2) The area of the cross section of pipe
remains constant. Since the water is
incompressible fluid, the volumetric
flow rate remains constant.
Therefore, we can say velocity of
water is constant throughout the
experiment.
3) The pressure p2 is atmospheric
pressure, therefore we can assume it
to be zero as it is said to be the
datum point of the measurement of
the pressure gauge.
By using Bernoullis equation,
We obtain the value of the experimental
Hf= 3.32 m. Wait, why is there a
difference between the theoretical value
and the experimental value? Stay tune, it
is explained on the summary section.

We then use the velocity to calculate

the Reynolds number using the formula
Re=Dup/ (), where D= diameter of
pipe, u= velocity of water we calculate,
p= density of water and = viscosity of
water at room temperature. By subbing
in the value of velocity of water, we get
the Reynolds number to be 23 764
which indicates the water is flowing
under turbulent flow as re 4000 is
considered turbulent. We then use this
Reynolds number coupled with the
relative roughness coefficient to obtain
the Darcy friction factor which is, f. The
friction factor obtained is 0.024. We
then use the formula Hf= (4fL(v)2)/( 2Dg)
to calculate head lost Hf where g=
gravitational acceleration and L=Length
of the pipeline. The value Hf after
subbing in the values are said to be
0.700 m. This value obtained is said to
be the theoretical value.

Flowrate(m 3s-1)

Pressure(kPa)/ exp 1 Pressure(kPa)/ exp 2 Pressure(kPa)/ exp 3

0
165.5
165.5
165.5
0.000125
117.2
110.3
103.4
0.00025
41.4
41.4
41.4

The value of flow rates and pressure that are obtained were recorded onto a
table. The flow rate and the pressure units are initially litres per minute and
pounds per square inch respectively. This is then converted to the SI units.
The pressure gauge uncertainty is 0.05 pounds per square inch and the
uncertainty of pressure is 0.25 litres per minute.
The following are the values of some of the unknowns
D= 0.015 m
Z2= 0.9 m

g= 9.81 ms -2

p= 1000 kgm-3

= 8.90 10-4 Pas

W=9810 kgm-2s-2 L= 1.08 m

The cross sectional area of the pipeline is (7.5 10-3)2= 1.77 10-4m2. By
getting the cross sectional area, we can find the velocity of the water as
v=Q/A, where Q is the volumetric flow rate and A is the cross sectional area.
By applying this formula, we get the velocity of the water as 1.41 ms-1

Summary
The experiment was designed to teach people
how to construct a pipeline. The pipeline
cannot be constructed without a rough sketch
of a symbol diagram on a paper. The first
rough sketch was unusable as the tanks and
the pumps were drawn on the wrong sides.
The second sketch was also unusable as no
drainage system was planned. When the
system is tested, the rotary metre did not show
any reading. This was due to the faulty of the
bullet in the rotary metre. The rotary metre is
then detached and replaced with a new rotary
metre. Since there is a presence of leakage,
the pressure recorded would have a lower
value and this would affect the flow rate. A
lower flow rate would cause the velocity
calculated to be lower since they are
directly proportional to each other. The
lower flow rate would cause a increase in
the pressure read on the gauge. Since the
Reynolds number is based on the velocity
calculated, the Reynolds number would
experience a drop in value. The Reynolds
number would allow us to obtain the value
of friction factor from a moody diagram.
The wrong friction factor would affect the
value of head loss, hf.

Conclusion
From the results, we can see
that when the flow rate
increases the pressure
recorded decreases. This
can further strengthen by the
relationship of the graph that
shows a negative gradient.
The negative gradient shows
that when values on the x
axis increases, the y values
decreases. The relationship
is verified by the Bernoullis
principle that states that
when a fluid flow increases,
the pressure would
decrease.

Further
Work
One of the key problems
that were found is the
constant leakage of
water through the
connections .The
problem can be solved
by introducing gasket to
seal the gaps between
the connections. The
faulty of the rotary metre
caused readings unable
to be taken. Therefore,
before carrying out the
experiment all valves
and gauges must be
checked before being
used.

References
1) Blackboard, CHEN 10060,
Experiment 10(construction of
a pipeline)
2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi
peline_transport
3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D
arcy_friction_factor_formulae
4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M
oody_chart
5) School of Chemical
Engineering and Analytical
Sciences, First Year Practical
Work 2015-16, Chemical
Engineering Laboratory CHEN
10060