Pipe Sizing

Velocity of Flow

According to the Plumbing Engineering Services Design Guide and to BS 6700, the
velocity of fluid in pipe is limited by the following:

 Cavitation
 Erosion/Corrosion
 Noise

Noise generally occurs in pipes where velocities exceed 1.5 m/s. This is a major issue
especially when pipework passes through occupied areas.

Erosion and Corrosion of pipework can result from the abrasive action of foreign
particles in the water when velocities exceed 2.5m/s.

Cavitation may occur when the local static pressure in a fluid reach a level below the
vapour pressure of the liquid at the actual temperature. According to Bernouilli’s
theory, this may happen when the fluid accelerates in a control valve or around a pump
impeller.

The vaporization itself does not cause the damage - the damage happens when the
vapour almost immediately collapses after evaporation when the velocity is decreased
and pressure increased.

Experiments have shown that cavitation may be induced at velocities above 7 m/s

(Wise & Swaffield, 2012).

By considering the above information, it is wise to size the pipe of the system such that
the velocity is less or equal to 1.5 m/s to avoid all such problems.