FLUIDS IN MOTION 18

2~

st

tl
~ Arbitrarily chosen base line

Figure 1.5
Diagrammatic representation of heads in a liquid flowing through a pipe

The method of calculating frictional losses is described in Chapter 2. It

may be noted here that losses occur as the fluid flows through the plain
pipe, pipe fittings (bends, valves), and at expansions and contractions such
as into and out of vessels.
A slightly more general case is incompressible flow through an inclined
pipe having a change of diameter. In this case the fluid's velocity and
velocity head will change. Rearranging equation I. 15, the pressure drop
P l - P2 experienced by the fluid in flowing from location i to location 2 is
given by

P I - P 2 = pg(zz-Zl)+ 2or +Pghl (1.16)

Equation 1.16 shows that, in general, the upstream pressure P~ must be

greater than the downstream pressure/)2 in order to raise the fluid, to
increase its velocity and to overcome frictional losses.
In some cases, one or more of the terms on the right hand side of
equation 1.16 will be zero, or may be negative. For downward flow the
hydrostatic pressure increases in the direction of flow and for decelerating
flow the loss of kinetic energy produces an increase in pressure (pressure
recovery).
14 FLUID FLOW FOR CHEMICAL ENGINEERS

Denoting the total pressure drop ( P l - Pz) by AP, it can be written as

M ~ = APa, + M'~o+ M~t (1.17)
where kP, h, AP=, APf are respectively the static head, accelerative and
frictional components of the total pressure drop given in equation 1.16.
Equation 1.16 shows that each component of the pressure drop is equal to
the corresponding change of head multiplied by pg.
An important application of BernouUi's equation is in flow measure-
ment, discussed in Chapter 8. When an incompressible fluid flows through
a constriction such as the throat of the Venturi meter shown in Figure 8.5,
by continuity the fluid velocity must increase and by Bernoulli's equation
the pressure must fag. By measuring this change in pressure, the change
in velocity can be determined and the volumetric flow rate calculated.
Applications of Bernoulli's equation are usually straightforward. Often
there is a choice of the locations 1 and 2 between which the calculation is
made: it is important to choose these locations carefully. All conditions
must be known at each location. The appropriate choice can sometimes
make the calculation very simple. A rather extreme case is discussed in
Example 1.1.

Example 1.1
The contents of the tank shown in Figure 1.6 are heated by circulating the
liquid through an external heat exchanger. Bernoulli's equation can be
used to calculate the head Ah that the pump must generate. It is assumed
here that the total losses hI have been calculated. Locations A and B might
be considered but these are unsuitable because the flow changes in the
region of the inlet and oudet and the conditions are therefore unknown.

B 2

(
/

[i- " il
l J @ A 1

Figure 1.6
Recirculating liquid: application of Bemoulli's equation