FLUID MECHANICS

CE 2721

OSBORNE REYNOLDS EXPERIMENT

(Laminar and Turbulent Flow)

Wanninayake S.W.M.U.V
EN17406536
Group – 05
Electrical and Electronics Engineering

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RESULTS:
Table 1 -Results

Run No Volume Time (s) Flow Rate Velocity Reynold Type of

(m^3) (m^3/s) (m/s) Number Flow
(Re)
1 0.00005 51.9 9.63391E-07 0.012266277 137.3603241 Laminar

2 0.00005 23.92 2.0903E-06 0.026614539 298.0351513 Laminar

3 0.00005 15.61 3.20307E-06 0.040782817 456.6944791 Laminar

4 0.00005 11.71 4.26985E-06 0.05436548 608.7959708 Laminar

5 0.00005 5.22 9.57854E-06 0.121957811 1365.708969 Laminar

6 0.00005 3.76 1.32979E-05 0.169313769 1896.010856 Laminar

o Cross Sectional Area = 7.85398E-05 m^2

OBSERVATIONS:
 The flow rate is taking a higher value when the outlet valve is open more
 When the flow rate is high the fluid flow is getting laminar to transitional and then turbulent.
 Transitional flows have the appearance of both laminar and turbulent forms. It first become a
laminar flow and then transform to a turbulent flow.

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DISCUSSION:

 Laminar and turbulent Flow

This is a type of fluid which the fluid travels smoothly or in regular
paths. Laminar flow is moving slowly. Viscosity is relatively high
in laminar flow. Turbulent flow is the type of fluid flows in which
the fluid undergoes irregular mixing or fluctuation. There is another
kind of flow named as transitional flow. This is the intermediate
stage of the laminar flow which is transforming to a turbulent flow.

Figure 1 - Laminar and Turbulent flows

 Practical Examples
Both laminar and turbulent flows are used in flow of blood in blood vessels. When considering the
laminar flow, it is the normal condition of blood flow through a vein. Maximum velocity of the flow
can be found in the center of the vessel and the lowest velocity can be found along the vessel wall.
In diseases like Ascending Aorta, the blood flow is observed to become turbulent. This happens when
the blood flow overgoes the velocity which laminar flow cannot reach, and it became a transitional
flow and then a turbulent flow. Because of this turbulent flow, blood doesn’t flow linearly and
smoothly as a laminar flow. The energy loss is getting high in the form of friction and causes more
heat.

 Practical Examples for Laminar Flows

 Flow of air in an aircraft wing
Due to the aerodynamic shape of the wing and the thin sheet in the
front side of the wing, it creates a laminar flow of air.

Figure 2 - Motion of air on a wing

Generally, laminar flow is occurring by viscous fluid inside a tube or a pipe. Therefore, most of the
practical applications of the laminar flow is occurring with a tube or a pipe. Few examples are
mentioned below.
 Blood Flow through veins.
 Hydraulic flow inside tubes of vehicles.
 In nanofluids.

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  Practical Examples for Turbulent Flows
Turbulent flows are occurring when the fluid is not having regular velocities and having irregular
mixings as well.
 The air turbulence occurring during airplane flight.
 Oceanic turbulent waves due to boat rides or submarine rides.
 A jet exhaust which can be seen in the sky as spirals.

Cigarette smoke is also considered as a turbulent flow.

But it is more likely a transitional flow because the smoke is having a
laminar flow at 1st and then it’s transforming to the turbulent flow.

Figure 3 - Cigarette Smoke

 Significance of Reynolds Number

Reynolds number plays an important role in physics which helps categorizing different flow types
according to an answer obtaining in an equation. Reynolds number which is represented as Re, is
having some values to determine the fluid flow is whether laminar or transitional or turbulent.
IF,
Re<2300 – The fluid is having a laminar flow
2300<Re<4000 – The fluid is having a transitional flow
Re>4000 – The fluid is having a turbulent flow.

In most practical situations, Reynolds number is useful in designing and modeling designs. As
an example, it plays an important role in testing of wind lift on aircrafts and supersonic aircrafts. When
designing the wing of the aircraft, it’s more important to consider the type of the airflow which is
passing out the wing cause a turbulent flow can cause a damage to the aircraft which comes after
another aircraft.
Also, Reynolds number plays an important role in designing pipes and tubes cause the internal
friction of the pipe or the tube must be calculated and must be determine according to the correct
application.

 Errors can be occurred during the practical

In the results of the practical, we can see some differences from the expected result. During the
experiment, we calculated a uniform water volume into the time. We calculated all measurements to 2
laminar flows, 2 transitional flows and 2 turbulent flows. But after calculating the theoretical values
for the Reynolds number, all the measurements fulfill the characteristics of a laminar flow.

 This can be mainly happening due to the errors of taking measurements. 1st thing is to get the
temperature correct. If the temperature gets wrong, then the kinematic viscosity value is going
to be wrong.
 This can be happened because the constant volume we take was not enough to get accurate
measurements. During the practical we took 50cm^3 as the volume and calculated the time
which needs to fill that constant volume to measure the flow rate. Because of theses wrong
measurements, the obtained flow rate is being wrong and cause the theoretical values to
become wrong.

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CONCLUSIONS:
 Velocity is directly proportional to the Reynolds Number when; the inside diameter of the pipe
and the kinematic viscosity remains constant
 Velocity is directly proportional to the flow rate when the cross-sectional area remains
constant.

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REFERENCES:

1. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2018. Turbulent flow | physics | Britannica.com. Available at:

https://www.britannica.com/science/turbulent-flow. [Accessed 14 March 2018].

2. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2018. Laminar flow | physics | Britannica.com. Available at:

https://www.britannica.com/science/laminar-flow. [Accessed 14 March 2018].

3. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2018. Reynolds number | Definition & History | Britannica.com.

Available at: https://www.britannica.com/science/Reynolds-number#ref162781. [Accessed 14
March 2018].

4. Nuclear Power. 2018. Examples of Turbulent Flow - Nuclear Power. Available at:
https://www.nuclear-power.net/nuclear-engineering/fluid-dynamics/turbulent-flow/examples-
of-turbulent-flow/. [Accessed 14 March 2018].