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Reynolds Number

The document discusses Reynolds number, which is a ratio that measures inertial and viscous forces in fluid flow. It can be used to determine if flow in a pipe will be laminar or turbulent. A Reynolds number below 2100 indicates laminar flow, while above 4000 is turbulent. Knowing the flow type is important, as laminar flow is desired for airplane wing lift and decreased car drag, while transporting fluids through tubes requires laminar flow for efficiency.

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73 views

Reynolds Number

The document discusses Reynolds number, which is a ratio that measures inertial and viscous forces in fluid flow. It can be used to determine if flow in a pipe will be laminar or turbulent. A Reynolds number below 2100 indicates laminar flow, while above 4000 is turbulent. Knowing the flow type is important, as laminar flow is desired for airplane wing lift and decreased car drag, while transporting fluids through tubes requires laminar flow for efficiency.

Uploaded by

Chris Ellis
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chris Ellis Physics Independent Study 19/09/10

Reynolds Number
Reynolds number is a number which gives a measure to the ratio between inertial forces and viscous
forces. It can be used to show the relative flow of a fluid to a surface in different situations, for
example Reynolds number for a fluid flowing in a pipe is equal to (QL)/(vA), Q being the volumetric
flow rate (m3s-1), L being the radius of the pipe (m), v being the kinematic viscosity m2s-1 and A
being the cross section of the pipe (m2). (unknown,19/09/10).

Reynolds number can be used to determine whether the flow


of the a fluid will be laminar or turbulent, if Reynolds number
is less than 2100 the flow will be laminar, and if the flow is
over 4000 the flow is turbulent and for values in between it is
the transition between laminar and turbulent. (Harlan
Bengtson, 22/08/10)

Knowing whether the flow is turbulent or laminar is important


because it is important that there is laminar flow for the uplift
of an aeroplane’s wing, the shape of a car, so that drag is decreased. When transporting fluids
along tubes it is important that the flow is laminar so it is efficient, so the rate of flow is monitored
so and controlled so it that it stays laminar and is constantly efficient. (Mike Benn & Graham
George, 2008, p. 53)

Reference List
Unknown (14 September 2010) Reynolds Number,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reynolds_number, Date accessed 19/09/10

Harlan Bengtson (22 August 2010) Pipe Flow Calculations 2: Reynolds Number and Laminar
& Turbulent Flow, http://www.brighthub.com/engineering/civil/articles/55053.aspx, Date
accessed 19/09/10

Mike Benn, Graham George, 2008, Edexcel Physics for AS, Hodder Education

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