School of Marine Science & Engineering

Pipe Friction Experiment Lab Sheet

Dr Les Hamill 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011

With minor alterations ( University of Plymouth) by Dr. Daniel C. Hatton 2013,
2014, 2016

1. Safety instructions

Do not switch on the apparatus until its use has been explained to you.
Note the limitations of the electronic differential pressure measuring device.
If the reading exceeds +1.5 bar or -1.0 bar then switch off the pump.
Do not start the experiment until you have read the appropriate parts of the
lab sheet.
Make yourself aware of the general hazards in the laboratory - which include
slippery, wet floors and the use of electricity and water. Wash your hands
after being in contact with water in the laboratory, and before you handle
food.

2. Basic theory

The experiment involves studying the head loss due to friction ( ) as water flows
through pipes of different diameter ( ) and relative roughness ( ). This is
achieved by recording the value of , or its equivalent pressure difference,

that occurs over a known length ( ) of pipe.

Fig 1 The
friction head Valve to
loss, control
flow rate

To volumetric
measuring tank or
measuring
cylinder

The flow rate through the pipe, and hence the mean velocity ( ) and the Reynolds
number ( ), is controlled by the valve at the downstream end of the pipe. The flow
rate can be determined volumetrically by collecting a known volume of water in either
the hydraulic bench's tank or a measuring cylinder (for very small flow rates).

For water flowing along a pipe the type of flow is determined by Reynolds number:

where and at .

Approximately:
Laminar flow
Unsteady flow (short of fully-developed turbulence) (transitional)
Fully-developed turbulent flow
where is a roughness-dependent critical value that is not less than .

In laminar flow
Transitional flow is unstable and will plot randomly on a graph
In turbulent flow

Most pipe flows encountered in engineering applications are turbulent. In turbulent

flow, depending upon whether or not the roughness elements (of height ) penetrate
the laminar sublayer (thickness ) the flow can be classed as smooth turbulent,
transitional turbulent and rough turbulent. Similarly there is a smooth pipe curve
( ), and a series of rough pipe curves ( ) for different values. The
rough pipe curves break away from the smooth pipe curves at different values
(see Fig 6.10, page 187 of Understanding Hydraulics).

2.1 Objectives of the experiment

(a) To study the variation of with velocity and to confirm the validity of graphs
such as that below by plotting the laboratory values obtained from pipe 1 and
Appendix A.

Turbulent flow

Fig 2
Head loss
against Transitional flow
velocity
graph Laminar flow
Velocity

(b) To verify the existence of the smooth turbulent flow pipe curve (ie the smooth
pipe curve) by plotting the laboratory values of (lambda) obtained from pipes 1 and
2 against . These can be compared with the theoretical smooth turbulent flow pipe
curve obtained from the Prandtl equation (not to be confused with the Prandtl
number, which you might encounter in next year's thermo-fluids module)

(6.16 of Understanding hydraulics)

(Hint: you'll find you can't make the subject of the Prandtl equation so you'll have
to do something a bit unusual to plot it. There are a couple of options for what that
something unusual might be.)

(c) To verify the existence of one rough turbulent flow pipe curve (ie rough pipe
curve) by plotting the laboratory values of obtained from pipe 3 against and to
estimate the value of by comparing the results with a Moody diagram (Fig 6.10,
Understanding Hydraulics).
 Fig 3
against
graph.

3 Understanding the apparatus

It looks complicated but it isnt really.

V10 V11

Fig 4 Diagram
of the apparatus.

Ignore the manometers at each end, they are disconnected. The pressure
difference is obtained from the electronic display unit at the top left. DO NOT
TOUCH THIS UNIT. The pressure difference is measured using the flexible
 plastic manometer tubes with the white plugs and sockets: these can be
connected where needed.
You are only using the top three horizontal grey pipes for your readings. These
have diameters of (top), and (the artificially roughened pipe,
third from the top).
Basically water comes out of the orange bench and flows vertically up the grey
pipework on the left. It then flows through one or more of the horizontal grey
pipes, depending upon which valves (V4) are open.
The water finally flows horizontally along the clear perspex pipe at the bottom and
discharges into the volumetric measuring tank in the orange bench.
The volumetric measuring tank has a step in it. The narrow bottom part is used to
collect small volumes of water (e.g. ) and the larger upper part to collect large
volumes (eg ). The narrow and wide parts of the tank have their own scales
on the water level gauge the sight tube located at the bottom left of the bench
as you look at it. Use only one of the two scales in any given flow rate
measurement.
To measure the flow rate, the rubber ball is lowered into the tanks outlet and the
time required to collect a known volume of water (eg to on the sight tube
gauge) is measured using the stop watch. For reasonable precision, the time
( ) needs to be several tens of seconds. Record the time to one tenth of a
second (and have a think about why).
Very small flow rates can be measured using a measuring cylinder instead of the
volumetric tank in the bench. To do this, shut the large valve (V6) at the end of
the discharge pipe and open the small silver valve (V5) that discharges through
the small flexible plastic tube.

4 Experimental procedure

The apparatus should already be set up and running ready for you to start. If
the pump isnt running, do not switch on. Go to find a member of staff who is
qualified to operate it.

1. At the start of the experiment with each pipe, make a note of the zero error
on the electronic display unit (top left of the apparatus). You need to add or
subtract this error from the pressure difference readings you take. You might
like to record this zero error again at the end of the experiment with the pipe in
question, to check whether it has been varying over the course of the
experiment.
2. Experience indicates that there are fewer problems with trapped air when working
from the larger to smaller pipe, so the experiment starts with pipe 3.

Pipe 3 the rough pipe curve experiment

3. Make sure valve V4 on pipe 3 is fully open and V4 on pipes 1,2 and 4 are closed.
4. Make sure that the plastic plug-in manometer tubes are in the white sockets on
pipe 3, and confirm that they are apart.
5. Make sure that you noted the zero error as in 1 above.
6. Fully open valve V6 and allow the flow to stabilise. This may take 1-2 minutes.
7. When the pressure difference reading on the electronic display is reasonably
constant, record the value in the table below. If fluctuates while you are
measuring the flow rate in step 8, you can record an average value and an
approximate amplitude of the fluctuations; both will be useful when it comes to data
processing.
8. Measure the flow rate by lowering the ball into the tanks outlet. Use the sight tube
and stop watch to collect a known quantity of water in a known time. Record the
values below. Accuracy is essential. Ideally the time should be of the order of
several tens of seconds, or more whenever possible.
9. Reduce the flow rate using valve V6. You need 3 readings of , volume of water
and time. So if your first reading with the valve fully open corresponds to
(say), take your 2 other readings at approximately and
so that you obtain readings over a broad range. Record below the water
volume and time corresponding to these readings.

Pipe 3 rough turbulent flow pipe curve

Pipe diameter = 16mm
zero error =0.0005
Electronic display reading Volume of water
[and fluctuation collected Time to collect water
amplitude]
0.258 25 39.07
0.185 25 43.3
0.83 25 1.10.9

Pipe 2 the smooth pipe curve experiment

10. This procedure is exactly the same as for pipe 3. However, in previous years
students had lots of difficulty obtaining stable readings (possibly due to instability of
the pumps head-discharge curve in this range). To avoid this problem, pretend the
results below are your own.

Pipe 2 smooth turbulent flow pipe curve

Pipe diameter =
zero error =
Electronic display reading Volume of water
collected Time to collect water

0.410 20 99.54
0.295 15 86.63
0.177 15 116.34

Pipe 1 the laminar and turbulent flow smooth pipe experiment

11. Shut valve V4 on pipe 3 and open valve V4 on pipe 1.
12. Change the plastic manometer tubes from pipe 3 to pipe 1, making sure they are
plugged into the white sockets apart.
13. Fully open valve V6 and wait for the electronic display to stabilise at the
maximum reading. When stable record below and measure the time taken to
collect a known quantity of water.
14. Assuming the maximum reading is about , then one of your other
readings needs to be at approximately . For this reading you probably
need to close tightly valve V6, open the silver valve V5 and use the flexible plastic
tube and measuring cylinder to record the flow rate. This may be the only result
where the flow is laminar.
Pipe 1 laminar & turbulent flow in smooth pipe
Pipe diameter =4mm
zero error =0.0006
Electronic display reading Volume of water
[and fluctuation collected Time to collect water
amplitude]
0.380 5 2.12.06
0.233 5 3.2006
0.077 5 6.3110

5 Calculations

Follow the instructions below.

Pipe 3 the rough pipe curve experiment

The following series of steps will achieve objective (c):

1. You need to subtract (or add) any transducer zero error, then calculate the head
loss due to friction ( ) by multiplying the corrected recorded values by
( = atmospheric pressure = of water).
eg zero error = 0.004 bar and , so corrected reading
. Then .

2. Calculate the flow rate corresponding to the value of h F.

Eg if are collected in then

3. Calculate the mean flow velocity , where .

e.g. .

4. Calculate Reynolds number with and

at (for consistency this value should also used with
all of the data in the appendix).

e.g. .

5. Calculate . Since , then .

e.g.

6. Plot a graph of against . Use the supplementary data in Appendix A to give

you additional points (these data are already corrected for zero error). Draw the best
(straight?) line through the data.
Note: is on the vertical axis. Use the same graph to record the results from pipes
2 and 1 what you are aiming for is something similar to Fig 3 above.

7. Look at the Moody diagram on page 187 of Understanding Hydraulics. Based on

your values of and your graph of against , what do you estimate is pipe 3s
relative roughness ?

Pipe 2 the smooth pipe curve experiment

The following series of steps will start us on the way to achieving objective (b):

1. Calculate the head loss due to friction ( ), the flow rate, velocity, Reynolds
number and using the same procedure as for pipe 3.

2. When Re > 4000, plot your values on your against graph. It should start to
look like Fig 3. The results from pipe 1 will be added next. Add additional points to
the graph by using the data in Appendix A.

Pipe 1 the laminar and turbulent flow smooth pipe experiment

The following series of steps will complete the achievement of objective (b), and will
also achieve objective (a):

1. Calculate the head loss due to friction ( ), the flow rate, velocity, Reynolds
number and using the same procedure as for pipes 2 and 3. Add additional
points to the graph by using the data in Appendix A.

2. When , add these new points to your graph of against . Remember

you are aiming for something similar to Fig 3. (Note: fully developed turbulent flow is
only guaranteed when ).

3. For the range of turbulent flow values (i.e. ) observed in the

experiment (i.e. from pipes 2 & 1), add to your against graph the theoretical
Prandtl (eqn (6.16)) smooth pipe curve.

Note 1: you can use a regular or random selection of specific values over the domain
to calculate the position of the Prandtl line. If using computer plotting software, to
avoid confusion, dont plot the points, just the trend line itself (the theory, unlike the
experimental data, is defined over a continuous domain).
Note 2: dont draw a line through the pipe 1 and 2 data points, just leave them as
experimental points plotted around the Prandtl line (which should be the only line in
the smooth turbulent flow part of your against graph). The degree of scatter from
the line shows the experimental errors and deficiencies in the theoretical equations
(does it match what we already know about the experimental errors?).
4. If your combined turbulent flow experimental points from pipes 1 and 2 dont lie on
the Prandtl smooth pipe curve (thinking carefully about what's meant by lie on),
discuss in your conclusion why not. Have you introduced significant error into the
experiment? If you were doing it again, what would you do to obtain more accurate
results? Or are the experimental data accurate whereas the equations are only
simple approximations?

5. Using only pipe 1 results, plot a graph of against .

Do this by taking logs of your results and then plotting them on a natural scale (see
Example 5.9, p 156 of Understanding Hydraulics). You should obtain two different
straight lines one line in the laminar range where , and a second line of
different gradient in the turbulent flow range where . The gradients of the two
lines give you the exponents of . What are these two exponents (powers)?

You will need to use the experimental data in Appendix A to add more detail to
your against graph. This may help you to identify
the two gradients and the unstable transition zone between laminar and
turbulent flow. These data have already been corrected for any zero error.

6. Discuss in your conclusion the value of the exponents obtained above. If they are
not exactly and , is this due to experimental error? Or have the equations
widely used in practice been simplified? Or are they incorrect?

6 Check list what you have to provide in your report

This is an individual report.

What is required is experimental results, calculations, and
discussion/conclusions (no need to provide an introduction, theory,
diagram of the apparatus or the procedure).
The experimental results section should be a complete record of all of the
experimental results taken during the experiment (NO calculations).
The calculations section should contain all calculated values. All remaining
calculations should be summarised in a single spreadsheet or table. If you've
used a spreadsheet for the calculations, it might be a good idea to include the
spreadsheet file in your electronic submission that way I can give credit for
sensible formulae in the spreadsheet even if the eventual numbers turn out wrong.
The graphs should be clearly drawn with appropriate scales. Your experimental
points should be clearly identified (as opposed the Prandtl curves or Appendix
A data). Do not join points together with stupid, meaningless wiggly lines. Use
straight lines to calculate gradients, and trend lines to illustrate curves.
Make sure you calculate accurately the gradients of the straight lines on the
graph.
There should be a full and detailed discussion/conclusions. This is the most
important section it shows whether or not you understand the experiment, its
limitations and the phenomena involved.
The length limit for this report is 1600 words. The word count will include the main
body of the text, section headings, figure captions, in-line references, and the
contents of any spreadsheet that you submit along with your report, but will
exclude the main document title and the reference list/bibliography at the end of
the report. If the length of your report exceeds 1600 words, your mark for this
coursework component will be reduced by 10 percentage points.

Submission: by Monday 9th January 2017 11:00am.

Appendix A Supplementary pipe 1 results

All for the 4 mm diameter pipe 1 (already corrected for zero error).

0.0040 0.153 90.00

0.0070 0.250 86.34
0.0110 0.227 45.00
0.0135 0.250 41.00
0.0140 0.250 38.04
0.0160 0.880 115.00
0.0253 0.143 15.00
0.0320 0.241 25.00
0.0410 0.250 21.34
0.0520 0.265 20.00
0.0620 0.150 10.00
0.0870 0.250 14.28
0.1110 0.250 13.00
0.1355 0.250 11.00
0.2030 4.000 145.60
0.2440 4.000 132.32
0.2980 3.000 86.00
0.3750 4.000 104.00

Supplementary pipe 2 results

All for the 7.2 mm diameter pipe 2 (already corrected for zero error).

0.031 3 64.37
0.128 13 118.00
0.146 5 45.38
0.252 18 118.00
0.255 5 30.53
0.356 22 120.00
0.329 5 26.20
0.448 40 188.00
0.433 5 22.90

Supplementary pipe 3 results

All for the 16 mm diameter pipe 3 (already corrected for zero error)

0.076 10 28.00
0.081 10 27.44
0.139 40 81.90
0.151 40 79.90
0.191 40 70.00
0.200 40 69.48
0.206 40 67.70
 0.257 40 61.80
0.262 40 60.60

Appendix B

Note that late submission without extenuating circumstances will result in a mark of
zero being awarded.

This assignment constitutes an individual piece of work. You should carry out ALL
aspects of this assignment entirely on your own. You should fully reference the work
(both in the text and at the end), as described in the School guidelines on academic writing
and plagiarism on the student portal. For referencing, you should use either the Harvard
system, or another standard system that makes it at least as clear what the sources were.
(I'm a particular enthusiast for the referencing style exemplified at
<https://www.sharelatex.com/learn-scripts/images/4/4b/NatbibEx2.png> DCH.)

Regardless of whether the offence was intentional or unintentional, all of the following
constitute plagiarism:

using quotations or close paraphrasing without the use of quotation marks and
referencing, both in the text and at the end. This includes copying text/pictures from
the internet;
using intellectual data or ideas without acknowledgement;
copying, summarising or paraphrasing the work of another student or graduate, and
the use of essay writing services.

Students who plagiarise will be referred to the Faculty/University Assessment Offences

Committee. Marginal violations may result in a warning being placed on the students file, but
proven cases of plagiarism and/or exam offences are attracting an escalating penalty,
typically as follows:

First offence: a zero mark for the work in question.

Second offence: a zero mark for the module, and you may be barred from taking the
module again.
Third offence: you may be asked to leave the course. If you are a final year student,
your aggregate mark may be reduced by 10% (a degree classification).

You must submit your coursework electronically, via the DLE site.

The weightings placed on various tasks/skills in the mark scheme are as follows:
Producing correct numerical results from calculations 30%
Giving clear references to published literature for fundamental
equations/definitions/principles/tools used 26%
Plotting graphs clearly and according to correct conventions 18%
Producing sensible estimates of theoretical parameters from experimental results
10.5%
Algebraic derivations 5%
Assessing whether precision of data is sufficient to make differences between theory
and experiment, or between different theories, (statistically) significant, and if so,
hypothesizing as to the reasons for those differences 10.5%

L. Hamill 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011; Plymouth University 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016