5/15/2020 What Is Vena Contracta? How Vena Contracta Formed In Fluid Flow?

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What Is Vena Contracta? How Vena Contracta Formed In Fluid Flow?

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What is vena contracta? Flow Characteristics at vena contrata

The term vena contracta is used in the design of ow-meters like nozzle, ori ces, and
mouthpieces. It is the section in uid stream were cross-section of stream became minimum.
At vena contracta, velocity of uid is maximum and the pressure of uid is minimum
(according to the principle of conservation of energy and Bernoulli’s equation). In ori ce
meter, the maximum contraction takes place at a section slightly down stream of the ow, at
that section the ow is more or less horizontal (laminar ow).

The diameter of vena-contaracta is slightly less than the diameter of ori ce. The ratio of area
of vena-cotracta to the actual area of ori ce is known the coe cient of contraction. Smaller
the value of coe cient contaraction Cc more the e ect the vena-contracta has. For typical
sharp ori ce meter the value of Cc = 0.64

Let h is the pressure head drop across the ori ce, then the velocity of uid particle at vena-
contracta is equal to the velocity of particle free falling through a height h.

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Velocity V= √(2gh), where g is acceleration due to gravity.

How vena contracta formed in uid ow?

The reason for the phenomenon vena contracta is that the uid streamline cannot abruptly
change direction, streamlines are unable to closely follow the sharp angles in ori ce, nozzle,
and pipe. When uid passes through the ori ce, the gradual contraction of uid takes place.
The uid stream begins to converge and pass through the ori ce. The streamline continues to
converging in smooth path even after it passes the ori ce. Fluid converges to the minimum
cross section in downstream of ow then it diverges again. This minimum cross section is
known as vena contracta.

Figure shows a river forced to narrow down by the restriction placed in ow. The ow
separation is clearly evident at sharp edges just above the vena contracta.

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