What Is Laminar Flow?

Presentation by
Tony Green, B.Che
April 2005

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What Is Laminar Flow?
Agenda
Applications of Laminar Flow
Factors Determining Laminar Flow
Description of the Relationship
describing Laminar Flow
Review / Questions

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What Is Laminar Flow?
Applications
Aeronautics Industry - Air Fuel
Usage of Planes
Semiconductor Industry – In
Thermal Based Mass Flow
Controllers
Pharmaceutical Industry -
Unidirectional Flow in Laminar Flow
Cabinets (Particles)
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What Is Laminar Flow?

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What Is Laminar Flow?
What factors determine whether
flow is laminar?
Length of pipe – defined as L
Diameter of pipe – defined as D
which is 2 times the radius (2R=D)
 Differential Pressure – D P from
the pipe inlet to pipe outlet or P2-P1
Density of fluid – Mass per unit
Volume
Viscosity of fluid – resistance of a
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fluid to flow,R © Tony Green 2010 5
What Is Laminar Flow?

Please Note:
Viscosity Is Dependent Upon
Temperature of a Fluid and Refer
to Flow

Density Is Intrinsic to the Fluid and

Does Not Change During Flow
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What Is Laminar Flow?
Flow region is defined by
Reynolds Equation
RE = D X u X r
h
Where D equals Diameter , u
equals Velocity, r equals density
and h equals viscosity

Dimensionless allows scalability

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What Is Laminar Flow?
Flow Regions:

Laminar = RE < 2100

Transitional = 2100< RE < 4000

Turbulent = RE > 4000

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What Is Laminar Flow?

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What Is Laminar Flow?

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What Is Laminar Flow?
What does the Reynolds Number
really mean?
Viscous forces – Internal to fluid
Inertial Forces – External to fluid
RE of the ratio between Inertial and
viscous forces of
FI
RE = ----
Fv
This will determine property of flow
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What Is Laminar Flow?
Review:
What is Laminar Flow?
What is the difference between
Viscosity and Density?
What is Reynolds Equation?
Laminar flow affect in
applications?
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What Is Laminar Flow?
Questions?

Thank You very much for your time!

More about the author can be read at
the author website listed below of his
blog at
http://www.markanthonygreen.blogspot.
com

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