CH 2001 Fluid Mechanics video

lectures
Module 12: Applications and
Limitations of Bernouli’s equation

Presented by
Dr. Sreenivasula Reddy Ramireddy,
Ph. D.
 Objectives
• Pressure measurement
• Velocity, Volumetric flow rate measurement
• Understand the applications and limitations of
Bernouli’s equation
 Static, Stagnation and Dynamic
pressure
• Static Pressure: Pressure used in Bernouli’s
equation is the thermodynamic pressure or static
pressure, which is Pressure experienced by the
fluid particle as it moves
• Stagnation (total) Pressure is obtained when
a flowing fluid is decelerated to zero by a
frictionless force
Stagnation Pressure measurement

Static
Dynamic
Stagnation

Incompressible
fluids
 Pressure measurement in flowing
fluid
• No Pressure variation normal to the straight
stream lines
• This is because the radius of curvature is
infinite and pressure gradient is zero
 Static Pressure measurement

Fluid stream is close to

the wall Fluid stream is far from
and stream lines are the wall and stream lines
straight are curved
 Pitot-static probe

Velocity of the
flowing fluid
In class exercise to find fluid speed
• A pitot tube is inserted in an air flow ( at STP) to
measure the flow speed. The tube is inserted so
that it points upstream into the flow and the
pressure sensed by the probe is the stagnation
pressure. The static pressure is measured at the
same location using a wall pressure tap. If the
pressure difference is 30 mm of mercury,
determine the flow speed.
Solution
Solution continued
Can we apply Bernouli’s eqn here?
• Speed of fluid=80.8 m/s
• Speed of sound at 20 °C is 343 m/s, M=0.236
<0.3, incompressible assumption holds
• Pitot tubes are used in regular process plumbing
to find the fluid velocities
• Commonly attached to the exterior of air craft
to get the air speeds relative to air-craft or vice
versa
Limitations of Bernouli’s equation
• In order for the assumption, incompressible flow to be
true, the fluid velocities should be in a such way that
the Mach number is below 0.3, can be applied to
subsonic nozzle flows
• Incase of Subsonic diffuser, caution must be exercised
as the boundary layer separation occurs and one-
dimensional inviscid flow may not be applicable.
Similarly sudden expansions and contractions
• Cannot be used to model flow through a hydraulic
pump, propeller, turbine or wind mill as it is impossible
to have a steady or stream line flow through these
machines
Limitations of Bernouli’s equation
• In case of gases, temperature changes are
critical and can affect the compressibility. This
equation cannot be applied for flows of gases
through heating or cooling elements
• However, correction factors can be introduced in
majority cases, kinetic energy losses due to
viscosity or friction, loss of energy due to the
geometry of fluid path, sudden expansions,
contractions or flow through pumps
 EGL and HGL

Hydraulic
Energy Grade Line (EGL) Grade Line
(HGL)

Elevation head
Pressure head Velocity head
 EGL
• The rise in the height of the fluid in a pitot tube
to measure the total pressure or stagnation
pressure
• The height of the column measured from the
datum attached to a pitot tube indicates EGL
 HGL
• The height of the column attached to a static
pressure tap indicates HGL
EGL and HGL

fig06_06
 Summary on EGL and HGL
• EGL is constant for incompressible, inviscid fluid
flow when there is no work included
• The HGL is always lower than EGL by V2/2g,
the velocity V depends on the overall system
(reservoir height, diameter of pipe) but changes
only when diameter of pipe changes
 In class exercise-1
• A U-tube acts a water
siphon. The bend of the tube
is 1 m above the water
surface; the tube outlet is 7m
below the water surface. The
water issues from the bottom
of the siphon as a free jet at
atmospheric pressure.
Determine the speed of the
free jet and the minimum
absolute pressure the water
in the bend?
In class exercise-2- Optional