TP LAMINAR TURBULENT TRANSITION

TP – LAMINAR-TURBULENT TRANSITION

I. INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this experiment is to study the pressure loss experienced by the fluid as it flows
through a horizontal pipe. This loss strongly depends on the type of flow regime, that can be
laminar or turbulent. Figures 1.a and 1.b illustrate these two regimes at the exit of a pipe.

Figure 1a: laminar regime Figure 1b: turbulent regime

The laminar flow is stable, and the jet’s surface remains stationary, while turbulence adds
chaotic fluctuations. The laminar regime corresponds to very slow and/or very viscous flows
(thus with high friction). On the other hand, the turbulent regime corresponds to very fast and/or
non-viscous flows.

In 1883, Reynolds performed experiments that quantified the transition from the laminar to the
turbulent regime in pipe flows. For that purpose, he tested transparent pipes and injected dye at
the centreline (figure 2).

By changing the mean velocity, the diameter of the pipe and the fluid’s viscosity he
demonstrated that the transition was controlled by only one non-dimensional number, referred
as Reynolds number,

𝑈𝐷 𝜇
𝑅𝑒 = , 𝜈 = ,
𝜈 𝜌

where 𝜌 is the fluid’s density, 𝑈 the cross-sectional mean velocity (𝑈 = 𝑄/𝑆), 𝐷 the pipe’s
diameter and 𝜇 and 𝜈 are, respectively the kinematic and dynamic viscosities of the fluid.

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Figure 2: Reynolds experiment

Figure 3 exemplifies the results obtained by Reynolds (at constant pipe diameter and viscosity).
At small velocity, (𝑅𝑒 = 1500, Fig 3.a) the dye filament remains stable: this is the so-called
laminar regime. When velocity increases (𝑅𝑒 = 2340, Fig 3.b), the filament becomes unstable
(transition regime). Finally, for even larger velocities (𝑅𝑒 = 7500, Fig 2.c), the dye diffuses
throughout the pipe: we got the turbulent regime.

3.a

3.b

3.c

Figure 3: visualization of Reynolds experiment

Turbulence implies two important consequences for the flow:

• The flow becomes instationary (time-dependent) even if all the experimental parameters
remain stable. Figure 4 shows the time variation of velocity for all regimes (obtained with
hot-wire or laser doppler anemometry). A laminar flow has a constant velocity (Fig 4.a).
The transition regime presents intermittent velocity bursts (Fig 4.b). Finally, in the turbulent
regime fluctuations become continuous (Fig 4.c).

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(a) (b) (c)

Figure 4: time signal of velocity for the pipe flow

Turbulence makes therefore the flow instationary. For hydraulics applications, we often
use averaged/mean quantities: velocity, pressure, temperature, etc…

Figure 5: laminar and turbulent velocity profiles

• The fluid’s mixing is strongly enhanced, as is if the flow was agitated by a stirrer. This will
therefore strongly modify the radial velocity profile. This profile is parabolical for the
laminar regime (Poiseuille flow), and it becomes almost uniform on the turbulent regime.
For the latter case, velocity decreases only very near the walls (figure 5). This implies that
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the tangential shear stress on the wall 𝜏, given by Newton’s law (𝜏 = 𝜇 68 ), is stronger for
the turbulent regime. This will increase the longitudinal pressure loss across the pipe. This
loss indeed balances the wall friction that opposes the flow (−𝜏). We remark that the radial
local velocity profile does not depend on the coordinate 𝑥 (as far as we are far for the
boundaries). We have therefore 𝑢 = 𝑢(𝑦). This means that the flow is developed in the 𝑥
|6@|
direction. We have therefore that the longitudinal pressure loss by unit length, 6A , is
independent of 𝑥.

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Figure 6: laminar and turbulent velocity profiles

This project consists in studying how the pressure gradient changes with velocity and pipe’s
diameter. We will also perform Reynolds experience with Dye. It also reproduces the tests done
by the German engineer Hagenin 1839 (figure 6). Even if no theoretical background was
available, Hagen realized empirically the existence of two typical ranges: a first one where 𝛥𝑃
(𝑃DEFGH − 𝑃DIDJ ) changed linearly with the mean velocity (𝑈 = 𝑄/𝑆) and a second one where
𝛥𝑃 goes with a power 1.75 of the mean velocity. He did not know that this change was related
to turbulence nor the role of involved parameters on the transition, particularly the viscosity.
The linear variation of 𝛥𝑃 with 𝑄 for a laminar flow was also found experimentally in 1840 by
the French doctor Poiseuille during his works on the blood pressure in capillaries. Like Hagen,
Poiseuille did not quantified the role of viscosity.

For the laminar regime, we can use the formula developed by Hagenbach and Neumann in
1859,

|LM| PQRST
= . LAMINAR FLOW (A)
NOLA OUVW

For the turbulent regime (beyond the transition), there are available many formulae, all of them
semi-empirical. The first and most common one, developed in 1911 by Blasius, Prandtl’s
student,

|LM| X.YZS[.\] T^._]

= . TURBULENT FLOW (SMOOTH PIPE) (B)
NOLA OVW._]

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This formula is valid for pipe flows with smooth walls. It is limited by 𝑅𝑒 lower than 10` .
There are more general expressions, that can also consider the rugosity on the walls.

Formulae (A) and (B) are only valid for a developed pipe flow.

Notation and units:

• 𝑄: flowrate on the pipe; in 𝑚b /𝑠. 


• 𝑆: surface of the cross-section, in 𝑚Q .

• 𝑈 = 𝑄/𝑆 : averaged velocity, in 𝑚/𝑠. 

• 𝑢: local velocity on the cross-section, in 𝑚/𝑠.

• 𝜏: is in 𝑁/𝑚Q or Pascals (𝑃𝑎).

• 𝜌: is the fluid’s density, in 𝑘𝑔/𝑚b .

• 𝜇: dynamic viscosity in 𝑘𝑔 ⋅ 𝑚iP ⋅ 𝑠 iP or pascal.seconds (𝑃𝑎 ⋅ 𝑠) or poiseuille (𝑃𝑙). For
Newtonian fluids, it is a physical property that only depends on pressure (weakly) and
temperature. Newtonian fluids include air, water, several oils...
• 𝜈 = 𝜇/𝜌 : kinematic viscosity, in 𝑚Q /𝑠.

II. EXPERIMENTAL SET-UP AND TESTS

The experimental set-up is shown in figure 7. It consists in three different pipes and a set of
valves that allows to control the pressure and velocity on each one. The internal diameters of
the valves are, respectively 10, 18, 23𝑚𝑚.

Each section is connected to two piezometric tubes that allows to estimate the pressure loss.
The total flowrate can be measured with two rotameters (flowmeters, plugged in parallel) with
different scales located downstream the pump.

The experiment therefore consists in testing the pressure loss for each diameter and several
mean velocities. We will be therefore repeating Reynolds experience, although we cannot
change the viscosity.

On the last part of the project, dye will be injected in order to visualize both regimes on different
pipes. For that purpose, Dye can be injected throw some needles built-in inside the tubes.

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Figure 7: experimental set-up

III. THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL WORK

Preliminary questions

|LM| (lm iln )

• Show that NOLA = o
where ℎ7 and ℎ6 stand for the upstream and downstream height
on the piezometric tubes.


• Relate the laws A and B with Moody’s diagram.

Measurements

• Visualize (and photograph!) the dye diffusion for different velocities and pipe diameters.

• Plot |𝛥𝑃|/(𝜌𝑔𝛥𝑥) as a function of νQ/(gπD4) and of 𝜈 X.Q` 𝑄P.Y` /(𝑔𝐷q.Y` ) for all pipes;
discuss the results obtained in the context of laws (A) and (B).

• Propose a Reynolds number range for the transition regime. Is it the same for all pipes?
Justify.

• Is the smooth pipe approximation valid? Justify.

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IV. APPENDIX

Figure 8: kinematic viscosity of water as a function of temperature.