Republic of the Philippines

CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE

F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

EN PHYS 1 – PHYSICS FOR ENGINEERS

Subject Instructor: Engr. Frances Angelique T. Ubana
Module No. & Title: 10b. Fluid Dynamics
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10b. Fluid Dynamics
Outline of Topics
1. Definitions
2. Equation of Continuity
3. Bernoulli’s Equation
4. Viscous Flow

Specific Intended Learning Outcome/s (SILOs)

At the end of this topic, the student should be able to:
• Comprehend the different terms commonly used in Fluid Dynamics
• Use the Equation of Continuity and Bernoulli’s Equation in solving problems involving fluid flow
• Understand Viscous Flow

Fluid dynamics, the study of fluids in motion, is much more complex; indeed, it is one of the most complex
branches of mechanics. Fortunately, we can analyze many important situations using simple idealized
models and familiar principles such as Newton’s laws and conservation of energy.

Lesson 1: Definitions
We are now ready to consider motion of a fluid. Fluid flow can be extremely complex, as shown by the
currents in river rapids or the swirling flames of a campfire. But some situations can be represented by
relatively simple idealized models. An ideal fluid is a fluid that is incompressible (that is, its density cannot
change) and has no internal friction (called viscosity). Liquids are approximately incompressible in most
situations, and we may also treat a gas as incompressible if the pressure differences from one region to
another are not too great. Internal friction in a fluid causes shear stresses when two adjacent layers of fluid
move relative to each other, as when fluid flows inside a tube or around an obstacle. In some cases, we can
neglect these shear forces in comparison with forces arising from gravitation and pressure differences.

The path of an individual particle in a moving fluid is called a flow line. If the overall flow pattern does not
change with time, the flow is called steady flow. In steady flow, every element passing through a given point
follows the same flow line. In this case the “map” of the fluid velocities at various points in space remains
constant, although the velocity of a particular particle may change in both magnitude and direction during its
motion. A streamline is a curve whose tangent at any point
is in the direction of the fluid velocity at that point. When the
flow pattern changes with time, the streamlines do not
coincide with the flow lines. We will consider only steady-flow
situations, for which flow lines and streamlines are identical.

The flow lines passing through the edge of an imaginary

element of area, such as the area A in the figure, form a tube
called a flow tube. From the definition of a flow line, in
steady flow no fluid can cross the side walls of a flow tube;
the fluids in different flow tubes cannot mix.

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COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

The figures on the left show patterns of fluid flow from

left to right around three different obstacles. The
photographs were made by injecting dye into water
flowing between two closely spaced glass plates.
These patterns are typical of laminar flow, in which
adjacent layers of fluid slide smoothly past each other
and the flow is steady. (A
lamina is a thin sheet.)

At sufficiently high flow rates, or when boundary surfaces cause abrupt changes
in velocity, the flow can become irregular and chaotic. This is called turbulent
flow (right). In turbulent flow there is no steady-state pattern; the flow pattern
changes continuously.

Lesson 2: Equation of Continuity

The mass of a moving fluid doesn’t change as it flows. This leads to an important quantitative relationship
called the continuity equation.

Where A is the cross-sectional area of the tube and v is the velocity of flow. The product is the volume flow
rate the rate at which volume crosses a section of the tube:

The mass flow rate is the mass flow per unit time through a cross section. This is equal to the density times
the volume flow rate. The continuity equation for incompressible fluid shows that the volume flow rate has
the same value at all points along any flow tube. When the cross section of a flow tube decreases, the speed
increases, and vice versa. A broad, deep part of a river has larger cross section and slower current than a
narrow, shallow part, but the volume flow rates are the same in both. This is the essence of the familiar
maxim, “Still waters run deep.”

We can generalize the continuity equation for the case in which the fluid is not incompressible. If 𝜌1 and
𝜌2 are the densities at sections 1 and 2, then

Example Problem 2.1

Incompressible oil of density 850kg/m3 is pumped through a cylindrical pipe at a rate of 9.5 liters per second.
a) The first section of the pipe has a diameter of 8.0 cm. What is the flow speed of the oil? What is the mass
flow rate? b) The second section of the pipe has a diameter of 4.0 cm. What are the flow speed and mass
flow rate in that section?
Solution:

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COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

a)

b)

Example Problem 2.2

A garden hose has an unobstructed opening with a cross-sectional area of 2.85x10-4 m2, from which water
fills a bucket in 30.0s. The volume of the bucket is 8.00x10-3 m3 (about two gallons). Find the speed of the
water that leaves the hose through a) the unobstructed opening and b) an obstructed opening with half as
much area.

Solution:
a)

b)

Example Problem 2.3

In the condition known as atherosclerosis, a deposit, or atheroma, forms on the arterial wall and reduces the
opening through which blood can flow. In the carotid artery in the neck, blood flows three times faster through
a partially blocked region than it does through an unobstructed region. Determine the ratio of the effective
radii of the artery at the two places.

Solution:

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Lesson 3: Bernoulli’s Equation

According to the continuity equation, the speed of fluid flow can vary along the paths of the fluid. The pressure
can also vary; it depends on height as in the static situation, and it also depends on the speed of flow. We
can use an important relationship called Bernoulli’s equation that relates the pressure, flow speed, and height
for flow of an ideal, incompressible fluid. Bernoulli’s equation is an essential tool in analyzing plumbing
systems, hydroelectric generating stations, and the flight of airplanes.

The Bernoulli’s Equation states that the work done on a unit volume of fluid by the surrounding fluid is equal
to the sum of the changes in kinetic and potential energies per unit volume that occur during the flow.

The subscripts 1 and 2 refer to any two points along the flow tube.

Problem Solving Strategy

▪ Identify the relevant concepts. Bernoulli’s equation is applicable to steady flow of an incompressible
fluid that has no internal friction. It is generally applicable to flows through large pipes and to flows
within bulk fluids (e.g., air flowing around an airplane or water flowing around a fish).
▪ Identify the points 1 and 2 referred to in Bernoulli’s equation
▪ Define your coordinate system, particularly the level at which y=0. Take the positive y-direction to be
upward.
▪ Make lists of the unknown and known quantities in the Bernoulli’s equation. Decide which unknowns
are the target variables.
▪ Write Bernoulli’s equation and solve for the unknowns. You may need the continuity equation, to get
a relationship between the two speeds in terms of cross-sectional areas of pipes or containers. You
may also need to find the volume flow rate.
▪ Verify that the results make physical sense. Check that you have used consistent units: In SI units,
pressure is in pascals, density in kilograms per cubic meter, and speed in meters per second. Also
note that the pressures must be either all absolute pressures or all gauge pressures.

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Example Problem 3.1

Water enters a house through a pipe with an inside diameter

of 2.0cm at an absolute pressure of 4.0x105Pa (about 4 atm).
A 1.0-cm-diameter pipe leads to the second-floor bathroom
5.0 m above. When the flow speed at the inlet pipe is 1.5m/s,
find the flow speed, pressure, and volume flow rate in the
bathroom.

Solution:

Example Problem 3.2

The figure shows a gasoline storage tank with cross-sectional area A1 filled to a depth h. The space above
the gasoline contains air at pressure p0, and the gasoline flows out the bottom of the tank through a short
pipe with cross-sectional area A2. Derive expressions for the flow speed in the pipe and the volume flow rate.

Solution:

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Example Problem 3.3

A Venturi meter is used to measure flow speed in a pipe.

Derive an expression for the flow speed in terms of the
cross-sectional areas A1 and A2, and the difference in height
h of the liquid levels in the two vertical tubes.

Solution:

Lesson 4: Viscosity and Turbulence

In the previous lesson, we assumed that the fluid had no internal friction and that the flow was laminar. While
these assumptions are often quite valid, in many important physical situations the effects of viscosity (internal
friction) and turbulence (nonlaminar flow) are extremely important. Let’s take a brief look at some of these
situations.

Viscosity

Viscosity is internal friction in a fluid. Viscous forces oppose the motion of one portion of a fluid relative to
another. Viscosity is the reason it takes effort to paddle a canoe through calm water, but it is also the reason
the paddle works. Viscous effects are important in the flow of fluids in pipes, the flow of blood, the lubrication
of engine parts, and many other situations.

Fluids that flow readily, such as water or gasoline, have smaller

viscosities than do “thick” liquids such as honey or motor oil.
Viscosities of all fluids are strongly temperature dependent,
increasing for gases and decreasing for liquids as the
temperature increases. Oils for engine lubrication must flow
equally well in cold and warm conditions, and so are designed to
have as little temperature variation of viscosity as possible.

A viscous fluid always tends to cling to a solid surface in contact

with it. There is always a thin boundary layer of fluid near the
surface, in which the fluid is nearly at rest with respect to the
surface. That’s why dust particles can cling to a fan blade even
when it is rotating rapidly, and why you can’t get all the dirt off
your car by just squirting a hose at it.

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COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Turbulence
When the speed of a flowing fluid exceeds a certain critical value, the
flow is no longer laminar. Instead, the flow pattern becomes
extremely irregular and complex, and it changes continuously with
time; there is no steady-state pattern. This irregular, chaotic flow is
called turbulence. The figure shows the contrast between laminar
and turbulent flow for smoke rising in air. Bernoulli’s equation is not
applicable to regions where there is turbulence because the flow is
not steady.

Whether a flow is laminar or turbulent depends in part on the fluid’s

viscosity. The greater the viscosity, the greater the tendency for the
fluid to flow in sheets or lamina and the more likely the flow is to be
laminar.

References:

Physics 9th Edition by Cutnell, et. al.

Sears and Zemansky’s University Physics with Modern Physics Technology Update 13th Edition by Young, et. Al

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CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
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EN PHYS 1 – PHYSICS FOR ENGINEERS Period: ___________________

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10b. Fluid Dynamics
Assessment Task:
Fluid Flow

1. A shower head has 20 circular openings, each with radius 1.0 mm. The shower head is connected to a pipe
with radius 0.80 cm. If the speed of water in the pipe is 3.0m/s what is its speed as it exits the shower-head
openings?

2. Water is flowing in a pipe with a circular cross section but with varying cross-sectional area, and at all points
the water completely fills the pipe. a) At one point in the pipe the radius is 0.150 m. What is the speed of the
water at this point if water is flowing into this pipe at a steady rate of 1.20m3/s b) At a second point in the pipe
the water speed is 3.80m/s. What is the radius of the pipe at this point?

3. At a point where an irrigation canal having a rectangular cross section is 18.5 m wide and 3.75 m deep, the
water flows at 2.50cm/s. At a point downstream, but on the same level, the canal is 16.5 m wide, but the water
flows at 11.0 cm/s. How deep is the canal at this point?

4. A patient recovering from surgery is being given fluid intravenously. The fluid has a density of 1030 kg/m3, and
9.5x10-4m3 of it flows into the patient every six hours. Find the mass flow rate in kg/s.

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COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

5. A room has a volume of 120 m3. An air-conditioning system is to replace the air in this room every twenty
minutes, using ducts that have a square cross section. Assuming that air can be treated as an incompressible
fluid, find the length of a side of the square if the air speed within the ducts is a) 3.0 m/s and b) 5.0 m/s.

6. The aorta carries blood away from the heart at a speed of about 40 cm/s and has a radius of approximately 1.1
cm. The aorta branches eventually into a large number of tiny capillaries that distribute the blood to the various
body organs. In a capillary, the blood speed is approximately 0.07 cm/s, and the radius is about 6 x 10-4cm.
Treat the blood as an incompressible fluid, and use these data to determine the approximate number of
capillaries in the human body.

Bernoulli’s Equation

7. A sealed tank containing seawater to a height of 11.0 m also contains air above the water at a gauge pressure
of 3.00 atm. Waterflows out from the bottom through a small hole. How fast is this water moving?

8. At a certain point in a horizontal pipeline, the water’s speed is 2.50m/s and the gauge pressure is 1.80x104 Pa.
Find the gauge pressure at a second point in the line if the cross-sectional area at the second point is twice that
at the first.

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9. Prairie dogs are burrowing rodents. They do not suffocate

in their burrows, because the effect of air speed on
pressure creates sufficient air circulation. The animals
maintain a difference in the shapes of two entrances to
the burrow, and because of this difference, the air (1.29
kg/m3) blows past the openings at different speeds, as
the drawing indicates. Assuming that the openings are at
the same vertical level, find the difference in air pressure
between the openings and indicate which way the air
circulates.

10. The drawing shows a gas flowing at speed v2 through a horizontal section of pipe whose cross-sectional area
is A2 =0.0700 m2. The gas has a density of 1.30 kg/m3. The Venturi meter has a cross-sectional area A1 of
0.0500 m2 and has been substituted for
a section of the larger pipe. The pressure
difference between the two sections is
120 Pa. Find a) the speed v2 of the gas
in the larger, original pipe and b) the
volume flow rate Q of the gas.

Student’s Corner
Write your feedback and learning in this lesson.

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