ME DEPARTMENT

UNIVERSITY OF SAN CARLOS

ME LABORATORY 1
TITLE: FLUID FLOW MEASUREMENTS
Experiment No.1
AUTHOR: FABIAN, JAKE FLOYD G.

7-27-15

BSME-4

MTH 1:30 4:30 PM

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1.
Theory
Pitot-Static Tube. The pitot-static tube measures the local mean velocity by using the
Bernoulli equation. Assuming frictionless, steady flow the velocity u is given by
Equation 1
in which pT is the total or stagnation pressure and p is the static pressure. Equation1 is
valid only if the probe does not greatly disturb the flow, and if it is aligned with the flow
direction so that the velocity u is parallel to the pitot probe. A particular design, the socalled Prandtl tube, is shown in Fig. 1. It has the static pressure holes positioned along
the horizontal tube so that the reduced pressure resulting from flow past the nose is
balanced by the increased pressure due to the vertical stem. Typically, the Reynolds
number based on the pitot-tube diameter should be in the neighborhood of 1000, so that
viscous effects are not

Fig. 1. Pitot-static tube

significant. If the flow is not parallel to the probe head, the measurement
error is about 1% at a yaw angle of 5, and if the yaw angle is greater than
5, the measurement error may be substantial. When the probe is placed
close to a wall, the streamlines are deflected by the interaction of the probe
with the wall; errors occur when the distance between the probe axis and the
wall is less than two tube diameters. In a turbulent flow, the actual pressure
is less than the sensed value; generally, the results are reliable if the
fluctuation intensity is less than 10%.
The sum of the two terms (p/g = h) is called the piezometric head and the sum of the three terms
the total head. The pressure p is often referred to as static pressure, and the sum of the two
terms

is called the total pressure pT or stagnation pressure, the pressure at a stagnation

point in the flow.
The static pressure in a pipe can be measured simply by installing a so-called
piezometer, shown2 in Fig. 2a. A device, known as a pitot probe, sketched in Fig. 2b, is used to
measure the total pressure in a fluid flow. Point 2 just inside the pitot tube is a stagnation point;
the velocity there is zero. The difference between the readouts can be used to determine the
velocity at point 1. A pitotstatic probe is also used to measure the difference between total and
static pressure with one probe (Fig. 2c).The velocity at point 1 (using the readings of the
piezometer and pitot probes, or the reading from the pitot-static probe) can be determined by
applying the Bernoulli equation between points 1 and 2:

where we have assumed point 2 to be a stagnation point so that V2 = 0.This gives

Fig. 2. Measurement of Static, Total and Velocity Pressure

Differential pressure meters are widely used in industrial applications and laboratories because of
their simplicity, reliability, ruggedness, and low cost. Three meter, and flow nozzle. Their
operation is based on the principle of an obstruction to flow being present in a duct or pipe, and
consequently, a pressure differential will exist across the obstruction. This pressure drop can be
correlated to the discharge by means of a calibration, and subsequently, the pressure-discharge
curve can be used to determine the discharge by reading the differential pressure.
In this section we deal only with the discharge of incompressible fluids in circular pipes.
The fundamental discharge relation for the differential pressure meter can be described in the
following manner. Fig. 3 represents a thin-plate orifice meter, which can be considered as a
representative differential pressure meter. A steady flow occurs in a circular duct, encounters the
restrictive orifice with area A0, and issues as a downstream jet. Downstream of the restriction,
the streamlines converge to form a minimal flow area Ac, termed the vena contracta.
Pressure taps are located at two positions: upstream of the restriction in the undisturbed flow
region (location 1) and downstream at some location in the vicinity of the vena contracta
(location 2). Assuming a frictionless, incompressible fluid, the Bernoulli equation applied along
the center streamline from the upstream location to the vena contracta is

The actual discharge differs from the ideal for two primary reasons. Because of real fluid flow,
friction causes the velocity at the centerline to be greater than the average velocity at each cross
section. Second, the piezometric head hc, evaluated at the vena contracta in the relation, is
substituted with h2, the known reading at the downstream pressure tap. Also, since the area of
the vena contracta is unknown, it is convenient in Eq. 13.3.5 to replace Ac by CcA0, where Cc is
the contraction coefficient and A0 is the area of the orifice opening. These anomalies are
accounted for by introducing a discharge coefficient Cd, which is the product of the contraction
coefficient and a velocity coefficient, so that the actual discharge Q is given by the relation
Orifice Meter. A thin plate orifice meter (Fig. 4) is typically manufactured in
the range 0.2 b 0.8. In the figure, two means of locating the pressure taps
are shown: (1) flange taps, positioned 25 mm upstream and downstream of
the orifice plate, and (2) taps placed one diameter upstream and one-half
diameter downstream of the plate. The second arrangement is preferred,
since it is capable of sensing a larger differential pressure, and it conforms
better to geometric similarity laws. A third arrangement, not shown in the
figure, has the pressure taps located in the pipe wall immediately upstream
and downstream of the orifice; taps placed at this location have been termed
corner taps.
Fig. 13.10 shows experimentally determined values of the flow coefficient K
for orifices as a function of b and Re0.These data were obtained using corner
taps; however, data taken with flange taps or with D :D/2 taps would be
indistinguishable when plotted on Fig. 13.10. If greater precision is desired,
numerical data for the different taps are provided in Bean (1971). Notice that
for a given b, K becomes nearly constant at high Reynolds numbers, but as
the Reynolds number becomes lower, K first increases to a maximum and
then decreases. Maximum values of K occur at Reynolds numbers between
100 and 1000, depending on the value of b; here K is dominated by the
reduced area of the vena contracta.
If the discharge is known, the Reynolds number at the orifice is known. Hence, with Fig.
13.10 one can read K directly, and subsequently determine (h1 = h2) from Eq. 13.3.8. However,
one would more likely use the figure in conjunction with Eq. 13.3.8 to determine the flow rate,

given that ((h1 = h2) has been read from an attached manometer or pressure transducer. In that
situation, K is not known a priori, since it depends on Re0. One can initially estimate K based on
an assumed Re0 (usually, assume Re0 to be large), and subsequently by trial and error improve
on that estimate by successive substitution into Eq. 13.3.8.

Fig 4. Orifice Meter

Venturi Meter.

The venturi meter has a shape that attempts to mimic the flow patterns through

a streamlined obstruction in a pipe. The classical, or Herschel, type of venturi meter is rarely
used today, since its dimensions are rather large, making it cumbersome to install and expensive
to fabricate. It is made up of a 21 conical inlet contraction, followed by a short cylindrical
throat, leading to a 7 or 8 conical exit expansion. The discharge coefficient is nearly unity. By
contrast, the contemporary venturi tube, shown in Fig. 13.11, consists of a standard flow nozzle
inlet section [ISA 1932 standard (Bean, 1971)] and a conical exit expansion no greater than 30.
Its recommended range of Reynolds numbers is limited from 1.5 x 105 to 2 x 106.
Equation 13.3.8 is valid for the venturi as well as for the orifice; representative values of the flow
coefficient K are shown in Fig. 4 Because of streamlining of the flow passage, the head loss in
the venturi meter is much less than in the orifice. The vena contracta is not present, and as a
result the discharge coefficient Cd remains close to unity.

Fig. 4. Venturi meter

Objectives
1.2.1 To measure volume flow rate of fluid like air at various loads, by use of pitot-

1.2.

static tube, venture meter, and orifice flow meter.

2. MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT
Air flow measurement equipment composed of:
Pitot-static tube
Venturi meter
Orifice meter
Manometer

2.1 Specifications
The airflow measurement equipment is designed for demonstration of turbulent flow
conditions in the range of the Reynolds number from 30, 000 to 300, 000 at slightly above

atmospheric pressure. The unit consist of a transparent rectangular duct measuring 12.7 cm
by 11.4 cm w/ provision for the placement of the pitot static tube. The duct is interconnected
with the venture meter and the orifice flow meter in that order. At the discharge end of the
unit is a damper mounted on screw for adjustment to vary the construction loads or
resistance.

The pitot-static tube has ellipsoidal nose made so to create a consistently smooth flow
past the static holes.
The venturi is made of a tube of 13.97 cm diameter with a constricted throat of 8.89 cm
diameter. The value of the coefficient of discharge for this venture meter is C = 0.98.
The orifice is an opening in a plate normal to the axis of the pipe and the thickness is
small relative to the size of the opening hole. The pipe diameter is still 13.97 cm but the
orifice diameter is 10.80 cm with characteristics flow coefficient of K = 0.78.
3. METHODOLOGY
a. The manometer was placed on a solid mounting level. Then, it was levelled
accurately and the built in level was adjusted to zero mark.
b. The cross-section of the transparent duct was subdivided into sixteen region of equal
area.
c. The breaker and switch was turned on.
d. The damper setting was adjusted according to the number of turns.
e. The Pitot - static tube was traversed depending on the coordinate in the 16 regions at
the cross-section of the transparent duct.
f. One end of the manometer was connected to the vertical open tube of the pitot-static
tube while the other end was exposed to the atmosphere. This will be recorded as the
total pressure.
g. The end of the manometer that was connected to the vertical open tube was
transferred to the horizontal open tube and the reading was recorded as the static
pressure.
h. The differential pressure was calculated by subtracting the static pressure from the
total pressure.
i. The individual velocities were obtained using eqn 1. Then the arithmetic mean of the
sixteen values of the velocities was obtained. The volume flow rate was computed by

Q = CAVAVE

4. DATA AND RESULTS

Table 1. Computation of Volume Flow Rate
.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Ave

2
Ps
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

Pt
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825

P
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825
1.825

4
Ps
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

Pt
1.771
1.771
1.771
1.771
1.771
1.741
1.741
1.771
1.771
1.741
1.741
1.771
1.771
1.771
1.771
1.771
1.7635

P
1.771
1.771
1.771
1.771
1.771
1.741
1.741
1.771
1.771
1.741
1.741
1.771
1.771
1.771
1.771
1.771
1.7635

Damper Setting (No. Of Turns)

6
8
Ps Pt
P
Ps
0
1.74
1.74
0
0
1.74
1.74
0
0
1.74
1.74
0
0
1.74
1.74
0
0
1.74
1.74
0
0
1.73
1.73
0
0
1.73
1.73
0
0
1.74
1.74
0
0
1.74
1.74
0
0
1.73
1.73
0
0
1.73
1.73
0
0
1.74
1.74
0
0
1.74
1.74
0
0
1.74
1.74
0
0
1.74
1.74
0
0
1.74
1.74
0
0
1.7325
1.7325
0

Pt
1.6971
1.6971
1.6971
1.6971
1.6971
1.6871
1.6871
1.6971
1.6971
1.6871
1.6871
1.6971
1.6971
1.6971
1.6971
1.6971
1.6946

P
1.6971
1.6971
1.6971
1.6971
1.6971
1.6871
1.6871
1.6971
1.6971
1.6871
1.6871
1.6971
1.6971
1.6971
1.6971
1.6971
1.6946

16
Ps
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

Pt
1.6625
1.6625
1.6625
1.6625
1.6625
1.63
1.63
1.6625
1.6625
1.63
1.63
1.6625
1.6625
1.6625
1.6625
1.6625
1.6544

P
1.6625
1.6625
1.6625
1.6625
1.6625
1.63
1.63
1.6625
1.6625
1.63
1.63
1.6625
1.6625
1.6625
1.6625
1.6625
1.6544

Calculation of Volume Flow Rate:

P = (1.825+1.7635 + 1.7325 + 1.6946 + 1.6544) in H20x(249.174 Pa / 1 in H20) =2031.7Pa
V ave=

V ave=

2 ( 2031.7 Pa )
m
=2.016
kg
s
1000 3
m

Q=CAVave
Q = 0.98(0.127m)(0.114m)(2.016m/s)
Q = 0.0286 m3/s

Table 2. Venturi and Orifice Meter readings

Inlet
Damper
Venturi
P
P
s
t
Opening
Setting
Fully
2
0.375
0.43
4
0.0938
0.125
Closed
6
0.0625
0.9375
8
0
0
10
0
0
20
0
0
1/4
2
1.94
2
4
1.31
1.437
6
0.81
1.03
8
0.531
0.65
10
0.3125
0.531
20
0
0.19
1/2
2
2.25
2.375
4
1.957
2
6
0.563
1.8
8
1.125
1.625
10
0.812
1.9575
20
0.375
0.812
3/4
2
2.25
2.315
4
2.0625
2.75
6
1.875
2.125
8
1.5
2
10
1.125
1.8
20
0.81
1.563
Fully
2
2.25
2.35
4
2.063
2.25
Opened
6
1.875
2.1875
8
1.53125
1.09
10
1.25
2
20
0.9375
1.8125

P
0.055
0.0625
0.875
0
0
0
0.06
0.127
0.221
0.119
0.2185
0.19
0.225
0.043
1.2495
0.5
0.1455
0.437
0.068
0.125
0.29
0.5
0.688
0.253
0.125
0.187
0.3129
0.5625
0.99
0.829

Pt
0.43
0.3125
0.0625
0
0
0
2.125
1.5625
1.0725
0.915
0.625
0.25
2.38
2.06
1.78
1.5
1.125
0.69
2.325
2.325
2.215
2.0125
1.725
1.64
2.9
2.325
2.0625
1.9325
1.875
1.599

Orifice
P
0.43
0.3625
0.0625
0
0
0
2.125
1.5625
1.0725
0.915
0.625
0.25
2.38
2.06
1.78
1.5
1.125
0.69
2.329
2.325
2.145
2.0125
1.725
1.64
2.4
2.325
2.0625
1.9375
1.875
1.594

Discussion
The differential pressure was calculated by subtracting the static pressure from the
total pressure. The differential used to calculate the average velocity which will be
used to compute volume flow was the arithmetic mean of the five differential
pressures which differed in damper setting. The volume flow rate was computed by

Q = CAVAVE. It is evident in Table 1 that the static pressures are all zero. They are so
minute that the manometer cant read it, thus differential pressure is approximately
equal to the total pressure. In the Table 2, the readings are affected by the damper
setting and the inlet opening.
5. CONCLUSION
The experimenters were able to determine the volume flow rate of fluid like air by suing
the pitot tube, venturi meter and orifice meter. Volume flow rate is the volume of fluid which
passes per unit time. It can be calculated by first determining the differential pressure on each
of the sixteen sub- regions and then calculating the velocity of each then getting the
arithmetic mean to get the average velocity. Knowing the dimension of the transparent duct
and the coefficient of discharge we can then calculate the volume flow rate.
6. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Potter, Merle C., 2012, Mechanics of Fluids 4th ed