Chapter 2

Fluid Properties

Ahmad Sana

Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering

Sultan Qaboos University
Sultanate of Oman
Email: sana@squ.edu.om
Webpage: http://ahmadsana.tripod.com

Significant learning outcomes

Conceptual Knowledge
Define density, specific gravity, viscosity, surface tension,
vapor pressure, and bulk modulus of elasticity.
Describe the differences between absolute viscosity and
kinematic viscosity.
Describe how shear stress, viscosity, and the velocity
distribution are related.
Describe how viscosity, density, and vapor pressure vary
with temperature and/or pressure.

Procedural Knowledge
Look up fluid property values from figures, tables; know
when and how to interpolate.
Calculate gas density using the ideal gas law.
CIVL 4046 Fluid Mechanics

2-1 Properties involving mass

and weight
lim V 0

Mass density ()

g g

Specific Weight (g)

Specific gravity (S )

m
V

g fluid
g water, 4 C

fluid
water, 4 C

Variation in density

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Variation in density with temperature

1005
1000

Mass density (kg/m3)

995
990
985
980
975
970
965
960
955
0

20

40

60
Temperature (oC)
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80

100

120

Specific Gravity of some substances

Substance

Air
Gasoline
Ethyl Alcohol
Wood
Ice
Water
Seawater
Blood
Bones
Mercury

SG

0.0013
0.7
0.79
0.3-0.9
0.92
1.0
1.025
1.05
1.7-2.0
13.6

CIVL 4046 Fluid Mechanics

2.2 Ideal gas law

Equation of state for an Ideal Gas

p RT

P= Absolute pressure
= mass density
R=Ru/M (Table A.2)
Ru= Universal gas constant = 8.314 kJ/kmol.K
M=Molar mass (molecular weight) of the gas
T= Temperature on Kelvin scale, T(K)=T(oC)+273
At low pressure and high temperature most of the gases of
practical importance like air, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen,
helium, argon, neon, krypton and carbon dioxide can be
treated as ideal gases.
CIVL 4046 Fluid Mechanics

2.3 Properties involving thermal

energy
Amount of energy to increase
the temperature by 1K

Specific heat, cp
Internal energy, u

Enthalpy, h

hu

CIVL 4046 Fluid Mechanics

2.4 Viscosity
Newtons Law of Vsicosity

Vt
V

y
t y
For a fluid:
Shear stress Rate of shear strain

CIVL 4046 Fluid Mechanics

t
y
dV

dy
8

2.4 Viscosity (contd)

Absolute or dynamic viscosity,

N /m
2

N .s / m
dV / dy (m / s) / m
Kinematic viscosity,

N .s / m
2

m /s
3
kg / m
2

CIVL 4046 Fluid Mechanics

Temperature dependency
In liquids, viscosity is mainly
due to cohesive forces.
In gases, viscosity is mainly
due to momentum
exchange between
molecules.

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Effect of temperature on viscosity of air and water

2.00E-03

2.50E-05

1.80E-03
1.60E-03

2.00E-05
Air (y-axis on right hand side)

1.40E-03

1.50E-05
(N.m/s2)

1.20E-03
1.00E-03
8.00E-04

1.00E-05

6.00E-04

4.00E-04

5.00E-06

Water (y-axis on left hand side)

2.00E-04
0.00E+00

0.00E+00
0

20

40
60
80
CIVL 4046 Fluid Mechanics
Temperature (oC)

100

120

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Temperature dependency
Viscosity of liquids

Ceb / T
C and b are empirical constants, T is absolute
temperature

Sutherlands equation for gases

3/ 2

T T0 S

0 T0 T S
For air, Sutherlands constant, S = 111 K
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Newtonian versus non-Newtonian fluids

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2.5 Bulk modulus of elasticity

dp
Change in pressure
Ev

dV / V
Volumetric strain
dp
Ev
d /
For an ideal gas under constant temperature

dp
Ev
RT p
d
For an adiabatic process:

Ev kp (k c p / cv )

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2.6 Surface Tension

Surface Tension

F L
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Surface Tension in different cases

F L pA
2r pr 2
2
p
r

F L pA
4r pr

4
p
r
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Surface Tension in different cases

W 2F 2L

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F ??

21

Surface Tension of some fluids in air at 1atm and 20oC

Fluid

(N/m)

Mercury

0.440

Water

0.073

Glycerin

0.063

SAE 30 oil

0.035

Kerosene

0.028

Soap solution

0.025

Ethyl Alcohol

0.023

Gasoline

0.022

Ammonia

0.021
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Capillary Effect

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2.7 Vapor Pressure

Temperature, oC

Vapor pressure of a liquid is

defined as the pressure, at
a given temperature, it will
boil.
Vapor pressure increases
with temperature.
Vapor pressure of water is
shown in the table.

CIVL 4046 Fluid Mechanics

pv , kPa

-10

0.26

-5

0.403

0.611

0.872

10

1.23

20

2.34

30

4.25

40

7.38

50

12.35

100

101.3

200

1554

300

8581

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