Laminar and Turbulent Flow Summary
·
Laminar
Flow Layers of water flow over
one another at different speeds with
virtually
nomixing between layers.
The flow velocity profile for laminar flow in circular pipes is parabolic in shape, with a
maximum flow in the centre of the pipe and a minimum flow at the pipe walls.
The average
flow velocity is approximately one half of the maximum velocity.
·
Turbulent Flow
The flow is
characterized by the irregular movement of particles of the fluid.
The flow velocity
profile for turbulent flow is fairly flat across the centre section of a pipe
and drops rapidly extremely close to the walls.
The average flow
velocity is approximately equal to the velocity at the centre of the pipe.
·
Viscosity is the fluid
property that measures the resistance of the fluid to deforming due to
a shear force. For most fluids, temperature
and viscosity are inversely proportional.
·
An
ideal fluid is one that is incompressible and has no viscosity.
·
An increasing
Reynolds number indicates an increasing turbulence of flow.
