Smooth running water flows faster than rough, turbulent water!

Let me explain.
Take your ordinary garden hosepipe attached to the tap, turn on the tap and watch the water flow freely. Slowly
increase the flow from the tap and correspondingly the flow from the end of the hosepipe increases until suddenly the
water no longer flows freely but has become turbulent. At this point you will also observe that LESS water now flows
from the hosepipe than before! Why?
Well its all to do with laminar flow versus turbulent flow and the increased friction of the later without getting
too technical, this is just how it is. But lets turn our thoughts to real life analogies.
Take your normal hard working individual. You push him more and more in the hope of achieving more and more
work out of him until suddenly his work rate drops off and he actually performs slower. Youve made him switch
from laminar flow to turbulent flow, with its resultant increased friction causing the slow down!

Effect of PRESSURE

You need a pressure difference to make flow happen. Flow occurs from
an higher pressure to a lower pressure. Greater the difference, greater is
the flow. In the diagram below, the person is squeezing the fluid bag to
increase the flow. This works because the squeezing of the bag increases
its pressure (P1). Now there is a greater difference between the pressure
in the bag (P1) and the other end of the tube (P2), which thus leads to a
greater flow.

In laminar flow, flow is directly proportional to the pressure difference.

Double the pressure difference and the flow will double. Triple the pressure
difference and the flow will triple. A graph plotted between pressure and
laminar flow will show a linear (straight line) relationship.

Effect of DIAMETER

The diameter of a tube has a huge impact on the flow. If you half the
diameter of the tube, for the same pressuredifference, the flow will
decrease by sixteen times!

Just imagine, for some sadistic reason, that you change a patients
endotracheal tube from a size 8 mm to a size 4 mm. For the same
ventilator pressure, you will reduce the flow by 16 times! The same effect
can happen if secretions or kinks reduce the diameter.
Effect of LENGTH

Longer the length, less is the flow. The effect is less dramatic than the
reduction caused by halving the diameter. For laminar flow, if you double
the length of the tubing, the flow will be halved.

You might see this effect clinically. For an example, in situations where you
need to be at some distance from the patient, you might use "extra" long
tubing to connect fluids to the patient. This longer tubing will lessen the
flow.

Effect of VISCOSITY and DENSITY

Viscosity is a measure of the "friction within the fluid". Imagine laminar flow
to occur in layers. Viscosity will be the friction between these layers. This
"resistance" resists flow. In laminar flow, higher the viscosity, lower is the
flow.

It is important to note that since turbulent flow has a different pattern,

viscosity does NOT affect turbulent flow. Turbulent flow is affected by
another physical property called "density".
POISEUILLE'S EQUATION (sometimes also called "Hagen - Poiseuille's
equation")

This equation is important to remember because it summarises all the

above. It describes the laminar flow through a tube.

Remember, this equation is for laminar flow and not turbulent flow.

The Q with a dot on top is a symbol for flow.

Flow is directly proportional to the pressure difference (P1 - P2).
Flow is proportional to the fourth power of the radius. It is because of this
fourth power, when you double the radius of the tube, the flow increases by
16 times (2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 16 ). In a similar way, when you half the radius,
the flow decreases by 16 times (1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2 = 1/16 ).
Don't forget the PI symbol and the number 8, both constants.
The symbol like a "n" is the Greek letter "eta", representing viscosity.
Because an increase in viscosity decreases flow, viscosity appears in the
denominator (the lower part) of the equation.
Similarly, because an increase in length decreases flow, it also appears in
the denominator of the equation.
LAMINAR and TURBULENT FLOW

Flow can occur in two different ways: Laminar and Turbulent. We will
describe both and see how they differ.

LAMINAR FLOW

This type of flow occurs in smooth tubes and at LOW flow rates.
The flow is streamlined and there is no turbulence. The flow occurs in
parallel layers, with minimal disruption between these layers.

The flow is greatest at the centre and diminishes towards the periphery.
This makes the laminar flow describe a bullet shaped "velocity profile"
shown in red below:

TURBULENT FLOW

This type of flow occurs in rough tubes and at higher flow rates.
The flow is not streamlined. There is a lot of swirling (eddies) of the fluid.
The flow is not greatest at the centre. Thus, as shown in red below, the
"velocity profile" of turbulent flow is more flat than that caused by laminar
flow.

TURBULENT FLOW is "BAD"

Turbulent flow is sort of the "bad cousin" of laminar flow.

For turbulent flow, the flow is NOT directly proportional to the pressure
difference. I.e. You do not get a straight line (linear) graph. Whereas, for
laminar flow, the flow is directly proportional to the pressure difference. I.e.
You get a straight line (linear) graph:

Turbulent flow needs more pressure to drive it. For a given pressure
difference, you will have a lesser flow with turbulent flow than with laminar
flow.
Halving the radius reduces flow to a slightly greater amount in turbulent
flow than when the flow is laminar. For laminar flow, halving the radius of
the tube reduces flow by 16 times. For turbulent flow, it reduces it by
slightly more than this.
And remember, turbulent flow is affected by density and not by viscosity.
Laminar flow is affected by viscosity, but not by density.

ONSET OF TURBULENT FLOW

Certain factors favour the changing of laminar flow to turbulent flow.

A gentleman named Reynolds studied the factors in which the flow of fluid
in pipes changed from laminar to turbulent. He experimented with various
factors that affected flow (velocity, density, diameter, viscosity) and came
up with an equation and magical number that predicted when a fluid would
start to change form laminar to turbulent. The Reynolds number is
described by the following equation:

He found with his experiments, that when the Reynolds number was below
2000 that the flow was laminar and that when the Reynolds number was
above 2000, the flow was turbulent.
Thus factors that increase Reynolds number promote turbulence. From the
equation, you can see that an higher fluid velocity (forward speed), higher
density of the fluid, and higher diameter of the pipe favour the flow to
change from laminar to turbulent.
Viscosity is in the lower part (denominator) of the equation and therefore,
unlike the other factors, a higher viscosity lowers Reynolds number and
thus favours laminar flow.

Laminar Flow
The resistance to flow in a liquid can be characterized in terms of
the viscosity of the fluid if the flow is smooth. In the case of a
moving plate in a liquid, it is found that there is a layer or lamina
which moves with the plate, and a layer which is essentially
stationary if it is next to a stationary plate.

Index
There is a gradient of velocity as you move from the stationary to
Poisuille
the moving plate, and the liquid tends to move in layers with
's law
successively higher speed. This is called laminar flow, or sometimes
concept
"streamlined" flow. Viscous resistance to flow can be modeled for
s
laminar flow, but if the lamina break up into turbulence, it is very
difficult to characterize the fluid flow.
The common application of laminar flow
would be in the smooth flow of a viscous
liquid through a tube or pipe. In that case,
the velocity of flow varies from zero at the
walls to a maximum along the centerline of
the vessel. The flow profile of laminar flow in
a tube can be calculated by dividing the flow
into thin cylindrical elements and applying
the viscous force to them.

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Viscosity
The resistance to flow of a fluid and the resistance to the movement of an
object through a fluid are usually stated in terms of the viscosity of the fluid.
Experimentally, under conditions of laminar flow, the force required to move
a plate at constant speed against the resistance of a fluid is proportional to
the area of the plate and to the velocity gradient perpendicular to the plate.
The constant of proportionality is called the viscosity .

Flow Resistance for a Tube

The flow resistance of a tube is
defined from the relationship

where the script F is the volume

flowrate through the tube. This
volume flowrate can also be
expressed by

Index
Poisuille'
s law
concepts
Show

where vm is the maximum flow velocity at the center of the tube.

The resistance denoted by the script R can be calculated from:

Stated in terms of a viscous resistance force,

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Fluid Velocity Profile

Under conditions of laminar flow in a viscous fluid, the velocity increases
toward the center of a tube.

The velocity profile as a function of radius is

Show

The fluid transported by each lamina is given by

and the summing of the contributions gives flow
Show

Effective Fluid Speed in a Tube

In order to get the net resistance to flow for laminar fluid flow
through a tube, one must account for the fact that different lamina
of the flow travel at different speeds and encounter different
resistances.

The volume flowrate can be generally expressed by

but the effective velocity is not a simple average because of the

nonlinear velocity profile. The total volume flowrate can be
calculated by integration of the flow of the successive lamina.

Laminar flow
Laminar flow generally happens when dealing with small pipes and low flow velocities. Laminar flow
can be regarded as a series of liquid cylinders in the pipe, where the innermost parts flow the
fastest, and the cylinder touching the pipe isn't moving at all.
Shear stress depends almost only on the viscosity - - and is independent of density - .

Turbulent flow
In turbulent flow vortices, eddies and wakes make the flow unpredictable. Turbulent flow happens in
general at high flow rates and with larger pipes.
Shear stress for turbulent flow is a function of the density - .

Transitional flow
Transitional flow is a mixture of laminar and turbulent flow, with turbulence in the center of the pipe,
and laminar flow near the edges. Each of these flows behave in different manners in terms of their
frictional energy loss while flowing, and have different equations that predict their behavior.
Turbulent or laminar flow is determined by the dimensionless Reynolds Number.

Reynolds Number
The Reynolds number is important in analyzing any type of flow when there is substantial velocity
gradient (i.e. shear.) It indicates the relative significance of the viscous effect compared to the inertia
effect. The Reynolds number is proportional to inertial force divided by viscous force.
The flow is

laminar when Re < 2300

transient when 2300 < Re < 4000

tuThe Reynolds Number, the non-dimensional velocity, is defined by the ratio of

dynamic pressure ( u2) and

shearing stress ( u / L)

and can be expressed as

Re = ( u2) / ( u / L)
=uL/
=uL/

(1)

where
Re = Reynolds Number (non-dimensional)
= density (kg/m3, lbm/ft3 )
u = velocity based on the actual cross section area of the duct or pipe (m/s, ft/s)
= dynamic viscosity (Ns/m2, lbm/s ft)
L = characteristic length (m, ft)
= kinematic viscosity (m2/s, ft2/s)

Reynolds Number for a Pipe or Duct

For a pipe or duct the characteristic length is the hydraulic diameter. The Reynolds Number for a
duct or pipe can be expressed as
Re = u dh /
= u dh /

(2)

where
dh = hydraulic diameter (m, ft)

Reynolds Number for a Pipe or Duct in common Imperial Units

The Reynolds number for a pipe or duct can also be expressed in common Imperial units like
Re = 7745.8 u dh /

(2a)

where
Re = Reynolds Number (non dimensional)
u = velocity (ft/s)
dh = hydraulic diameter (in)
= kinematic viscosity (cSt) (1 cSt = 10-6 m2/s )

The Reynolds Number can be used to determine if flow is laminar, transient or turbulent. The flow is

laminar when Re < 2300

transient when 2300 < Re < 4000

turbulent when Re > 4000

Example - Calculating Reynolds Number

A Newtonian fluid with a dynamic or absolute viscosity of 0.38 Ns/m2 and a specific
gravity of 0.91 flows through a 25 mm diameter pipe with a velocity of 2.6 m/s.
The density can be calculated using the specific gravity like
= 0.91 1000 (kg/m3)
= 910 kg/m3
The Reynolds Number can then be calculated using equation (1) like
Re = 910 (kg/m3) 2.6 (m/s) 25 (mm) 10-3 (m/mm) / 0.38 (Ns/m2)
= 156 ((kg m / s2)/N)
= 156 ~ Laminar flow
1 (N) = 1 (kg m / s2)
laminar flow, type of fluid (gas or liquid) flow in which the fluid travels smoothly or in regular
paths, in contrast to turbulent flow, in which the fluid undergoes irregular fluctuations and mixing.
In laminar flow, sometimes called streamline flow, the velocity, pressure, and other flow properties
at each point in the fluid remain constant. Laminar flow over a horizontal surface may be thought of
as consisting of thin layers, or laminae, all parallel to each other. The fluid in contact with the
horizontal surface is stationary, but all the other layers slide over each other. A deck of new cards, as
a rough analogy, may be made to flow laminarly.
Laminar flow in a straight pipe may be considered as the relative motion of a set of concentric
cylinders of fluid, the outside one fixed at the pipe wall and the others moving at increasing speeds as
the centre of the pipe is approached. Smoke rising in a straight path from a cigarette is undergoing
laminar flow. After rising a small distance, the smoke usually changes to turbulent flow, as it eddies
and swirls from its regular path.
Laminar flow is common only in cases in which the flow channel is relatively small, the fluid is
moving slowly, and its viscosity is relatively high. Oil flow through a thin tube or blood flow through
capillaries is laminar. Most other kinds of fluid flow are turbulent except near solid boundaries,

where the flow is often laminar, especially in a thin layer just adjacent to the surface. See fluid
mechanics.

laminar flow: associated stresses

Figure 9: Laminar motion and associated stresses.

laminar flow: velocity profile

Figure 10: Velocity profile for laminar flow between two plates (or inside a cylindrical tube), driven by a pressure gradient
(see text).

turbulent flow,

type of fluid (gas or liquid) flow in which the fluid undergoes

irregular fluctuations, or mixing, in contrast to laminar flow, in which the fluid moves in smooth
paths or layers. In turbulent flow the speed of the fluid at a point is continuously undergoing changes
in both magnitude and direction. The flow of wind and rivers is generally turbulent in this sense,
even if the currents are gentle. The air or water swirls and eddies while its overall bulk moves along a
specific direction.
Most kinds of fluid flow are turbulent, except for laminar flow at the leading edge of solids moving
relative to fluids or extremely close to solid surfaces, such as the inside wall of a pipe, or in cases of
fluids of high viscosity (relatively great sluggishness) flowing slowly through small channels.
Common examples of turbulent flow are blood flow in arteries, oil transport in pipelines, lava flow,
atmosphere and ocean currents, the flow through pumps and turbines, and the flow in boat wakes
and around aircraft-wing tips.

turbulent flow

Turbulent flow of a boat wake.

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