EXPERIMENT NO 7

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 REYNOLDS EXPERIMENT
Aim: To study the transition of flow from laminar to turbulent using Reynolds number

Theory:

Depending upon the relative magnitude of inertia and viscous forces, the flow of
fluid in a pipe may be either laminar or turbulent. A convenient way to differentiate
between these two types of flow is Reynolds number, denoted by Re. It is defined as
ratio of inertia force to the viscous force and is given by expression vD/, where is
the mass density of fluid, v is the average velocity of flow, D is the diameter of pipe
and is the dynamic viscosity of fluid. For pipes if Re < 2000, flow is laminar and for
Re > 4000, the flow is turbulent. For Re lying between 2000-4000, the flow is in
transition state, which refers to change of flow from laminar to turbulent occurring in
some limited region of flow.

Osborne Reynold was first to demonstrate the existence of the two types of flow i.e.
laminar and turbulent, experimentally. Reynold injected a filament of dye in the flow
of water along a glass pipe. He observed that at low velocities the filament appeared
as a straight line which passed down the whole length of tube indicating the laminar
flow. At higher velocities, after passing over a little distance along the tube, it
suddenly got mixed with surrounding water indicating that the flow has now become
turbulent.

Experimental setup:

The setup consists of a constant head tank mounted on MS stand. A glass tube is
attached to tank to visualize the different flow conditions. The tank has the provision
for supplying dye through a needle at the center of the tube in the form of jet. The
entry of water in glass tube is through an elliptical bell mouth entrance so as to have a
smooth entry of the flow. Water is supplied to the tank through a supply pipeline. A
regulating valve is provided on the downstream side of the tube to regulate the flow
gradually. A collecting tank is provided to measure the discharge.

Procedure:

1. Supply water to tank and maintain constant head in the supply tank by adjusting the
inflow. Let the flow be steady.
2. Inject dye slowly and study its characteristics.
3. Measure discharge.
4. Increase the discharge slightly by opening the regulating valve. Again maintain
constant head in the supply tank.
5. Repeat the procedure for different discharge values till dye gets completely diffused
over the cross section of glass tube.
Observations:

1. Diameter of pipe, D (cm) =

2)
2. Area of glass pipe, A (cm =
3. Specific gravity of water in pipe =
4. Kinematic viscosity of water, (cm /sec) =
2

5. Area of measuring tank, A1 (cm2) =

Observation table:

Sr. Discharge Time Qact.= Velocity= Re = Type of flow

No. measurement (t) A1h1 Qact./A vd
I.R. F.R. Diff. t
(h1) cm. sec. cm3/sec. cm/sec.

Conclusion: