8.

) A pitot tube is a device used to measure the velocity of a fluid, typically, the airspeed of an
aircraft. The failure of a pitot tube is credited as the cause of Austral Lineas Aereas flight 2553
crash in October 1997. The pitot tube had frozen, causing the instrument to give a false reading
of slowing speed. As a result, the pilots thought the plane was slowing down, so they increased
the speed and attempted to maintain their altitude by lowering the wing slats. Actually, they were
flying at such a high speed that one of the slats ripped off, causing the plane to nosedive; the
plane crashed at a speed of 745 miles per hour.
In the pitot tube, as the fluid moves, the velocity creates a pressure difference between the ends
of a small tube. The tubes are calibrated to relate the pressure measured to a specific velocity.
This velocity is a function of the pressure difference (P, in units of pascals) and the density of the
fluid ( in units of kilogram per cubic meter).
v=(2/)^0.5 *m
Pressure
50000
101325
202650
250000
304000
350000
405000

Velocity fluid A (m/s) Velocity fluid B (m/s)

11.25
7.50
16.00
11.00
23.00
15.50
25.00
17.00
28.00
19.00
30.00
20.00
32.00
22.00

505000

35.75

Fluid

24.50

Specific Gravity

Acetone .

0.79

Citric Acid

1.67

Glycerin

1.26

Mineral Oil

0.90

a) Show the resulting data and trendline, with equation and R^2 value, on the appropriate
graph type ( xy scatter, semilog, or loglog) to make the data appear linear.
(b) Determine the value and units of the density for each data set using the trendline equations.
(c) From the chart at left, match each data set (A, B) with the correct fluid name according

to the results of the density determined from the trendlines.

*Please use Microsoft Excel and/or formulas to solve each of the given parts. Label each part
accordingly.

Solution:
(a)
Find the equation of density from the given velocity equation.
2
v

0.5

Pm

Take square on both sides.

2
v2 P2m

2
2 P 2 m
v
P m
2

(1)

The plot with the trend line model is given below for fluids A and B.

(b)
Substitute the computed velocity equation from the trend line model in equation (1).

A 2

5 10

P 10.725

. (2)

B 2

4 10

P 7.1604

. (3)
Tabulation of density for fluid A and fluid B is given below which is calculated by using of
equations (2) and (3).
Pressu
re
50000
101325
202650
250000
304000
350000
405000
505000

density(m^2*s/kg
)
28,587,662.28
82,343,666.76
188,798,572.94
231,738,700.71
275,004,393.84
307,537,573.32
341,914,415.87
394,104,275.76
Average (d)

density(g/cm^
3)
0.029
0.082
0.189
0.232
0.275
0.308
0.342
0.394
0.231

Pressu
re
50000
101325
202650
250000
304000
350000
405000
505000

density(m^2*s/kg
)
59,585,574.11
163,300,905.04
352,411,390.65
424,478,012.70
495,159,294.74
547,165,036.36
601,145,350.21
681,346,245.67
Average (d)

density(g/cm^
3)
0.060
0.163
0.352
0.424
0.495
0.547
0.601
0.681
0.416

(c)
Consider the formula to find specific gravity.
density of fluid
SGA
density of water
0.231

1
0.231

SGB

density of fluid
density of water

0.416
1
0.416

Compare the computed values with the table which is given. The values of SG fluids A and B are
nearby equal to acetone.
Hence, the fluid is acetone.