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Laminar and turbulent flow in water

Article  in  Physics Education · May 2010


DOI: 10.1088/0031-9120/45/3/010

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www.iop.org/journals/physed

Laminar and turbulent flow in


water
H G Riveros1 and D Riveros-Rosas2
1
Institute of Physics, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria,
México, D.F., Mexico
2
Departamento de Ingenierı́a Quı́mica, Universidad de Sonora, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico

E-mail: riveros@fisica.unam.mx

Abstract
There are many ways to visualize flow, either for laminar or turbulent flows.
A very convincing way to show laminar and turbulent flows is by the
perturbations on the surface of a beam of water coming out of a cylindrical
tube. Photographs, taken with a flash, show the nature of the flow of water in
pipes. They clearly show the difference between turbulent and laminar flow,
and let, in an accessible way, data be taken to analyse the conditions under
which both flows are present. We found research articles about turbulence
measurements, using sophisticated equipment, but they do not use the
perturbation of the free surface of the flowing liquid to show or measure the
turbulence.

Introduction roughness grows with the turbulence as measured


The problem of transporting water through pipes by the Reynolds number.
exists since this is the way it is distributed to The volume flow rate  through a surface S is
communities; if the water is moving without calculated knowing the velocity of the fluid at each
friction (viscosity) it could be distributed with very point of the surface to calculate the integral:
little energy dissipation. The viscosity opposes the 
motion of a layer of water over another, and acts  = v · dS. (1)
as a friction force, transferring part of the energy
of flow into thermal energy. This equation can be easily integrated when the
The differential equations for flow have velocity is constant over the surface S:  =
two solutions: either time-independent or time- vS . However, to achieve a constant velocity on
dependent. In the first case, the fluid velocity a surface is not easy. Instead, we can measure
is constant in time at each point, and the the flow in the tube and then divide by its area
corresponding flow is called laminar. If the to obtain the average velocity of the water. To
velocity changes over time, the flow is turbulent; move a cylindrical segment of water inside a hose,
in this case, the solutions correspond either to one needs to apply a pressure difference between
the stationary or transient state. There are many its ends to compensate for the effects of viscosity
techniques for flow visualization [1], most of them that oppose its motion. For laminar flows, the
based on the dispersion of light produced by tracer water velocity next to the tube wall is zero and
particles or gas bubbles. We use the shape of the maximum at its centre, a result that is obtained
surface of a cylindrical water beam, smooth for by considering a cylinder of water interacting and
laminar flow or rough for turbulent flow [2]. The pressure applied to its ends. Thus, a steady state

288 PHYSICS EDUCATION 45 (3) 0031-9120/10/030288+04$30.00 © 2010 IOP Publishing Ltd


Laminar and turbulent flow in water
is reached some time after applying pressure. The
maximum speed and the speed at each point are
proportional to the applied pressure difference and
flow is proportional to pressure. If the pressure is
increased substantially, the speeds of the different
regions of the water will change continually in
magnitude and direction, resulting in a turbulent
flow in which each point is changing its velocity
with time. Turbulence increases with increasing
pressure. If the flow is laminar, the pressure
difference between the ends is proportional to
water flow; and if the flow is turbulent, the pressure
difference is proportional to the square of the flow.
The Reynolds number (Re = ρv D/η) helps us to
identify the type of flow we have: if its value is
less than 2300 the flow is laminar and if greater
than 4000 the flow is turbulent (in cylindrical
pipes). Between 2300 and 4000 it is considered
a transition regime. If we express the density ρ ,
velocity v , the diameter D and viscosity η in the
Figure 1. Photographs taken with a 2 megapixel digital
same system of units, the Re Reynolds number has
camera with flash. The flows are laminar.
no units. The velocity v is the velocity averaged
over the area of the tube and is easily measured
by measuring the volume flowing in a certain turbulent flows coming out of tubes into the air, as
time; the flow/area gives us the average speed. perturbations in the surface exposed to air in the
For laminar flow, equation (1) can be integrated fluid. Turbulence implies chaotic movements in
and we obtain the Poiseuille law, stating that the small volumes within the fluid. When those small
pressure difference between the ends of the tube is volumes reach the surface, the surface tension of
proportional to flow: the liquid returns them to the beam, but the surface
must be deformed for this to be achieved; the effect
P = 8ηL/πr 4 (2) can be seen in high speed photographs taken with
flash to freeze motion.
where η is viscosity, L is the length of the tube,
 is the flow, and r is the inner radius of the tube
Experiments
through which fluid flows. For a turbulent flow, a
different expression for a horizontal tube is found: The photos in figures 1–3 display the flow for a
variety of Reynolds numbers calculated for the
P = λρ Lv 2 /4r = λρ L2 /4π 2r 5 (3) flow at the mouth of the tube. As the diameter
of the water beam changes, so does the Reynolds
where λ is the coefficient of friction of D’Arcy– number.
Weisbach [3], ρ is the density, v is the velocity Laminar flows do not disturb the surface in
and  is the flow. We see that the pressure points throughout said flow; the changes observed
difference is proportional to the square of the are due to the attempts of the superficial tension
flow , if we neglect the change in λ with flow force to reduce the area by forming smaller
rate. Equation (3) applies to steady-state flow of diameter drops. However, on increasing the
an incompressible fluid. The friction coefficient rate of the flow to reach turbulent regimes, the
λ depends on whether the flow is laminar, photographs clearly show the disturbances at the
transitional or turbulent, and the roughness of the free surface of the water beam.
tube. Usually, to observe laminar flow, ink or air In the photographs in figure 2 there is
bubbles have been used; turbulent flow is detected an increment in the turbulence, shown as
by the light scattered by small particles suspended deformations in the surface of the water beam. The
in the fluid. We present a new way to observe the beam surface is deformed by changes in speed of

May 2010 PHYSICS EDUCATION 289


H G Riveros and D Riveros-Rosas

Figure 2. On increasing the flow rate, the water beam


changed to a turbulent flow. Note that the surface
tension prevents the turbulence breaking the beam into
drops.

the internal portions of the water beam, which are


arrested by the surface tension of the water.
In the case in which the initial flow is
horizontal, there are similar figures that change
with turbulence, and we can observe the same
general characteristics as for vertical flow. First we
can observe changes in output speed, resulting in Figure 3. Photographs of the turbulence in a horizontal
changes in the path of the water beam, and finally water beam; they show how the Reynolds number
we can see turbulent deformations observed on the increases with water speed.
surface of the water beam. This is indicative of the
turbulence in the internal portions. In this case, the in agreement, within the respective experimental
flow can be measured by taking the time it takes to uncertainty.
fill a container or by the equation of the parabola From figures 1–3, we can conclude that the
corresponding to the water path [4]. flow of water in the pipes that we use is generally
With a horizontal tube, measuring the height turbulent and therefore the pressure drop between
Y of the tube (above the table) and the horizontal the ends is not proportional to water flow.
distance X travelled by the water beam (on the Turbulence implies that different regions
table), we can calculate the horizontal speed V within the water beam have different magnitudes
at the mouth of the tube. The falling time T is and directions of velocity; with changes in the
obtained from Y = gT 2 /2 and V = X/T ; then pressure or violent changes in direction such
the water flow is calculated as V A, where A is as those introduced by a change of 90◦ in the
the internal area of the tube. Using this procedure direction of the velocity. Figure 4 shows two flows
we obtain a flow of (6.46 ± 0.12) l min−1 and with the same water speed, but flowing through
measuring the volume collected in a given time the the straight portion of a T-junction, or bending 90◦
flow was (6.35 ± 0.14) l min−1 . Both values are using the other arm of the T-junction.

290 PHYSICS EDUCATION May 2010


Laminar and turbulent flow in water

Water driven for a piston pump

Figure 5. Photograph of a water beam powered by a


piston pump. We can see clearly noticeable changes in
the output speed. The maximum pressure produces the
a upper parabolic path and the minimum produces the
lower.

with extraordinary clarity is the relation between


the Reynolds number and the kind of flow regime
observed at the water beam and the transition from
a laminar to a turbulent flow.

Acknowledgment
We thank the reviewer who improved our article
with many useful suggestions.

Received 18 January 2010, in final form 16 February 2010


doi:10.1088/0031-9120/45/3/010

b References
[1] Clayton B R and Massey B S 1967 J. Sci. Instrum.
Figure 4. (a) A water beam passing through the straight 44 2–11
section of a T-junction. (b) A water beam at the same [2] Sears F W, Zemansky M W and Young H D 1985
rate of flow, after being deflected 90◦ in the T-junction. College Physics (Reading, MA:
Addison-Wesley) p 275
[3] www.engineeringtoolbox.com/
Driving the water with a piston pump, darcy-weisbach-equation-d 646.html
the pressure changes between maximum and [4] Castro P M, Delfino A, Vieira E and Faria V A
minimum values, both of which diminish as the 2000 Pin-hole water flow from cylindrical
water travels through the hose. Figure 5 shows bottles Phys. Educ. 35 110–9
the change in the water path at the outlet of the
hose. Note that the maximum pressure produces H G Riveros has been a researcher at the
Instituto de Fı́sica de la Universidad
a high velocity jet at the exit, which produces Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)
the parabola joining the maxima in the jet. The since 1963. He has written several books
minimum follows a parabola below. The water and designed many experiments and
demonstrations. He writes the column
beam is held together by cohesion and by the ‘Los Placeres del Pensamiento’ in the
surface tension force. Bulletin of the Mexican Physical Society.

Conclusions
D Riveros-Rosas is a physicist from the
Photographs provide a very graphical way to show Universidad Nacional Autónoma de
the turbulence in a fluid flowing in a beam in México (UNAM) and obtained his PhD
the open air. The deformation at a point in the in 2008 in the energy area. He has written
several books in physics education and is
surface of the beam shows the chaotic behaviour a researcher at the Geophysics Institute at
of an internal portion of the fluid. Also shown the UNAM.

May 2010 PHYSICS EDUCATION 291

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