REYNOLDS NUMBER

OBJECTIVES
At the end of the topic, the students must
be able to:
1. Describe the appearance of laminar and
turbulent flow
2. State the relationship used to compute
Reynolds number
3. Compute the Reynolds number for the flow
of fluids in round pipes and tubes

Behavior of fluid with regard to energy

losses
Dependent whether the flow is laminar or
turbulent

experiments and analytical verifications

show that the character of flow in round
pipe depends on:

Fluid density,
Fluid viscosity,
Pipe diameter, D
Average velocity of flow,

REYNOLDS NUMBER

Laminar or turbulent flow can be predicted

if the magnitude of dimensionless number,
called Reynolds Number NR is known:

D D

NR

Reynolds number is the ratio of the inertia

force on an element of fluid to the viscous
force.

QUANTITY

SI UNITS

VELOCITY

m/s

DIAMETER

DENSITY

Kg/m3 or Ns2/m4

DYNAMIC VISCOSITY

N s/m2 or Pa s or kg/m s

KINEMATIC VISCOSITY

m2/s

Turbulent flow
Flows having large Reynolds number (typically
because of high velocity and/or low viscosity)

Laminar flow
Fluids having high viscosity and/or moving at low
velocities will have low Reynolds number

 For

practical applications in pipe flow:

Values of Reynolds number:
< 2000 , flow is laminar
> 4000, flow is turbulent
Between 2000 and 4000, impossible to predict which type
of flow exists
This range is called the critical region
If the flow in a system is found to be within this region, change
the flow rate or pipe diameter to cause the flow to be definitely
laminar of turbulent

To maintain laminar flow for Reynolds

number as high as 50 000:
Minimize external distrubances

When NR is greater than about 40 000:

Minor disturbance of the flow stream will cause
the flow to suddenly change from laminar to
turbulent

Sample Problem 1:

Determine whether the flow is laminar or

turbulent if glycerin at 25C flows in a pipe
with a 150-mm inside diameter. The
average velocity of flow is 3.6 m/s.

Answer:
NR = 708, flow is laminar

Determine if the flow is laminar or turbulent

if water at 70C flows in a 1-in type K
copper tube with a flow rate of 285 L/min.

Answer:
NR = 5.82 x 10

, flow is turbulent

Velocity profiles

Velocity average velocity of flow found

from the continuity equation v = Q/A

Magnitude of velocity
uniform across a particular section of a pipe
the manner in which the velocity varies with
position is dependent on the type of flow that
exists

HYDRAULIC RADIUS FOR

NONCIRCULAR CROSS SECTIONS

NONCIRCULAR CROSS SECTION:

Closed conduits running full
Shell and tube heat exchanger
Air distribution ducts
Flow path inside a machine

Open channels (one surface of which is exposed

to the local atmosphere

EXAMPLES OF CLOSED
NONCIRCULAR CROSS SECTIONS

Hydraulic radius ratio of the net cross-sectional

area of a flow stream to a wetted perimeter of the
section

A
area
R

WP wetted perimeter

In calculation of the hydraulic radius, the net

cross-sectional area should be evident from the
geometry of the section

Wetted perimeter the sum of the length of the

boundaries of the section actually in contact with
(that is, wetted by) the fluid

Sample Problem:

Determine the hydraulic radius of the

section shown if the dimension of each side
of the square is 250 mm and the outside
diameter of the tube is 150 mm.

Reynolds Number for closed

noncircular cross sections

Computed in a very similar manner to that used

for circular pipes and tubes

Alteration: replacement of the diameter, D with

4R, four times the hydraulic radius.
NR

4R
4R

The validity of this substitution can be

demonstrated by calculating the hydraulic radius
for a circular pipe:
A D 2 / 4 D
R

P
D
4

Then: D = 4R

4R is equivalent to D for the circular pipe.

Sample problem:

Compute the Reynolds number for the flow

of ethylene glycol at 25C through the
section shown. The volume flow rate is 0.16
m3/s.

EXERCISES:
1.

A 4-in diameter pipe carries 0.20 ft3/s of glycerine (sg = 1.26)

at 100 F. Is the flow laminar or turbulent?

2.

Calculate the maximum volume flow rate of fuel oil at 45C

at which the flow will remain laminar in a 100-mm diameter
pipe. For the fuel oil, use sg = 0.895 and dynamic viscosity =
4.0 x 10 -2 Pas.

3.

Determine the smallest Type K copper tube size that will carry
4L/min of the following fluids while maintaining laminar flow:
a.) water at 40C
b.) gasoline (sg = 0.68) at 25C
c.) ethyl alcohol (sg = 0.79) at 0C