Confused with flow rate of water

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the relationship between pressure and flow rate of liquids, specifically comparing Bernoulli's law and Poiseuille's law. Participants explore the implications of these laws in the context of fluid dynamics, particularly in experimental design.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Experimental/applied

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that if potential energy is constant, the flow rate of a liquid might be proportional to the square root of the pressure applied, based on Bernoulli's law.
  • Another participant asserts that viscosity represents friction and notes that potential energy is not conserved in this context.
  • A participant expresses confusion about how to relate pressure to flow rate, citing differing proportionalities from Bernoulli's and Poiseuille's laws.
  • It is noted that Bernoulli's equation assumes non-viscous flow, while Poiseuille's law applies to laminar flow and incorporates viscosity, leading to different results.
  • A detailed explanation of Poiseuille's law is provided, including the conditions under which it is valid, and the importance of calculating the Reynolds number to determine flow regime.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the relationship between pressure and flow rate, as they highlight differing assumptions and conditions in Bernoulli's and Poiseuille's laws. The discussion remains unresolved regarding which formula to apply in specific experimental contexts.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention the limitations of applying Bernoulli's equation to viscous flows and the need to consider flow regimes (laminar, transitional, turbulent) when using Poiseuille's law. The discussion also highlights the importance of the Reynolds number in determining the applicability of these equations.

Koveras00
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By Bernoulli's law, if potential energy is constant, the work done, given by pV, where p is the pressure, V is the change in volume, is equal to the change in kinetic energy, 1/2mv^2.

Does that mean that the flow rate of the liquid is proportionate to the root of the pressure applied??

If it is so, why is it that by Poiseuille's law of flow, E = (pi)r4pt/8Vl,

E is the viscosity of the flowing liquid, t is the time for which the liquid flows, V is the volume of liquid which flows in that time, r is the radius of the pipe, and l is the length of the pipe,

that the rate of flow is proportionate to the pressure applied??
 
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Viscosity is friction. Potential Energy is not conserved.
 
hmmm, i knew that, but, now i am designing a experiment and i do not know how to relate pressure to the flow rate of a liquid. What i am asking is that which formulae shld i use?? Since, both of them gave mi different proportionality, i can't possibly refer to both of them...
 
The reason your Bernoulli result and your Poiseuille result aren't agreeing is that Bernoulli's equation assumes non-viscous flow.

Poiseuille's flow equation comes from some application of the Navier-Stokes equations to the laminar velocity profile in a circular pipe. Poiseuille's law is given by:

Q=\frac{\pi R^4 \Delta p}{8 \mu L}

Q is the volumetric flow rate, R is the pipe radius, \Delta p is the pressure drop, \mu is the dynamic viscosity, and L is the length of the pipe.

This result is only valid for laminar flow in a circular pipe (it also ignores the roughness of the pipe). Therefore, once you calculate a flow rate, you should also calculate a Reynolds number and see that it is less than 2100. The Reynolds number is given as:

Re=\frac{\rho V D}{\mu}

Re is the Reynolds number (a dimensionless parameter), \rho is the fluid density, V is the flow velocity, and D is the pipe diameter. V=Q/A, where A is the cross-sectional area of the pipe.

If you find that the Reynolds number is between 2100 and 4000, then the flow is called transitional. If it is greater than 4000, the flow is considered turbulent. You might get away with applying Poiseuille in the transitional case, but in the turbulent region, there are more complicated results from Fluid Mechanics that you should apply. Any introductory text should be more than enough to help you out.

Edited for LaTeX errors, and fixing R^2 to R^4 in Poiseuille's equation.
 
Last edited:

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