Solve Water Pressure Problem: 6000ft Pipe 3.5in Dia

  • Context: Undergrad 
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the pressure required to push water out of a 6000-foot tall pipe with a 3.5-inch inside diameter. Participants explore the implications of vertical versus horizontal pipe configurations and the factors affecting pump selection.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant asks for the pressure needed to push water out of the specified pipe.
  • Another participant questions whether the problem is homework-related and suggests considering the relationship between force, pressure, and area.
  • A participant clarifies that the scenario involves a friend needing to determine the appropriate pump for the water column's head pressure.
  • One participant explains that the required pump pressure must exceed the pressure exerted by the water column at the bottom of the pipe, suggesting calculations involving water density and volume.
  • Another participant references the equation ρgh as relevant for the problem.
  • Some participants express uncertainty about the feasibility of pumping water from a 6000-foot vertical pipe, suggesting it may be more reasonable to consider a horizontal pipe with friction losses.
  • There is a claim that the pipe diameter is not as critical as the pump outlet diameter, emphasizing that the issue at hand is pressure rather than force.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on whether the pipe is vertical or horizontal, leading to differing views on the pressure calculations and pump requirements. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best approach to the problem.

Contextual Notes

There are assumptions about the pipe's orientation and the implications for pressure calculations that remain unaddressed. The discussion also highlights potential friction losses in a horizontal configuration, which complicates the analysis.

shanegarner
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How much pressure would it take to push the water out of a 6000 feet tall pipe full of water that is 3.5" inside diameter?
 
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Is this a homework problem? If so, I can move it to the appropriate Homework Help forum.

To address your question, what is the equation that relates force, pressure and area? What is the density of water?
 
no, my friend is trying to figure out what pump he needs to push the water out of this pipe...what head pressure..
 
Fair enough. The pressure that will be required of the pump is a bit higher than the pressure that the water column is exerting on the bottom of the pipe. Imagine that the water column is supported just by a disk at the bottom that is 3.5" in diameter. What is the weight of the water on that disk (water density multiplied by the volume of the water column), and what is the surface area of the disk? Make sure to keep all of your units consistent, and you will have the pressure of the water column at the bottom. Then pick a pump that can generate a higher pressure, and pump away.
 
shanegarner said:
no, my friend is trying to figure out what pump he needs to push the water out of this pipe...what head pressure..

Everybody here is assuming that the pipe is vertical... but 6000 feet, that's about 2000 meters, right ? Doesn't sound reasonable to me. You wouldn't want to pump that in one single go, would you ?

So I think that the OP is talking about a horizontal pipe, and the friction losses or something.
 
It says 6000 feet tall in the OP. Besides - if it were horizontal, it wouldn't require any pressure at all (as long as you aren't concerned about the flow rate, which the OP doesn't specify...).

Anyway, yes, you wouldn't want to pump that all in one shot (and probably couldn't even if you did).
 
By the way, pipe diameter doesn't matter, just pump outlet diameter. The issue is pressure, not force.
 

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