Understanding Pressure Drop in Pipes: Causes and Solutions

[Marts12]

Hi There,

I have constantly come across the fact that as fluid (hydraulic oil say) travels along a pipe you will see a continual drop in pressure the further you travel down the pipe. Am I right in saying that the pressure at any point is simply the result of the resistances (friction with pipe walls etc.) the fluid sees ahead of itself and hence the further down the pipe you go there is less resistance ahead and hence the pressure is less.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Chestermiller]

Hi There,

I have constantly come across the fact that as fluid (hydraulic oil say) travels along a pipe you will see a continual drop in pressure the further you travel down the pipe. Am I right in saying that the pressure at any point is simply the result of the resistances (friction with pipe walls etc.) the fluid sees ahead of itself and hence the further down the pipe you go there is less resistance ahead and hence the pressure is less.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Basically, yes. The pressure gradient along the flow direction is the result of the viscous behavior of the fluid, which is sometimes referred to as viscous friction, and is related to the shear stress at the wall.

 

[Marts12]

Thank you very much for your quick response