Laminar flow or streamline flow in pipes (or tubes) occurs when a fluid flows in parallel layers, with no disruption between the layers. ... Turbulent flow is a flow regime characterized by chaotic property changes. This includes rapid variation of pressure and flow velocity in space and time.
What are the differences between laminar flow and turbulent flow quizlet?
A laminar flow moves in nearly straight-line paths parallel to the stream channel; a turbulent flow moves in an erratic fashion with horizontal and vertical swirling motions .
What is the main difference between laminar and turbulent flow?
Laminar Flow: the flow of a fluid when each particle of the fluid follows a smooth path, paths which never interfere with one another. One result of laminar flow is that the velocity of the fluid is constant at any point in the fluid . Turbulent Flow: irregular flow that is characterized by tiny whirlpool regions.
What is an example of a turbulent flow?
Common examples of turbulent flow are blood flow in arteries , oil transport in pipelines, lava flow, atmosphere and ocean currents, the flow through pumps and turbines, and the flow in boat wakes and around aircraft-wing tips. ...
Why is laminar flow better than turbulent?
turbulent flow can characterize how fluid is moving, with a laminar flow being a more smooth, orderly flow , and a turbulent flow being rough and chaotic. ... The distinction between laminar and turbulent flow is extremely important in engineering because the type of flow impacts how mass and heat are transferred.
What causes laminar flow?
Laminar flow generally occurs when the fluid is moving slowly or the fluid is very viscous . ... If the Reynolds number is very small, much less than 1, then the fluid will exhibit Stokes, or creeping, flow, where the viscous forces of the fluid dominate the inertial forces.
What is an advantage of laminar flow?
The flow of aqueous fluids in capillaries usually has a low Re and is laminar. Laminar flow allows two or more streams of fluid to flow next to each other without any mixing other than by diffusion of their constituent molecules across the boundary between them (which is usually fairly slow).
What Reynolds number would indicate turbulent flow quizlet?
A Reynold’s number greater than 2000 indicates turbulent flow on color Doppler evaluation.
What factors would decrease flow velocity?
- Channel Shape. The shape of the channel affects the velocity of a river. ...
- Volume of Water. The volume of water that flows through a river within a given amount of time — known as the discharge — also affects its velocity. ...
- Smooth and Rough Channels. ...
- Riverbed’s Gradient.
What are the three main zones of a river system from highest to lowest?
Three zones are usually recognized – headwaters , where flow is usually lowest of any where along the system, slope is often steepest, and erosion is greater than sediment deposition; transfer zone, the middle range of the stream where slope usually flattens somewhat, more flow appears, and deposition and erosion are ...
What is turbulent flow used for?
Turbulent flow is thus desirable in applications where a relatively cool fluid is mixed with a warmer fluid to reduce the temperature of the warmer fluid . It is imperative to take into account turbulent flow when designing certain structures, such as a bridge support, as shown in.
What is an example of steady flow?
Steady flow of fluid is a condition where the function of fluid property is time independent. For example consider fluid flow in a tapered pipe, which may be steady, but the velocity and acceleration need not be constant. ... Some examples of steady flow devices include pipes, nozzles, diffusers, and pumps .
How do you get turbulent flow?
To sustain turbulent flow, a persistent source of energy supply is required because turbulence dissipates rapidly as the kinetic energy is converted into internal energy by viscous shear stress. Turbulence causes the formation of eddies of many different length scales.
Why is turbulent flow preferred?
A turbulent flow is something you would like to prevent at the inlet of your flow measurement instrument , as it can affect the accuracy of your measurement. It is preferable to have a laminar flow just before your flow instrument.
What is critical Reynolds number?
A critical Reynolds number is determined as a limit where the laminar flow changes to turbulent flow . If the calculated N Re is greater than the critical Reynolds number N Rec , the flow regime is turbulent; otherwise the flow regime is laminar.
Does turbulence increase with speed?
Turbulent flow mixes the fluid. There is more interaction, greater heating, and more resistance than in laminar flow. ... Second, high speeds cause turbulence . The drag between adjacent layers of fluid and between the fluid and its surroundings can form swirls and eddies if the speed is great enough.
