GASFLOWINCIRCULARPIPES

Activity 1:
Mole
Fraction
Component
(xi)
Molecular

Weight
(MWi)

Viscosity
(i)

(cP at
MSC)
xi MWi

i xi MWi 10-3

Methane

0.9376

16.0426

0.0107

3.7554

40.1828 x 10-3

Ethane

0.0314

30.0694

0.0090

0.1722

1.5498 x 10-3

Propane

0.0062

44.0962

0.0080

0.0412

0.3296 x 10-3

Butane

0.0020

58.1230

0.0071

0.0152

0.1079 x 10-3

Pentane

0.0007

72.1498

0.0066

0.0059

0.0389 x 10-3

Nitrogen

0.0203

28.0130

0.0170

0.1074

1.8258 x 10-3

Carbon
Dioxide

0.0018

44.0100

0.0180

0.0119

0.2142 x 10-3

Total

m =

4.1092

44.2490 x 10-3

i xi MWi
xi MWi

44.2490 10-3
= 0.0108 cP or 10.810-6 Pa.s
m =
4.1092

GASFLOWINCIRCULARPIPES
Activity 2:
Location

Height
above sea
level (m)

Pressure
(bar)

Corrected
Pressure
(bar)

500

70

0.856

74.5

500

100

0.805

106.4

50

100

0.805

101.5

50

50

0.895

51.3

100

20

0.955

21.2

Relative Density of gas: S

gas
air

0.7

Pb exp 0.03417

S.h
.P
Z.T t

Pt = Pressure Gauge + 1.01325

T = 273 + 15 = 288 K
Pb exp 0.03417

0.7 500
0.856 288

71.01325 74.5bar

GASFLOWINCIRCULARPIPES
Activity 3:
a)
LPgaugecorrectionfactor a g g.h a 1

g
g.h a 1s g.h
a

Including values of a = 1.225 kg/m3 and g = 9.81 m/s2

0.12 1

1.225 1

9.81

12 1

b)
Manufactured Gas:
LP 0.12 10.5

120 7.2mbarincreaseingaugepressure

This compensates to some extent for the pressure loss when gas is flowing
and is therefore an advantage.
c)
LPG
LP 0.12 11.93

120 13.4mbardecreaseingaugepressure

This must be added to any pressure loss caused by flowing gas and therefore
increase the required distribution pressure by this amount.

GASFLOWINCIRCULARPIPES
Activity 4:
Re 25043

105
Qs
25043
26295PartiallyTurbulent
100
d

Activity 5:
a) Re 25043

Qs
d

25043

b) (i) Re 25043

Qs

(ii) Re 25043

Qs

3
20

3756

25043

250

25043

180

34782

1000

1.25 10

c)
The service pipe is just below the partially turbulent flow criterion. It could be
partially turbulent but is likely to be in the critical zone.
The distribution pipe is an order of magnitude grater and well into the partially
turbulent region.
The transmission pipe, largest in operation in the UK represents just about the
largest value Re likely to be experienced within British Gas. It is on the border
line between partial and full turbulence. Virtually all practical flow problems in
the gas supply industry fall in the partially turbulent region.

GASFLOWINCIRCULARPIPES
Activity 6:
Total Energy, head line (no losses)
2

U1

2g

ht
Actual energy head line
2

U2

2g

g
g

Direction of Flow

GASFLOWINCIRCULARPIPES
Activity 7:
Starting with the Hagen-Poiseuille equation:
d4 P
128L

Q
Substitute for

P ghf
Q uA
To give:
uA

d4 ghf
128L

Rearranging gives:
hf

128uAL
d4 g

And since:
A

d2
4

We have
hf

128ud2 L Lu2 32

.
dg ud
4d4 g

And since:
Re

ud

We have
hf

Lu2 32 4Lu2 16

.
dg Re
2dg Re

GASFLOWINCIRCULARPIPES
Activity 8:
a)
RelativeRoughness
Re 25043

0.01
0.0006
16

Q 25043 3

4696
16
d

Therefore from moody chart f=0.00897

b)
RelativeRoughness
Re 25043

0.01
0.00005
200

Q 25043 200

25043
200
d

Therefore from moody chart f=0.0061

c)
in both cases the friction factor is virtually indistinguishable from that which
would be obtained using the smooth pipe curve. For the calculated values of
Re, the lines of relative roughness have merged with the smooth pipe curve
indicating that for the given conditions the laminar sub-layer is still effectively
covering the pipe roughness. This situation occurs more or less universally for
the conditions found in the low pressure distribution system. (See page 34)

GASFLOWINCIRCULARPIPES
Activity 9:
a)
did you remember that 20 m/s is the actual velocity? To find the value of Re
you need the velocity expressed at MSC.
Did you remember that the maximum velocity occurs at the downstream end
of the pipeline? The pressure there is not 70 bar(gauge), under maximum flow
conditions it could be something like 50 bar(gauge). Try the calculation again
using this pressure.
Maximum velocity at the downstream end is 20 m/s. if the downstream
pressure is 50bar then the maximum velocity is:
umax u

Pgauge Patm
51.01325
20
1006.9 ms atMSC
1.01325
Patm
Q uA 1006.9

Re 25043

d2
m3 st
3600
6
hr
4 10

1006.9 10422 3600

Q
25043
7.4 107
1042 4 106
d

This assume the downstream pressure is 50 bar(gauge). Some variation in

this pressure will not make very much difference to the value of Re.
b)
at this value of Re the flow is very much on the borderline of fully developed
turbulence; the critical parameter is /d. For a new internally coated steel pipe
the value of could realistically be similar to that of PE, say 0.015mm, giving
a value for /d of 0.000015, in which case the flow is partially turbulent, but
only just. However, bearing in mind that 20m/s is the maximum velocity and
that typical velocities are in the region of 10m/s it is likely that fully developed
turbulent flow does not usually occurs in the British Gas transmission system,
but comes close to it sometimes.
c)
the increase in pressure would probably cause fully developed turbulence to
occur under maximum flow conditions. For a maximum pressure of
100 bar(gauge) the downstream pressure would be something like
70 bar(gauge) under maximum flow conditions.
The maximum velocity at MSC is:
umax u

Pgauge Patm
71.01325
20
1401.7 ms atMSC
1.01325
Patm
Q uA 1401.7

d2
m3 st
3600
6
hr
4 10
8

GASFLOWINCIRCULARPIPES
Re 25043

Q
1401.7 10422 3600
25043
1.03 10
d
1042 4 106

Which, even for /d = 0.000015, indicates fully developed turbulence.

GASFLOWINCIRCULARPIPES
Activity 10:

P1 2 P2 2 d5
S.L.Z.T

7.574 Ts 1
104 Ps f

7.574 288
1
10 1.101325

51.01325 580
71.01325
0.6 10 0.9 293

Q
And also the relative roughness =

21661
f
0.038
580

0.00006

Try1:
f 0.004 Q 3.4 105 Re 25043

Q
1.5 107
d

Try 2:
at this value of Re and also with relative roughness which we found above, go
to moody chart and find another friction factor
f 0.00275 Q 4.1 105 Re 25043

Q
1.8 107
d

Try3:
at this value of Re and also with relative roughness which we found above, go
to moody chart and find another friction factor. We can see that the friction
factor is same as the one in Try2.
Therefore the friction factor for the pipe is f=0.00275 and Q=4.1x105 m3/hr
The flow is virtually fully developed turbulent.

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GASFLOWINCIRCULARPIPES
Activity 11:
frommoodyChartforsmoothpipes
Q
Re 25043 Re 2.7 107
f 0.004
d

General Flow Equation

P1 2 P2 2 d5
S.L.Z.T

7.574 Ts 1
104 Ps f

In this equation:
Ts 15

288K,Ps 1.01325bar,S 0.6,Z 0.9,T 20

Rearrange the equation:

2

P1 P2

P1 2 P2 2

104
7.574

104
7.574

Ps
Ts

1.01325
288

P1 2 P2 2

f.S.L.Z.T 2
Q
d5

3413.96

0.6 0.9 293

f.L 2
Q
d5

f.L 2
Q
d5

In this equation:
3

f 0.004,L 104 m,d 170mm,Q 1800 m hr

therefore:

P1 2 P2 2
P1 3bar gauge

3.12

4.01325bar abs

4.013252 P2 2 3.12 P2 3.6bar abs

So the system will be adequate.

11

2.6bar gauge

293K

GASFLOWINCIRCULARPIPES
Activity 12:
frommoodyChartforsmoothpipes
Q
Re 25043 Re 3756
f 0.01025
d

General Flow Equation for Low Pressure systems

5.712 1
104 f

P1 P2 d5
S.L

Rearrange the equation:

L 3.26 107

P1 P2 d5
f.s.Q2

In this equation:
3

f 0.01025,d 20mm,S 0.6,Q 3 m hr ,P 3mbar

therefore:
L 56.5m
Try the same calculation again using the laminar flow equation. You should
get 136m for the maximum length of the service pipe. This is considerably
longer than 56.5m and emphasises the danger of assuming laminar flow
when designing gas distribution system.

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GASFLOWINCIRCULARPIPES
Activity 13:
Procedure:
Assume values of Re number on moodys chart
Calculate x, then f from the Transco Equation
For some Re number get the f from the moodys chart assuming
smooth pipes
Graphicate Re vs. f using logarithmic scale for Re.
Compare the values for f

13

GASFLOWINCIRCULARPIPES
Activity 14:
Q
Re 25043 Re 5.6 10
d
x log 10 Re 5 x 0.25
1
fsp

14.7519 3.5657x 0.0362x 2 fsp 5.20 103

The pipe is jointed using electrofusion couplers, so from Fig. 3.17 (page 60)
di 157.2mm,Re 5.6 104 e 0.99
Using equation 3.37:

104
5.712

P1 P2

P1 P2

P1 P2 d5
S.L

5.712 e
104 fsp

104
5.712

S.L.fsp .Q2
d5 .e2

0.6 426 5.20 10

157.25 0.992

350

P1 P2 5.30
31.01325P2 5.30 P2 25.71325bar abs

14

24.7bar gauge

GASFLOWINCIRCULARPIPES
Activity 15:

15

GASFLOWINCIRCULARPIPES
Activity 16:
3

Q 2000 m hr ,L 01000m every100m ,S 0.6,di 99.6mm,e 0.92

P1 = 1.5 bar(gauge) = 2.51325 bar(abs)
Q
Re 25043 Re 5.02 10
d
frommoodychartforsmoothpipes:fsp 0.0035
factual

fsp
factual 0.0041
e2

Using equation 3.41:

u2 353.68Q.Ps

d
2

d5 .P1 6211.2Q2 f.S.L

And also
P2

Ps .us
u

In this equation:
us

Q
A

4Q
us 71.3 ms
d2

u2

P2 (abs)

0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000

28.75
30.28
32.09
34.27
36.96
40.40
45.02
51.72
62.70
86.08
254.04

2.51306
2.38580
2.25135
2.10834
1.95490
1.78835
1.60459
1.39687
1.15230
0.83925
0.28439

P2
(gauge)
1.50
1.37
1.24
1.10
0.94
0.78
0.59
0.38
0.14
-0.17
-0.73

From L=900 the pressure is negative and then no flow must happen.

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GASFLOWINCIRCULARPIPES

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