DISCUSSION

Dark blue circuit

Using table 2 for the dark blue circuit of this experiment, we can determine whether the flow in
the tubes are laminar or turbulent. Since, all the Reynolds numbers in this circuit are greater than
4000, therefore it is concluded that all the flows in this circuit are in the turbulent zone. Moreover,
from table 4, we can also observe the trend of head loss in straight pipes which is decreasing, due
to the fact that the resistance to the flow is decreasing along the pipes. For higher Reynolds flows,
the mean velocities are also higher and it is also observed that the head loss is higher. This is
because there is more friction and thus turbulence dissipates even more energy (Pentair, 2009).

From the graph of log HL against log Q, it is seen that as the flow rate increases, the head loss
increases. This is so because the higher the flow rates in the pipe, the higher the resistance to the
flow in the pipes. For the lowest flow rate, the head loss is to its maximum since the resistance to
flow is found out to be lower. Another parameter that can be observed from table 4 is the friction
factor relatively increasing since the Reynolds number decreases.

A graph of friction factor against Reynolds number depicts a clear observation of this variation for
both friction factor from head loss and friction factor from Blasius equation. It is seen that the
friction factor from head loss generally increases with an exponential form as the Reynolds number
decreases, the same illustration is obtained for friction factor from Blasius but with a lower range
of Reynolds number values (Tecquipment, n.d)

Light blue circuit

Analyzing the light blue circuit, it is seen that there is sudden expansion expressed in the form of
measured head rise which is observed. The head rise also expresses the pressure rise occurring
inside the pipes which may cause a sudden expansion from pipes 7 -8. On the other hand when
there is a decrease in the head rise which is also a decrease in the pressure, there is a sudden
contraction from pipe 9 - 10. Taking other assumptions into consideration, for example when there
is no head loss it is observed that the head rise decreases significantly. A reason for this observation
is in the velocity profile of the flow in the light blue circuit. The same applies for the head fall with
no head loss.
The head rise decreases as we move down the pipes indicating there the contraction in the pipes
will decrease as compared to the one without head loss. Since the head loss in the pipes are not
accounted, thus the sudden contraction decreases as the resistance in the flows in the pipes
decrease. This also happen for the sudden expansion as well. Graph 3 illustrates this observation,
as the head rise increases the sudden enlargement will increase. This is due to a rise in pressure
inside the pipes equaling to a greater force acting on the areas of the pipes. Therefore, causing it
to expand in area in this particular case (Engineering Toolbox, 2013).

For the fall in head, there is a decrease in the force acting per unit area of the pipes and thereby
causing a contraction of the pipes. The factor by which the sudden contraction occurs is
characterized by the loss coefficient for sudden contraction. It is also observed that for a sudden
contraction to be higher the velocity is higher and for a sudden expansion to be high the mean
velocity must be low. The cross-sectional area of the stream tube becomes the minimum during
sudden contraction and less than that of the smaller pipe. This section of the stream tube is known
as vena contracta, after which the stream widens again to fill the pipe.

Any discrepancies between actual experimental and theoretical or published results may be
attributed to three main factors:

1. Relatively small physical scale of the pipe work;

2. Relatively small pressure differences in some cases;
3. Low Reynolds Numbers (Tecquipment, n.d)

Engineering toolbox. 2013. Head rise. [ONLINE] Available

at: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/pump-energy-equation-d_631.html. [Accessed 18
March 2017].
Pentair. 2009. Head loss in piping systems. [ONLINE] Available
at: http://www.hydromatic.com/ResidentialPage_techinfopage_headloss.aspx. [Accessed
17 March 2017].
Tecquipment.n.d. LOSSES IN PIPING SYSTEMS (H16). [ONLINE] Available
at: http://www.tecquipment.com/Fluid-Mechanics/Pipe-Friction/H16.aspx. [Accessed 17
March 2017].