SARDAR VALLBHBHAI PATEL

INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY,
VASAD.
 Subject:- FLUID MECHANICS
 Subject Code:- 2141906
 Std:- B.E (4th sem.)
 SY – Mech.-2
 Batch:- D
TOPIC:- REYNOLDS NUMBER
NAME EN. NO.
Yagnesh P. Solanki 180413119022
Anuj Y. Tarte 180413119024
SHUBHAM P. RATHOD 180413119017
Dhaval V. Tamboli 180413119023
VRAJ N. SHAH 180413119021
 REYNOLD’S EXPERIMENT
 The experimental set up used by Osborne Reynolds In
1983 to study the different types of flow. The set up
consists of a tank full of water. A glass tube is fitted at
the bottom of the tank such that the tube is inserted in
the water as shown.
 The other end of the glass tube has valve with a
measuring tank. The rate of flow could be
controlled by the valve at the outlet, and a fine
filament of dye injected at the entrance of the
tube. The water level in the tank is
maintained constant without disturbances. The
movement of the dye is observed for every flow
rate. The following observations were made by
Reynolds:
 LAMINAR FLOW :

 This shows that the particles of water moved in

parallel lines. This type of flow is known as laminar
flow, viscous or streamline flow. The Reynolds number
must be less then the 2000.
TRANSITION FLOW :

 With increase of velocity of flow, the dye filament

was no longer a straight line but it became a wavy
as shown in fig. This flow is called as transitional
flow. The Reynolds number must be in 2000 to
4000.
 TURBULENT FLOW :

 As the velocity in the tube was further increased ,filament at first

began to oscillate and then broke up .This shows that the particles of
fluid no longer moved in an orderly manner but occupied different
relative positions in successive cross-sections. This type of flow is
known as turbulent flow.
 The Reynolds number must be more then 4000.
 Reynolds found that conditions for each of the flow
types depended on:

1. The velocity of the flow (U) 2. The diameter of the tube (D)
3. The density of the fluid (r). 4. The fluid’s dynamic viscosity (m).

 He combined these variables into a dimensionless

combination now known as the Flow Reynolds’
Number (R) where:

rUD
R
m
  Flow Reynolds’ number is often expressed in terms of
the fluid’s kinematic viscosity (n; lower case Greek
letter nu), where:
m
n (units are m2/s)
r
Rearranging: m  r

rUD
Substituting into R:
R
r

UD
R
n
Laminar

Transitional

Turbulent