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Water Flow in Tubes - Reynolds Number

Reynolds Number in pipes transporting clean cold water

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Turbulent or laminar flow is determined by the dimensionless Reynolds Number.

The Reynolds number is important in analyzing any type of flow when there is substantial velocity gradient (i.e., shear.) It indicates the relative significance of the viscous effect compared to the inertia effect. The Reynolds number is proportional to inertial force divided by viscous force.

The flow is

  • laminar when Re < 2300
  • transient when 2300 < Re < 4000
  • turbulent when 4000 < Re

The table below shows Reynolds Number for one liter of water flowing through pipes of different dimensions:

Pipe Size
(inches) 1 1 1/2 2 3 4 6 8 10 12 18
(mm) 25 40 50 75 100 150 200 250 300 450
Reynolds number with
one (1) liter/min
835 550 420 280 210 140 105 85 70 46
Reynolds number with
one (1) gal/min
3800 2500 1900 1270 950 630 475 380 320 210

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Related Topics

  • Fluid Flow and Pressure Drop - Pipe lines - fluid flow and pressure loss - water, sewer, steel pipes, pvc pipes, copper tubes and more
  • Fluid Mechanics - The study of fluids - liquids and gases. Involves various properties of the fluid, such as velocity, pressure, density and temperature, as functions of space and time.

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