Friction Factor

ABSTRACT
Viscous effects generated by the surface of the pipe in pipe flow causes a loss in mechanical energy known as friction loss. Fiction loss
has several causes including: conditions of flow, physical properties of the system, movement of fluid molecules against each other and
against the pipes surface, and the bends and turns along the piping. In order to quantify the amount of frictional losses in the study, the
Fanning friction factor, f is used. In the experiment, a fluid flow set-up was used in order to compute an experimental Fanning friction
factor from the pressure drop, pipe length and fluid velocity. The value of the theoretical friction factor for the same fluid flow set-up was
computed using the Churchill equation. The percentage errors computed between the experimental and theoretical friction factors show
that the data obtained from the experiment is not consistent with theory. The errors in both trials are both almost 100% and suggest that
there may have been errors in performing the experiment and in the equipment used in the experiment itself. The experiment aims to
determine the friction factor of a fluid moving through a straight pipe and to determine the effect of Reynolds number and relative
roughness on the friction factor.
Keywords: Fluid Flow, Reynolds number, Relative Roughness, Fanning Friction Factor

INTRODUCTION
Due to viscous effects generated by the surface of the pipe in
pipe flow, there occurs a loss in mechanical energy known as
friction loss. Fiction loss has several causes including: conditions
of flow, physical properties of the system, movement of fluid
molecules against each other and against the pipes surface, and
the bends and turns along the piping. The determination of
friction factor is important in predicting the amount of mechanical
energy loss due to friction, thus it is an essential tool in predicting
the behavior of fluid flow systems. (Geankoplis, 2003)
One of the accepted methods to calculate friction losses resulting
from fluid motion in pipes is the use of the friction factor, f. The
Fanning friction factor is a dimensionless number used to
quantitatively describe the amount of energy loss due to friction.
Essentially, it is related to the shear stress at the wall through the
equation: (Green & Perry, 2007)

=0.5 f v

The fanning equation is obtained by performing a form of

dimensional analysis on the variables that affect the friction loss,
while the friction loss F is obtained through a mechanical balance
across the pipe under the assumption that the pressure drop is
solely due to the friction:

F= P/
The objective of this experiment is to determine the friction factor
of the fluid moving through a straight pipe using the Churchill
equation and the Fanning equation. Consequently, an analysis
and a comparison between the two friction factor values are to be
performed. Additionally, it is also the purpose of this experiment
to determine the effect of Reynolds number and relative
roughness on the friction factor of the fluid flow. (Gutierrez &
Ngo, 2005)

As stated earlier, conditions of flow affect the amount of friction

loss that occurs across the piping system. In theory for laminar
flow, the friction factor is determined using the equation f=16/Re.
Whereas for turbulent flow, the friction factor is obtained using
the Churchill equation which gives f as a function of Re and the
relative roughness, /D
CITATION Gut05 \l 13321
(Gutierrez & Ngo, 2005)
0.9

1
0.27 7
=4 log(
+
)
D

f
For experimental purposes, the friction factor, f, can be computed
through an alternative solution using the fanning equation:

F=2 f u2 L/ gc D

Experiment 04 Group No. 2

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The actual and experimental friction factors are obtained using
the equation mention in the introduction and the properties and
conditions measured for the flowing fluid in the given fluid flow
set-up.
The equipment used in the experiment include: a fluid flow setup, steel tape, thermometer, a stop watch and a calliper. The fluid
used in the study is water.
First, the piping system considered was isolated and primed. In
priming, the pump was turned on to allow the water to pass
through the pipeline and reach stabilization. The length of the
straight pipe and its diameter was then measured and, the
amount of water collected for a given time interval of one minute
1 of 3

was measured. The volumetric flow rate and the fluid velocity
were then calculated.
For the theoretical value, the temperature of the water was first
determined thus, allowing for the determination of its properties
using the ChE Handbook. The Reynolds number was then
computed using these values and the Churchill equation given
that the flow is turbulent.
For the experimental friction factor, the pressure drop across the
pipeline was measured using a manometer, then the friction loss
was calculated which, in turn, was used to compute for the
experimental friction factor using the Fanning equation.
The percentage error among the two friction factor values was
computed and, the procedure was repeated for a 2nd trial with
different conditions.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Table 4.1 Measured and Computed Values

Trial 1
2.50x10-4 m3/s

Trial 2
2.50x10-4 m3/s

35.3678 m/s

35.3678 m/s

3x10-3 m

3x10-3 m

23.7

23.7

Experiment 04 Group No. 2

997.379 kg/m3

997.379 kg/m3

0.920775 cP

0.920775 cP

114930.57

114933.1231

1.7 cmHg

2.3 cmHg

2.1051 J/kg

2.8481 J/kg

1.0 m

1.0 m

4.57 x10-5 m

4.57 x10-5 m

0.01523

0.01523

/D

In this experiment, weve considered the mechanical energy lost

due to friction, which is brought about by the type of fluid as well
as the specifications of the pipe. And as followed in the
procedure, the volumetric flow rate of the water, its velocity, and
the manometer reading were recorded; the length, roughness,
and inside diameter of pipe were measured; and the temperature
of the water were obtained. Then the temperature-dependent
properties of water were acquired, such as viscosity and density.
The properties of the water are evaluated at the temperature of
23.7 degrees Celsius as was measured during the experiment
proper. After which, the Reynolds number, mechanical energy
loss due to friction, and relative roughness were calculated using
the formulas provided. These values all together were utilized to
compute for the theoretical Fanning friction factor using the
Churchill equation since the fluid flow was found to be turbulent.
Then, mechanical energy lost due to friction would later be used
under the fanning equation to compute for the experimental
fanning friction factor. All gathered data, for trials 1 and 2, are
listed on Table 4.1. As seen on the table, the data from the first
and second trial are almost the same.

Volumetric flow
rate of the
water, V
Velocity of the
water, u
Inside diameter
of the pipe, D
Temperature of
the water,

Density of the
water,
Viscosity of the
water,
Reynolds
number, NRe
Manometer
reading, Rm
Mechanical
energy lost due
to friction, F
Length of the
straight pipe, L
Roughness of
the pipe,
Relative
roughness of
the pipe,

The results shown in Table 2 tell that theres friction present

especially near the walls of the pipe than that of the center. From
this observation, we may also deduce that the velocity of the fluid
would be faster in the middle part than that near the walls of the
pipe.
As seen on table 4.1, it is a turbulent flow and the friction factor is
a function of both the Reynolds Number and the relative
roughness of the pipe. It was observed that when Reynolds
Number increases, the fanning friction factor also increases.
Table 4.2 Experimental and Theoretical Friction Factor

Experimental
Fanning friction
factor, fexperimental
Theoretical
Fanning friction
factor, ftheoretical
% error

Trial 1
2.524x10-6

Trial 2
3.915 x10-6

0.011135

0.011135

99.98%

99.97%

Further, the percentage errors were computed as well, which

gave a very high value, almost a 100%. This implies that the
experiment proper is not a very good approximate. Or more
realistically, the assumption that the pipe used is commercial
steel pipe is in fact unsuitable since the one used is some kind of
a plastic. Another cause of error is due to number of factors
which include both human and equipment errors, on how the
students read the change in pressure and volume in the
experiment. Also, it may be the damaged equipment itself due to
age and wearing.
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
2 of 3

The experiment aimed to determine the friction factor of a fluid

moving through a straight pipe and to determine the effect of
Reynolds number and relative roughness on the friction factor.

measurement of the required parameters such as volume, pipe

diameter and manometer reading.
REFERENCES

The 1st objective of the experiment was not fully accomplished

since the percentage error obtained was very high. The high
discrepancy between the experimental and theoretical fanning
friction factor implies that there were some errors made during
the performance of the experiment or there may have been some
problems with the fluid flow set-up used.

1. Geankoplis, C. J. (2003). Transport Processes and

Separation Process Principles (4th ed.). Pearson
Education, Inc.
2. Gutierrez, C. L., & Ngo, R. L. (2005). Chemical
Engineering Laboratory Manual Part 1
3. Green, D., & Perry, R. (2007). Handbook, Perry's
Chemical Engineers' (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill
Professional.

The 2nd objective of the experiment was also not fully

accomplished. Since the conditions used for the 1st and 2nd trials
were the same, the Reynolds number and relative roughness
were also the same. Thus the effect of changing the Reynolds
number and the relative roughness could not be observed in the
experimental data.
A useful modification that can be done on the methods of the
experiment is to use two different pipes in the 1st and 2nd trial.
This will enable the students to see the effects of the Reynolds
number and relative roughness on the friction factor through
experimental data.

It is also highly recommended to carefully follow the procedures

stated in the laboratory manual and also to do a proper

Experiment 04 Group No. 2

3 of 3