Fluid Mechanics

Momentum Equation and Bernoulli’s Equation

1. The water depth in a channel upstream of a sluice gate is 3 m and the flow velocity is 1.2
m/s, uniformly over the flow section. Downstream of the gate, the minimum depth of the
flow at the vena contracta is 0.6 m. The width of the channel is 5 m. Calculate the force
on the gate due to the flow. What is the rate of energy dissipation of the flow on passing
the gate?

2. Water flows in a horizontal rectangular channel. The water depth is 0.3 m and the flow
speed is 0.5 m/s uniformly over the depth. The flow passes over a smooth bump on the
channel floor and it is observed that the water depth above the peak of the bump is 0.25
m. Neglecting friction, calculate the height of the bump.

0.5 m/s 0.25 m

h=?

3. A nozzle discharges 0.08 m3/s of water horizontally at a velocity of 16 m/s against a large
vertical flat plate. Determine the force required to hold the plate still. If the same jet
strikes a curved vane tangentially and all the water is deflected upwards through 35o,
determine the magnitude and direction of the force required to hold the vane. What
would be the force on the curved vane if the vane is moving away from the direction of
the jet at 5 m/s?

4. Water flows from a 10-cm diameter pipe to a 5-cm diameter pipe through a transition
section. Calculate the discharge (in m3/s) through the pipe when the water level
difference in the two piezometers is 30 cm. The piezometric height in the 5-cm pipe is
80 cm. Estimate the force which the flow exerts on the transition section

30 cm

80 cm
Q=?
5. A horizontal “tee” connector is used to divert the inlet water flow of 0.03 m3/s at pipe
A into two outlet streams in pipe B and pipe C. The diameters of pipes A, B and C are
15 cm, 12 cm and 8 cm, respectively. The gauge pressure inside pipe A at a location
well upstream of the tee is 12.5 kPa; while the gauge pressure inside pipe B at a
location well downstream of the tee is 12.0 kPa, Calculate the flow rates into pipe B
and pipe C? What are the horizontal forces required in the x and y directions to hold the
tee in position? If the flow rate is increased, in which pipe will cavitation occur first?
Neglect friction and assume that the velocities inside each pipe are uniform.

Pipe C

Pipe A

Pipe B

6. A tube of constant cross section is used as a siphon to drain water from a container.
The suction end of the siphon is placed at 1.5 m below the water surface in the
container. The delivery end of the siphon is located at 4 m below the water surface in
the container and discharges water into the atmosphere. The highest point of the
siphon tube is 2.5 m above the water surface. Calculate the flow velocity at the delivery
end of the siphon D. Calculate the gauge pressures of water inside the suction end of the
siphon S and at the highest point of the siphon C. The siphon will fail to work if the
highest point C of the siphon is raised from 2.5 m to a height h above the water surface.
Determine the minimum value of this height h.
(Vapour pressure of water = −70 kPa, gauge).

•
C
2.5 m

• S
1.5 m

4m

• D
7. A fire hose, 0.15 m internal diameter, is discharging a jet of water through a nozzle of exit
diameter 0.05 m. The flow rate is 0.01 m3/s. Given that for the jet, the coefficient of
velocity is 0.95 and the coefficient of contraction is 0.7, calculate the water pressure
inside the hose. What force does a fireman need to hold the nozzle in place?

Ans.: 1) 125.5 kN, 112.8 kW, 2) 0.044 m, 3) 1.28 kN, 769.8 N, 72.5o, 363.8 N,
4) 4.92×10−3 m3/s, 60.1 N, 5) 0.0223 m3/s, 0.0077 m3/s, 271.8 kN, −113.7 kN,
6) 8.86 m/s, −24.53 kPa, −63.77 kPa, 3.14 m, 7) 23.73 kPa, 355.9 N

[Q.8-9 for more advanced students]

8. At the inlet to a pipe, the pressure of an incompressible liquid is p1 and the velocity is
constant across the pipe section at u1. At the pipe outlet, the pressure is p2 and the
velocity varies with the radial co-ordinate r in a parabolic distribution. Show that the
shear force on the inner walls of the pipe due to the flow is given by:
( p1 − p2 )pR 2 − 13 pρu1 R 2
2

9. When a uniform stream flows past an immersed thick cylinder, a broad low-velocity
wake is created downstream, which is idealised as a V-shaped velocity profile. Pressures
at the upstream and downstream sections are approximately equal. If the flow is
two-dimensional and incompressible, with width b into the paper, show that the drag
force F on the cylinder is given by F = 13 ρU 2 Lb .