Pipe Flow & Pumps Simulators

How to Use

1. Select pipe material (ductile iron, PVC, steel) and enter diameter (mm) and length (m)
2. Input flow rate (L/min or m³/s), fluid type (water at 20°C, crude oil, glycerol), and pressure drop assumptions
3. Choose friction model (Darcy-Weisbach with Colebrook-White or Hazen-Williams) and click Simulate to compute velocity, Reynolds number, friction factor, and total head loss
4. Review pump curve overlay to select required pump power (kW) and NPSH margin

Worked Example

Schedule 40 steel pipe, 50 mm ID, 100 m length, water at 20°C (ρ=998 kg/m³, μ=1.002 mPa·s), flow rate 30 L/min (0.0005 m³/s). Velocity = 0.255 m/s, Re ≈ 12,700 (turbulent). Friction factor f ≈ 0.032 (Colebrook-White, ε=0.045 mm). Head loss hf = 0.68 m. Required pump: 0.35 kW at 2.8 bar discharge pressure with 0.5 m NPSH available.

Practical Notes

1. Laminar flow (Re < 2,300): f = 64/Re; turbulent (Re > 4,000) requires iterative Colebrook solution—simulator handles both automatically
2. For suction lines (<5 m/s, NPSHa > NPSHr + 0.3 m margin) prevent cavitation in centrifugal pump impellers
3. Pipe roughness increases with age: new steel ε≈0.045 mm, aged 20+ years ε≈0.2–0.5 mm; adjust for corrosion/scaling
4. Hazen-Williams (C=120–140 for steel) faster approximation; Darcy-Weisbach more accurate for temperature-dependent fluid viscosity