Parabolic velocity profile

In laminar flow of Bingham-plastic types of materials the kinetic energy of the stream would be expected to vary from V2/2gc at very low flow rates (when the fluid over the entire cross section of the pipe moves as a solid plug) to V2/gc at high flow rates when the plug-flow zone is of negligible breadth and the velocity profile parabolic as for the flow of Newtonian fluids. McMillen (M5) has solved the problem for intermediate flow rates, and for practical purposes one may conclude... 

There are some fundamental investigations devoted to analysis of the flow in tubular polymerization reactors where the viscosity of the final product has a limit (viscosity < >) i.e., the reactive mass is fluid up to the end of the process. As a zero approximation, flow can be considered to be one-dimensional, for which it is assumed that the velocity is constant across the tube cross-section. This is a model of an ideal plug reactor, and it is very far from reality. A model with a Poiseuille velocity profile (parabolic for a Newtonian liquid) at each cross-section is a first approximation, but again this is a very rough model, which does not reflect the inherent interactions between the kinetics of the chemical reaction, the changes in viscosity of the reactive liquid, and the changes in temperature and velocity profiles along the reactor. 

The kinetic-energy terms of the various energy balances developed h include the velocity u, which is the bulk-mean velocity as defined by the equati u = m/pA Fluids flowing in pipes exhibit a velocity profile, as shown in Fi 7.1, which rises from zero at the wall (the no-slip condition) to a maximum the center of the pipe. The kinetic energy of a fluid in a pipe depends on actual velocity profile. For the case of laminar flow, the velocity profile parabolic, and integration across the pipe shows that the kinetic-ertergy should properly be u2. In fully developed turbulent flow, the more common in practice, the velocity across the major portion of the pipe is not far fro... 

The most striking change is in the A-term that accounts for multipath dispersion (Equation [3.33] in the van Deemter theory) and decreases rapidly with decreasing i.d. This effect was interpreted (Karlsson 1988) as reflecting a decrease in the extent of the flow rate variation over the column cross-section as the i.d. decreases, together with shorter time for solute molecules to diffuse radially through the flow velocity profile (parabolic in the case of a nonpacked column) together these phenomena will decrease the effect of flow anisotropy that is reflected in... 

Fig. 17.6 Le/t Size of the computational domain and coordinate system. No slip wall and inflow boundary condition on the left side. Red arrow indicates the direction of injection. From [33]. Right, velocity profiles for the inflow boundary condition. Constant velocity profile, parabolic velocity profile, and short nozzle profile...

The solution flow is nomially maintained under laminar conditions and the velocity profile across the chaimel is therefore parabolic with a maximum velocity occurring at the chaimel centre. Thanks to the well defined hydrodynamic flow regime and to the accurately detemiinable dimensions of the cell, the system lends itself well to theoretical modelling. The convective-diffiision equation for mass transport within the rectangular duct may be described by... 

This result describes a parabolic velocity profile, as sketched in Fig. 9.5b. 

A. Tubes, laminar, fuUy developed parabolic velocity profile, developing concentration profile, constant wall concentration... 

E. Laminar, fully developed parabolic velocity profile, constant mass flux at wall... 

Velocity Profiles In laminar flow, the solution of the Navier-Stokes equation, corresponding to the Hagen-PoiseuiUe equation, gives the velocity i as a Innction of radial position / in a circular pipe of radius R in terms of the average velocity V = Q/A. The parabolic profile, with centerline velocity t ce the average velocity, is shown in Fig. 6-10. 

FIG. 6-10 Parabolic velocity profile for laminar flow in a pipe, with average velocity V. 

The dispersion that takes place in an open tube, as discussed in chapter 8, results from the parabolic velocity profile that occurs under conditions of Newtonian flow (i.e., when the velocity is significantly below that which produces turbulence). Under condition of Newtonian flow, the distribution of fluid velocity across the tube... 

When the Reynolds number is under 2000, it is shown empirically that the flow in a smooth tube is laminar. This flow has a parabolic velocity profile, as shown in Fig. 4.3. 

This equation for the velocity profile, reduces to the parabolic form for a Newtonian fluid, when Ry = 0, and applies in the region r > s > rc. 

Non-slip condition on the wall u = v = 0), and parabolic velocity profile u at the inlet... 

The second integral in Equation (8.4) applies to the usual case of a circular tube with a velocity profile that is a function of r and not of 6. When the velocity profile is parabolic. 

Example 8.1 Find the mixing-cup average outlet concentration for an isothermal, first-order reaction with rate constant k that is occurring in a laminar flow reactor with a parabolic velocity profile as given by Equation (8.1). 

Equation (8.9) can be applied to any reaction, even a complex reaction where ctbatch(t) must be determined by the simultaneous solution of many ODEs. The restrictions on Equation (8.9) are isothermal laminar flow in a circular tube with a parabolic velocity profile and negligible diffusion. 

Example 8.3 The reactor of Example 8.2 is actually in laminar flow with a parabolic velocity profile. Estimate the outlet concentration ignoring molecular diffusion. 

Example 8.6 Generalize Example 8.5 to determine the fraction unreacted for a first-order reaction in a laminar flow reactor as a function of the dimensionless groups and kt. Treat the case of a parabolic velocity profile. 

Figure 8.1 includes a curve for laminar flow with 3>AtlR = 0.1. The performance of a laminar flow reactor with diffusion is intermediate between piston flow and laminar flow without diffusion, aVI = 0. Laminar flow reactors give better conversion than CSTRs, but do not generalize this result too far It is restricted to a parabolic velocity profile. Laminar velocity profiles exist that, in the absence of diffusion, give reactor performance far worse than a CSTR. 

Toothpaste flow is an extreme example of non-Newtonian flow. Problem 8.2 gives a more typical example. Molten polymers have velocity profiles that are flattened compared with the parabolic distribution. Calculations that assume a parabolic profile will be conservative in the sense that they will predict a lower conversion than would be predicted for the actual profile. The changes in velocity profile due to variations in temperature and composition are normally much more important than the fairly subtle effects due to non-Newtonian behavior. 

Example 8.9 Find the temperature distribution in a laminar flow, tubular heat exchanger having a uniform inlet temperature and constant wall temperature Twall- Ignore the temperature dependence of viscosity so that the velocity profile is parabolic everywhere in the reactor. Use art/P = 0.4 and report your results in terms of the dimensionless temperature... 

Solution of Equation (8.63) for the case of constant viscosity gives the parabolic velocity profile. Equation (8.1), and Poiseuille s equation for pressure drop. Equation (3.14). In the more general case of /r = /r(r), the velocity profile and pressure drop are determined numerically. 

The following is an example calculation where the viscosity varies by a factor of 50 across the tube, giving a significant elongation of the velocity profile compared with the parabolic case. The density was held constant in the calculations. 

Consider an isothermal, laminar flow reactor with a parabolic velocity profile. Suppose an elementary, second-order reaction of the form A -h B P with rate SR- = kab is occurring with kui 1=2. Assume aj = bi . Find Uoutlam for the following cases ... 

Suppose you are marching down the infamous tube and at step j have determined the temperature and composition at each radial point. A correlation is available to calculate viscosity, and it gives the results tabulated below. Assume constant density and Re = 0.1. Determine the axial velocity profile. Plot your results and compare them with the parabolic distribution. 

Set the viscosity to a constant. Then the downstream velocity profile keeps the initial parabolic form. 

Material flowing at a position less than r has a residence time less than t because the velocity will be higher closer to the centerline. Thus, F(r) = F t) gives the fraction of material leaving the reactor with a residence time less that t where Equation (15.31) relates to r to t. F i) satisfies the definition. Equation (15.3), of a cumulative distribution function. Integrate Equation (15.30) to get F r). Then solve Equation (15.31) for r and substitute the result to replace r with t. When the velocity profile is parabolic, the equations become... 

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