Top Considerations for Viscous Flow
Colorado Springs, Colo., USA -- September 9, 2020 -- AFT's Stephanie Villars contributed this article to the September issue of Pumps & Systems Magazine. In the article, Stephanie discusses how to apply correction methods for troubleshooting operational issues in existing systems or when designing a new system.
From the article:
High viscosity fluids can have some interesting effects on systems, especially when centrifugal pumps are involved. Viscosity is a measure of the force that must be applied to the fluid in order to create flow—the higher the viscosity, the more resistance to flow. This can have some serious effects on the performance of pumps and systems.
How do engineers account for this during system design? Review various calculation methods that can help estimate the system’s response with viscous flow. Note: If there is actual test data for the system using viscous fluid as the test fluid, these correction methods will not be necessary.
She includes methods for:
- Pump Viscosity Corrections
- Minor Fittings & Losses
- Variable Losses