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How to know a pipe is partially full ?
What is the liquid height and equivalent diameter ?
1. Introduction
2. Pipe full or partially filled ?
3. Height of liquid in the pipe
calculation
4. Equivalent diameter calculation
1. Introduction
It happens that pipes are not actually full, for example in some return pipes, condensate...etc... then the assumption that they are full can lead to some erroneous calculations. [Brannan] is reporting a method proposed by Durand in order to know if a pipe is totally full or not.2. Pipe full or partially filled ?
To know if the pipe is full or not, it is necessary to calculate Q/d2.5
- If ≥ 10.2 it means the pipe is
full
- If < 10.2 the pipe may be
partially full only, further calculations are required to know the
height of liquid in the pipe and the equivalent diameter
With :
Q = flow rate in gpm
d = pipe diameter in in
3. Height of liquid
The method is proposing to have x
= ln (Q/d2.5)
Then calculate H/D =
0.446+0.272x+0.0397x2-0.0153x3-0.003575x4
With :
H = height of liquid in the pipe
in ft
4. Equivalent diameter calculation
The equivalent diameter can be
calculated from the following correlation :
De/D = -0.01130+3.040
(H/D) -3.461 (H/D)2 +4.108 (H/D)3 -2.638 (H/D)4
With :
D = pipe diameter in ft
De = equivalent diameter in ft
Warning : this calculator is provided to illustrate the concepts mentioned in this webpage, it is not intended for detail design. It is not a commercial product, no guarantee is given on the results. Please consult a reputable designer for all detail design you may need.
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