Case 01: Petroleum - Oil Pipeline Pressure Loss
Reference: Piping Calculations Manual, 2005, McGraw-Hill, E. Shashi Menon, P.E., Page 335, Example 6.16
Pipe Flow Expert File: Case_01_Petroleum_Oil_Pipeline_Pressure_Loss.pfe
Problem Description:
Find head loss in one mile of NPS16 (0.250 inch wall thickness) pipeline at a flow rate of 4000 barrel/h.
Fluid Data: Petroleum oil with a 0.85 specific gravity and 10 cSt viscosity.
Result Comparison:
Data Item |
Published data |
Pipe Flow Expert |
Head Loss () |
29.908 |
29.930 |
Reynolds Number |
57129 |
57130 |
Fluid Velocity (ft/s) |
4.76 |
4.761 |
Friction factor |
0.0208 |
0.02078 |
Commentary:
The published data and the calculated results compare very well.
The rounding of the fluid velocity to 2 decimal places in the published data accounts for the slight differences with Pipe Flow Expert.