Applied Fluid Mechanics 7th Edition

Book Preface

The objective of this book is to present the principles of fluid  mechanics and the application of these principles to practical, applied problems. Primary emphasis is on fluid properties; the measurement of pressure, density, viscosity, and  flow; fluid statics; flow of fluids in pipes and noncircular  conduits; pump selection and application; open-channel  flow; forces developed by fluids in motion; the design and  analysis of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC)  ducts; and the flow of air and other gases.

Applications are shown in the mechanical field, including industrial fluid distribution, fluid power, and HVAC; in  the chemical field, including flow in materials processing  systems; and in the civil and environmental fields as applied  to water and wastewater systems, fluid storage and distribution systems, and open-channel flow. This book is directed  to anyone in an engineering field where the ability to apply  the principles of fluid mechanics is the primary goal.
Those using this book are expected to have an understanding of algebra, trigonometry, and mechanics.

After  completing the book, the student should have the ability to  design and analyze practical fluid flow systems and to continue learning in the field. Students could take other applied  courses, such as those on fluid power, HVAC, and civil  hydraulics, following this course. Alternatively, this book  could be used to teach selected fluid mechanics topics within such courses.

APPROACH

The approach used in this book encourages the student to  become intimately involved in learning the principles of  fluid mechanics at seven levels:
1. Understanding concepts.
2. Recognizing how the principles of fluid mechanics  apply to their own experience.
3. Recognizing and implementing logical approaches to  problem solutions.
4. Performing the analyses and calculations required in the  solutions.
5. Critiquing the design of a given system and recommending improvements.
6. Designing practical, efficient fluid systems.
7. Using computer-assisted approaches, both commercially available and self-developed, for design and analysis of fluid flow systems.

This multilevel approach has proven successful for several decades in building students’ confidence in their ability to analyze and design fluid systems.

Concepts are presented in clear language and illustrated by reference to physical systems with which the  reader should be familiar. An intuitive justification as well  as a mathematical basis is given for each concept. The  methods of solution to many types of complex problems  are presented in step-by-step procedures. The importance  of recognizing the relationships among what is known, what is to be found, and the choice of a solution procedure is emphasized.

Many practical problems in fluid mechanics require  relatively long solution procedures. It has been the authors’  experience that students often have difficulty in carrying out  the details of the solution. For this reason, each example  problem is worked in complete detail, including the manipulation of units in equations. In the more complex examples,  a programmed instruction format is used in which the student is asked to perform a small segment of the solution  before being shown the correct result. The programs are of  the linear type in which one panel presents a concept and  then either poses a question or asks that a certain operation  be performed. The following panel gives the correct result  and the details of how it was obtained. The program then continues.

The International System of Units (Système International d’Unités, or SI) and the U.S. Customary System of  units are used approximately equally. The SI notation in this  book follows the guidelines set forth by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), U.S. Department  of Commerce, in its 2008 publication The International System of Units ( SI ) (NIST Special Publication 330), edited by Barry N. Taylor and Ambler Thompson.

COMPUTER-ASSISTED PROBLEM SOLVING AND DESIGN

Computer-assisted approaches to solving fluid flow problems are recommended only after the student has demonstrated competence in solving problems manually. They  allow more comprehensive problems to be analyzed and  give students tools for considering multiple design  options while removing some of the burden of calculations. Also, many employers expect students to have not  only the skill to use software, but the inclination to do so,  and using software within the course effectively nurtures this skill. We recommend the following classroom learning policy.

Users of computer software must have solid understanding of the principles on which the software is  based to ensure that analyses and design decisions  are fundamentally sound. Software should be used only after mastering relevant analysis methods by  careful study and using manual techniques.

Computer-based assignments are included at the end of  many chapters. These can be solved by a variety of techniques such as:
■ The use of a spreadsheet such as Microsoft® Excel
■ The use of technical computing software
■ The use of commercially available software for fluid flow  analysis  Chapter 11 , Series Pipeline Systems, and Chapter 13 , Pump  Selection and Application, include example Excel spreadsheet aids for solving fairly complex system design and analysis problems.

New, powerful, commercially available software: A  new feature of this 7th edition is the integration of the use of  a major, internationally renowned software package for piping system analysis and design, called PIPE-FLO ® , produced  and marketed by Engineered Software, Inc. (often called  ESI) in Lacey, Washington. As stated by ESI’s CEO and president, along with several staff members, the methodology  used in this textbook for analyzing pumped fluid flow systems is highly compatible with that used in their software.

Students who learn well the principles and manual problem  solving methods presented in this book will be well-prepared  to apply them in industrial settings and they will also have  learned the fundamentals of using PIPE-FLO ® to perform  the analyses of the kinds of fluid flow systems they will  encounter in their careers. This skill should be an asset to  students’ career development.

Students using this book in classes will be informed  about a unique link to the ESI website where a specially  adapted version of the industry-scale software can be used.

Virtually all of the piping analysis and design problems in  this book can be set up and solved using this special version.

The tools and techniques for building computer models of  fluid flow systems are introduced carefully starting in Chapter 8 on energy losses due to friction in pipes and continuing  through Chapter 13 , covering minor losses, series pipeline  systems, parallel and branching systems, and pump selection  and application. As each new concept and problem-solving  method is learned from this book, it is then applied to one or  more example problems where students can develop their  skills in creating and solving real problems. With each chapter, the kinds of systems that students will be able to complete expand in breadth and depth. New supplemental  problems using PIPE-FLO ® are in the book so students can  extend and demonstrate their abilities in assignments,  projects, or self-study. The integrated companion software, PUMP-FLO ® , provides access to catalog data for numerous  types and sizes of pumps that students can use in assignments and to become more familiar with that method of specifying pumps in their future positions.