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Module 2 · Fluid Mechanics

Fluid Mechanics

Fluid properties, laminar vs. turbulent flow and the Reynolds number, Bernoulli's equation and pressure drop in pipes, and pipe sizing basics for process fluids.

Almost nothing happens in a chemical plant that does not first require moving a fluid — feedstock into a reactor, a heated stream into an exchanger, product out to storage. This module builds the transport-phenomena foundation every later unit operation sits on: density and viscosity as the two properties that do most of the explanatory work, the Reynolds number as the dimensionless predictor of laminar vs. turbulent flow, Bernoulli's equation with friction as the mechanical energy balance a pump must satisfy, and the Darcy-Weisbach equation for frictional pressure drop.

By the end of this module you should be able to explain why pressure drop scales with the square of velocity and why pump suction lines are deliberately sized for lower velocity than discharge lines — foundations Module 3's heat transfer correlations and Module 10's pump and compressor sizing both build on directly.

Free related reading in this studio
→ Article: Fluid Mechanics for Chemical Engineers→ Reynolds Number Calculator→ Pipe Pressure Drop Calculator

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