Wednesday 28 March 2018

Pressure in a fluid


If a fluid is flowing along a vertical line with a constant velocity, will the pressure at every point be the same and irrespective of height?



Answer



The pressure must be different because the fluid is in equilibrium (moving at a constant velocity), but the force of gravity is acting on it downwards. This can only be balanced by a pressure difference:


Cube equilibrium


Resolving forces vertically for a cube of fluid with cross-sectional area $A$ and height $\Delta z$: $$(p + \Delta P)A = pA + \rho g A \, \Delta z $$


The areas cancel, and so do the main pressure terms, leaving:


$$\Delta p = \rho g \Delta z$$



which is pascal's law.


No comments:

Post a Comment

Understanding Stagnation point in pitot fluid

What is stagnation point in fluid mechanics. At the open end of the pitot tube the velocity of the fluid becomes zero.But that should result...