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Fluid
Flow Table of Contents
Head loss is a measure of the reduction
in the total head (sum of elevation head, velocity head
and pressure head) of the fluid
as it moves through a fluid system. Head loss is unavoidable
in real fluids. It is
present because of: the friction between the fluid and the
walls of the pipe; the friction
between adjacent fluid particles as they move relative to one
another; and the turbulence caused
whenever the flow is redirected or affected in any way by
such components as piping entrances
and exits, pumps, valves, flow reducers, and fittings.
Frictional loss is that
part of the total head loss that occurs as the fluid flows
through straight pipes.
The head loss for fluid flow is directly proportional to the
length of pipe, the square of the
fluid velocity, and a term accounting for fluid friction
called the friction factor. The head loss
is inversely proportional to the diameter of the pipe.
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