Analysis of a Hydraulic Pipe System with Major and Minor Pressure Losses

Bernoulli’s principle states that an increase in the speed of a fluid is directly related to the decrease in the fluid’s potential energy. Many engineers refer to Bernoulli’s equations to calculate the pressure of a system. The objective of this undergraduate research endeavor is to illustrate the accuracy of his theory and apply it to one of the most common fluid systems in residential homes, a pump pipe system. The research team consisted of a diverse body of undergraduate students with different educational and cultural backgrounds. Completing this objective further improved every member’s problem solving, communication skills, self-confidence, ability to rationalize and transcribe physical phenomena as well visually express them to rest of the engineering community. The findings of this research showed a relationship between various parameters such as, pipe length, pipe roughness, diameter, and specific gravity of the liquid.