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52.3: Bernoulli’s Equation

  • Page ID
    92329
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    Bernoulli's equation was developed by 18th-century Swiss physicist Daniel Bernoulli. Given fluid flow in a pipe that varies in elevation, the equation relates the velocity, pressure, and elevation as the fluid flows through the pipe. It states

    \[\frac{P}{\rho g}+\frac{v^{2}}{2 g}+y=\text { constant, }\]

    where \(P\) is the pressure, \(v\) is the fluid velocity, \(y\) is elevation, \(\rho\) is the fluid density, and \(g\) is the acceleration due to gravity. Each term in Bernoulli's equation has units of length and is called a head: the \(P /(\rho g)\) term is called the pressure head, the \(v^{2} /(2 g)\) term is called the velocity head, and the \(y\) term is called the elevation head.

    Example \(\PageIndex{1}\)

    Suppose we have a vertical pipe containing a stationary incompressible fluid of density \(\rho\). How does the pressure \(P\) vary with depth \(h\) ?

    Solution

    Let the pressure at depth \(h=0\) be \(P_{0}\). Since the fluid is stationary, the fluid velocity \(v\) is zero everywhere. Then Bernoulli's equation becomes (with \(y=-h\) )

    \[\frac{P_{0}}{\rho g}+\frac{0}{2 g}+0 =\frac{P}{\rho g}+\frac{0}{2 g}-h \]
    \[\frac{P_{0}}{\rho g} =\frac{P}{\rho g}-h \]
    \[P_{0} =P-\rho g h \]
    P & =P_{0}+\rho g h,\]

    in agreement with Eq. 51.4.5.


    52.3: Bernoulli’s Equation is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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