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The term
Another common form of the Darcy Weisbach equation that is most often used by engineers because it gives
pressure drop in units of pounds per square inch (psi) is:
To obtain pressure drop in units of psi/100 ft, the value of 100 replaces L in Equation 2.
The total pressure drop in the pipe is typically calculated using these five steps. (1) Determine the total
length of all horizontal and vertical straight pipe runs. (2) Determine the number of valves and fittings in the
pipe. For example, there may be two gate valves, a 90o elbow and a flow thru tee. (3) Determine the means of
incorporating the valves and fittings into the Darcy equation. To accomplish this, most engineers use a table of
equivalent lengths. This table lists the valve and fitting and an associated length of straight pipe of the same
diameter, which will incur the same pressure loss as that valve or fitting. For example, if a 2 90o elbow were to
produce a pressure drop of 1 psi, the equivalent length would be a length of 2 straight pipe that would also give
a pressure drop of 1 psi. The engineer then multiplies the quantity of each type of valve and fitting by its
respective equivalent length and adds them together. (4) The total equivalent length is usually added to the total
straight pipe length obtained in step one to give a total pipe equivalent length. (5) This total pipe equivalent
length is then substituted for L in Equation 2 to obtain the pressure drop in the pipe.
See any problems with this method?
Relationship Between K, Equivalent Length and Friction Factor
The following discussion is based on concepts found in reference 1, the CRANE Technical Paper No. 410. It
is the authors opinion that this manual is the closest thing the industry has to a standard on performing various
piping calculations. If the reader currently does not own this manual, it is highly recommended that it be
obtained.
As in straight pipe, velocity increases through valves and fittings at the expense of head loss. This can be
expressed by another form of the Darcy equation similar to Equation 1:
K is called the resistance coefficient and is defined as the number of velocity heads lost due to the valve or
fitting. It is a measure of the following pressure losses in a valve or fitting:
Pipe friction in the inlet and outlet straight portions of the valve or fitting
Changes in direction of flow path
Obstructions in the flow path
Sudden or gradual changes in the cross-section and shape of the flow path
Pipe friction in the inlet and outlet straight portions of the valve or fitting is very small when compared to the
other three. Since friction factor and Reynolds Number are mainly related to pipe friction, K can be considered
to be independent of both friction factor and Reynolds Number. Therefore, K is treated as a constant for any
given valve or fitting under all flow conditions, including laminar flow. Indeed, experiments showed1 that for a
given valve or fitting type, the tendency is for K to vary only with valve or fitting size. Note that this is also true
for the friction factor in straight clean commercial steel pipe as long as flow conditions are in the fully
developed turbulent zone. It was also found that the ratio L/D tends towards a constant for all sizes of a given
valve or fitting type at the same flow conditions. The ratio L/D is defined as the equivalent length of the valve
The equivalent length, Leq, is related to t, not , the friction factor of the flowing fluid in the pipe. Going
back to step four in our five step procedure for calculating the total pressure drop in the pipe, adding the
equivalent length to the straight pipe length for use in Equation 1 is fundamentally wrong.
Calculating Pressure Drop, The Correct Way
So how should we use equivalent lengths to get the pressure drop contribution of the valve or fitting? A form
of Equation 1 can be used if we substitute t for and Leq for L (with d being the diameter of the valve or
fitting):
The pressure drop for the valves and fittings is then added to the pressure drop for the straight pipe to give
the total pipe pressure drop.
Another approach would be to use the K values of the individual valves and fittings. The quantity of each
type of valve and fitting is multiplied by its respective K value and added together to obtain a total K. This total
K is then substituted into the following equation:
Notice that use of equivalent length and friction factor in the pressure drop equation is eliminated, although both
are still required to calculate the values of K1. As a matter of fact, there is nothing stopping the engineer from
converting the straight pipe length into a K value and adding this to the K values for the valves and fittings
before using Equation 7. This is accomplished by using Equation 4, where D is the pipe diameter and is the
pipeline friction factor.
How significant is the error caused by mismatching friction factors? The answer is, it depends. Below is a
real world example showing the difference between the Equivalent Length method (as applied by most
engineers) and the K value method to calculate pressure drop.
An Example
The fluid being pumped is 94% Sulfuric Acid through a 3, Schedule 40, Carbon Steel pipe:
Mass Flow Rate, lb/hr:
Volumetric Flow Rate, gpm:
63,143
70
Density, lb/ft3:
112.47
S.G.
Viscosity, cp:
1.802
10
Temperature, oF:
127
3.068
Velocity, fps:
3.04
Reynold's No:
12,998
0.02985
1.308
0.018
31.5
Fittings
90o Long Radius Elbow
Branch Tee
Swing Check Valve
Plug Valve
3 x 1 Reducer4
TOTAL
Leq/D1
Leq2, 3
K1, 2 =
t (L/D)
Quantity
Total Leq
20
60
50
18
None5
5.1
15.3
12.8
4.6
822.685
0.36
1.08
0.9
0.324
57.92
2
1
1
1
1
10.23
15.34
12.78
4.6
822.68
865.633
Total K
Notes:
1.
2.
3.
4.
K Value Method
0.412
11.734
Not applicable
Not Applicable
6.828
11.734
7.24
The line pressure drop is greater by about 4.5 psi (about 62%) using the typical equivalent length method
(adding straight pipe length to the equivalent length of the fittings and valves and using the pipe line fiction
factor in Equation 1).
One can argue that if the fluid is water or a hydrocarbon, the pipeline friction factor would be closer to the
friction factor at full turbulence and the error would not be so great, if at all significant; and they would be
correct. However hydraulic calculations, like all calculations, should be done in a correct and consistent
manner. If the engineer gets into the habit of performing hydraulic calculations using fundamentally incorrect
equations, he takes the risk of falling into the trap when confronted by a pumping situation as shown above.
Another point to consider is how the engineer treats a reducer when using the typical equivalent length
method. As we saw above, the equivalent length of the reducer had to be back-calculated using equation 5. To
do this, we had to use t and K. Why not use these for the rest of the fittings and apply the calculation correctly
in the first place?
Final Thoughts - K Values
The 1976 edition of the Crane Technical Paper No. 410 first discussed and used the two-friction factor
method for calculating the total pressure drop in a piping system ( for straight pipe and t for valves and
fittings). Since then, Hooper2 suggested a 2-K method for calculating the pressure loss contribution for valves
and fittings. His argument was that the equivalent length in pipe diameters (L/D) and K was indeed a function
of Reynolds Number (at flow rates less than that obtained at fully developed turbulent flow) and the exact
geometries of smaller valves and fittings. K for a given valve or fitting is a combination of two Ks, one being
the K found in CRANE Technical Paper No. 410, designated K, and the other being defined as the K of the
valve or fitting at a Reynolds Number equal to 1, designated K1. The two are related by the following equation:
K = K1 / NRE + K (1 + 1/D)
The term (1+1/D) takes into account scaling between different sizes within a given valve or fitting group.
Values for K1 can be found in the reference article2 and pressure drop is then calculated using Equation 7. For
flow in the fully turbulent zone and larger size valves and fittings, K becomes consistent with that given in
CRANE.
Darby3 expanded on the 2-K method. He suggests adding a third K term to the mix. Darby states that the 2K method does not accurately represent the effect of scaling the sizes of valves and fittings. The reader is
encouraged to get a copy of this article.
The use of the 2-K method has been around since 1981 and does not appear to have caught on as of yet.
Some newer commercial computer programs allow for the use of the 2-K method, but most engineers inclined to
use the K method instead of the Equivalent Length method still use the procedures given in CRANE. The latest
3-K method comes from data reported in the recent CCPS Guidlines4 and appears to be destined to become the
new standard; we shall see.
Conclusion
Consistency, accuracy and correctness should be what the Process Design Engineer strives for. We all add
our fat or safety factors to theoretical calculations to account for real-world situations. It would be comforting
to know that the fat was added to a basis using sound and fundamentally correct methods for calculations.
NOMENCLATURE
D
d
t
g
hL
K
K1
K
L
Leq
NRE
P
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
Diameter, ft
Diameter, inches
Darcy friction factor
Darcy friction factor in the zone of complete turbulence
Acceleration of gravity, ft/sec2
Head loss in feet
Resistance coefficient or velocity head loss
K for the fitting at NRE = 1
K value from CRANE
Straight pipe length, ft
Equivalent length of valve or fitting, ft
Reynolds Number
Pressure drop, psi
Velocity, ft/sec
Flow Rate, lb/hr
Density, lb/ft3
REFERENCES
1. Crane Co., Flow of Fluids through Valves, Fittings and Pipe, Crane Technical Paper No. 410, New
York, 1991.
2. Hooper, W. B., The Two-K Method Predicts Head Losses in Pipe Fittings, Chem. Eng., p. 97-100,
August 24, 1981.
3. Darby, R., Correlate Pressure Drops through Fittings, Chem. Eng., p. 101-104, July, 1999.
4. AIChE Center for Chemical Process Safety, Guidelines for Pressure Relief and Effluent Handling
systems, pp. 265-268, New York, 1998.
'K' (equation 2-2). Each component has an associated 'K' value. You multiply the velocity head by the
appropriate 'K' value. Equation 2-3 is just another way of expressing the same thing. As you can see, this means
you can calculate a 'K' for a component such as a pipe using the formula fL/D as shown in Equation 2-3. Again,
I explain this in my paper so I would suggest you re-read it.
I would also suggest you look at the examples in CRANE. There are many of them in Chapter 4.
'K' is associated with the velocity and therefore the diameter. Look at the values for 'K' in CRANE (starting on
page A-26). You will see that for the most part, K is a function of a constant times the friction factor at fully
turbulent flow. This friction factor changes with pipe diameter as shown on page A-26. Again, re-read my paper
and look at the examples in Chapter 4.
By Phil Leckner, Chief Content Manager (read the author's Profile) mailto:pleckner@excite.com
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