What is Flow rate: Definition and 494 Discussions

In physics and engineering, in particular fluid dynamics, the volumetric flow rate (also known as volume flow rate, rate of fluid flow, or volume velocity) is the volume of fluid which passes per unit time; usually it is represented by the symbol Q (sometimes V̇). The SI unit is cubic metres per second (m3/s). Another unit used is standard cubic centimetres per minute (SCCM).
In hydrometry, it is known as discharge.
In US customary units and imperial units, volumetric flow rate is often expressed as cubic feet per second (ft3/s) or gallons per minute (either US or imperial definitions).
Volumetric flow rate should not be confused with volumetric flux, as defined by Darcy's law and represented by the symbol q, with units of m3/(m2·s), that is, m·s−1. The integration of a flux over an area gives the volumetric flow rate.

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  1. O

    Calculating River Flow Rate from Boat Trip Data

    Homework Statement A boat takes 2.0 hr to travel 31 km down a river, then 6.0 hr to return. How fast is the river flowing? Homework Equations r=d/t The Attempt at a Solution first started out by finding the rate the boat traveled in each trip. 31/2=15.5 km/hr 31/6=5.2...
  2. F

    Calculating Average Water Flow Rate with f(t) Function

    the rate at which water is sprayed is given by the function f(t) during the time interval 0<t<4, what is the average rate of water flow?? I'm confused whether to use the formula f(4)-f(0) / (4-0) OR \frac{1}{4}\intf(t) evaluated from 0 to 4. help!
  3. F

    How Do You Calculate Flow Rate and Water Level Change in a Tank with a Hole?

    Homework Statement a 4mm hole is 1m below the surface of 2m diameter water tank. a.what is the volume flow rate through the hole in L/min? b.what is the rate in mm/min at which the water level in the tank will drop if the water is not replenished...
  4. S

    Calculating Flow Rate w/ Manometer & Venturi Meter

    Hi , Does anyone know , how to calculate the flow rate from a manometer ? there is a pipe attatch to the venturi meter, the inside tube of venturi is 32 mm and the outside 62 mm. A fan is sucking the air, so flow rate is produced. Thank You
  5. A

    Water bath system - flow rate problems

    Hi, I hope someone can be of help with this problem I have, as I have tried different forumulas from different places but still havn;t come up with a sensible answer. I am currently developing a modification to a rotary fatigue rig. The steel tube being tested is required to be placed in...
  6. P

    Measuring Variable Plane Flow Rate

    guys, how to measure the volumetric flow rate pass thru a plane that varies in area (small variation)
  7. M

    Simple volume flow rate calculation

    [SOLVED] Simple volume flow rate calculation A 1.0-cm-diameter pipe widens to 2.0 cm, then narrows to 0.5 cm. Liquid flows through the first segment at a speed of 4.0m/s. The speed in the second segment is 1m/s, and the speed in the 3rd segment is 16 m/s I thought that volume flow rate was...
  8. C

    Continuity: Constant mass flow rate

    Homework Statement The aorta carries blood away from the heart at a speed of about 40 cm/s and has a radius of approx. 1.1cm. The aorta branches eventually into a large number of tiny capillaries that distribute the blood to the various body organs. In a capillary, the blood speed is approx...
  9. M

    Yet another Flow rate question

    I am trying to better understand conceptually flow through a long pipeline. in this case the pipeline is 60miles long with a diameter of 13feet. the outlet is located lower than the inlet by about 600 feet and the pipe has several elevation increases and decreases over the length of the run...
  10. Y

    Calculating Water Tower's Drain Pipe Flow Rate

    A water tower, vented to the atmosphere, is drained by a pipe that extends to the ground. The top surface of the water in the tank is 13.3 m above the ground. If the valve in the drain pipe is closed, what is the absolute pressure in the drain pipe at ground level? 2.32×105 Pa If the valve...
  11. C

    Help Finding molar flow rate of product out of a condenser

    Ok. I have attempted this problem several times and went about it a couple of different ways and still cannot get a viable answer! the problem is: A gas stream contains 18.0 mole% hexane (C6H14) and the remainder nitrogen. The stream flows to a condenser, where its temperature is reduced...
  12. P

    How Do You Calculate Flow Rate from a Spherical Balloon with a Hole?

    suppose there is an spherical balloon say 100 cu.m . The pressure difference between the air in it and surrounding air is 200N/m2 . If a hole of 1 sq.m is made what will be the flow rate from it. Of course the flow rate will decrease as the time progresses but how to determine it over a period...
  13. P

    What is the Ideal Formula for Calculating Flow Rate of a Fluid?

    I am trying to calculate the flow rate of a fluid with relatively low compressibility and a known viscosity (in centipoise) through a specific sized orifice under an exact known pressure. My engineering background is in electronics, and although I had courses in physics and I actually had a...
  14. P

    Vertical flow rate of water stream under gravitation

    Hi, I'm trying to get the rig for my physics project set up which requires some constant water flow through the system. Unfortunately it's requiring a bit more water inflow than the tap can provide. I measured the tap's flow rate to be somewhere around 0.1L/sec to 0.3L/sec Now because I...
  15. H

    Converting Between PPM and Flow Rate for Gas Leak Detection: Expert Guide

    Hi guys, This question is about the conversion between ppm and flow rate (I know you can't really convert between those two...) I have been looking on different products in the Internet, concerning the detection of a gas leak from pipes. It seems that each company is "measuring differently"...
  16. L

    Flow Rate in Venturi Meter: .03825 L/s

    Homework Statement Known/Given Water flows through a Venturi meter (mercury [density=13.6E3 kg/m^3] in the manometer). Pipe size: 10.0cm diameter Constriction size: 5.6cm diameter Height difference of mercury: 2.3cmUnknown - Flow Rate (L/s)Homework Equations Bernoulli's - P1 + (1/2)*d*V1^2 = P2...
  17. J

    Mass Flow Rate Through 40 cm Tube at 18 m/s

    If I know air is flowing through a tube with diameter of 40 cm at 18 m/s, with P=1 atm, T=32 C how do I find the mass flow rate..thank you
  18. B

    Flow rate through a squre tube

    Find: Flow rate of water through square tube Given: Cross-sectional wall and area of square tube, A=w^2 Length of square tube, L Pressure at start, P1 Pressure at finish, P2 Water *** If you need specifics I am pushing water (room temp) at 1 bar through 1200mm of square tube that...
  19. mbrmbrg

    What is the depth of a merged river with given stream dimensions and speeds?

    Homework Statement Figure 14-43 shows the merging of two streams to form a river. One stream has a width of 9.3 m, depth of 4.3 m, and current speed of 2.5 m/s. The other stream is 6.8 m wide and 4.0 m deep, and flows at 2.7 m/s. The width of the river is 10.2 m, and the current speed is 2.7...
  20. S

    Fluid Dynamics: Mass Flow Rate

    A pressurized cylindrical tank, 5.0 m in diameter, contains water which emerges from the pipe at point C, with velocity 29 m/s. Point A is 10 m above point B and point C is 3 m above point B. The area of the pipe at point B is 0.08 m^2 and the pipe narrows to an area of 0.04 m^2 at point C...
  21. A

    Determining Height of Mercury in U-tube: Air Flow Rate of 1200 cm^3/s

    Ok, Air flows through this tube at a rate of 1200 cm^3/s. Assume that air is an ideal fluid. What is the height h of mercury in the right side of the U-tube? Here's a picture: http://session.masteringphysics.com/problemAsset/1001181/6/knight_Figure_15_64.jpg First, I found the velocity of...
  22. J

    Calculating Mass Flow Rate of Steam Turbine

    Steam enters a turbine at 3 mpa and 450 c, expands in a reversible adaibatic process, (KE and PE are negligible) and exhausts at 10 kpa. The power output of the turbine is 800 kW. What is the mass flow rate? I did the problem but I don't know if the anwser is correct and wanted to check...
  23. H

    Understanding the Relationship Between Flow Rate and Back Pressure in Pumps

    Hi all! Is a pump having a high maximum flow rate necessarily mean that the maximum back pressure it can handle will be high? I am a bit confused bewteeen the relationship of flow rate and back pressure...
  24. A

    Find the Flow Rate: Water Pipe Down a Hill

    check this, i can't figure it out. A water pipe goes doewn a hill. the level of the pipe at the bottom of the hill is 23 m below the level of the pipe at the top. the diameter of the pipe is 2.7 cm at both ends. water is flowing through the pipe. at the top of the hill, the velocity of the...
  25. I

    Calculating Water Flow Rate Under Compression

    I would like to know how to calculate the flow rate of water under compression by a hydraulic weight. How do you calculate using the value of the weight on top of the water and the height of the water in a straight column?
  26. I

    Flow Rate of Water with Pressure Difference

    Does water that encounters pressure difference or slight resistance have the same flow rate if there were no pressure difference's or resistance at all?
  27. G

    Finding Maximum Thrust: Flow Rate, Velocity, Area & Pressure

    I've been thinking about how to calculate how to find maximum thrust. But I can't find any equations for flow rate and pressure and area. I know that thrust is a force and force is mass x acceleration. But I don't know how id get an acceleration. There's an exit velocity at the nozzle of the...
  28. J

    Calculating Exit Velocity & Mass Flow Rate of a Water Pump

    Consider a water pump that receives liquid water at 15C and 100kPa, and delevers it to a same diameter short pipe having a nozzle with exit diameter of .01m to the atmosphere at 100 kPa. Neglect KE in pipes and assume constant internal energy u for water. Find exit velocity and mass flow rate if...
  29. N

    Measuring Mass Flow Rate of AlO2 Particles in Real-Time

    Hi all, I've been asked to search for a way, cost isn't that big of an issue, to measure flow rate in real-time of small, fast, abrasive particles (AlO2). These particles are, on average, 50 microns in diameter, and are shot out of a nozzle, itself just a bit bigger than 50 microns...
  30. R

    Calculating Flow Rate in Syringe

    Hi all, If I only know the Pressure given by a known Force on the barrel side of the syringe, the Density of the fluid, the Cross Section Area of the two parts of the syringe, the length of the syringe barrel and a ball with known Mass being pushed by the fluid flowing out of the syringe...
  31. M

    Determining head versus flow rate curve.

    I'm doing a lab on Laminar Flow Elements - Fan Performance Test. So far I have had to find power coefficients (CP), discharge coefficient (CQ) and head coefficients (CH). I've plotted CH vs. CQ, CP vs. CQ and Efficiency vs. CQ. My last requirement is that I "Use the curve fits to...
  32. J

    Testing Poiseulle's Law: Flow Rate vs Length

    Hi; Could someone please help me with this question: "Suppose you have measured the flow rate for a number of tubes with different lengths but the same radius, how would you graph your data to test Poiseulle's law (Hint: choose the scales of the axes so that the theoretical graph is a straight...
  33. K

    Is Pump Flow Rate in a Closed Loop Constant?

    Is the overall flow rate through a closed loop with a pump constant? I've always though that if a pump can do a specific amount of work, it doesn't matter if the 'loop' of tubing goes up and down, or what types of turns it takes. I've thought this because if the tubing goes down then up (or...
  34. S

    Choked Flow in a Converging Duct: Volume vs. Mass Flow Rate

    If subsonic flow is accelerated in a converging duct to mach 1 and then the duct is further converged, choked flow will occur. Will flow at the exit of the duct be compressed as the volume flow rate is decreasing but the mass flow rate has to remain the same.
  35. T

    The correlation between vibration and flow rate

    Hi all. Suppose I am increasing the flow rate of the water through a sprinkler or a tube, there should be some vibration induced by this increment of flow rate, right? On the other hand, if I decrease the flow rate of the water through the same sprinker, there should also be vibration induced...
  36. P

    Flow rate measurement techniques

    hey, Can anybody suggest a method of measuring very small flow rates of a few ml per hour precisely.This is a diffusion experiment where water is allowed to pass through a membrane at a constant pressure.we have to know the amount of water passing through the membrane.There will not be any...
  37. E

    Calculating Volumetric Flow Rate Without Cross-sectional Area

    hi , I have a question that if you answer it I would be so thankfull, Q is: "Can we calculate volumetric flow rate without knowing cross-sectional area? If,yes,How?" I have this Q because I see a portable Thermometer,volumetric flow rate meter ,which show it without giving any area size...
  38. C

    Solving Bernoulli's Principle Problem: Flow Rate in Horizontal Pipes

    Hi! This is the first question on my homework, so it's suppost to be the easiest, but I'm not sure how to tackle it. It's a Bernoulli's principle problem. Here it is: A horizontal pipe 11.6 cm in diameter has a smooth reduction to a pipe 4.72 cm in diameter. If the pressure of the water...
  39. C

    Exploring Pressure & Flow Rate of Liquids

    For a physics project I've decided to investigate factors affecting the flow rate of liquids. One of the factors I'm investigating is how an increase in liquid in a container will induce greater pressure and hence increase the flow rate. I need a theoretical link for the data I obtain for this...
  40. L

    How can Bernoulli's equation be applied to calculate gas flow rate in a tube?

    My statistical dynamics and other useful areas of physics was sorely lacking in my undergrad education. Take this for instance, at work I need to calculate the gas flow rate from a tube into a very large chamber. I know the diameter of the tube and pressures of the gas. Bernoulli's equation...
  41. K

    Confused with flow rate of water

    By Bernoulli's law, if potential energy is constant, the work done, given by pV, where p is the pressure, V is the change in volume, is equal to the change in kinetic energy, 1/2mv^2. Does that mean that the flow rate of the liquid is proportionate to the root of the pressure applied?? If...
  42. P

    Converting pressure to flow rate

    Trying to convert differential pressure (inch WC) measurements from a 6-inch diameter pipe into an air flow rate (cfm). Here's what I got so far... I'm assuming laminar, imcompressible flow with negligible friction, head, or thermal losses (this is a very low-flow system). From the...
  43. S

    Heat Flow Rate through Thin Metallic Plates: Air vs. Vacuum

    Two parallel thin metallic plates with a gap between them are used as a heat insulator. How does the heat flow rate through this device depend on the temperatures on its two sides in the following two cases? Case 1: The gap is filled with air. Case 2: There is a vacuum in the gap.
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