An Experimental Investigation of the Flow in a Classical Venturimeter

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Abstract
The flow through two classical 10 in diameter venturimeters of 0.5 area ratio is investigated to determine the nature of the flow mechanism within the meter and its variation with Reynolds number. Separation occurs at the throat entry, the size and position of the resulting bubble apparently remaining unchanged up to a throat Reynolds number of approximately 2.9 × 105, while beyond this point the separation bubble seems to disappear. An investigation of the wall region of the throat boundary layer shows it to be fully turbulent throughout the throat Reynolds number range tested from 4 × 104to 7.5 × 105. A comparison of experimental data obtained from both air and water tests on the two meters indicates that the flow mechanism is substantially the same for both fluids. The experimental evidence suggests that any postulation of laminar-turbulent transition of the wall region of the boundary layer is inapplicable to the analysis of flow through classical venturimeters in a pipe having similar geometry to the meters studied.

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