Worked Example: Pipe Friction Head Loss
This worked example demonstrates how to calculate flow velocity and friction head loss through a standard steel pipe using the Darcy-Weisbach equation.
We will draw our pipe dimensions directly from the canonical ASME B36.10M-2022 dataset rather than assuming or hardcoding the internal diameter.
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Calculate the flow velocity and head loss due to friction for water flowing through a 100-meter length of NPS 4 Schedule 40 carbon steel pipe at a flow rate of 0.015 mÂģ/s. Assume a constant Darcy friction factor of 0.02 and a kinematic viscosity of 1.004 Ã 10âŧâķ mÂē/s.
> **CONTENT GAP NOTE:** Total Dynamic Head (TDH) calculation is omitted from this example because a canonical TDH formula has not yet been authorized in the Formula Registry (Human Decision Required).
The calculated friction head loss of 3.32 meters means that the pump must provide at least this much additional head (energy per unit weight) just to overcome the frictional resistance of the 100-meter horizontal pipe segment at the desired flow rate.
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