Question

Liquid flows with a free surface around a bend. The liquid is inviscid and incompressible, and the flow is steady and irrotational. The velocity varied with the radius across the flow as V = 1/r m/s where r is in meters. Find the difference in depth of the liquid from the inside to the outside radius. The inside radius of the bend is 1 m and the outside radius is 3 m.

Answer 1

9 cm

Step-by-step explanation:

The liquid on the bend will be affected by two accelerations: gravity and centripetal force.

Gravity will be of 9.81 m/s^2 pointing down at all points.

The centripetal acceleration will be of

ac = v^2/r

Pointing to the center of the bend (perpendicular to gravity).

The velocity will depend on the radius

v = (1 m^2/s) / r

Replacing:

ac = (1/r)^2 / r

ac = (1 m^4/s^2) / r^3

If we set up a cylindrical reference system with origin at the center of the bend, the total acceleration will be

a = (-1/r^3 * i - 9.81 * j)

The surface of the liquid will be an equipotential surface, this means all points on the surface have the same potential energy.

The potential energy of the gravity field is:

pg = g * h

The potential energy of the centripetal force is:

pc = ac * r

Then the potential field is:

p = -1/r^2 * - 9.81*h

Points on the surface at r = 1 m and r = 3 m have the same potential.

-1/1^2 * - 9.81*h1 = -1/3^2 * - 9.81*h2

-1 - 9.81*h1 = -1/9 - 9.81*h2

-1 + 1/9 = 9.81 * (h1 - h2)

h1 - h2 = (-8/9) / 9.81

h2 - h1 = 0.09 m

The outer part will be 9 cm higher than the inner part.