The Flow and Pressure Losses in Smooth Pipe Bends of Constant Cross Section

Summary Incompressible turbulent flow in smooth pipe bends of circular-arc curvature and constant cross section is discussed. The effects of bend angle, radius ratio, duct cross-sectional shape and Reynolds number are considered. Particular attention is paid to the influence of the tangents on the flow and losses in a bend. In addition consideration is given to the definition and measurement of the bend loss. A correlation of experimental pressure loss data is made. It is shown that large variations in experimental results, which cannot be ascribed to the effects of geometrical parameters or Reynolds number, are accounted for by the effects of the downstream tangent and position at which the pressure measurements were made. The inadequacy of existing experimental information is an obstacle to the presentation of comprehensive data on the effect of geometrical parameters on bend losses.