Engineering
Raoult's Law @ Neutrium.net
March 15, 2016Raoult’s law gives a method of estimating the composition and pressure of the vapour above a liquid mixture. This article describes the basis of Raoult’s law and provides an example of how to apply it.
Dalton's Law @ Neutrium.net
February 3, 2016Dalton’s law provides a method by which the total pressure of a gas mixture can be calculated using the partial pressures of the component gases of the mixture.
Cv versus Orifice Size @ Neutrium.net
February 2, 2016The pressure drop or flow rate through a valve or orifice plate is typically calculated using the a flow coefficient, Cv or orifice diameter. This article demonstrates how to convert between these two parameters when performing functions such as selecting a valve with an equivalent pressure drop to a given orifice plate.
Calculation of Flow through Nozzles and Orifices @ Neutrium.net
November 2, 2015This article provides calculation methods for correlating design, flow rate and pressure loss as a fluid passes through a nozzle or orifice. Nozzles and orifices are often used to deliberately reduce pressure, restrict flow or to measure flow rate.
Discharge Coefficient for Nozzles and Orifices @ Neutrium.net
November 2, 2015The discharge coefficient is a dimensionless number used to characterise the flow and pressure loss behaviour of nozzles and orifices in fluid systems. Orifices and nozzles are typically used to deliberately reduce pressure, restrict flow or to measure flow rate. This article gives typical values of the discharge coefficient for common orifice and nozzle designs.
Joule-Thomson Effect @ Neutrium.net
September 15, 2015The Joule-Thomson Effect describes the change in temperature of a gas as it experiences a rapid change in pressure from passing through a valve, orifice or nozzle. It may represent a safety hazard, or an opportunity depending on the process.
Hydrate Formation in Gas Systems @ Neutrium.net
June 30, 2015Hydrate formation represents a significant risk to process safety as it can result in the plugging of both pipes and instruments. Hydrates typically form in process where light hydrocarbons, water vapor and low temperatures or high pressures are present. This article describes the conditions under which hydrates form, how formation may be prevented and what can be done once hydrates have formed.
Choked Flow @ Neutrium.net
June 4, 2015Choked flow is a phenomenon that limits the mass flow rate of a compressible fluid flowing through nozzles, orifices and sudden expansions. Generally speaking it is the mass flux after which a further reduction in downstream pressure will not result in an increase in mass flow rate.
Fitting Polynomials using Least Squares Method @ Neutrium.net
May 1, 2015Approximating a dataset using a polynomial equation is useful when conducting engineering calculations as it allows results to be quickly updated when inputs change without the need for manual lookup of the dataset. The most common method to generate a polynomial equation from a given data set is the least squares method. This article demonstrates how to generate a polynomial curve fit using the least squares method.
Types of Thermodynamic Process @ Neutrium.net
February 7, 2015When examining thermodynamic processes some simplifying assumptions may be applied to help describe and analyse a given system. These simplifications can be viewed as ‘ideal’ thermodynamic processes and include adiabatic, isenthalpic, isentropic, isobaric, isochoric, isothermal, isentropic, polytropic and reversible processes. This article provides a brief overview of each process type and suitability to a given thermodynamic system.