Flow Through Annulus Calculator Excel Spreadsheet

Where to Find an Excel Spreadsheet Flow Through Annulus Calculator

For an Excel spreadsheet liquid flow through annulus calculatorclick here to visit our spreadsheet store.  Look in the “Non-Circular Duct flow Calculations” category.  Obtain a convenient, easy to use spreadsheet liquid flow through annulus calculator at a reasonable price. Read on for information about the use of Excel spreadsheets to calculate pressure drop or liquid flow rate for annulus flow.

Friction Factor-Pipe Flow Background for a Liquid Flow Through Annulus Calculator

A liquid flow through annulus calculator spreadsheet uses calculations that are very similar to those for flow through a pipe.  The main difference is use of the hydraulic diameter for flow through an annulus in place of the pipe diameter as used for pipe flow.  For details of pipe flow calculations, see the article, “Friction Factor/Pipe Flow Calculations with Excel Spreadsheets.”

Calculation of the Hydraulic Diameter for a Liquid Flow Through Annulus Calculator

The general definition of hydraulic diameter for flow through a non-circular cross-section is:                               DH = 4(A/P),    where:

  • DH is the hydraulic diameter in ft (m for S.I. units)
  • A is the cross-sectional area of flow in sq ft (sq m for S.I. units)
  • P is the wetted perimeter in ft (m for S.I. units)

For a flow through annulus calculator:

  • A = (π/4)(Do2 –  Di2)
  • P  =  π(Do + Di)

Where Do is the inside diameter of the outer pipe and Di is the outside diameter of the inner pipe.  Substituting for A and P in the definition of  DH and simplifying gives:

DH =  Do – Di

Equations for the Liquid Flow Through Annulus Calculator

The Darcy Weisbach equation for flow in an annulus is:  hL = f(L/DH)(V2/2g), with the parameters in the equation as follows: hL is the frictional head loss for flow of a liquid at average velocity, V, through an annulus of length, L, and hydraulic diameter, DH .  The Reynolds number for the flow (Re) and the relative roughness of the pipe (Manning roughness coefficient /pipe diameter, ε/D) are needed to get a value for the friction factor, f.  The Moody friction factor diagram and equations for calculating the friction factor, f, are presented and discussed in the article, “Friction Factor/Pipe Flow Calculations with Excel Spreadsheets.”

Spreadsheets for the Liquid Flow Through Annulus Calculator

The Excel spreadsheet screenshot below shows a liquid flow through annulus calculator spreadsheet for calculation of the head loss and frictional pressure drop for flow of a liquid through an annulus.  Based on the input values for the annulus diameters and length as well as liquid flow rate and properties, the spreadsheet will calculate the head loss and frictional pressure drop.

For low cost, easy to use spreadsheets to make these calculations as well as similar calculations for liquid flow in an annulus or for pipe flow calculations, in S.I. or U.S. units, click here to visit our spreadsheet store.

liquid flow through annulus calculator spreadsheetReferences

1.  Munson, B. R., Young, D. F., & Okiishi, T. H., Fundamentals of Fluid Mechanics, 4th Ed., New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc, 2002.

2. Bengtson, H.H., Pipe Flow/Friction Factor Calculations with Excel, an online continuing education course for Professional Engineers.

3.  Bengtson, Harlan H.,  Advantages of Spreadsheets for Pipe Flow/Friction Factor Calculations,  an e-book available through Amazon.com.

Leave a Reply