[Physics] Pressure at a bend in a pipe

fluid dynamicspressure

This is a question from a study guide for a military officer exam:

I have fluid flowing through an elbow in a pipe (the elbow is in the shape of an upside down and backwards "J") and the flow goes from south to north to east. If holes are drilled at the upper left outside part of the bend and the lower right inside part of the bend, at which point will pressure be lower? Please see attached image for a picture of the question.

When I have thought about this problem, I keep coming back to pressure being transmitted equally to all parts of a fluid, so I don't understand how the pressure can be different at one of the holes. The book gives the answer as the inside bend which I can force myself to accept since I can picture the fluid attempting to go straight to the outside bend hole and thus hitting that part harder, but I don't really understand it.

Best Answer

When a pipe is bent the outside curve - what would be the longest path through the curve - has the highest pressure and the lowest speed. The inside curve - the shortest path through the curve - has the lowest pressure and the highest speed. In short, when the path of a fluid in steady-state flow bends, the pressure on the outside of the bend is always higher than the pressure on the inside of the bend.

The pressure would be lower on the lower right inside point of the bend.

I could no view that attached image; however, I hope that helped.

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