Elementary Laboratory Procedures

When it comes to measuring flow rates, there are two methods used. The first involves checking the time required to fill a certain amount of volume with liquid, as the flow corresponds with the time. To complete this, chart the time it takes to fill a liquid to a set height, and calculate pressure from there. Second, we can use two Bourdon gauges, which measure the pressure of flowing water across the system. This can be used to find flow rate through changing pressure.

Image 1 shows the weight measurement system used to determine how much water has flowed into the basin. Image 2 shows the Bourdon gauge, which reads pressure across a certain pipe to determine flow rate.

This graph shows the correlation between the pressure differences of the two methods used to measure fow rates.

This graph reveals how each device measured the value of Q, and shows the consistency between the two methods. Overall, the manometer gives more consistent data, with pressure differences following a linear path. The Bourdon gauges begin to deviate at higher pressures, while at low pressures the methods produce similar results. This could be due to the gauges being worn and used for a long time, as well as flow being lost along the tube.

From the data table, we find that Qs = 0.035656115 and Ql = 0.010517928. Then, using the above formula, we find that e = 1.1, giving an error of 10%. This is not typical of an engineering calculation, as a 10% error is too high for data to be accepted.