This calculator helps estimate the flow rate of a fluid through a pipe based on the pressure difference and the pipe's diameter. It uses a simplified application of Bernoulli's principle, which relates pressure, velocity, and height in a moving fluid. For this simplified model, we assume horizontal flow and a constant fluid density.
function calculateFlowRate() {
var pressureDifference = parseFloat(document.getElementById("pressureDifference").value);
var diameter = parseFloat(document.getElementById("diameter").value);
var fluidDensity = parseFloat(document.getElementById("fluidDensity").value);
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result");
resultDiv.innerHTML = ""; // Clear previous results
if (isNaN(pressureDifference) || isNaN(diameter) || isNaN(fluidDensity) || pressureDifference < 0 || diameter <= 0 || fluidDensity <= 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter valid positive numbers for all fields.";
return;
}
// Calculate the cross-sectional area of the pipe
var radius = diameter / 2;
var area = Math.PI * Math.pow(radius, 2);
// Calculate the velocity using a simplified Bernoulli's equation for horizontal flow:
// P1 – P2 = 0.5 * rho * (v2^2 – v1^2)
// Assuming v1 is negligible or we are calculating exit velocity from a nozzle-like effect
// A more direct approach relating pressure difference to velocity for flow through an orifice or a pipe with resistance is complex.
// For a simplified pipe flow (Poiseuille's Law is more accurate for laminar flow, but Bernoulli is requested for pressure/diameter):
// We can relate pressure drop to kinetic energy change. Let's use the kinetic energy component of Bernoulli:
// Velocity (v) = sqrt(2 * Delta P / rho)
// This assumes the pressure difference is driving the kinetic energy.
var velocity = Math.sqrt((2 * pressureDifference) / fluidDensity);
// Calculate flow rate (Q = Area * Velocity)
var flowRate = area * velocity;
resultDiv.innerHTML = "