Computational Solvers for Iterative Hydraulic Loss Calculations in Pipe Systems

The study of fluid mechanics spans several engineering disciplines including Mechanical, Civil, Aerospace, Chemical, Environmental, Petroleum, and Biomedical Engineering. In all these disciplines, hydraulic loss calculations in pipes are extremely important. However, the iterative nature of the solution to these engineering problems makes it intricate and cumbersome to solve. Further, it gets very difficult to visualize the solutions to such iterative problems for a wide variety of cases. The current paper aims to bridge this gap by the creation of two open-source Excel-VBA based computational solvers. The first tool corresponds to the determination of the Darcy-Weisbach friction factor through the Colebrook Equation and its visualization on a Moody's chart, which can be effectively employed by engineering instructors as an active learning tool. Second, a complete tool covering all four kinds of pipe flow situations (including the iterative problems) has been developed. The developed computational tools were employed in an undergraduate Fluid Mechanics classroom and the detailed student responses were collected on ten aspects related to teaching and learning divided broadly under four categories – 'overall rating', 'student perceptions on self-learning', 'Improvement in teaching delivery', and 'recommendation for other courses'. The data collected from student responses were subjected to statistical analysis. The results of hypothesis testing and the p-value calculations clearly justify the immense usefulness of this tool in the improvement of the overall teaching-learning process of Fluid Mechanics. Finally, the developed computational tools are being hosted free on the web for the benefit of engineering instructors, learners and professionals alike.