Faculty of Engineering

AGROINDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM

FOOD ENGINEERING LABORATORY I

TORRICELLI'S THEOREM

INTRODUCTION

The exit speed of a fluid through the orifice of a container mainly depends on
various factors such as the cross-sectional areas of the container and the outlet, the pressures in
the free surface of the liquid inside the container and at the outlet of the orifice, the density and the
fluid viscosity, among others. The main objective of this practice is to carry out an analysis
of the behavior of the fluid flow at the exit of the hole present at the bottom of a
container, that is, the theorem of Torricelli will be demonstrated, which is an application of the principle of
Bernoulli studies the flow of a liquid contained in a container, through a small hole,
under the action of gravity.

OBJECTIVES

GENERAL OBJECTIVE

• Experimentally demonstrate Torricelli's Theorem.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

• Study the behavior of the outflow velocity of a liquid through an orifice

under the action of gravity.
• Find the relationship between the emptying time and the height.

THEORETICAL FOUNDATION

The Torricelli law (a particular case of Bernoulli's theorem) states that the jet velocity that
The outflow through a single hole in a container is directly proportional to the square root of two.
times the value of the acceleration due to gravity, multiplied by the height at which it is located
fluid level from the hole.

For the specific case of a cylindrical deposit with section S1 that has a small hole in the
bottom, of section S2 (much smaller than S1) the value of the speed is obtained by applying the
Bernoulli's theorem. To do this, it is assumed that the fluid velocity V1 in the larger section S1 is

Ramiro Torres Gallo I.Q. M.Sc

School of Engineering
predictable; approximately 0 compared to the velocity V2 of the fluid in section S2. (Figure
3.1)

On the other hand, it is inferred that the fluid element bounded by sections S1 and S2 is
connected with the air at the same pressure in both openings, that is; P1=P2=P0and the temperature
environment.(Figure 3.1)

Finally, once the previous conditions are established, the differences in heights y1-y2=h, being h
the height of the fluid column. (Figure 3.1)

h0 h

Figure 3.1

Following Bernoulli's equation: S2

2 2
1 1 2 2
+ + 1= + + 2
2 2

It can be simplified into this formula known as Torricelli's Theorem

2 = 2√ ℎ

To theoretically determine the distance the jet reaches according to the height at which it is
find the fluid, the formula is:

= 2ℎ
√
Where:

y = Height of the hole at the base of the container

h = Height of the water column

Ramiro Torres Gallo I.Q. M.Sc

Faculty of Engineering

Emptying time

The draining time of a tank through an orifice can be determined by mass balance in
non-stationary state and is a function of:

A = area of the tank.

area of the opening.

g = gravity.

h0initial height of the water column.

h = height of the water column at any time (t).

MATERIALS

• Open container with a circular outlet hole at the bottom

• Tape measure
• Stopwatch
• Water

PROCEDURE

To proceed with the experiment, we will use an open container with a hole as a deposit.
circular outlet at the bottom, with a maximum height of 30 cm.

Subsequently, the filling of the tank will continue to the desired height, once
Having done this, we begin to open the valve that regulates the flow of water through the orifice.
The timer automatically starts, which will only stop when
the deposit has been completely emptied. Simultaneously with the previous action, we proceed to note
the distance (3 times) to three different values as the water column decreases.
Once the tank has been emptied, it is filled again this time to a height.
different from the initial one. The time to empty the tank must be taken three times in total.

DATA

DT= 26 cm Da1.3 cm y232.5 cm

Ramiro Torres Gallo I.Q. M.Sc

Faculty of Engineering
Races HEIGHT (cm) DISTANCE (cm) TIME (s)

CALCULATIONS

1. For an open tank, calculate the exit velocity of the water through an orifice located
at the bottom, taking into account that the height of the column is h = 15
cm.
2. Find the distance reached by the jet for each height of the water column.
3. Establish the percentage of error between the experimental distance and the theoretical distance.
4. Determine the emptying time of the container with respect to the indicated heights.
5. Find the percentage of error between the experimental and theoretical emptying time.
6. Graph the height against the emptying time to verify the linear relationship that exists.
between both.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• NJOCK J. Mechanics of slow drainage of a large tank under gravity. Am. J. Phys. 71 (11)
November 2003, pp. 1204-1207.

• Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulic Machines

Edition, Mexico, Page 654 Appendix 7.

• O. LEVENSPIEL. Fluid Phenomena and Heat Transfer. Editorial Reverte S.A, Spain,
1993

Ramiro Torres Gallo I.Q. M.Sc