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In physics and engineering, in particular fluid dynamics, the volumetric flow rate (also known as volume flow rate, or volume velocity) is the volume of fluid which passes per unit time; usually it is represented by the symbol Q (sometimes ˙). It contrasts with mass flow rate, which is the other main type of fluid flow rate.
For a compressible fluid in a tube the volumetric flow rate Q(x) and the axial velocity are not constant along the tube; but the mass flow rate is constant along the tube length. The volumetric flow rate is usually expressed at the outlet pressure. As fluid is compressed or expanded, work is done and the fluid is heated or cooled.
The flow rate can be converted to a mean flow velocity V by dividing by the wetted area of the flow (which equals the cross-sectional area of the pipe if the pipe is full of fluid). Pressure has dimensions of energy per unit volume, therefore the pressure drop between two points must be proportional to the dynamic pressure q.
Darcy's law is an equation that describes the flow of a fluid through a porous medium and through a Hele-Shaw cell.The law was formulated by Henry Darcy based on results of experiments [1] on the flow of water through beds of sand, forming the basis of hydrogeology, a branch of earth sciences.
Solving for Q then allows an estimate of the volumetric flow rate (discharge) without knowing the limiting or actual flow velocity. The formula can be obtained by use of dimensional analysis. In the 2000s this formula was derived theoretically using the phenomenological theory of turbulence. [4] [5]
Flow measurement methods other than positive-displacement flowmeters rely on forces produced by the flowing stream as it overcomes a known constriction, to indirectly calculate flow. Flow may be measured by measuring the velocity of fluid over a known area.
In many engineering applications the local flow velocity vector field is not known in every point and the only accessible velocity is the bulk velocity or average flow velocity ¯ (with the usual dimension of length per time), defined as the quotient between the volume flow rate ˙ (with dimension of cubed length per time) and the cross sectional area (with dimension of square length):
The solution to a fluid dynamics problem typically involves the calculation of various properties of the fluid, such as flow velocity, pressure, density, and temperature, as functions of space and time. Before the twentieth century, "hydrodynamics" was synonymous with fluid dynamics.