What Is Hydraulic Head? Basic Definition

First, what is a hydraulic head?

One of the crucial elements when describing a groundwater system is hydraulic head. It is a measure of the mechanical energy in the system per unit weight of fluid. Hydraulic head, h, is defined as: h=hp+hz, where h_p is the pressure head and h_z is the elevation head.

The dimension (L) is shared by all three amounts. The energy resulting from pore fluid pressure is represented by the pressure head, while the energy associated with elevation is represented by the elevation head.

Please continue reading so I can give you more specific information about what a hydraulic head is.

Hydraulic Head

One of the crucial variables that describes the mechanical energy state of a hydraulic system is hydraulic head. It stands for the mechanical energy of the fluid in the system per unit weight. Hydraulic head is defined as h = h_p + h_z, where h is the hydraulic head, h_p is the pressure head, and h_z is the elevation head. The dimension [L] applies to all three quantities. The energy resulting from the pressure of the pore fluid is represented by the pressure head, and the energy caused by elevation is represented by the elevation head. hydraulic heads that flow water from high to low. According to Darcy’s law, which is discussed in the following section, one can predict the direction and rate of flow if they are aware of the hydraulic head distribution in the area. In situ measurement of hydraulic head is accomplished by measuring the water levels in wells, using electric sounding water tapes or similar devices.

Hydraulic Head Pressure

It is possible to measure the liquid pressure above a geodetic datum using hydraulic head pressure or piezometric head. It is typically measured at the entrance (or bottom) of a piezometer as an elevation of the liquid surface, expressed in units of length. A standpipe piezometer can also be used to measure hydraulic head in a column of water by measuring the height of the water surface in the tube relative to a common datum. In an aquifer, it can be calculated from the depth to water in a piezometric well (a specialized water well). A hydraulic gradient between two or more points can be calculated using the hydraulic head.

See also: What Is Hydraulic Cement?

Fluid Dynamics Head

Head is a concept in fluid dynamics that connects the energy in an incompressible fluid to the height of an equivalent static column of that fluid. According to Bernoulli’s Principle, the total energy at a given point in a fluid is made up of the energy associated with its movement, pressure inside the fluid, and height above a random datum. Head is
expressed in units of height such as meters or feet.

The maximum height pressure) that a pump is capable of producing is known as its static head. The capability of the pump can be read from its Q-H curve(flow vs.height)

Head is the fluid’s energy divided by its weight. Due to the fact that centrifugal pumps’ pumping characteristics frequently are independent of the fluid’s density, head is helpful when specifying these devices.

There are four types of head used to calculate the total head in and out of a
pump:

• Kinetic energy—the cause of a fluid’s bulk motion—is what creates velocity head.
• Gravitational force acting on a fluid column causes an elevation head, which is caused by the weight of the fluid.
• Static pressure, or the internal molecular motion of a fluid that exerts a force on its container, is what causes pressure head.
• The frictional forces exerted by the container against a fluid’s motion are what cause resistance head (also known as friction head or head loss).

See also: What Is Machinery?

Final Words

The article’s main focus was on hydraulic head.

Do you understand what a hydraulic head is now that you’ve read the post? If you have any questions regarding what a hydraulic head is, kindly leave a comment. I’ll answer as soon as I can.

Last but not least, I want to say thanks for reading.