A maintenance crew is inspecting a closed, static water pipeline fed by a mountain reservoir. They monitor static pressure sensors located at different points along the pipeline's path.
Arrange the following sensor locations in order from the LOWEST hydrostatic pressure to the HIGHEST hydrostatic pressure.
- 1A sensor located exactly at the surface level of the open mountain reservoir.
- 2A sensor located 30 feet below the reservoir surface in a wide 24-inch diameter pipe section.
- 3A sensor located 60 feet below the reservoir surface in a narrow 12-inch diameter pipe section.
- 4A sensor located 90 feet below the reservoir surface at a horizontal pipe bend.
Answer
The correct order from lowest to highest pressure is: the surface sensor (0 feet), the sensor in the 24-inch pipe (30 feet), the sensor in the 12-inch pipe (60 feet), and the sensor at the bend (90 feet).
Hydrostatic pressure in a continuous, static fluid is directly proportional to its vertical depth below the free surface (). Factors like pipe diameter, pipe orientation, or the total volume of fluid in a specific section do not influence the pressure at a specific point. Therefore, ranking from lowest to highest pressure simply requires ordering the depths from shallowest to deepest: 0 feet, 30 feet, 60 feet, and finally 90 feet.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Hydrostatic pressure in a continuous fluid depends exclusively on fluid density, gravity, and vertical depth, remaining entirely independent of the container's volume or shape.