Segment V3.6: Venturi Channel

(Related to Textbook Section 3.6.2 - Confined Flows)

As a fluid flows through a converging channel (Venturi channel), the pressure is reduced in accordance with the continuity and Bernoulli equations.

As predicted by the continuity equation, the velocity of air flowing through the channel increases due to the reduction in the channel area. As predicted by the Bernoulli equation, an increase in velocity will cause a decrease in pressure. The attached water columns show that the greatest pressure reduction occurs at the narrowest part of the channel. The same principle is used in a garden sprayer so that liquid chemicals can be sucked from the bottle and mixed with water in the hose.