Harman Patil (Editor)

Laplace number

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The Laplace number (La), also known as the Suratman number (Su), is a dimensionless number used in the characterization of free surface fluid dynamics. It represents a ratio of surface tension to the momentum-transport (especially dissipation) inside a fluid.

It is defined as follows:

L a = S u = σ ρ L μ 2

where:

  • σ = surface tension
  • ρ = density
  • L = length
  • μ = liquid viscosity

    • Laplace number is related to Reynolds number (Re) and Weber number (We) in the following way:

    L a = R e 2 W e

    References

    Laplace number Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA