Explicit formula determination on friction factor for Southwest Products Pipeline

When using Darcy formula to calculate the pressure drop, it is generally recommended to use the Colebrook-White equation to compute the friction factor. However, since the equation is an implicit one, it requires iteration algorithm to obtain the result. So this equation is not suitable for field staff. The paper adopts and applies 11 explicit Colebrook-White approximate equations to obtain the friction factor of Southwest Refine Products Oil Pipeline for different transportation medium. The computed pressure drop is compared with the actual pressure drop, and the error analysis is performed thereafter. Then the most suitable explicit Colebrook-White approximate equation is determined. The results show that the friction factor can be computed more easily when using the explicit approximate equation to replace the implicit one.