Hydraulics & drainage · Pipes & hydraulic structures

Orifice outlet calculator

Discharge of an orifice under head and the orifice size for a target flow.

Standard: Torricelli Q = Cd A √(2gh)

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Inputs in the worked example

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InputValueUnit
Orifice diameter130mm
Head to centroid1.2m
Discharge coefficient0.6
Target flow40L/s

Worked example — results

ResultValueUnit
Area0.013m²
Q38.64L/s
Diameter for target flow132.3mm
h 1.2 mØ130 mmQ = Cd·A·√(2gh)= 38.6 L/starget ≤ 40 L/s00.5limit 1.0Q ≤ target (orifice restricts)0.97 PASS
Diagram for the worked example

Method, formulas and assumptions

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For preliminary design and education. Check every result against the current standard and your own engineering judgement before use.