Engineering English
Turbulent Flow
Chemical Engineering · Aerospace Engineering · Mechanical Engineering · Last updated: July 30, 2026 · How this entry was written
Definition: A flow regime characterized by chaotic, random motion, eddies, and high mixing between fluid layers. It typically occurs at high Reynolds numbers and enhances heat and mass transfer.
Example in context
“Turbulent flow in a stirred tank reactor improves mixing and enhances reaction kinetics.”
“Karıştırmalı tank reaktörde türbülanslı akış, karışımı iyileştirir ve reaksiyon kinetiğini artırır.”
Where engineers use it
Turbulent flow is central to designing pipelines, heat exchangers, and reactors where high heat and mass transfer coefficients are needed. Engineers must calculate pressure drops and pumping power under turbulent conditions.
Synonyms: turbulent regime
Antonyms: laminar flow
In Aerospace Engineering
A regime of fluid motion characterized by chaotic, irregular eddies, vortices, and rapid fluctuations in velocity and pressure. It increases skin friction drag but can delay boundary layer separation.
“Turbulent flow over the wing increases skin friction drag but maintains attached flow at high angles of attack.”
In Mechanical Engineering
A chaotic flow regime characterised by irregular velocity fluctuations, eddies, and strong cross-stream mixing. It occurs above a critical Reynolds number and raises both friction losses and heat transfer rates.
“Turbulent flow inside the tubes increased the convective heat transfer coefficient considerably, although the pumping power required also rose.”
Practice: can you use “Turbulent Flow” at work?
A trainee must determine whether a pipe carrying cooling water operates in turbulent or laminar flow based on fluid properties and velocity, and recommend changes to improve heat transfer.
Show a model answer
“Turbulent flow enhances mixing and is common in industrial-scale process equipment.”
“Turbulent Flow” in 21 languages
| English | Turbulent Flow |
|---|---|
| Turkish | türbülanslı akış |
| French | écoulement turbulent |
| German | turbulente Strömung |
| Spanish | flujo turbulento |
| Chinese | 湍流 |
| Arabic | تدفق مضطرب |
| Portuguese | fluxo turbulento |
| Russian | турбулентное течение |
| Japanese | 乱流 |
| Italian | flusso turbolento |
| Vietnamese | dòng chảy rối |
| Hindi | अशांत प्रवाह |
| Thai | การไหลแบบปั่นป่วน |
| Indonesian | aliran turbulen |
| Korean | 난류 |
| Bengali | অশান্ত প্রবাহ |
| Dutch | turbulente stroming |
| Swedish | turbulent strömning |
| Finnish | turbulentti virtaus |
| Ukrainian | турбулентний потік |
Frequently asked questions
What does Turbulent Flow mean in engineering?
A flow regime characterized by chaotic, random motion, eddies, and high mixing between fluid layers. It typically occurs at high Reynolds numbers and enhances heat and mass transfer. In Chemical Engineering, the term carries a usage-frequency rating of 10/10 in the Engineering English library.
How do you pronounce Turbulent Flow?
Turbulent Flow is pronounced /ˈtɜːbjʊlənt fləʊ/ (IPA). The Engineering English app plays audio for the term and checks your pronunciation with speech recognition.
How is Turbulent Flow used in a sentence?
Example from an engineering context: “Turbulent flow in a stirred tank reactor improves mixing and enhances reaction kinetics.”
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