Table of Approximations

The following table lists historical approximations to the Colebrook–White relation[23] for pressure-driven flow. Churchill
equation[24] (1977) is the only equation that can be evaluated for very slow flow (Reynolds number < 1), but the Cheng (2008),
[25]
and Bellos et al. (2018)[8] equations also return an approximately correct value for friction factor in the laminar flow region
(Reynolds number < 2300). All of the others are for transitional and turbulent flow only.

Table of Colebrook equation approximations

Equation Author Year Range Ref

4000≤Re≤5×108
f=0.0055[1+(2×104⋅εD+106Re)13] Moody 1947
0≤ε/D≤0.01

f=0.094(εD)0.225+0.53(εD)+88(εD)0.44⋅Re−Ψ 4000≤Re≤5×107
0.00001≤ε/D≤0.04
Wood 1966
where
Ψ=1.62(εD)0.134

1f=−2log⁡(ε/D3.715+15Re) Eck 1973

5000≤Re≤108
f=0.25[log⁡(ε/D3.7+5.74Re0.9)]2 Swamee and Jain 1976 0.000001≤ε/D≤0.05

1f=−2log⁡(ε/D3.71+(7Re)0.9) Churchill 1973

1f=−2log⁡(ε/D3.715+(6.943Re)0.9) Jain 1976

f/8=[(8Re)12+1(Θ1+Θ2)1.5]112

where
Churchill 1977 All flow regimes
Θ1=[−2.457ln⁡((7Re)0.9+0.27εD)]16

Θ2=(37530Re)16

1f=−2log⁡[ε/D3.7065−5.0452Relog⁡(12.8257(εD)1.1098+5.8506Re0.8981)] Chen 1979 4000≤Re≤4×108

1f=1.8log⁡[Re0.135Re(ε/D)+6.5] Round 1980

1f=−2log⁡(ε/D3.7+4.518log⁡(Re7)Re(1+Re0.5229(ε/D)0.7)) Barr 1981

1f=−2log⁡[ε/D3.7−5.02Relog⁡(ε/D3.7−5.02Relog⁡(ε/D3.7+13Re))]

Zigrang and Sylvester 1982

or
1f=−2log⁡[ε/D3.7−5.02Relog⁡(ε/D3.7+13Re)]

1f=−1.8log⁡[(ε/D3.7)1.11+6.9Re] Haaland[10] 1983

1f=Ψ1−(Ψ2−Ψ1)2Ψ3−2Ψ2+Ψ1

or
1f=4.781−(Ψ1−4.781)2Ψ2−2Ψ1+4.781

where Serghides 1984

Ψ1=−2log⁡(ε/D3.7+12Re)

Ψ2=−2log⁡(ε/D3.7+2.51Ψ1Re)

Ψ3=−2log⁡(ε/D3.7+2.51Ψ2Re)

A=0.11(68Re+εD)0.25

if A≥0.018
then f=A Tsal 1989 [26]
and if A<0.018
then f=0.0028+0.85A

4000≤Re≤108
1f=−2log⁡(ε/D3.7+95Re0.983−96.82Re) Manadilli 1997 0≤ε/D≤0.05

1f=−2log⁡{ε/D3.7065−5.0272Relog⁡[ε/D3.827−4.657Relog⁡((ε/D7.7918)0.9924+(5.3326208.815+Re)0.9345)]} Romeo, Royo, Monzon 2002

1f=0.8686ln⁡[0.4587Re(S−0.31)S(S+1)]

Goudar, Sonnad 2006

where:
S=0.124ReεD+ln⁡(0.4587Re)

1f=0.8686ln⁡[0.4587Re(S−0.31)S(S+0.9633)]

Vatankhah,
2008
where: Kouchakzadeh
S=0.124ReεD+ln⁡(0.4587Re)

1f=α−α+2log⁡(BRe)1+2.18B

where
Buzzelli 2008
α=0.744ln⁡(Re)−1.411+1.32ε/D

B=ε/D3.7Re+2.51α

1f=(Re64)a(1.8log⁡Re6.8)2(1−a)b(2.0log⁡3.7Dϵ)2(1−a)(1−b)
where

a=11+(Re2720)9
Cheng 2008 All flow regimes [25]
 Cheng 2008 All flow regimes [25]

b=11+(Re160Dϵ)2

f=6.4(ln⁡(Re)−ln⁡(1+.01ReεD(1+10εD)))2.4 Avci, Kargoz 2009

Evangelides,
f=0.2479−0.0000947(7−log⁡Re)4(log⁡(ε/D3.615+7.366Re0.9142))2 Papaevangelou, 2010
Tzimopoulos
f=1.613[ln⁡(0.234(εD)1.1007−60.525Re1.1105+56.291Re1.0712)]−2 Fang 2011

f=[−2log⁡(2.18βRe+ε/D3.71)]−2
, β=ln⁡Re1.816ln⁡(1.1Reln⁡(1+1.1Re)) Brkić 2011

f=1.325474505loge⁡(A−0.8686068432Bloge⁡(A−0.8784893582Bloge⁡(A+(1.665368035B)0.8373492157)))−2

where S.Alashkar 2012

A=ε/D3.7065

B=2.5226Re

f=(64Re)a[0.75ln⁡(Re5.37)]2(a−1)b[0.88ln⁡(3.41Dϵ)]2(a−1)(1−b)
where

a=11+(Re2712)8.4 Bellos, Nalbantis,

2018 All flow regimes [8][27]
Tsakiris

b=11+(Re150Dϵ)1.8

1f=A−(B−A)2C−2B+A
where

A=−2log⁡(ε/D3.7+4.5547Re0.8784)

Niazkar 2019 [17]

B=−2log⁡(ε/D3.7+2.51ARe)

C=−2log⁡(ε/D3.7+2.51BRe)

Deviation 5.36 %,
2320≤Re≤109

f=1(0.8284ln⁡(ε/D4.913+10.31Re))2 Tkachenko, Mileikovskyi 2020 [28]

0≤ε/D≤0.65

f=(8.128943+A18.128943A0−0.86859209A1ln⁡(A13.7099535Re))2 Deviation 0.00072 %,

where 2320≤Re≤109

Tkachenko, Mileikovskyi 2020 [28]

A0=−0.79638ln⁡(ε/D8.208+7.3357Re) Tkachenko, Mileikovskyi 2020 [28]
0≤ε/D≤0.65
A1=Re(ε/D)+9.3120665A0