Q:

# How do you convert PSI water pressure to gallons per minute?

A:

You cannot directly convert PSI to GPM. They are two different units of measure. PSI measures pressure, and GPM measures flow rate. However, if other variables are known, you can use Bernoulli's equation to indirectly make a conversion. The following assumes the flow is in a pipe and the pipe diameter is known. It also assumes a steady state incompressible flow.

1. Ensure all units agree

Ensure all units to be used agree with each other. This means ensuring there are no variables given in metric and that everything is measured in inches, not feet.

2. Use Bernoulli's equation to determine fluid velocity

Use this equation, (g*h + (P/rho) + (V^2/2)) = constant, to solve for velocity. Upon isolating velocity, the equation will look like this: V = sqrt(2 * ((-P/rho) - g * h)) where P is the pressure, rho is the density of the fluid, g is gravity and h is the elevation above the reference plane.

3. Determine the flow rate

Using the equation Q = V * A, calculate the velocity. Q is the volumetric flow rate, V is the velocity of the fluid and A is the cross-sectional area of the pipe.

## Similar Questions

• A:

Converting from pounds per square inch to pascals is a simple unit conversion problem that can be solved in a short amount of time with pencil and paper or calculator. Simply multiply the known information by the conversion factor, cancel the units and solve the equation.

Filed Under:
• A:

A 1-inch PVC pipe handles 58 gallons of water a minute at a peak velocity flow of about 18 feet per second. This is equivalent to 3,510 gallons per hour.

Filed Under:
• A:

One inch of water, as measured using a pressure gauge at four degrees Celsius, is equivalent to 0.036127291827 pounds per square inch (PSI). This conversion can be found at OnlineConversion.com.