Hello, I'm new to pipe flows, but I'm working on a design which involves puffing in a tube to make a piston move.
I have limited space to work with, so I can only have a pipe that is a centimeter wide more or less.
I'm pretty sure I'm correct but I'm checking with experts. If I have a pipe that is a meter long, and has a T connector that has a smaller diameter than the rest of the pipe, is the flow going to be just as restricted as if I had the whole pipe that was the minimum diameter of the T?
For example, I might think there is an advantage to having wider pipe in some parts of the pipe, even though ther is a T, because there would be more flow. I'm thinking that if it's a longer pipe the more diameter you have the better regardless of the narrowest point of the pipe.
I'm assuming that there is an advantage in having a larger pipe, especially with a piston application. If I puff on the pipe and it's very narrow, I will not be able to push that piston with as much force as if I had a more narrow pipe.