A numerical analysis of the laminar flow of a Newtonian fluid in the inlet section of a circular pipe has been carried out for a Reynolds number range of 0 to 500, employing a finite element based CFD code. A new flow phenomenon has been identified at low Reynolds numbers (<50), viz, the existence of a peak in the axial pressure profile at a small distance from the entrance. Existing correlations for the entry length are shown to be insufficient and a new correlation for the entry length is proposed.