EMM 3316: Fluid Mechanics

Differential Analysis of
Fluid Flow & Intro to CFD
Acknowledgements:
Dr. Jason Roney
Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
University of Colorado,
Colorado Springs, USA
Differential Analysis:
Introduction
 Some problems require more detailed analysis.
 We apply the analysis to an infinitesimal control volume or at a point.
 The governing equations are differential equations and provide detailed
analysis.
 We look to simplifying assumptions to solve the equations.
 Numerical methods provide another avenue for solution (Computational Fluid
Dynamics)
Kinematic Velocity Field
Continuum Hypothesis: the flow is made of tightly packed fluid particles that interact with each
other. Each particle consists of numerous molecules, and we can describe velocity, acceleration,
pressure, and density of these particles at a given time.
Kinematic Acceleration Field
 Lagrangian Frame:
 Eulerian Frame: we describe the
acceleration in terms of position and
time without following an individual
particle. This is analogous to
describing the velocity field in terms
of space and time.
 A fluid particle can accelerate due to
a change in velocity in time
(“unsteady”) or in space (moving to a
place with a greater velocity).
Kinematic Acceleration Field:
Material (Substantial) Derivative
 Writing out these terms in vector components:

 Writing these results in “short-hand”:

where,
Motion of a Fluid Element
(Fluid Kinematics)
 In a general flow field, fluid motion can be decomposed into the following 4 components:
1. translation
2. linear deformation
3. rotation
4. angular deformation
Kinematics:
Linear Motion and Deformation
 Linear Motion/Translation due to u and v velocities:
“Simplest” form of motion— the element moves as a solid body.
 Unlikely to be the only affect as we see velocity gradients in the fluid.
 Deformation: Velocity gradients can cause deformation, “stretching”
resulting in a change in volume of the fluid element.
 Rate of Change for one direction:

 For all 3 directions:

Kinematics:
Angular Motion and Deformation
 Angular Motion results from cross derivatives.
 The rotation of the element about the z-axis is the average of the angular velocities :

 Likewise, about the y-axis, and the x-axis:

 Counterclockwise rotation is considered positive.

 The three components gives the rotation vector:

 Using vector identities, we note, the rotation vector is one-half the curl of the velocity vector:
 The definition, then of the vector operation is the following:

 The vorticity is twice the angular rotation:

 Vorticity is used to describe the rotational characteristics of a fluid.

 The fluid only rotates as an undeformed block when

 Otherwise, the rotation also deforms the body.

 If then there is no rotation, and the flow is said to be irrotational.

Q: If the velocity for a 2D flow field is given as V = (x2 – y2)i – 2xyj, is the flow a rotational flow?
 Angular deformation: The associated rotation gives rise to angular deformation, which results
in the change in shape of the element

 Shearing Strain:

 Rate of Shearing Strain:

 If the rate of shearing strain is zero.

 The rate of angular deformation is related to the shear stress.

Conservation of Mass:
Cartesian Coordinates
 System: Control Volume:

 Now apply to an infinitesimal control volume:

 For an infinitesimal control volume:

 Now, we look at the mass flux in the x-direction

 Net rate of mass in the outflow x-direction:

 Net rate of mass in the outflow y-direction:

 Net rate of mass in the outflow z-direction:

 Net rate of mass flow for all directions:

 Now, combining the two parts for the infinitesimal control volume:
 Finally, the differential form of the equation for Conservation of Mass:

 a.k.a. “The Continuity Equation”

 In vector notation, the equation is the following:

 If the flow is steady and compressible:

 If the flow is steady and incompressible:

Q: Given the velocity components for an incompressible, steady flow field as:
u = x2 + y2 + z2; v = xy + yz + z; w = ?
Determine the w required to satisfy the continuity equation
Conservation of Mass:
Stream Functions
 Stream Functions are defined for steady, incompressible, two-dimensional flow.
 Continuity:

 Then, we define the stream functions as follows:

 Now, substitute the stream function into continuity:

It satisfies the continuity condition.

 The slope at any point along a streamline:

 Streamlines are constant, thus dΨ = 0:

 Now, calculate the volumetric flow rate, Q between streamlines:

Conservation of Linear
Momentum
 System: P is linear momentum,

 Control volume:

 We could apply either approach to find the differential form. It turns out the system approach
is better as we don’t bound the mass, and allow a differential mass.

 If we apply the control volume approach to an infinitesimal control volume, we would end up
with the same result.
Conservation of Linear
Momentum: Forces Descriptions
 Body forces or surface forces act on the differential element: surface forces act on the surface
of the element while body forces are distributed throughout the element (weight is the only
body force we are concerned with).

 Body Forces:

 Surface Forces:
Normal Stress: Shear Stress:
 Looking at the various sides of the differential element, we must use subscripts to indicate
the shear and normal stresses (shown for an x-face).

 Now, the surface forces acting on a small cubicle element in each direction.
Conservation of Linear
Momentum: Equations of Motion
 Now, we both sides of the equation in the system approach:
 In components:

 Writing out the terms for the Generalize Equation of Motion:

Inviscid Flow
 An inviscid flow is a flow in which viscosity effects or shearing effects become negligible.
 If this is the case,

 And, we define A compressive force give a positive pressure.

 The equations of motion for this type of flow then becomes the following:
Inviscid Flow: Euler’s
Equations
 Famous Swiss mathematician who pioneered work on the relationship between pressure and
flow.
 In vector notation Euler’s Equation:

 The above equation, though simpler than the generalized equations, are still highly non-linear
partial differential equations:
 There is no general method of solving these equations for an analytical solution.
 The Euler’s equation, for special situations can lead to some useful information about inviscid flow
fields.
Inviscid Flow: Bernoulli
Equation
 Earlier, we derived the Bernoulli Equation from a direct application of Newton’s Second Law
applied to a fluid particle along a streamline.
 Now, we derive the equation from the Euler Equation

 First assume steady state:

 Select, the vertical direction as “up”, opposite gravity:

 Use the vector identity:

 Now, rewriting the Euler Equation:

Inviscid Flow: Irrotational
Flow
 Irrotational Flow: the vorticity of an irrotational flow is zero.
 For a flow to be irrotational, each of the vorticity vector components must be
equal to zero.

 The z-component:

 The x-component lead to a similar result:

 The y-component lead to a similar result:

 Only uniform flow (absence of velocity gradient) will satisfy these

conditions

 There is no shear force in irrotational flow.

Inviscid Flow: Bernoulli
Irrotational Flow
 Recall, in the Bernoulli derivation:

 However, for irrotational flow:

 Thus, for irrotational flow, we do not have to follow a streamline.

 Then
Viscous Flows: Surface
Stress Terms
 Now, we allow viscosity effects for a Newtonian Fluid:

Normal Stresses: Shear Stresses:

Viscous Flows: Navier-
Stokes Equations
 Now plugging the stresses into the differential equations of motion for incompressible flow
give Navier-Stokes Equations:
 There are very few exact solutions to Navier-Stokes Equations, maybe a total of 80 that fall
into 8 categories.
 The Navier-Stokes equations are highly non-linear and are difficult to solve.
 Some “simple” exact solutions presented in the text are the following:
1. Steady, Laminar Flow Between Fixed Parallel Plates
2. Couette Flow
3. Steady, Laminar Flow in Circular Tubes
4. Steady, Axial Laminar Flow in an Annulus
Viscous Flows:
Exact Solutions/Parallel Plate Flow
Viscous Flows:
Exact Solutions/Couette Flow
 Again we simplify Navier-Stokes Equations:
 Same assumptions a before except the no-slip condition at the upper boundary is u(b) = U
and at lower boundary is u(0) = 0
Solving
Viscous Flows: Exact
Solutions/Pipe Flow

 Simplifying the Navier-Stokes Equation in Cylindrical Coordinates:

 Solving the equations with the no slip conditions

applied at r = R (the walls of the pipe).
 The volumetric flow rate:

 Pressure drop per length of pipe:

 The mean velocity:

 The maximum velocity:

 Non-Dimensional velocity profile:

Computational Fluid Dynamics:
Differential Analysis
 Governing Equations:

 Navier-Stokes:

 Continuity:
 The above equations can not be solved for most practical problems with analytical methods.
So Computational Fluid Dynamics or experimental methods are employed.
 The numerical methods employed are the following:
1. Finite difference method
2. Finite element (finite volume) method
3. Boundary element method.
 These methods provide a way of writing the governing equations in discrete form that can be
analyzed with a digital computer.
 These methods discretize the domain of the flow of interest (Finite Element Method Shown):
The discrete governing equations are solved in every element. This method often leads to 1000 to
10,000 elements with 50,000 equations or more that are solved.
1. Numerical Solutions can
diverge or exhibit
unstable wiggles.
2. Finer grids may cause
instability in the solution
rather than better
results.
3. Large flow domains can
be computationally
intensive.
4. Turbulent flows have yet
to be well described
with CFD.
1) For an incompressible flow,

u = x2 + y2 + z2, v = xy + yz +z, w=?

Determine: w, required to satisfy the continuity equation. (2 marks)

2) For a steady, incompressible, 2D flow,

u = 2y y = 4x

Determine the corresponding stream functions. (2 marks)

Sketch the streamlines. (1 mark)