Introduction to Simple

Approximations of Fluid
Flow
Simple Approximations of Fluid Flows – Lesson 1
The Governing Equations of Fluid Mechanics
• The governing equations of fluid mechanics are conservations of mass, momentum
and energy.
• These are known today as the Navier-Stokes equations.
‐ This naming has been adopted even though the original Navier-Stokes equations did not include the
energy equation.
• For reference, we will display these equations on the next slide.
• With suitable problem definition along with boundary and initial conditions, we can
solve these equations for all relevant flow parameters (e.g., density, velocity,
pressure, temperature).

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The Navier-Stokes Equations

𝜕𝜌
+ ∇ ∙ 𝜌𝑉 = 0 Mass
𝜕𝑡

𝜕 𝜌𝑢 𝜕𝑝 𝜕𝑉 2
+ ∇ ∙ 𝜌𝑉𝑢 = − +∇∙ 𝜇 + ∇𝑢 − 𝜇 ∇ ∙ 𝑉 𝑖Ƹ + 𝐹𝑏,𝑥
𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑥 3

𝜕 𝜌𝑣 𝜕𝑝 𝜕𝑉 2
+ ∇ ∙ 𝜌𝑉𝑣 = − +∇∙ 𝜇 + ∇𝑣 − 𝜇 ∇ ∙ 𝑉 𝑗Ƹ + 𝐹𝑏,𝑦 Momentum
𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑦 3

𝜕 𝜌𝑤 𝜕𝑝 𝜕𝑉 2
+ ∇ ∙ 𝜌𝑉𝑤 = − +∇∙ 𝜇 + ∇𝑤 − 𝜇 ∇ ∙ 𝑉 𝑘෠ + 𝐹𝑏,𝑧
𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑧 3

𝜕 𝜌𝑒𝑡 𝑝
+ ∇ ∙ 𝜌𝑉 𝑒𝑡 + = ∇ ∙ 𝑘 ∇𝑇 + 𝜏Ӗ ∙ 𝑉 + 𝑆𝑔ሶ Energy
𝜕𝑡 𝜌

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Complexity of Full Navier-Stokes Equations
• Navier-Stokes equations are coupled, nonlinear partial differential equations – there
are no general solutions.
• Only a few very simple problems permit an exact analytical solution (we will look at
some of these in this course).
• Perhaps the BIGGEST complexity of the Navier-Stokes equations is that even if we
could solve them exactly, we would need to resolve all the scales of motion which are
seen in nature – specifically the scales of motion associated with turbulent flow.

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What Can We Do?
• If solving the Navier-Stokes equations directly is impractical, what can we do?
‐ Simplify the physics and thereby simplify the governing equations
• Obtain exact solutions to simpler forms of the equations.
• Model the effect of turbulence and other physics to further simplify the equations.
‐ Use numerical techniques (Computational Fluid Dynamics)
• Obtain numerical solutions to the full Navier-Stokes equations or any of their simplified forms.

• Simplifying the problem so that a practical solution can be obtained is generally

referred to as modeling. It is the responsibility of the modeler to ensure that the
mathematical model faithfully replicates the essential physics of interest!
• For example, if we develop a model to calculate the drag force on a car, we can
compare the results of our mathematical model to results obtained from a wind
tunnel experiment. This comparison of model with experiment is called validation.

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Simplified Modeling
• We can approach simplified modeling of fluid motion in several ways:
• Simplified Physics
‐ Turbulence Modeling → Develop models of turbulence that permit practical solutions with
reasonable accuracy.
‐ Steady-State Assumption → Assume that small scale unsteady fluctuations can be modeled or
ignored.

Simpler
‐ Incompressible Flow → Ignore compressibility (e.g., low speed, constant density flow)
‐ Properties → Assume constant properties (e.g., not functions of temperature)
‐ Boundary Layer Flow → Ignore viscous effects away from walls
‐ Inviscid Flow → Ignore viscous effects entirely
‐ Potential Flow → Ignore viscous effects AND assume vorticity of the flow field is negligible
• Dimensional Simplification
‐ Develop 1D and 2D versions of the governing equations.

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Dimensional Simplification
• For many real-world problems, we can simplify our flow model by
assuming the flow is dimensionally 1D, 2D planar or axisymmetric.
• 1D simplification
‐ The flow has a primary direction and its properties can be averaged at
planar sections orthogonal to this direction. Quasi-1D nozzle model
‐ Primarily applicable to internal flows (e.g., pipes, nozzles, diffusers)
• 2D planar simplification
‐ Assume flow field gradients in one direction are small
‐ Planar flow field (e.g., flow is modeled in the x-y plane)
‐ Applicable to a wide range of problems if the flow is primarily 2D (e.g.,
airfoils, bluff bodies, wide ducts, channels, etc.)
• Axisymmetric simplification
‐ This is a special form of 2D simplification valid when the flow is
independent of the angular variable about the axis
‐ Applicable to a wide range of problems with axisymmetric geometries: 2D airfoil model
circular pipes, nozzles, bodies of revolutions in external fluid flows

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Summary
• We have looked at the governing equations of fluid dynamics (Navier-Stokes
equations) and considered ways of simplifying them in order to develop tractable
models.
• These include simplifying the physics and dimensionality.
• We will consider these proposed simplifications in more detail in the next lessons.