By Dereje T.

Desalegn 6/12/2022

Chapter – 3
Fluid Kinematics

Definition
Fluid Kinematics:
• Deals with response of fluids in motion without considering forces and
energies in them. the study on fluid motion in space and time
• The study of kinematics is often referred to as the geometry of motion
• The local velocity of fluid is the velocity of an infinitesimally small fluid
particle/element at a given instant t.

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Velocity Field
• The motion of fluid like that of solid can be characterized by its
velocity.
• In solid, the velocity is the velocity of the body as a whole.
• In fluids, the motion may be quite different at different points of
observation.
• There are two methods or frames of reference by which the
motion of a fluid can be described:
The Lagrangian Method and Eurlerian Method

i. The Lagrangian Method

 A fluid particle is being followed at each point. The fluid properies
are determined as the fluid particle move about.
ii. The Eulerian Method
 It is just observing fluid properties as a function of space and time.

Lagrangian Method

• Example
• A woman following her pet
around
• She can observe the dog’s
every movement and its
reactions towards the
environment
• She can also track the position
and velocity of her dog.

• In Lagrangian method, you can

readily obtain information by
just following an object’s
movement.

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• In the Eulerian description of fluid flow, a finite volume

called a FLOW DOMAIN or CONTROL VOLUME is defined,
through which fluid flows in and out.
• Instead of tracking individual fluid particles, we define field
variables, function of space and time, within the control
volume.
• The field variable at a particular location at a particular time
is the value of the variable for whichever fluid particle
happens to occupy that location at that time.
• For example, the pressure field is a scalar field variable.
We define the velocity field as a vector field variable.
• Pressure field: P = P(x,y,z,t)
• Velocity field: V = V(x,y,z,t)
• Acceleration field: a = a(x,y,z,t)

The Lagrangian Method

• In Cartesian coordinate system, the position of
a fluid particle in space (x, y, z) at any time t is
expressed with respect to a coordinate system
(a, b, c) at time to
• Therefore, a, b, c and to are independent The path traced by a particle
variables while x, y, z are dependent variables over a period of time
E.g. If u is the velocity of the fluid particle at
time t, then its position
x = a + ut
Where, a is its x coordinate at time to

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The Lagrangian Method

• Thus, the position of the particle will be written as functions of a, b, c and

t as:
x = f1 ( a , b, c, t) ; y = f2 ( a , b, c, t); z = f3 ( a , b, c, t) 3.1
• The velocity V ( a vector quantity) of the fluid particle at any point is the
ratio of the displacement of a fluid element along its path and the
corresponding increment of time given by:
ds s
V  lim
dt  0 dt

t
• The velocity vector is resolved into u, v and w components, representing
velocities in the x, y and z directions, respectively.
x y z
u  v  w  3.2
t t t
• Similarly, accelerations ax, ay, and az, in the x, y, and z directions will be:

2x 2y 2z

ax  ay  az  3.3
t 2 t 2 t 2 7

The Lagrangian Method

• The Lagrangian Method of analysis is difficult in fluid

mechanics since it is not easy to identify a fluid
particle and because every particle has a random
motion.
• Most appropriate to describe the fluid motion is to know
the fluid characteristics such as velocity and pressure of a
particle or a group of particles at a chosen point in the
flow field at any particular time - Eulerian method.

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The Eulerian Method:

• In this method the observer's concern is to know
what happens at any given point in the space
which is filled with a fluid.

• This method is extensively used in fluid

mechanics because of its simplicity and due to
the fact that one is more interested in flow
parameters at different points in a flow and not
in what happens to individual fluid particles.

The Eulerian Method

• The Eulerian velocity field is thus given by:

u = f1 ( x , y, z, t)
v = f2 ( x , y, z, t)
w = f3 ( x , y, z, t) 3.4
• Equation 3.2 describes the motion of a single fluid particle, the
relationship between the Lagrangian and the Eulerian equations will
be:

dx
 u x , y , z , t 
dt
dy
 v x , y , z , t 
dt
dz 3.5
 w x , y , z , t 
dt

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The Eulerian Method

The integration of Equations (3.5) leads to the Lagrangian equations

(3-1) with the initial conditions x = xo = a; y = yo = b; zo = z, = c and
t = to.

 dx   u x , y , z , t dt  x  f a , b , c , t 

 dy   u x , y , z , t dt  y  f a , b , c , t  3.6
 dz   u x , y , z , t dt  z  f a , b , c , t 

Hence, the Lagrangian Method can be derived from the Eulerian

Method.

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In the Eulerian Method


• The flow quantities, like u , p ,  , T , are described
as a function of space and time without referring
to any individual identity of the fluid particle :

 
u (r , t )

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Velocity and Acceleration:

VELOCITY:
• If  s is the distance travelled by a
fluid particle in time  t , then
s
lim t 0  Vs
t
• it is tangential to the path s.
• s can be resolved into
 x ,  y , and z
• Similarly, V s can be resolved into
u , v , and w
in the x, y and z directions. Tangential velocity

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Velocity and Acceleration:

• The magnitudes of each of the • The velocity Vs and components

component velocities will in
general depend on the location
of the point under consideration
i.e on x,y and z and also on time
t.
can be written in the following
functional form:
V s  f 1 x , y , z , t 
u  f 2 x , y , z , t 
v  f 3 x , y , z , t 
w  f 4 x , y , z , t 

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Velocity and Acceleration:

• Consider now a particle of fluid moving from A to B on
a stream line.
• The velocity of the particle may change for two
reasons:
• At a particular instance, the velocity at A may be different
from the velocity at B and
• Also during the period the given particle moves from A to
B, the velocity at B might change.
• Thus, the total change in the velocity of the particle,
dVs, will be the sum of its change due to change in
position and its change due to passage of time
interval dt.

V s V s
dV s  ds  dt
s t

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Velocity and Acceleration:

ACCELERATION:
 The tangential acceleration as, in the flow direction
will be
dV s  V s ds  V s dt
as   
dt  s dt  t dt
Vs V s
as  Vs 
s t

Tangential acceleration 16

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Velocity and Acceleration:

Where,
as = local tangential acceleration
vs = the local or temporal
t
component
vs vs = the rate of change of velocity
as  vs  with respect to time at a
s t
particular point
v
vs s = the convective component
s
= the rate of change of velocity
due to the particle's change
of position

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The normal acceleration, which is Where

the result of change in direction
of velocity may be obtained by
considering the curved stream
line and the velocity vector
diagram
• V is the tangential velocity at A
• V + ∆ V is the tangential velocity
at D at a distance ∆s from A.
• The vector change ∆V can be
resolved into two – one along
the vector Vs (produces
tangential convective
acceleration) and the other
normal to Vs (produces normal
convective acceleration)
• ∆ Vn, is the velocity in the
normal direction at A.
s
 V n  Vd   V
R
• R is the radius of curvature of
the stream line.

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Velocity and Acceleration:

The normal velocity can also
• The normal convective
acceleration an1, in the normal change with time. Hence,
direction is given by: the temporal component of
the normal acceleration will
Vn be Vn
a n1 
t t
Vn s Therefore, the normal

s t
acceleration with its
V

R
V temporal and convective
V 2 components will be:

R
Vn V 2
an  
t R

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Velocity and Acceleration:

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Pathline, Streamline and Steam tube

• Pathline:
• The path traced by a
particle over a period of
time.

For example, if possible to

color individual particle of a
fluid, it will describe a trace
showing its position at
successive intervals.

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Streak line,
 Streakline or Filament line:
 A traced line showing an
instantaneous picture of the
positions of all the particles
in a fluid which have passed
through a particular point.

For example, the flow pattern

is made visible by injecting a
stream of dye into a liquid, or
smoke into a gas,

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Streamline
Since the velocity vector at any
point on a streamline is tangential,
there can not be any flow across a
streamline.

• Streamline: Thus the flow between any two

• It is an imaginary line drawn
through a flow field such that the
tangent to the line at any point
on the line indicates the direction
of the velocity vector at that
instant.
• A streamline thus gives a picture
of the average direction of flow in
a flow field.
streamlines remains constant.
A smooth flow boundary can also
be considered as a streamline.
If conditions are steady and the
flow pattern does not change from
moment to moment, path lines
and streamlines are identical.
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Streamline
• Consider a streamline as shown Taking Ѳ as the angle
below between Vs, and the x axis,
• The velocity vector Vs, at point
P(x, y) has components u and v in dy v
tan   
the x and y directions dx u
respectively.
Thus, the equation of a
streamline in two
dimensional flow at any
instant to is:
dy v
 where u  f 1 x , y , t o 
dx u
v  f 2 x , y , t o 

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Example
• If u = + x and v = 2y, find the equation of the streamline through
(1,1)

dy v dx dy
 
dx u x 2y
1
ln x  ln y  C
2
at x = 1 and y = 1, C = 0.

Therefore,
x  y is the equation of the streamline.

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Steam tube
 Stream tube:
 It is a tube imagined to be formed
by a group of stream lines passing
through a small closed curve.
 If a series of streamlines are drawn
through every point on the
perimeter of a small area of a stream
cross section, they will form a
stream tube.
 Since there is no flow across a
streamline, there will not be flow
across a stream tube and the fluid
inside a stream tube cannot escape
through its walls. The flow thus
behaves as if it were contained in an
imaginary pipe.

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Classification of flows
• Ideal fluid flow
• The fluid is assumed to have no
viscosity. The velocity distribution is
thus assumed uniform ---- (idealized)
• Real fluid flow
• Viscosity is taken in to consideration,
which leads to the development of
shear stress between moving layers.
However, some fluids such as water
are near to an ideal fluid
• Turbulent flow
• Here the fluid particles flow in a
disorder manner occupying different
relative positions in successive cross
section. Turbulent flow is associated
with high velocity flows.
 Laminar flow
 In laminar flow the particles of fluid
move in an orderly manner & the
steam lines retain the same relative
position in successive cross section.
Laminar flow is associated with low
velocity of flow and viscous fluids.
 Compressible fluid flow
 If variation of pressure results in
considerable changes in volume &
density. Gases are generally treated
as compressible.
 Incompressible fluid flow
 If extremely large variation in
pressure is required to affect very
small changes in volume. Liquids are
generally treated as incompressible.

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Classification of flows
• Steady flow  Unsteady flow
• A flow is said to be steady if at
any point in the flowing fluid  if at any point in the flowing
characteristic such as velocity, fluid the characteristics,
pressure, density etc don’t which describes the
change with time.
behavior of fluids in motion,
• However, this characteristic may
be different at different points in changes with time.
the flowing fluid.  However, this characteristic
may not be different at
different points in the
flowing fluid.

V p  V p 
 0,  0,  0, etc  0,  0,  0, etc
t t t t t t

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Classification of flows
• Uniform flow  Non - uniform flow
• this occurs when the velocity  if there is a change in
both in magnitude and direction velocity either in magnitude
remains constant with respect to
distance/space, i.e. it doesn’t
or direction with respects to
change from point to point.
distance/space
 However, this characteristic
V p 
 0,  0,  0, etc may not be different at
s s s
different time.
V p 
 0,  0,  0, etc
s s s

• Steady Uniform flow

• Unsteady Uniform flow
• Steady Non - uniform flow
• Unsteady Non uniform flow 29

1D, 2D and 3D Flows

• A fluid flow said to be one, two or • Example of one dimensional
three-dimensional flow depending flow (1D flow): flow through
upon the number of independent
space coordinate & required to pipes & channels
describe the flow.
E.g. V = f(x, y, z, t) ----- Three
dimensional flow
V = f(x, y, t) ----- Two
dimensional flow
V = f(x, t) ----- One
dimensional flow

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1D, 2D and 3D Flows

• When the dependent variables vary only with two–space coordinates, the
flow is known as two – Dimensional flow (2D flow).

• Example: Flow around a circular cylinder of infinite length,

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1D, 2D and 3D Flows

• Generally a, fluid is a rather complex three - dimensional, time dependent
phenomenon, i.e., V= V(x, y, z, t). In almost any flow situation, the velocity
field actually contains all three-velocity components (u, v, w) & each is a
function of all three-space coordinates (x, y, z).
• Example of a 3D flow: the flow of air past an airplane wing provides a
complex three-dimensional flow.

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Continuity Equation
Continuity equation is the mathematical expression of
the conservation of mass flow.
• One Dimension, Steady Flow:

Mass of fluid Mass of fluid

entering the region leaving the
region
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Continuity Equation – one dimensional flows

At Section (1): At Section (2):

dA1 – cross sectional area of dA2 – cross sectional area of
stream tube stream tube
V1 – average velocity through V2 – average velocity through
stream tube stream tube
ρ1 – fluid density ρ2 – fluid density

Mass rate of flow through dA1 = ρ1 dA1 V1

For the entire cross-section at (I), it will be

 A1
1V1dA1
Similarly mass rate of flow through entire section (2) will be

A2
 2V2 dA2
For steady flow, principle of conservation of mass gives:

A1
1V1dA1    2V2 dA2  cons.
A2
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Continuity Equation – one dimensional flows

• For steady one dimensional flow where V1 and A1 represent the

average velocity and cross-sectional area of section (1) and
similarly, V2 and A2 for section(2), then

1V1dA1   2V2 dA2

• For incompressible flow

1   2
• Therefore,
V1A1=V2A2= Q = Constant
It is the continuity equation for steady, incompressible, one-
dimensional flow.

This equation is very important in pipe flow hydraulics.

Practical application: Water supply system, oil transportation
system, pressurized irrigation system, etc. 35

Continuity Equation – one dimensional

flows

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Continuity Equation – one dimensional

flows

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Continuity Equation – one dimensional

flows

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Continuity Equation – Two and Three

dimensional flows

• For the most general three dimensional case, the continuity equation may
be derived by considering an elemental volume of fluid having sides
x, y , and z in the Cartesian coordinate system as shown and let the
components of velocity be u, v, and w in the x, y and z directions,
respectively .

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Continuity Equation – Two and Three

dimensional flows

• Consider the mass inflow and outflow in the x-direction.

• Total mass inflow through the face on the left:

• Mass outflow through the opposite face

• Hence the net rate of mass influx into the element through these faces:

• Similarly, the net rate of mass influx in the y and z direction:

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Continuity Equation – Two and Three

dimensional flows

• Therefore, total excess of mass passing into the element per unit time is:
----- 1

• The rate of change of mass contained in the element is:

----- 2

• From conservation of mass, equation 1 and 2 should be equal.

----- 3

Equation 3 is the general equation of continuity

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Continuity Equation – Two and Three

dimensional flows

• For steady flow, the equation becomes:

• For steady incompressible flow,

• For two dimensional flow,

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Continuity Equation – Two and Three

dimensional flows

• Example 1. Determine the value of v in a two-dimensional flow field

when u=ax.

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Continuity Equation – Two and Three

dimensional flows

• Example 2. Does a velocity field given by

represent a possible fluid flow?

Solution:
Here,

In order to check for a physically possible fluid motion, it is necessary

to look for compliance with the continuity equation.

For three dimensional incompressible fluid, the continuity equation

is:

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Continuity Equation – Two and Three

dimensional flows

From the above,

Substitution in the continuity equation gives:

Since continuity equation is satisfied, the given velocity filed represents

a possible fluid motion.

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Thank you,
End

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