Original article at: https://www.simscale.

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the-navier-stokes-equations/

What Is the Navier-Stokes Equations?

The movement of fluid in the physical domain is driven by various properties. For the purpose
of bringing the behavior of fluid flow to light and developing a mathematical model, those
properties have to be defined precisely as to provide a transition between the physical and
the numerical domain. Velocity, pressure, temperature, density, and viscosity are the main
properties that should be considered simultaneously when conducting a fluid flow
examination. In accordance with the physical phenomena such as combustion, multiphase
flow, turbulence, mass transport, etc., those properties diversify enormously and can be
categorized into kinematic, transport, thermodynamic, and other miscellaneous properties

Thermo-fluid incidents directed by governing equations are based on the laws of

conservation. The Navier-Stokes (N-S) equations is the broadly applied mathematical model
to examine changes on those properties during dynamic and/or thermal interactions. The
equations are adjustable regarding the content of the problem and are expressed based on
the principles of conservation of mass, momentum, and energy
• Conservation of Mass: Continuity Equation
• Conservation of Momentum: Newton’s Second Law
• Conservation of Energy: First Law of Thermodynamics or Energy Equation
Although some sources specify the expression of Navier-Stokes equations merely for the
conservation of momentum, some of them also use all equations of conservation of the
physical properties. Regarding the flow conditions, the N-S equations are rearranged to
provide affirmative solutions in which the complexity of the problem either increases or
decreases. For instance, having a numerical case of turbulence according to the pre-
calculated Reynolds number requires an appropriate turbulent model to be applied to obtain
credible results.
Despite the fact that the motion of fluid is an exploratory topic for human beings, the
evolution of mathematical models emerged at the end of 19th century after the industrial
revolution. The initial appropriate description of the viscous fluid motion had been indicated
in the paper “Principia” by Sir Isaac Newton (1687) in which dynamic behavior of fluids under
constant viscosity was investigated. Later, Daniel Bernoulli (1738) and Leonhard Euler (1755)
subsequently derived the equation of inviscid flow which is now expressed as Euler’s inviscid
equations. Even though Claude-Louis Navier (1827), Augustin-Louis Cauchy (1828), Siméon
Denis Poisson (1829), and Adhémar St.Venant (1843) had carried out studies to explore the
mathematical model of fluid flow, they had overlooked the viscous (frictional) force. In 1845,
Sir George Stokes had derived the equation of motion of a viscous flow by adding Newtonian
viscous terms, thereby the Navier-Stokes Equations had been brought to their final form
which has been used to generate numerical solutions for fluid flow ever since.
The observation method of fluid flow based on kinematic properties is a fundamental issue
for generating a convenient mathematical model. Movement of fluid can be investigated
with either Lagrangian or Eulerian methods3. Lagrangian description of fluid motion is based
on monitoring a fluid particle that is large enough to detect properties. Between the initial
coordinates at time t0 and coordinates of the same particle at time t1, millions of separate
particles have to be examined through the path that is almost impossible to follow. In the
Eulerian method, any specific particle across the path is not followed; instead, the velocity
field as a function of time and position is examined. The missile example (Figure 3) precisely
fits to emphasize these methods.
The Lagrangian formulation of motion is always time-dependent. As a, b, and c are the initial
coordinates of a particle; x, y, and z are coordinates of the same particle at time t.
Description of motion for Lagrangian:

In the Eulerian method, u, v and w are the components of velocity at the

point (x,y,z) while t is the time. The velocity components u, v and w are the unknowns
which are functions of the independent variables x, y, z and t. The description of motion
with the Eulerian method for any particular value of t is:

The equations of conservation in the Eulerian system in which fluid motion is described are
expressed as Continuity Equation for mass, Navier-Stokes Equations for momentum and
Energy Equation for the first law of Thermodynamics. The equations are all considered
simultaneously to examine fluid and flow fields.

Conservation of Mass
The mass in the control volume can be neither be created nor destroyed. The conservation of
mass states that the mass flow difference throughout the system between inlet and outlet is
zero:

where ρ is density, V is velocity and gradient operator ∇;

While the density is constant, the fluid is assumed incompressible and then continuity is
simplified as below, which indicates a steady-state process:

Conservation of Momentum
The momentum in a control volume is kept constant, which implies the conservation of
momentum that we call ‘The Navier-Stokes Equations’. The description is set up in accordance
with the expression of Newton’s Second Law of Motion:

where F is the net force applied to any particle, a is the acceleration, and m is the mass. In
case of a fluid, it is convenient to express the equation in terms of the volume of the particle
as follows:
in which f is the force exerted on the fluid particle per unit volume, and fbody is the applied
force on the whole mass of fluid particles as below:

where g is the gravitational acceleration. External forces which are deployed through the
surface of fluid particles, fsurface is expressed through pressure and viscous forces as:

where τij is stress tensor. According to the general deformation law of Newtonian viscous
fluid given by Stokes, τij is expressed as:

Hence, Newton’s equation of motion can be specified in the form as follows:

Substitution of equation (10) into (11) results in the Navier-Stokes equations of Newtonian
viscous fluid in one equation:

I: Momentum convection
II: Mass force
III: Surface force
IV: Viscous force
where static pressure is p and gravitational force is ρg⃗ . Equation (12) is convenient for fluid
and flow fields which are both transient and compressible. D/Dt indicates the substantial
derivative as follows:
If the density of the fluid is constant, the equations are greatly simplified in which

the viscosity coefficient μ is assumed constant and ∇⋅V=0 in equation (12). Thus, the
Navier-Stokes equations for an incompressible three-dimensional flow can be expressed as
follows:
For each dimension when the velocity is V(u,v,w):

p, u, v and w are unknowns where a solution is sought by application of both continuity

equation and boundary conditions. Besides, the energy equation has to be considered if any
thermal interaction is available in the problem.

Conservation of Energy
Conservation of Energy is the first law of thermodynamics which states that the sum of the
work and heat added to the system will result in the increase of the total energy of the system:
where dQ is the heat added to the system, dW is the work done on the system, and dEt is
the increment in the total energy of the system. One of the common types of energy equation
is:

where h is enthalpy and k is thermal conductivity.

I: Local change with time
II: Convective term
III: Pressure work
IV: Heat flux where
V: Heat dissipation term
The Navier-Stokes equations have a non-linear structure with various complexities and thus
it is hardly possible to conduct an exact solution for those equations. Consequently, different
assumptions are required to grind the equations to a possible solution.
The mathematical model merely gives ties among parameters that are part of the whole
process. Hence, the solution of the Navier-Stokes equations can be realized with either
analytical or numerical methods. The analytical method only compensates solutions in which
non-linear and complex structures in the Navier-Stokes equations are ignored within several
assumptions. It is only valid for simple/fundamental cases such as Couette flow, Poisellie flow,
etc. On the other hand, almost every case in fluid dynamics comprises non-linear and complex
structures in the mathematical model which cannot be ignored. Hence, the solutions of the
Navier-Stokes equations are carried out within several numerical methods, the omnipresence
of Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs) and Partial Differential Equations (PDEs). A step by
step computational analysis of fluid flow can be described as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4: Accurate domain & numerical discretization helps linearize the PDEs and capture
the sensitive variable gradients

Time Domain
The analysis of fluid flow can be conducted in either steady (time-independent) or
unsteady (time-dependent) conditions. In case the flow is steady, it means the
motion of fluid and parameters do not rely on the change in time, the
term ∂()/∂t=0 where the continuity and momentum equations are re-derived as
follows:
Continuity equation:

The Navier-Stokes equation in x direction:

While the steady flow assumption negates the effect of some non-linear terms and
provides a convenient solution, the variation of density is still a hurdle that keeps
the equation in a complex formation.
References
• White, Frank (1991).Viscous Fluid Flow. 3rd Edition. McGraw-Hill Mechanical Engineering.
ISBN-10: 0072402318.
• Stokes, George (1851). “On the Effect of the Internal Friction of Fluids on the Motion of
Pendulums”. Transactions of the Cambridge Philosophical Society. 9: 8–106.
• White, Frank (2002). Fluid Mechanics. 4th edition. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. ISBN: 0-07-
228192-8.
• Cebeci, T., Shao, J.P., Kafyeke, F., Laurendeau, E (2005). Computational Fluid Dynamics for
Engineers. Horizon Publishing Inc. ISBN: 0-9766545-0-4.
• http://www.dgp.toronto.edu/people/stam/reality/Research/pdf/GDC03.pdf
• https://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/fluid-simulation-for-video-games-part-1
• http://www.mathcces.rwth-aachen.de/2research/0mms/0gases/start
• Bird, R.B., Stewart, W.E. and Lightfoot, E.N. (2001). Transport Phenomena, 2th edition. John
Wiley Sons. ISBN 0-471-41077-2.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude-Louis_Navier
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_George_Stokes,_1st_Baronet