FLUIDS 1

Fluid analysis
References
A. Munson, B. R., Okiishi, T. H., Huebsch, W. W. & Rothmayer, A. P., 2013. Fluid Mechanics. 7 ed.
Danvers: Wiley.
B. Cengel, Y. A., Turner, R. H. & Cimbala, J. M., 2008. Fundamentals of Thermal Fluid Sciences. 3 ed.
New York: McGraw Hill
C. Douglas, J. F., Gasiorek, J. M., Swaffield, J. A. & Jack, L. B., 2011. Fluid Mechanics. 6 ed. Harlow:
Prentice Hall.
D. White, F. M., 2011. Fluid Mechanics. 7 ed. New York: McGraw Hill Higher Education.
 Objectives
• Describe the main reference frames used
in fluid analysis. 
• Highlight the significance of the control
volume in fluid flow problems. 
• State the Reynolds Transport Theorem. 
• Identify and sketch the velocity and
acceleration fields of a fluid.
 Fluid analysis
• Integral (control volume) analysis
• Differential (small scale) analysis
• Dimensional analysis
• Numerical analysis
 Reference frames
• Lagrangian
• Eulerian
Control volumes, control systems and
control surfaces

Control surface
(Eulerian reference)

X (x,y,z,t)

Control volume Control system

(Lagrangian reference)
 The Material Derivative
• For any property of a particle that moves
within an Eulerian reference frame.

• In compact notation
 Example (Munson 4.56)
• Air flows steadily through a long pipe with a speed of
u=15+0.5x (x is the distance along the pipe in m, u is in
m/s). Due to heat transfer into the pipe the air inside the
pipe is T=300+10x (C) determine the rate of change of
temperature of air particles as they flow past the point at
x=1.5m
 The acceleration field
• Acceleration from an Eulerian (control
surface) viewpoint requires that the velocity
field is analysed w.r.t time.
 Reynolds Transport Theorem
• Allows control volume analysis to be
undertaken whilst considering the control
system. The integral equivalent to the
material derivative.
 The velocity field
• Velocity is a vector property. The velocity
field of a fluid is described as V(x,y,z,t).
• Individual components are taken as u,v,w

i
 Flow visualization
• Streamlines are lines tangent to the
velocity field

• Other methods:
– Pathlines
– Streaklines
– Timelines
 Streamlines (Munson 4.2)
• A steady state velocity distribution can be described as

• Compute and plot the streamlines of the flow.

– Describe the flow
– Is there any point at which the fluid stops?
– Discuss the significance of this
 Example 4.5
• Determine the acceleration field for the positive quadrant
of the previous example.
 Stream function – 2-D
• Continuity reduces to

• Introduce stream functions

• This satisfies continuity for arbitrary values of  and
defines streamlines:
 Velocity potential (3-D)
• Introduce scalar (x,y,z,t)

• Resulting in Laplacian
Relationships between  and 

“Flow net”
 Objectives
• Describe the main reference frames used
in fluid analysis. 
• Highlight the significance of the control
volume in fluid flow problems. 
• State the Reynolds Transport Theorem. 
• Identify and sketch the velocity and
acceleration fields of a fluid.
Questions?