Basics of fluid mechanics

This session is designed considering you as very new

to fluid mechanics.
Please stop me wherever you feel not comfortable
Questions are asked not to make you feel bad, it for
making you think about definitions physically
 Fluid dynamics
Fluid dynamics is the science of fluid motion.
Fluid flow is commonly studied in one of three ways:
 Experimental fluid dynamics.
 Theoretical fluid dynamics.
 Numerically: computational fluid dynamics (CFD).
During this course we will focus on obtaining the knowledge
required to be able to solve practical fluid flow problems using
CFD.

 Topics covered today include:

1. A brief review of the history of fluid dynamics.
2. An introductory overview of CFD.
Now lets try to understand basic terms Still we have not
addressed what is this unit
area?
Definition of pressure
Normal force acting on a unit area
Static pressure?

Base pressure
Body
Stagnation pressure?

How the body feels this flow?

Free stream?
 Continuum postulate
From Microscopic point of view material is composed of discrete particles. In dealing
with gases it is assumed that molecular structures are replaced with continuum

Continuum postulate assumes that every differential element of molecule contains

tremendous number of molecules the average statistical properties of molecules
contained in elementary volume represent macroscopic properties of the fluid in the
elementary volume.

Note : Above postulate is valid only when the molecular size is larger than mean free
path
Density at a point in continuum
Physical meaning of velocity?
Velocity=distance travelled/time taken
Specific weight and specific gravity
What is the fluid dynamic name of gamma?
Ans: Specific weight
The specific weight of the fluid is the weight per unit
volume and given by

Specific gravity is the ratio of fluid density to the

standard reference density of fluid
 Potential, kinetic and internal energy
In thermostatic system only available energy is due to molecular activity and
molecular bonding forces

Change in pressure or
temperature
Potential energy

Internal Energy

Kinetic energy
State relation
All gases at high temperatures and low
pressures(relative to the critical point) are in good
agreement with perfect gas law

If we assume change in internal energy is only due to temperature then we call

that as specific heat (CV)
Classification of flow
Steady or Unsteady
Uniform or non-uniform
Compressible or in-compressible
Viscid or inviscid
Gas or liquid

Before explaining all these lets see the different type of

flow patterns
 The path traced by particle is

Flow patterns Every where tangent to

called path line

Stream line velocity vector at given

instant of time

Path line
Streak line
Timeline
Steady and Unsteady flow patterns
 Uniform flow and non-uniform flow
A
B
C
D

If at distance
‘x+delx’ Stationary
viewer
Va=Vb=Vc=Vd
flow is Uniform
flow

A
B
C
D
Stationary
viewer
 Steady flow and Unsteadyflow
A
B
C
D

Stationary
viewer

If at time ‘t’ and ‘ t+delt’

Va=Vb=Vc=Vd flow is steady
flow

A
B
C
D
Stationary
viewer
Mean free path calculation
For low pressure the density is so low the application
of continuum is a question
There is an analytical way of relating this mean free
path as given by

Where “m” is the mass of the molecule

“d” is the molecular diameter
 Knudsen number, Reynolds number and
Mach number
For the gas to satisfy continuum postulate the mean free
path should be less than characteristic length.
By definition

Based on knudsen number flow regime can be classified as

Knudsen number can be related to

reynolds and Mach number as

What is Mach number and Reynolds number?

Speed of sound

After applying above assumption in continuity , momentum and energy

equation we finally arrive this form of equation the derivation is left as
homework for you
C= 340.3 m/s
The ratio of local flow speed to the local speed of sound is expressed as Mach
number
 Laminar, Turbulent flows
Another way of classifying the flow is either laminar or turbulent flow

In laminar flow also called as viscous or streamline flow the adjacent layers of fluid
move in orderly way parallel to each other and in direction of flow

In turbulent flow streamline doesnot exist and random eddy exist resulting in
momentum transfer across the mean streamlines

The difference between laminar and turbulent can be expressed numerically by

dimensionless number called Reynolds number
 Perfect and real fluids
The Molecule of perfect gas exerts no intermolecular forces their only interaction arise
from elastic collision

Real fluid differs from fictitious perfect fluid in that they are not frictionless

Because the perfect fluid is frictionless, a body immersed therein cannot create
resistance or drag a force component acting in the same direction as fluid velocity.
Viscosity
The ability of the real fluid to distort or deform when tangential or shearing force is
applied and thereby resisting the shearing stress imposed on it

Viscosity of fluid depends primarily on temperature and slightly on pressure

Effect of temperature in viscosity of fluids
For gas viscosity increases with increase in
temperature because at higher temperature there is
more molecular activity and momentum transfer
Whereas for liquids viscosity decreases as temperature
increases; the reason for this is observed to be due to
decrease in molecular cohesion with rise in
temperature
Still more to follow is……
Reversible and Irreversible processes
Work
Heat
First law of thermodynamics
Internal energy
Enthalphy
Specific heat
 Second law of thermodynamics
Newtons law of motion
Momentum of a particle
Temperature
Specific heat
Thermal equation of state
Entropy change
Enthalpy change
Properties of atmosphere