In continuum mechanics the flow velocity in fluid dynamics, also macroscopic velocity[1][2] in statistical mechanics, or drift velocity in electromagnetism, is a vector field used to mathematically describe the motion of a continuum. The length of the flow velocity vector is scalar, the flow speed. It is also called velocity field; when evaluated along a line, it is called a velocity profile (as in, e.g., law of the wall).

Definition

The flow velocity u of a fluid is a vector field

which gives the velocity of an element of fluid at a position and time

The flow speed q is the length of the flow velocity vector[3]

and is a scalar field.

Uses

The flow velocity of a fluid effectively describes everything about the motion of a fluid. Many physical properties of a fluid can be expressed mathematically in terms of the flow velocity. Some common examples follow:

Steady flow

The flow of a fluid is said to be steady if does not vary with time. That is if

Incompressible flow

If a fluid is incompressible the divergence of is zero:

That is, if is a solenoidal vector field.

Irrotational flow

A flow is irrotational if the curl of is zero:

That is, if is an irrotational vector field.

A flow in a simply-connected domain which is irrotational can be described as a potential flow, through the use of a velocity potential with If the flow is both irrotational and incompressible, the Laplacian of the velocity potential must be zero:

Vorticity

The vorticity, , of a flow can be defined in terms of its flow velocity by

If the vorticity is zero, the flow is irrotational.

The velocity potential

If an irrotational flow occupies a simply-connected fluid region then there exists a scalar field such that

The scalar field is called the velocity potential for the flow. (See Irrotational vector field.)

Bulk velocity

In many engineering applications the local flow velocity vector field is not known in every point and the only accessible velocity is the bulk velocity or average flow velocity (with the usual dimension of length per time), defined as the quotient between the volume flow rate (with dimension of cubed length per time) and the cross sectional area (with dimension of square length):

.

See also

References

  1. Duderstadt, James J.; Martin, William R. (1979). "Chapter 4:The derivation of continuum description from transport equations". In Wiley-Interscience Publications (ed.). Transport theory. New York. p. 218. ISBN 978-0471044925.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. Freidberg, Jeffrey P. (2008). "Chapter 10:A self-consistent two-fluid model". In Cambridge University Press (ed.). Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy (1 ed.). Cambridge. p. 225. ISBN 978-0521733175.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. Courant, R.; Friedrichs, K.O. (1999) [unabridged republication of the original edition of 1948]. Supersonic Flow and Shock Waves. Applied mathematical sciences (5th ed.). Springer-Verlag New York Inc. pp. 24. ISBN 0387902325. OCLC 44071435.
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