Department of Chemical Engineering

National Institute of Technology, Warangal

________________________________________________________

Academic Year

: 2014-15, I Semester, II Biotech

Course

: CH235 Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer

Instructor

: Dr. V. Ramsagar

Fluid Flow Phenomena

Fluid flow depends on viscosity and influence of solid boundaries.
Potential flow: incompressible and zero viscosity (i.e. influence of wall is small).

PF characteristic: Neither circulations nor eddies can form within the stream
(Irrotational flow)
Friction cannot be developed (no conversion of mech energy to heat
energy)
Potential flow exist in the stream away from boundary at high velocity and low
viscosity.
The layer which flow is affected by solid boundary is called boundary layer.
Fluid stream 2 parts: boundary layer and remaining fluids.
Examples:
Flow through converging nozzle BL may be neglected
Flow through the pipe BL fills the entire channel

Velocity Field:
The force field at the boundary responsible for adhesion and interfacial tension
be S and L.
The velocity of the fluid at the solid fluid interface is zero. Distance away from
the solid the vel is not zero.
The vel at any point is fun of the space coordinates of that point and vel field
exists in the space occupied by the fluid.

Steady state flow and unsteady state flow.

One dimensional flow
Laminar flow: at low velocities wo lateral mixing and adjacent layers slide past
one another as playing cards. No cross currents nor eddies.

Velocity gradient and rate of transfer:

Steady LF incompressible fluid and a solid plane surface.

Shear stress arise from viscous or

laminar flow is denoted by v

Velocity Gradient

Shear stress: exist when there is rate of

shear
Fs force exerted by plane above plane c on
the fluid bw plane c and wall
-Fs will act on fluid above plane c from the
fluid below plane c
Force per unit area of shearing plane is
SStress
=Fs/As varies with y

Rheological properties of fluids: study of flow properties under deformation

At cont temp and pre Fluid following
simple linearity called Newtonian fl.
Gases and most of liq are newtonian
Some liq do not flow until threshold
shear stress applied. Sewage sludge
Concave downward at lower shear and
became linear at high shear Rubber
latex sand filled emulsion
Shear rate thinning
Dilatant fluid shear rate thickening

time of shear stress applied will not effect the flow for above fluids.
Time dependent flow:
For some non Newtonian fluids stress vs rate depends on how long the shear has
been active.
Thixotropic liq break down under continued shear. On mixing give lower shear stress
for a given shear rate i.e. viscosity is decrease with time.
Rheopectic reverse behavior.
Viscoelastic fluid: shows viscous and elastic property. Exhibits elastic recovery from
deformation. Ex certain polymer melts
Viscosity: Newtonian fluid stress is proportional to shear rate and proportionality
cont is viscosity

But Vis of Newtonian fluid generally depends on temp and molecular structure.
Gas vis increase with increase in temp.

Vis of liq are generally much greater than those of gases. Viscosity increase with
MW and decreases with increasing temp.

Turbulence:
Fluid can flow through a pipe or conduit in two different ways.
The distinction bw these two types is determined by Osborne Reynolds.

Dye followed a straight

path.
Dye followed a wavy
path with streak intact.
Dye rapidly mixed
through the fluid in the
tube

Reynolds classified the flow type according to the motion of the fluid.

Laminar Flow: every fluid

molecule followed a straight path
that was parallel to the
boundaries of the tube.
Transitional Flow: every fluid
molecule followed wavy but
parallel path that was not parallel
to the boundaries of the tube.
Turbulent Flow: every fluid
molecule followed very complex
path that led to a mixing of the
dye.

Reynolds found that conditions for each of the flow types depended on:
1. The velocity of the flow (U)

2. The diameter of the tube (D)

3. The density of the fluid (r).

4. The fluids dynamic viscosity (m).

He combined these variables into a dimensionless combination now

known as the Flow Reynolds Number (R) where:

rUD
R
m

The value of R determined the type of flow in the experimental tubes:

UD

< 2100

2100 - 4000

> 4000