Classification of Fluid Flows

CLASSIFICATION OF FLUID FLOWS
Convection heat transfer is closely tied with fluid mechanics, which is the science that deals
with the behavior of fluids at rest or in motion, and the interaction of fluids with solids or
other fluids at the boundaries. There are a wide variety of fluid flow problems encountered in
practice, and it is usually convenient to classify them on the basis of some common
characteristics to make it feasible to study them in groups. There are many ways to classify
the fluid flow problems, and below we present some general categories.
Viscous versus Inviscid Flow
When two fluid layers move relative to each other, a friction force develops between them
and the slower layer tries to slow down the faster layer. This internal resistance to flow is
called the viscosity, which is a measure of internal stickiness of the fluid. Viscosity is caused
by cohesive forces between the molecules in liquids, and by the molecular collisions in gases.
There is no fluid with zero viscosity, and thus all fluid flows involve viscous effects to some
degree. Flows in which the effects of viscosity are significant are called viscous flows. The
effects of viscosity are very small in some flows, and neglecting those effects greatly
simplifies the analysis without much loss in accuracy. Such idealized flows of zero-viscosity
fluids are called frictionless or inviscid flows.
Internal versus External Flow
A fluid flow is classified as being internal and external, depending on whether the fluid is
forced to flow in a confined channel or over a surface. The flow of an unbounded fluid over a
surface such as a plate, a wire, or a pipe is external flow. The flow in a pipe or duct is internal
flow if the fluid is completely bounded by solid surfaces. Water flow in a pipe, for example,
is internal flow, and air flow over an exposed pipe during a windy day is external flow. The
flow of liquids in a pipe is called open-channel flow if the pipe is partially filled with the
liquid and there is a free surface. The flow of water in rivers and irrigation ditches are
examples of such flows.
Compressible versus Incompressible Flow
A fluid flow is classified as being compressible or incompressible, depending on the density

variation of the fluid during flow. The densities of liquids are essentially constant, and thus
the flow of liquids is typically incompressible. Therefore, liquids are usually classified as
incompressible substances. A pressure of 210 atm, for example, will cause the density of
liquid water at 1 atm to change by just 1 percent. Gases, on the other hand, are highly
compressible. A pressure change of just 0.01 atm, for example, will cause a change of 1
percent in the density of atmospheric air. However, gas flows can be treated as
incompressible if the density changes are under about 5 percent, which is usually the case
when the flow velocity is less than 30 percent of the velocity of sound in that gas (i.e., the
Mach number of flow is less than 0.3). The velocity of sound in air at room temperature is
346 m/s. Therefore, the compressibility effects of air can be neglected at speeds under 100
m/s. Note that the flow of a gas is not necessarily a compressible flow.
Laminar versus Turbulent Flow
Some flows are smooth and orderly while others are rather chaotic. The highly ordered fluid
motion characterized by smooth streamlines is called laminar. The flow of high-viscosity
fluids such as oils at low velocities is typically laminar. The highly disordered fluid motion
that typically occurs at high velocities characterized by velocity fluctuations is called
turbulent. The flow of low-viscosity fluids such as air at high velocities is typically turbulent.
The flow regime greatly influences the heat transfer rates and the required power for
pumping.
Natural (or Unforced) versus Forced Flow
A fluid flow is said to be natural or forced, depending on how the fluid motion is initiated. In
forced flow, a fluid is forced to flow over a surface or in a pipe by external means such as a
pump or a fan. In natural flows, any fluid motion is due to a natural means such as the
buoyancy effect, which manifests itself as the rise of the warmer (and thus lighter) fluid and
the fall of cooler (and thus denser) fluid. This thermosiphoning effect is commonly used to
replace pumps in solar water heating systems by placing the water tank sufficiently above the
solar collectors
Steady versus Unsteady (Transient) Flow
The terms steady and uniform are used frequently in engineering, and thus it is important to
have a clear understanding of their meanings. The term steady implies no change with time.
The opposite of steady is unsteady, or transient. The term uniform, however, implies no
change with location over a specified region. Many devices such as turbines, compressors,
boilers, condensers, and heat exchangers operate for long periods of time under the same
conditions, and they are classified as steady-flow devices. During steady flow, the fluid
properties can change from point to point within a device, but at any fixed point they remain
constant.
One-, Two-, and Three-Dimensional Flows
A flow field is best characterized by the velocity distribution, and thus a flow is said to be
one-, two-, or three-dimensional if the flow velocity V varies in one, two, or three primary
dimensions, respectively. A typical fluid flow involves a three-dimensional geometry and the
velocity may vary in all three dimensions rendering the flow three-dimensional [V(x, y, z) in
rectangular or V(r, θ, z) in cylindrical coordinates]. However, the variation of velocity in
certain direction can be small relative to the variation in other directions, and can be ignored
with negligible error. In such cases, the flow can be modelled conveniently as being one- or
two-dimensional, which is easier to analyse. When the entrance effects are disregarded, fluid
flow in a circular pipe is one-dimensional since the velocity varies in the radial r direction but
not in the angular - or axial z-directions. That is, the velocity profile is the same at any axial
z-location, and it is symmetric about the axis of the pipe. Note that even in this simplest flow,
the velocity cannot be uniform across the cross section of the pipe because of the no-slip
condition. However, for convenience in calculations, the velocity can be assumed to be
constant and thus uniform at a cross section. Fluid flow in a pipe usually approximated as one
dimensional uniform flow.

Classification of Fluid Flows

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CLASSIFICATION OF FLUID FLOWS

Viscous versus Inviscid Flow

Internal versus External Flow

Compressible versus Incompressible Flow

A fluid flow is classified as being compressible or incompressible, depending on the density

Natural (or Unforced) versus Forced Flow

Steady versus Unsteady (Transient) Flow

One-, Two-, and Three-Dimensional Flows

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