Intro to Fluid Dynamics

What Are Fluids? – Lesson 1

Fluid Dynamics in Everyday Life
• Why study fluids and their motion?
‐ Because fluids are everywhere, and fluid motion affects
our everyday lives!
• Fluid dynamics is important in nearly all areas of science
and technology:
‐ Biology
‐ Engineering
‐ Chemistry
‐ Geology
‐ Meteorology
‐ Space science
‐ Agriculture

2
Fluid Dynamics in Engineering
For engineers, applying predictions based on fluid dynamics
analysis can have significant impact on:
‐ Achieving and improving design performance goals
‐ Reducing product costs
‐ Shortening the design cycle
‐ Providing better safety margins for new products
‐ Understanding product problems and failures

3
Phases of Matter
• Solids
‐ Atoms and molecules in solids are arranged in a regular
manner and are packed tightly.
‐ Solids retain their shape and volume.
• Liquids
‐ Atoms and molecules in liquids are not arranged regularly
and are more loosely packed than solids.
‐ Liquids take the shape of the container. If not, they flow
easily.
• Gases
‐ Atoms and molecules in gases are irregular and are more
loosely packed than liquids.
‐ Gases fill the entire volume of the container they are Liquids and gases are
placed in. broadly classified as
fluids

4
Flowing Solids & Non-Deforming Liquids?

• Sometimes, it is difficult to differentiate between

solids and liquids based on their behavior.

• A collection of sand particles do not have a

constant shape and take the shape of the
container.

• We can walk on certain liquids without sinking. A

suspension containing 2 parts of corn starch mixed
with 1 part of water is an example of non-
Newtonian fluid. We can walk on this suspension
due to its shear thickening property. However, we
sink when we stand still.

5
Same Liquid, Different Flow Behavior
• Liquid water exhibits different physical flow behaviors in
different conditions.
• What characterizes this behavior?

6
Summary
• Fluid dynamics is relevant to our everyday lives and is
important in a wide range of scientific and engineering
disciplines.
• Today, we largely study fluid dynamics to solve
challenging and complex problems for improving
product design and for reducing overall product costs.

7
Properties of Fluids

What Are Fluids? – Lesson 2

Before We Begin…Units
• Students taking this course should be familiar with units and unit conversion in science and engineering.
• We will adopt SI (metric) units for this course. However, real-world applications often employ other unit systems
(e.g., English, CGS, etc.). Time units will be seconds unless otherwise indicated.

Quantities SI English
Mass Kilogram (kg) Pound-mass (lbm)

Length Meter (m) Foot (ft)

Velocity m/s ft/s

Acceleration m/s2 ft/s2

Force Newton (N) Pound-force (lbf)

Pressure Pascal (N/m2) lbf/ft2

Temperature (absolute) Kelvin (K) Rankine (R)

Density kg/m3 lbm/ft3

Viscosity N · s/m2 lbf · s/ft2

What Is a Fluid?
• A fluid is a material that cannot resist a shear force without moving.
• Fluids vs. Solids
‐ A solid deforms by an amount proportional to the applied shear stress, which is proportional to strain (Hooke’s
Law).
‐ In contrast, a fluid deforms continuously when shear (tangential) forces (Fs) are exerted on it (shear stress is
proportional to strain rate).
Fs t

Solid Fluid
𝜃 𝜃ሶ

‐ The distinction between fluids and solids is not always sharp. Some materials can
behave as liquids or solids under different conditions:
• Granular solids in many aspects behave like fluids.
• Metals under extreme pressures, like in a shaped charge, behave like fluids.
Fluids as a Continuum
• In order to formulate governing equations related to fluid motion, we will assume that fluids behave
as a continuous medium, or continuum.
• Continuum: the properties at a point represent an average over a small volume whose dimension is
large compared to the distance between individual fluid molecules (or, in gases such as helium,
atoms), but small enough to be a point in space.
• Under the assumption of continuum, the molecular structure of the medium is ignored, and the
medium is assumed to fill all the space it occupies
• A measure of the continuum assumption is the Knudsen number (Kn)
𝜆 𝑀𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑡ℎ
𝐾𝑛 = =
𝐿 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ

❖Kn << 1 Continuum assumption is closely obeyed

❖Kn >> 1 Free molecule flow (rarefied gas flow)
Mean free path
Fluid Properties — Density
• All fluids are comprised of molecules (in gases such as Helium, atoms).
Gases – Molecules move freely, can be easily compressed
Liquids – Molecules are close together, not easily compressed
• The mass (𝑀) of a fluid in a given volume (𝑉) is related to the number of molecules in the volume and
the molecular weight of the fluid material.
• The density (𝜌) of the fluid is then defined as the ratio of mass of fluid to the volume as the volume
shrinks to zero (continuum limit).
𝑀 𝑘𝑔
𝜌 = lim
𝑉→0 𝑉 𝑚3 𝑀

gas liquid 𝑉
Density (kg/m3)

10-1 100 101 102 103

Fluid Properties — Pressure

• Consider a small surface (𝐴) centered at a point within a

fluid a rest.
• If the surface is at rest, the fluid will exert a normal force
(𝐹𝑛) on the surface. 𝐹𝑛
• In the continuum limit as the area shrinks to zero, the 𝐴
normal force/area tends to a fixed value. This is how we
define the fluid pressure (𝑃).

𝐹𝑛 𝑁 Fluid
𝑃 = 𝑙𝑖𝑚
𝐴→0 𝐴 𝑚2

Note that pressure is a point property, and for compressible fluids is related to the density and
temperature through an equation of state.
Fluid Properties — Viscosity
• A fluid's viscosity is a measure of its resistance to deformation due to the
internal friction of a moving fluid.
• Consider a fluid layer between two walls of height Dy. The top wall is in motion
with velocity U relative to the lower fixed wall.
• For a fluid, it is found that the shear force per unit area (t) is proportional to
the velocity gradient as follows:
𝐹𝑠 𝑈
𝜏= =𝜇
𝐴 ∆𝑦

• This relation also holds in differential form at any point in the fluid:
𝜕𝑈
𝜏=𝜇
𝜕𝑦
• It is known as Newton’s law of viscosity, and the parameter 𝜇 is called the viscosity (which is referred to as
dynamic viscosity) with the units of N · s/m2.
• For many fluids, the viscosity 𝜇 is approximately constant. However, it can be a function of temperature and
chemical composition. For some materials, the viscosity is highly variable and a function of the velocity; and
these are classified as non-Newtonian fluids.
Physical Effect of Viscosity

• Steel spheres of equal size are dropped

simultaneously into tubes filled with engine
oils of different viscosities.
• The spheres sink due to the gravitational
force acting on them.
• The friction force (drag) acting on a sphere’s
surface is greatest for the tube filled with the
highest viscosity liquid — hence, that sphere
falls more slowly than the others.

Lowest Viscosity Highest Viscosity

Fluid Properties — Surface Tension
• Another fluid property that is important for free surface physics is the surface
tension (s) with units of N · m.
• Physically, the surface tension represents the tendency of a fluid surface to shrink
into the minimum surface area possible.
• The surface tension force acts tangential to a fluid-fluid interface and gives rise to Air
a pressure difference across the interface.
• The surface tension force exists at an interface between two immiscible fluids.
The most common is a liquid-gas interface. In a narrow tube, this
interface exhibits a concave or convex shape depending on whether the tube
wall is hydrophilic or hydrophobic, respectively.
• Surface tension can even induce motion in narrow tubes. This effect is known as
capillary action.
Water
• The capillary pressure difference across the interface between two static fluids is
described by the Young-Laplace equation:
1 1
∆𝑝 = 𝜎 + where R1 and R2 are principal radii of the surface
𝑅1 𝑅2
Fluid Properties — Temperature

• Temperature is a measure of the internal thermal energy in

the system.
• The temperature of any body (solid or fluid) is defined by the
zeroth law of thermodynamics, which states:
Two bodies which are in thermal equilibrium with a third body
are in thermal equilibrium with each other.
• Thus, we can measure temperature by observing how the
fluid’s thermal energy causes changes in another body — for
example, how the mercury level in the bulb of a thermometer
reacts to the fluid surrounding it.
• Like other properties, temperature is a function of space and
time in a fluid and can be linked to density and pressure
though a thermodynamic equation of state.
• Temperature has SI units of Kelvin (K).
Thermodynamics of Fluids

• For a pure, compressible substance, it is known from observations that the state of the
substance can be defined by three properties: density, pressure and temperature.
• If two properties are known, the third can be determine from an equation of state:

𝑃 = 𝑓(𝜌, 𝑇)

• It should be noted that the thermodynamic state also implies the phase of the substance
(solid, liquid, gas). The associated 3D plot is called a phase diagram.

NOTE: In basic fluid mechanics, we concern ourselves primarily with fluids in the liquid or gaseous phases, since the behavior of
these fluid phases conform to our definition of a fluid given earlier. We also exclude, for now, mixtures of phases such as
bubbles in a liquid, which is the subject of multiphase fluid dynamics (and thus beyond the scope of our current course).
Thermodynamic Properties
• From thermodynamics, there are several fluid properties that become important when compressibility and/or
heat transfer effects are important.
• Specific Heat (𝐶𝑝, 𝐶𝑣 ) – Ratio of heat absorbed by a substance per unit mass to the change in temperature
(𝐽/𝑘𝑔 · 𝐾)

• Speed of Sound (c) – Speed at which pressure waves propagate though a fluid (m/s)
At standard sea level, the speed of sound in still air is 340.9 m/s.

• Thermal expansion coefficient (𝛽) – Measure of volume change of a substance with respect to temperature,
important in the study of natural convection (1/K).

• Thermal Conductivity (𝑘) - Ratio of the heat flow per unit area through a substance to the local temperature
gradient (𝑊/(𝑚 · 𝐾). Thermal conductivity will be very important in the study of heat transfer in fluids and
solids.
 Summary

• We have discussed what a fluid is in terms of its basic

properties, specifically:
‐ Continuum
‐ Reaction to forces
‐ Density
‐ Pressure
‐ Temperature
‐ Surface tension
‐ Thermodynamic properties
• These properties will be important when we begin to examine
the physical laws which govern the motion of fluids.
Fluid Flow Classifications

What Are Fluids? – Lesson 3

Fluid Statics versus Fluid Dynamics
• Fluids can be at rest or in motion.
• Fluid statics is the study of fluids at rest (no motion).
‐ Fluid statics is commonly referred to as hydrostatics.

• Fluid dynamics is the study of fluids in motion.

‐ Fluid dynamics of liquids is called hydrodynamics.
‐ Fluid dynamics of compressible gases is called gas dynamics.

2
Unsteady versus Steady Flow
• Nearly all fluid motions observed in nature are
inherently unsteady (time dependent).
‐ Fluid unsteadiness exists at a range of scales from
very tiny to macroscopic. The random, mixed
motion we often observe is called turbulence.
• In many cases, we can ignore (or model) small-scale
unsteadiness and consider the fluid motion as only a Boundary layer edge Inviscid zone
function of space. Fluid motion is time-
independent: velocity, pressure, and temperature do
not change with time at a given point. This is the U(y) 𝛿
steady-state assumption. Viscous zone
• For the purpose of modeling fluid motion, the
steady-state assumption can be used to obtain Steady-state boundary layer model for flow over a flat plate
useful and practical engineering solutions.
‐ Effects of turbulence can be modeled so that the
simplified steady-state solution yields accurate
results for skin friction and heat transfer. We will
discuss this topic in more detail later in this
course.

3
Uniform versus Non-Uniform Flow

• Uniform Flow is a fluid flow in which characteristics and parameters

remain unchanged with distance along the flow path.
‐ A steady flow through a long straight pipe of a constant diameter is an Uniform Flow
example of uniform flow.
• Non-uniform Flow is a flow in which characteristics and parameters vary
and are different at different locations along the flow path.
‐ A steady flow through a pipe with bends or a pipe with a variable
diameter exemplifies a non-uniform flow.

Non-uniform Flow

4
Rotational versus Irrotational Flow
• Rotation flow is a fluid flow in which fluid particles moving along the flow path also rotate about their respective
axes.
• Irrotational flow is flow in which fluid particles moving along the flow path do not undergo rotation.

Rotational flow Irrotational flow

5
Laminar versus Turbulent Flow
• Laminar Flow
‐ At low speeds, fluid particles move in a smooth,
layered fashion (“lamina”).
‐ The flow appears uniform with no substantial mixing
of the fluid. This is laminar flow.

• Turbulent Flow
‐ At higher speeds, fluid particles begin to exhibit
random fluctuations and move in a chaotic, “tangled”
fashion.
‐ Flow appears non-uniform and significant mixing of
fluid occurs. This is turbulent flow.

• Fluid flow can undergo a transition from laminar to

turbulent flow such that both states of fluid motion are
observed. Knowing where this transition occurs is a
Laminar Turbulent
challenging question in fluid mechanics.
flow flow

6
Incompressible versus Compressible Flow
• Incompressible Flow – In an incompressible flow, the volume of a
given fluid parcel does not change (compress).
‐ This implies that density is uniform throughout the fluid.
‐ It is a reasonable assumption for all liquid flows and low-speed gas
flows.
• Compressible Flow – In a compressible flow, the volume of a given
fluid parcel can change (compress) with position.
‐ This implies that density will vary throughout the fluid, usually in
accordance with a thermodynamic equation of state. Incompressible flow

‐ Compressible flows are further classified according to speed of

fluid relative to the speed of sound waves. This ratio is non-
dimensional and is called the Mach number (Ma).
• For Ma < 1, the flow is subsonic. Pressure waves in the flow can
propagate in all directions.
• For Ma > 1, the flow is supersonic. Pressure waves can
compress to form shock waves, which propagate in the
downstream direction only. Compressible flow

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Flow Configurations

• External Flow
‐ An external flow is defined here as a flow over an object in an
unconfined domain.
‐ Viscous effects are typically important only in the vicinity of the External flow over a sedan
object. Away from the object, the flow is essentially inviscid.
‐ Examples: flow over aircraft, projectiles, ground vehicles.
• Internal Flow
‐ An internal flow is defined as a flow which is confined by walls,
partitions. and other boundaries.
‐ Viscous effects in this case extend across the entire passage
‐ Examples: flow in pipes, ducts, enclosures, nozzles.

Internal flow through the Circle of Willis, a joining area of several

arteries at the bottom side of the brain

8
 Summary

• We have examined some characteristics of fluid motion,

and how flows exhibit different behavior based on:
‐ Steady-state versus unsteady
‐ Uniform and non-uniform flows
‐ Rotational and irrotational flows
‐ Incompressible versus compressible flow
‐ Laminar versus turbulent flow
‐ Flow geometry and configuration (external versus
internal flows)

9
Falling-Sphere Viscometer
Qualitative Discussion of Pressure Force
• Due to this retardation of the flow at the front, the sphere experiences a higher pressure on the surface facing the flow
and lower pressure at the back. This difference of pressure exerts a force on the sphere – Pressure Force.

Pressure distribution on the surface of sphere and on a cross-plane for a sphere moving through Glycerin.

2
Qualitative Discussion of Viscous Force
• Secondly, the viscous force is generated by the motion of viscous fluid over sphere’s surface. This force acts tangential
to the surface and, in the case of an isotropic Newtonian fluid like the ones considered in the example, is proportional
to the rate of strain. The contour plot below shows the Wall Shear Stress on the surface of the sphere and the Strain
rate in the fluid on a cross-plane.

Strain
Rate

Wall Shear
Stress

Wall shear stresses on the surface of sphere and the corresponding Strain rate on a cross-plane for sphere moving through Glycerin.

3
Pressure and Viscous Drag in Engine Oil
• Drag force experienced by the sphere while moving through engine oil:

• This force has two components : Pressure Force (0. 079 𝑁) and Viscous Force (0.136 𝑁).

Flow Flow
Direction Direction

4
Pressure and Viscous Drag in Glycerin
• Drag force experienced by the sphere while moving through Glycerin:

• Pressure Force = 0.081 𝑁 and Viscous Force 0.125 𝑁.

Flow Flow
Direction Direction

5
 Flow field around the Sphere
• Velocity vectors on the “symmetry1” plane show a stagnation point on the upstream surface where the flow comes to a
stop, then turns and flows along the curvature of the sphere, accelerating in the process.
• Resolved boundary layer along sphere surface can be clearly seen.
• The Reynolds number is high enough for the flow to separate and form a wake downstream of the sphere.

Flow
Direction Wake

6
Comparison Between the Two Fluids
• Because of the difference in the viscosity of the two fluids in this example, i.e.,
• Engine Oil : 𝜇 = 1.06 𝑘𝑔/𝑚𝑠
• Glycerin : 𝜇 = 0.799 𝑘𝑔/𝑚𝑠
the viscous forces experienced by the sphere are different for the two cases:
• Engine Oil : Fviscous = 0.136 𝑁
• Glycerin: Fviscous = 0.125 𝑁

• This difference in the viscous drag leads to a difference in the time it takes for
the sphere to fall the length of the tube under gravity in viscometer. Knowing
this time, along with several correlations, allows to measure the viscosity of
the fluid.

Flow
Direction

7
Summary

• In this example you learned how to calculate the drag force experienced by
a sphere as it moves through a given fluid using Ansys Fluent.

• You also learned how this force varies in different fluids.

8
Natural Convection in a Square Cavity
 Results
topwall
• Natural convection is a mass and heat transfer process
driven by density differences in the fluid arising from
non-uniformities in the temperature field.
• In this example, the temperature difference between
the hotwall and coldwall drives the convection of air in
the cavity.

coldwall
hotwall
• Air close to hotwall heats up, becomes less dense and
rises to topwall under the action of the buoyance
force.
• Air next to coldwall cools down, become denser and
descends to bottomwall.
• These oppositely moving layers of air along hotwall
and coldwall result in a circular pattern of air motion bottomwall
inside the cavity. Temperature distribution in the square
cavity due to natural convection
Results
• Velocity vector plot shows the circular motion of air driven by buoyancy force.

Velocity vectors colored by velocity magnitude, m/s Velocity vectors colored by temperature, K
Appendix
Natural Convection
Boussinesq Approach
• In natural convection, non-dimensional Rayleigh Number is introduced to
characterize laminar and turbulent regimes in these types of flows.
• Rayleigh Number is defined as:
𝑔βΔT𝐿3 𝜌
𝑅𝑎 =
𝜇𝛼

• Respective values o the right-hand-side for this example are :

‐ 𝑔 is gravitational acceleration = 9.81 𝑚/𝑠 2
‐ 𝛽 is thermal expansion coefficient = 1/ 𝑇𝑜𝑝 = 0.00344827 (1/K)
‐ 𝑇𝑜𝑝 is operating temperature = 290 K
‐ ΔT is the temperature difference = 15 K
‐ L is the size of the cavity = 0.1 m
‐ 𝜌 is the density of the fluid = 1.1405 𝑘𝑔/𝑚3
‐ 𝜇 is the viscosity of the fluid = 1.7894e-05 𝑘𝑔/𝑚𝑠
‐ 𝛼 is the thermal diffusivity = 2.11e-05 𝑚2 /𝑠
• 𝑅𝑎 < 108 indicates the flow is laminar.
• 𝑅𝑎 > 108 suggests the flow is turbulent.
• In a natural convection laminar flow, the Boussinesq Model treats density as constant in all equations except for the buoyancy term
in the momentum equation.
Streamlining in High-Speed
Rail Transport
Qualitative Discussion of Static Pressure
• In this example, we simulated the flow of air over two trains moving at high speeds.
• Let's begin our analysis of results by looking at the pressure contours for the two trains.
• The figures below show the pressure contours on the surfaces of the train and on a cross-plane along the midplane.
• As we can see from the plot, there is a high-pressure region in the front of trains. However, the red high pressure
region is higher for the old model compared to the streamlined bullet train. This is due to the incoming air that is
brought to a complete halt on the surface of the old model, whereas in the case of the bullet train it is deflected
and moves along the inclined surface.
Qualitative Discussion of Velocity field
• The contour plots below show the wall shear stresses on the surface of the two trains and the velocity contours
along the midplane.
• As mentioned earlier, the velocity contour plot shows the air being brought to a complete halt upfront and then
subsequently accelerates as it flows over the curved surfaces.
• The blue-colored low-speed region is higher for the old train as compared to streamlined bullet train.
• We can also see the wall shear stresses on the train surface due to the friction between the air flow and the wall.
• Due to the streamlining, the wall shear stress and the associated viscous drag increases. However, this increase is
substantially less than the reduction in the pressure drag brought about by the process of streamlining.

Velocity Magnitude Velocity Magnitude

Qualitative Discussion of Velocity field
• The contour plots below show the velocity field on a plane passing through the mid section of each of the trains
longitudinally. We can see larger and stronger separation at the rear end of the old train compared to the
streamlined bullet train.

Flow Direction

Flow Direction
Flow Field Around the Train
• Velocity vectors plotted on the midplane show the stagnation point on the upstream surface where the flow
comes to a stop, then turns and flows along the curvature of the train, accelerating in the process.
• At the rear end we can see the flow getting separated and the formation of recirculation region.

Flow Direction

Flow Direction
Stagnation Point

• If we zoom into the front of the train, we can see the stagnation point.

Flow Direction

Flow Direction
Stagnation Point

• In the streamlined bullet train case, this stagnation region is substantially smaller as shown by the vector
plot.

Flow Direction

Flow Direction
Flow Separation and Recirculation
• Due to the abrupt change in the shape of the old train surface and the high Reynolds number, the flow
separates from the surface as shown below.
Flow Direction

Flow Direction
 Flow Separation and Recirculation
• Due to the streamlined shape of the wall, the flow remains attached longer compared to the old train
which leads to reduction in drag.
Flow Direction

Flow Direction
Quantitative analysis of Pressure and Viscous Forces

• As discussed earlier, we can see that due to the process of streamlining, the viscous drag of the bullet
train (4955.5 𝑁) is higher than the old train (3710.9 𝑁) .
• However, as the separation region behind the bullet train is substantially lower, the associated
pressure drag is significantly lower for the bullet train (32466.4 𝑁) when compared to the old train
(51054.7 𝑁) .
• Therefore, overall there is substantial reduction in the drag force due to streamlining.

Old train

Streamlined
bullet train

10
Summary

• In this example you learned how to simulate

flow around an old train and a streamlined
bullet train.

• You learned various post-processing tools

that can be used to analyze simulated flow
field.

• You also learned how the viscous and the

pressure drags are affected by streamlining.

11
 Appendix
Streamlining in High-Speed Rail Transport

12
Setup Changes
Deviations from the default Ansys Fluent 2020 R1 settings are outline here:
• The problem was setup to replicate an experimental setup of scaled
models of train placed inside a wind tunnel. In real experimental setup,
the walls of the wind tunnel are generally far away from the test model
and do not influence the flow around the object. In simulations, to avoid
unnecessary computational burden, the full wind tunnel is not modeled
and the domain boundaries that correspond to wind tunnel walls are
generally set to a slip wall which preventss boundary layers from growing
on this boundary, and thereby leaving the flow unaffected.

• In Ansys Fluent the default settings for turbulence intensity and

turbulent viscosity ratio are 5% and 10 respectively. However, in this
example, we updated the turbulent intensity and turbulent viscosity ratio
to 1% and 2 respectively. This was done in order to make the turbulence
setting more reflective of the actual physics of the problem. Generally, a
train moves in effectively quiescent air, and thus the upstream levels of
turbulence are expected to be very low.
 FMG Initialization
• Full Multigrid (FMG) initialization is used to obtain better initial solutions to complex flow problems. In this problem
we used FMG initialization to obtain an appropriate initial solution in order to help accelerate the convergence.
• During FMG initialization, the inviscid Euler equations are solved using first order discretization to obtain an
approximate solution. This initialization can be performed from the Fluent console using the following TUI command:
solve/initialize/fmg-initialization yes

Hybrid Initialization

FMG Initialization

Final Solution
Velocity magnitude, m/s
Flow Through Water Treatment Plant Piping
Results Pressure
Velocity Inlet Outlet
𝑣 = 0.5 𝑚/𝑠

• The velocity contours on the symmetry plane

show how the waterflow accelerates as it
flows over the bend.

Velocity Inlet
𝑣 = 1.5 𝑚/𝑠

2
Results Pressure
Outlet
Velocity Inlet
𝑣 = 0.5 𝑚/𝑠

• Velocity vectors can be used to analyze

the velocity profile. Flow separation region
• Fluid viscosity, along with the zero-
velocity (no-slip) condition at the wall
leads development of a thin layer of fluid
near the wall, called the boundary layer,
where the velocity varies from zero at
the wall to its mid-pipe value.
• Note the flow separates past the bend
creating a region of slower moving fluid.
Boundary layer
near the wall

Velocity Inlet
𝑣 = 1.5 𝑚/𝑠

3
Results
Pressure
Velocity Inlet Outlet
𝑇 = 20𝑜 𝐶
• The contour plot of the temperature field on
the symmetry plane shows the two streams
start to mix at the elbow section and the flow
has varying temperature at the outlet.

Velocity Inlet
𝑇 = 15𝑜 𝐶

4
Results

• The temperature profile along the section A-B

is as shown on the right.
B

A B

5
Summary

• In this simulation example you learned how to

simulate the flow through a mixing elbow.
• The setup comprised of two inlets with
different flow rates and fluid temperatures.
• You also learned how to analyze flow physics
by examining contours velocity and
temperature, and velocity vector field.