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Stream Function

The stream function is a function used to describe two-dimensional flows. It is defined such that the difference in stream function values between two points gives the volumetric flow rate between them. Streamlines represent trajectories in a flow and are perpendicular to equipotential lines. The usefulness of the stream function lies in the fact that the velocity components can be derived from its partial derivatives. It can be used to derive a complex potential to describe two-dimensional potential flows.

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343 views3 pages

Stream Function

The stream function is a function used to describe two-dimensional flows. It is defined such that the difference in stream function values between two points gives the volumetric flow rate between them. Streamlines represent trajectories in a flow and are perpendicular to equipotential lines. The usefulness of the stream function lies in the fact that the velocity components can be derived from its partial derivatives. It can be used to derive a complex potential to describe two-dimensional potential flows.

Uploaded by

AhmedUsman
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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Stream function

The stream function is defined for two-dimensional flows of various kinds. The stream function can be
used to plot streamlines, which represent the trajectories of particles in a steady flow. Streamlines are
perpendicular to equipotential lines. In most cases, the stream function is the imaginary part of the complex
potential, while the potential function is the real part.
Considering the particular case of fluid dynamics, the difference between the stream function values at any
two points gives the volumetric flow rate (or volumetric flux) through a line connecting the two points.
Since streamlines are tangent to the velocity vector of the flow, the value of the stream function must be
constant along a streamline. If there were a flux across a line, it would necessarily not be tangent to the flow,
hence would not be a streamline.
The usefulness of the stream function lies in the fact that the velocity components in the x- and y- directions
at a given point are given by the partial derivatives of the stream function at that point. A stream function
may be defined for any flow of dimensions greater than two, however the two dimensional case is generally
the easiest to visualize and derive.
Taken together with the velocity potential, the stream function may be used to derive a complex potential for
a potential flow. In other words, the stream function accounts for the solenoidal part of a two-dimensional
Helmholtz decomposition, while the velocity potential accounts for the irrotational part.

Two dimensional stream function


Definitions
The sign of the stream function depends on the definition used.
One way is to define the stream function for a two dimensional flow such that the flow velocity can be
expressed as:

Where

if the velocity vector

In Cartesian coordinate system this is equivalent to

Where u and v are the velocities in the x and y coordinate directions, respectively.
Alternative definition (opposite sign)
Another definition (used more widely in meteorology and oceanography than the above) is
,
where

is a unit vector in the +

z direction and the subscripts indicate partial derivatives.

Note that this definition has the opposite sign to that given above ( ' =

), so we have

in Cartesian coordinates.
Both formulations of the stream function constrain the velocity to satisfy the two dimensional continuity
equation exactly:

Derivation of the two dimensional stream function


Consider two points A and B in two dimensional plane flow. If the distance between these two points is very
small: n, and a stream of flow passes between these points with an average velocity, q perpendicular to the
line AB, the volume flow rate per unit thickness, is given by:

As n 0, rearranging this expression, we get:

Now consider two dimensional plane flow with reference to a coordinate system. Suppose an observer looks
along an arbitrary axis in the direction of increase and sees flow crossing the axis from left to right. A sign
convention is adopted such that the velocity of the flow is positive.
Flow in Cartesian coordinates
By observing the flow into an elemental square in an x-y Cartesian coordinate system, we have:

where u is the velocity parallel to and in the direction of the x-axis, and v is the velocity parallel to and in the
direction of the y-axis. Thus, as n 0 and by rearranging, we have:

Flow in Polar coordinates


By observing the flow into an elemental square in an r- Polar coordinate system, we have:

where vr is the radial velocity component (parallel to the r-axis), and v is the tangential velocity component
(parallel to the -axis). Thus, as n 0 and by rearranging, we have:

Continuity: The Derivation


Consider two dimensional plane flow within a Cartesian coordinate system. Continuity states that if we
consider incompressible flow into an elemental square, the flow into that small element must equal the flow
out of that element.
The total flow into the element is given by:

The total flow out of the element is given by:

Thus we have:

and simplifying to:

Substituting the expressions of the stream function into this equation, we have:

Vorticity
In Cartesian coordinates, the stream function can be found from vorticity using the following Poisson's
equation:

or

where

and

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