Differential conservation of

mass (continuity) and vorticity

Announcements

• On homework 5, don’t do problem 6 (rocket problem)

• Lab 2 this next week. Sign up on Learning Suite
• Exam 2 is 29 February to 2 March in the testing center and
covers chapters 4-5
• Velocity and acceleration field, streamlines, streak
lines, path lines, RTT, conservation of mass,
momentum and energy.
Difference between integral and differential
approaches for conservation laws
Integral Approach Differential Approach
• Information only at CS • Information at all points in domain
• Approximate solution • Necessary if flow field details are needed
• Reliable for 1st order approximations • Can solve with CFD programs
• Adequate for resultant force determination • Computer solution can take a long time
(even weeks)
• Exact solution
• Closed form solution exists only for some
cases
Motion and deformation of a fluid particle

This is just
caused by the
velocity field
 Differential conservation of mass
δu
Lets look at a fluid particle in a flow field that is accelerating in the x-direction, ≠ 0.
δx

y Time 1 Time 2

( )
x δ ∀1 = δx δy δz δu
δ ∀2 = δx + δxδt δyδz
z δx
δu
u + δx Change in particle volume is
u δx described by how much farther
δy δy the right side moves than the left

( δx )
δu
δz is out-of- Δ(δ∀) = δxδt δyδz
page size
δx δu
δx + δxδt
δx
δu
The rate of change of the particle volume per unit volume due to the velocity gradient is
δx

dt δ ∀ [( δx ) ] δt δxδyδz
d(δ∀) 1 δu 1 1 δu
= δxδt δyδz =
δx
 Differential conservation of mass
δv δw
If there are also velocity gradients and then the rate of change of the particle volume per unit volume is
δy δz
d(δ∀) 1 δu δv δw This is called the volumetric
= + +
dt δ ∀ δx δy δz dilation rate.

If we assume that the fluid is incompressible … then the volume of a mass of fluid can’t change …
So
δu δv δw This is the differential form of the
+ + =0 conservation of mass equation for
δx δy δz incompressible flow. It is also called the
continuity equation. If a fluid is
or
∇⋅ V⃗= 0
incompressible then the velocity vector
field V ⃗ will satisfy this equation.

If the fluid is compressible then we can derive the differential form of the conservation of mass equation
starting from the integral conservation of mass equation (section 6.2.1) to get

δρ δ(ρu) δ(ρv) δ(ρw)

+ + + =0
δt δx δy δz
 Example
Is the flow field described by the following velocity vector incompressible?
2 2 2
u = 2x + y − x y
3 2
v = x + xy − 2xy
Differential conservation of mass in cylindrical coordinates
The differential form of conservation of mass (continuity equation) can also be expressed in cylindrical
coordinates, where the velocity vector is V ⃗ = vrer̂ + vθeθ̂ + vzeẑ .

Different ways
of writing the
unit vectors
The compressible form of conservation of mass is
eẑ eθ̂
δρ 1 δ(rρvr) 1 δ(ρvθ) δ(ρvz)
+ + + =0
δt r δr r δθ δz

er̂ The incompressible for is

1 δ(rvr) 1 δvθ δvz

+ + =0
r δr r δθ δz

Measured from
the positive x-axis
https://mathworld.wolfram.com/CylindricalCoordinates.html
Motion and deformation of a fluid particle
 Fluid particle rotation
δu δv
Lets look at a fluid particle in a flow field that has spacial accelerations and .
δy δx
y Time 1 Time 2 Using a method similar to how we found the
x linear deformation of a particle we find that the
angular velocity of line OA is
z δv
ωOA =
δx
and the angular velocity of line OB is
δu
ωOB = −
δy
where a positive angular rotation is
counterclockwise (see 6.1.3 for more details).
The rotation of a fluid particle about the z-axis is defined as the average of the angular velocities (ωOA and
ωOB) of the two mutually perpendicular lines OA and OB.

2 ( δx δy )
1 δv δu
ωz = −

Notice that if OA rotates in an equal amount to OB but opposite direction we don’t get any net rotation, but
only angular deformation of the fluid particle.
 Fluid particle rotation and vorticity
We have found the rotation of a fluid particle about the z-axis. Using the same method we can find the
rotation about the x-axis and y-axis as well.

2 ( δy δz ) 2 ( δz δx ) 2 ( δx δy )
1 δw δv 1 δu δw 1 δv δu
ωx = − ωy = − ωz = −

These 3 components of the particle rotation can be combined into the rotation vector defined as
ω ⃗ = ωx i ̂ + ωy j ̂ + ωzk̂
where the direction points along the axis of rotation and the magnitude indicates the rotation rate in radian/s.

The vorticity vector ζ ⃗ is defined to be twice the rotation vector and is more commonly used to describe fluid
rotation than the rotation vector.
ζ ⃗ = 2 ω ⃗ = curl V ⃗ = ∇ × V ⃗

If ∇ × V ⃗ = 0⃗ then the flow is called irrotational and fluid particles do not rotate.
 Cross product refresher

⃗
ζ=

( δy δz ) ( δz δx ) ( δx δy )
⃗ ⃗
ζ=∇× V =
δw
−
δv
î +
δu δw
− ĵ +
δv δu
− k ̂

+ − − + + −
 MIT fluids video on vorticity

Note in this
video they call
vorticity ω ⃗

Start at 1:03
End at 6:20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOA3VJHCnWs
 Rotational vs irrotational
When a flow is irrotational fluid particles don’t rotate as they move (this can be used to simplify some
complex flow fields).

If a flow is irrotational between two points then we can use the Bernoulli equation even if we are not on a
streamline.

Irrotational

Irrotational Rotational

Rotational

Vorticity is caused by shear stress.

 Example
2
For incompressible flow in the x-y plane, the y-component of velocity is given by v = y − 2x + 2y.
Determine a possible x-component of the velocity. Using u and v find if the flow field is irrotational.
 Stream function
The incompressible conservation of mass (continuity) equation for 2D is
δu δv
+ =0
δx δy

Because u and v can be related to each other by the above equation, we

can define a new function called the stream function ψ as Plugging these equations into the
conservation of mass equation shows
that conservation of mass is satisfied.
δψ δψ (
δ δψ
)
+
δ
(
−
δψ
)
=
δ 2ψ
−
δ 2ψ
=0
u= and v=− δx δy δy δx δxδy δyδx
δy δx

When we take an integral to solve for ψ we see that ψ = f(x, y).

One useful thing about ψ is that lines along which ψ is constant are streamlines (shown in 6.2.3).
So if we have an equation for ψ we can plot streamlines by setting ψ equal to different constants
and plotting the corresponding equation.
 Example
The velocity components in a steady incompressible, 2D flow field are: u = 2y and v = 4x. What
is the stream function?
Streamlines can now be determined by setting ψ =
constant and plotting the resulting curve. With the
preceding expression for ψ (with C = 0) the value
of ψ at the origin is zero, so that the equation of
the streamline passing through the origin (the ψ =
0 streamline) is y 2 − 2x 2 = 0.
Stream function in cylindrical coordinates

The stream function in cylindrical coordinates is

1 δψ δψ
vr = and vθ = −
r δθ δr
 Example
The velocity components for an incompressible, planar flow (like for a rotating disc) are below.
Determine the corresponding stream function.
A B
vr = + 2 cos θ
r r
B
vθ = 2 sin θ
r