CIVL 2310 Fluid Mechanics

Lecture 2: General Control Volume Conservation Equation/ Mass

Conservation

4.1 to 4.4 of “Mechanics of Fluids,” Merle C. Potter and David C. Wiggert, Brooks/Cole,
2001.

Topics
• Extensive vs intensive properties
• Flux across a permeable boundary
• General CV conservation equation
• Conservation of mass

1. Extensive vs intensive properties

Extensive prop.: integral generic quantity of the system, can be scalar or vectorial. We
will denote it with Nsys.
Intensive prop.: generic property of the system per unit mass, denoted as η, so that:

N sys = ∫ ηρ d∀
sys

ρ=density; ∫ ρd∀ =total mass of the system

sys

2. Flux across a permeable boundary

The flux of Nsys across a differential area dA (on the surface of the control volume) can
be expressed as:

Flux across dA= ρ ηv·dA

v·dA (dot product): projection of v in the direction of A

v·dA=v cos α dA

3. General CV conservation equation

Consider the situation of figure 4.4 in the textbook. Conservation of Nsys requires
evaluation of Nsys at two different times (t and t+δt).

   
N sys t =  ∫ ηρ d∀  ; N sys t +δt =  ∫ ηρ d∀ 
 II t  II + III  t +δt
The rate of change in Nsys during δt can be obtained following the derivations in the
textbook. Note that

N sys t +δt − N sys t dN sys

limδt →0 =
δt dt

   
 ∫ ηρ d∀ + ∫ ηρ d∀  −  ∫ ηρ d∀ 
   
 II  t +δt  II  t = ∂ ηρd∀
∫
I
limδt →0
δt ∂ CV

   
 ∫ ηρ d∀   ∫ ηρ d∀ 
   
 III  t +δt  I  t +δt
limδt →0 − = ∫ ηρ v⋅ dA
δt δt CS

where CS stands for the surface of the control volume. The final equation reads:

dN sys ∂
dt
= ∫ ηρd∀ + CS∫ ηρ v⋅ dA
∂t CV

time rate of time rate of net rate of efflux

increase of N in increase of N in of N across the
the system the control volume control surface

If the property is conserved, then

∂
0= ∫ ηρd∀ + CS∫ ηρ v⋅ dA
∂t CV

4. Conservation of mass

Application of the general CV conservation equation using:

N=m (mass); η=1 (mass/mass)

Mass conservation requires

∂
0= ∫ ρd∀ + CS∫ ρ v⋅ dA
∂t CV