Shell Momentum Balances and

Velocity Distributions in Laminar

Flow
In this chapter:
• We will apply previous concepts of molecular and convective
momentum transport to obtain velocity distribution for different
cases.
Momentum Balance
 Momentum Balance
Steady-state mass transfer equation

𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝐼𝑁 − 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑡 + 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑟 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = 0

Steady-state Momentum balance equation

𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 𝐼𝑁 − 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 𝑜𝑢𝑡 + 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 = 0

𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 𝐼𝑁 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 𝐼𝑁 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 𝑂𝑈𝑇 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 𝑂𝑈𝑇
+ − −
𝑏𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑓𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑦 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑓𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑓𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑓𝑒𝑟
𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑦
+ =0
𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚

Unit of momentum rate=N (consistent in the above equation)

ASSUMPTIONS FOR THE APPLICATION OF MOMENTUM BALANCE

In this chapter the momentum balance is applied only to systems in which there is just one velocity
component, which depends on only one spatial variable; in addition, the flow must be rectilinear.

Either,
Procedure for applying the balance
• Identify the nonvanishing velocity component and the spatial variable on
which it depends.
• Write a momentum balance over a thin shell perpendicular to the relevant
spatial variable.
• Let the thickness of the shell approach zero and make use of the definition of
the first derivative to obtain the corresponding differential equation for the
momentum flux.
• Integrate this equation to get the momentum-flux distribution.
• Insert Newton's law of viscosity and obtain a differential equation for the
velocity.
• Integrate this equation to get the velocity distribution.
• Use the velocity distribution to get other quantities, such as the maximum
velocity, average velocity, or force on solid surfaces.
Let’s apply momentum balance:
CASE 1: FLOW OF A FALLING FILM
z=0
y

x
z=L

z = 0, z = L, y = 0, y = W film thickness δ
Important postulates
➢As flow is laminar and rectilinear (in straight line), so vy=0 and vx=0
means that only y-component of velocity is non-vanishing.
(z-component)
i-e vz≠0
➢Now, decide Vz is function of which spatial variable ??
➢vz= f(x) only
 X-momentum =0
Y-momentum=0
Z-momentum≠0

What about combine momentum flux??

0
Molecular stresses in 3D 0

0
0

0 0
(incompressible fluid)

Apply these assumptions

0 0

0
 Apply the balance and using all the
assumptions
Momentum flux*Area = Momentum rate

𝑍 − 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑓𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑛 𝑥 𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 + 𝑧 − 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 𝑖𝑛 𝑦 𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 + 𝑧 − 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 𝑖𝑛 𝑦 𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

+Force of gravity = 0

𝑳𝑾 𝝋𝒙𝒛|𝒙 − 𝝋𝒙𝒛|𝒙+∆𝒙 + 𝑳∆𝒙 𝝋𝒚𝒛|𝒚=𝟎 − 𝝋𝒚𝒛|𝒚=𝑾 + 𝑾∆𝒙 𝝋𝒛𝒛|𝒛=𝟎 − 𝝋𝒛𝒛|𝒛=𝑳 + 𝒎𝒈 = 𝟎

𝑳𝑾 𝝉𝒙𝒛|𝒙 − 𝝉𝒙𝒛|𝒙+∆𝒙 + 𝑾∆𝒙 𝒑𝒛|𝒛=𝟎 − 𝒑𝒛|𝒛=𝑳 + 𝝆𝒗𝟐𝒛 |𝒛=𝟎 − 𝝆𝒗𝟐𝒛 |𝒛=𝑳 +

𝑾𝑳∆𝒙𝝆𝒈 cos 𝜷 = 𝟎

𝑳𝑾 𝝉𝒙𝒛|𝒙 − 𝝉𝒙𝒛|𝒙+∆𝒙 + 𝑾𝑳∆𝒙𝝆𝒈 cos 𝜷 = 𝟎

𝑳𝑾 𝝉𝒙𝒛|𝒙 − 𝝉𝒙𝒛|𝒙+∆𝒙 + 𝑾𝑳∆𝒙𝝆𝒈 cos 𝜷 = 𝟎

 𝝉𝒙𝒛|𝒙 − 𝝉𝒙𝒛|𝒙+∆𝒙 + ∆𝒙𝝆𝒈 cos 𝜷 = 𝟎

𝝉𝒙𝒛|𝒙 − 𝝉𝒙𝒛|𝒙+∆𝒙 = −∆𝒙𝝆𝒈 cos 𝜷

𝝉𝒙𝒛|𝒙+∆𝒙 − 𝝉𝒙𝒛|𝒙
= 𝝆𝒈 cos 𝜷
∆𝒙

Applying Limits ∆𝒙=0 Thin shell

𝝉𝒙𝒛|𝒙+∆𝒙 − 𝝉𝒙𝒛|𝒙 𝒅𝝉𝒙𝒛

lim = = 𝝆𝒈 cos 𝜷 Definition of differentiation
𝒙→𝟎 ∆𝒙 𝒅𝒙
 Now solve differential equation and apply boundary conditions

𝝉𝒙𝒛 = 𝝆𝒈𝒙 cos 𝜷 + 𝑪𝟏

(BC-1) @ 𝒙 = 𝟎, 𝝉𝒙𝒛 |=0 = 𝟎; 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝑩𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝟏 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 => 𝑪𝟏

=𝟎

𝝉𝒙𝒛 = 𝝆𝒈𝒙 cos 𝜷 (Shear stress profile equation)

Substitute Newton’s law of viscosity

𝝁𝒅𝒗𝒛
𝝉𝒙𝒛 =−
𝒅𝒙
 𝒅𝒗𝒛 𝝆𝒈 cos 𝜷
=− 𝒙
𝒅𝒙 𝝁

𝝆𝒈 cos 𝜷 𝟐 Integrate w r t x
𝒗𝒛 = − 𝒙 + 𝑪𝟐
𝟐𝝁

(BC-2) @ 𝒙 = 𝜹, 𝒗𝒛 = 𝟎; 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝑩𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝟐 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 => 𝑪𝟐

𝝆𝒈 cos 𝜷 𝟐
𝟎=− 𝜹 + 𝑪𝟐
𝟐𝝁

𝝆𝒈 cos 𝜷 𝟐
𝑪𝟐 = 𝜹
𝟐𝝁
 𝝆𝒈 cos 𝜷 𝟐 𝝆𝒈 cos 𝜷 𝟐
𝒗𝒛 = − 𝒙 + 𝜹
𝟐𝝁 𝟐𝝁

𝝆𝒈 cos 𝜷 𝟐 𝝆𝒈 cos 𝜷 𝟐
𝒗𝒛 = − 𝒙 + 𝜹
𝟐𝝁 𝟐𝝁

𝝆𝒈𝜹𝟐 cos 𝜷 𝒙 𝟐
𝒗𝒛 = 𝟏−( )
𝟐𝝁 𝜹

(parabolic velocity distribution equation)

Maximum velocity

𝝆𝒈𝜹𝟐 cos 𝜷
𝒗𝒛,𝒎𝒂𝒙 =
𝟐𝝁

𝑤 𝛿
Average velocity ‫׬‬0 ‫׬‬0 𝑣𝑧 𝑑𝑥𝑑𝑦
< 𝑣𝑧 >= 𝑤 𝛿 = ??? (try yourself)
‫׬‬0 ‫׬‬0 𝑑𝑥𝑑𝑦
 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐 𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒
< 𝑣𝑧 > =
𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎

𝛿 𝛿
𝑊 ‫׬‬0 𝑣𝑧 𝑑𝑥 ‫׬‬0 𝑣𝑧 𝑑𝑥
< 𝑣𝑧 >= < 𝑣𝑧 >=
𝑊𝛿 𝛿

𝝆𝒈 cos 𝜷 𝛿
< 𝑣𝑧 >= = ‫׬‬0 𝛿 2 − 𝒙𝟐 𝑑𝑥
𝟐𝛿𝝁

𝟐 𝝆𝒈 𝛿 2 cos 𝜷
< 𝑣𝑧 >= =
𝟑 𝟐𝝁

2
< 𝑣𝑧 > = 𝑉𝑚𝑎𝑥
3
Mass flow rate
Thickness of layer

By Re-arranging the velocity equation

Shear Force exerted by fluid on wall
Reynold’s Number

4𝛿 < 𝑣𝑧 > 𝜌
𝑅𝑒 =
𝜇

Laminar flow with negligible rippling Re < 20

Laminar flow with pronounced rippling 20 < Re < 1500
Turbulent flow Re > 1500