Fluid Properties

Fluids possess different properties of different basis which can be used to characterize the fluids. The
main properties of the fluids are Viscosity, Density, Specific Weight, Specific Gravity, Bulk Modulus,
kinematic Viscosity. We will discuss all of them in a detailed way in this section of the article.

Fluids are generally classified under three types of properties;

Kinematic Properties

These properties help in understanding fluid motion. Velocity and acceleration are the kinematic
properties of the fluids.

Thermodynamics Properties

These properties help in understanding the thermodynamic state of the fluid. Temperature, density,
pressure, and specific enthalpy are the thermodynamic properties of the fluids

Physical Properties

These properties help in understanding the physical state of the fluid such as color and odor.

Density

Density is the intensive property of matter. Density is the mass per unit volume for a substance or
matter.

For fluids, the density is the mass per unit volume. It is denoted by the rho (ρ).

Volume

ρ=mass/Volume

Values of densities for

Substance Density

Air (ρair)ρair 1.2kg/m3

Water (ρwater)ρwater 1000kg/m3

Mercury(ρHg)ρHg 13600kg/m3

Specific Weight & Gravity

Specific Weight is the weight per unit volume. It is denoted by W.

Volume

W=weight/Volume

Since, weight w=mg

Density ρ=m/v

So, W= mg/v

W = ρg

The dimensional formula of Specific weight [M1L−2T−2][M1L-2T-2]

Now, for Specific Gravity, denoted by S is defined as the ratio of the density of the fluid to the density of
the standard fluid or the ratio of the weight density of fluids to the weight density of standard fluids.

S=Density of Fluid/Density of the standard Fluids

It is the unitless and dimensionless quantity.

Specific Volume (V) is defined as the volume per unit mass of liquid. It is denoted by V.

V=V/m or 1/ρ

Bulk Modulus

Bulk Modulus, is defined as the measurement of the ability of the fluid to resist changes in the volume
when it is exposed under compression on all sides. Simply could be referred to as Incompressibility. It is
usually expressed to determine the elastic properties of fluids.It is a numerical constant denoted by K

K=−VdP/dV

or

K=ρ dP/dρ

The SI Unit is N/m2 or Pa

The dimensional Formula is [M1L−2T−2][M1L-2T-2]

Compressibility

Compressibility can be easily explained as the ability of the substance to decrease in size and volume on
applying external pressure.

For Fluids, Compressibility is a measure of the relative volume change of a solid or fluid in a response to
applied external pressure change. For a given mass of fluid, an increase in pressure, Δp > 0, will cause a
decrease in volume, ΔV < 0.

It is denoted by β. It’s SI unit is Pa-1 and the dimensional unit is [M1L−2T−2][M1L-2T-2]

β=1/K

OR

β=−1/V × dV/dP
Viscosity is a measure of the tendency of the fluid to resist its flow over a surface.

It can be described as the internal friction of a moving fluid. A fluid with large viscosity will tend to resist
the motion because its molecular structure will give it a lot of internal friction that increases the fluid’s
resistance.

For fluid, it is due to cohesion force while in Gases, viscosity is observed due to molecular momentum
transfer.

F=μA u/y

If velocity does not varies with the y, then it is expressed as;

τ=μ ∂u/∂y

Kinematic Viscosity

When we talk about the Fluid Dynamics, the viscosity is treated as kinematic viscosity for more
convenience. It can sometimes be termed as momentum diffusivity.

It is defined as the ratio of the dynamic viscosity μ to the density of the fluid ρ.

ν=μ/ρ

It is denoted ν. Its SI unit is (m2/s.m2)/s. It’s dimensional formula is [M0L−2T−1][M0L2T-1]

Dynamic Viscosity

Dynamic Viscosity describes the Absolute viscosity of the fluid which is obtained mathematically by
dividing the Shear stress by the rate of shear strain.

The units of dynamic viscosity are: Force / area x time

The Pascal unit (Pa) is used to describe pressure or stress = force per area. This unit can be combined
with time (sec) to define dynamic viscosity.

It is denoted by μ

Reference

Testbook. (2023, October 3). Fluid Properties: Definition,Types, Density, Temp,Surface Tension. Testbook.
https://testbook.com/chemistry/fluid-properties