ME 320

Lecture 35
Limits of NSEs & Stokes Flow
Chapter 10

Yuan Xuan
 Reminders
• Midterm 2 solutions posted

• HW#9 due on Friday

• No class on Friday (travel)

• HW#10 available on Friday, due on Apr. 26

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 Recap: Navier-Stokes Equations
• For incompressible flow with constant ρ, μ

𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑣 𝜕𝑤
• Continuity + + =0
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧

• Navier-Stokes (momentum)
𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑃 𝜕2𝑢 𝜕2𝑢 𝜕2𝑢
𝜌 +𝑢 +𝑣 +𝑤 =− + 𝜌𝑔𝑥 + 𝜇 + +
𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑥 2 𝜕𝑦 2 𝜕𝑧 2
𝜕𝑣 𝜕𝑣 𝜕𝑣 𝜕𝑣 𝜕𝑃 𝜕2𝑣 𝜕2𝑣 𝜕2𝑣
𝜌 +𝑢 +𝑣 +𝑤 =− + 𝜌𝑔𝑦 + 𝜇 2 + 2+ 2
𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧
𝜕𝑤 𝜕𝑤 𝜕𝑤 𝜕𝑤 𝜕𝑃 𝜕2𝑤 𝜕2𝑤 𝜕2𝑤
𝜌 +𝑢 +𝑣 +𝑤 =− + 𝜌𝑔𝑧 + 𝜇 2
+ 2
+ 2
𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧

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 Lifting Block
• A heavy block (weight W) is supported by fluid
injected through a middle slot that flows both ways
– What is the film thickness?
– What is the required injection pressure?

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 Lifting Block
2. State assumptions for flow

3. Write out x-momentum in film region on lower

wall, and simplify

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 Lifting Block
4. Integrate and apply boundary conditions

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 Lifting Block
4. Apply known flow rate to find δ and dP/dx

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 Lifting Block
4. Apply block weight to find dP/dx

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 Recap: Navier-Stokes Equations
• For incompressible flow with constant ρ, μ

𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑣 𝜕𝑤
• Continuity + + =0
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧

• Navier-Stokes (momentum)
𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑃 𝜕2𝑢 𝜕2𝑢 𝜕2𝑢
𝜌 +𝑢 +𝑣 +𝑤 =− + 𝜌𝑔𝑥 + 𝜇 + +
𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑥 2 𝜕𝑦 2 𝜕𝑧 2
𝜕𝑣 𝜕𝑣 𝜕𝑣 𝜕𝑣 𝜕𝑃 𝜕2𝑣 𝜕2𝑣 𝜕2𝑣
𝜌 +𝑢 +𝑣 +𝑤 =− + 𝜌𝑔𝑦 + 𝜇 2 + 2+ 2
𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧
𝜕𝑤 𝜕𝑤 𝜕𝑤 𝜕𝑤 𝜕𝑃 𝜕2𝑤 𝜕2𝑤 𝜕2𝑤
𝜌 +𝑢 +𝑣 +𝑤 =− + 𝜌𝑔𝑧 + 𝜇 2
+ 2
+ 2
𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧

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 Motivation
• Previously we have discussed different limiting flow
conditions (steady, inviscid, small hydrostatic
forces…)

Hydrostatics Viscous Pipe Flow Inviscid Flow 10

 Motivation
• How do we know when to apply these different
limits?
• How does it affect the governing equations for the
flow?
• Consider magnitude of terms in Navier-Stokes
equation to find out.

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 Scaling of NSE
• Assume we have some flow
– Length scale L
– Velocity scale U
– Time scale (frequency) f

• What are the magnitudes of terms in the

momentum equations?

𝜕𝑢
𝜌 + 𝑢 ∙ 𝛻𝑢 = −𝛻𝑃 + 𝜌𝑔റ + 𝜇𝛻 2 𝑢
𝜕𝑡

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 Scaling of NSE
• Initial scaling of terms

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 Three Non-Dimensional Groups Appeared
• Strouhal number (St) – relative strength of unsteady
effects vs. inertial effects 𝐒𝐭 = 𝑓𝐿
𝑈

• Froude number (Fr) – relative strength of 𝑔𝐿

𝐅𝐫 =
gravitational forces vs. inertial forces 𝑈2

• Reynolds numer (Re) – relative strength of inertial

forces vs. viscous forces 𝜌𝑈𝐿
𝐑𝐞 =
𝜇

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 High Speed Flow Limit
• High-speed / dynamic flows: ∆𝑃~𝜌𝑈 2 , Re >> 1

• Resulting reduced NSE equation

𝜕𝑢
𝜌 + 𝑢 ∙ 𝛻𝑢 = −𝛻𝑃 + 𝜌𝑔റ
𝜕𝑡

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 Hydrostatic Limit
• Gravity dominant case: ∆𝑃~𝜌𝑔𝐿 ,
Fr >> 1 & all other non-dimensional parameters

• Resulting reduced NSE equation 𝛻𝑃 = 𝜌𝑔റ

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 Viscous Flow Limit
• Assume viscous forces are dominant,
𝜇𝑈
so: ∆𝑃~ , Re → 0
𝐿

• Only viscous and pressure terms left:

𝛻𝑃 = 𝜇𝛻 2 𝑢
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 Stokes/Creeping Flow (Re → 0) Comments
• At this limit
– Flow is automatically quasi-steady
– No contributions from fluid density or inertia
• Flow stops instantly as soon as driving force stops
– Like wading through a ball pit

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 Drag Force on particles in Stokes Flow
• Consider the drag force on a particle in Stokes flow
– What is the drag force on the particle?
– DA

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 Stokes Flow Example
• As Re → 0, the force on a small particle F = CμUD
• Drop a small particle into a fluid with high viscosity
(honey) to measure C
• Force balance:

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 Stokes Flow Example
• Honey drop (μ = 10 kg m-1 s-1, Δρ ~ 800 kg m-3)
D (m) U (m/s)
6 mm 0.0015

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 Two Examples of Low-Re Flows
• Excerpts from video by G.I. Taylor

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