Shell Momentum Balances and

Velocity Distribution in Laminar Flow

 Introduction
•• Objective: how to obtain the velocity profiles for laminar
flows of fluids in simple flow systems
• Systems considered is steady-flow only. This means P, ρ,
and at each point in the stream do not change in time
• Applied to laminar flow only. Laminar flow is the orderly
flow at velocities sufficiently low that layers move along a
thin line
• Turbulent flow – wildly chaotic flow at sufficiently high
velocities that the particle flung apart and dispersed
throughout the entire cross section of the tube. Eddies are
present
 Shell Momentum Balance
• Shear stress and velocity distribution can be
calculated by setting up a momentum balance over a
thin “shell” of the fluid

• A restricted statement of the law of conservation of

momentum
• Velocity considered are rectilinear and has only one
component.
 Steps for setting up shell momentum
balances
• Identify the non-vanishing 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.
 Boundary Conditions
a.
• At solid-fluid interfaces the fluid velocity equals the velocity with
which the solid surface is moving; this statement is applied to both
the tangential and the normal component of the velocity vector. The
equality of the tangential components is referred to as the "no-slip
condition.'‘
b. At a liquid-liquid interfacial plane of constant x, the tangential velocity
components vy and vz, are continuous through the interface (the "no-
slip condition") as are also the molecular stress-tensor components p
+xx, xy, and xz.
c. At a liquid-gas interfacial plane of constant x, the stress-tensor xy, and
xz are taken to be zero, provided that the gas-side velocity gradient is
not too large. This is reasonable, since the viscosities of gases are
much less than those of liquids
 Flow of a falling film
• Consider the flow of a liquid down an inclined plate
of length L and with W.
• Edge disturbances are neglected (W and L are large
compare to film thickness )
• Assumptions:
– For small flowrates, we expect viscous forces will prevent
continued acceleration of the liquid down the wall ( is
independent of )
– and and
• Non-vanishing component of is
• Select a thin shell perpendicular to the x-direction:
• Rate of z-directed momentum thru all possible
mechanisms:
• and

• and is the same at z=0 and z=L

• Shell Balance

• Divided by and taking the limit as

• Components of the
• Since is dependent only in x:

• Integrating:

• Using BC1 (at x=0, =0), C1=0, so the

momentum flux distribution is
• We substitute NLV and integrating:

• Using BC2 (at ):

 Machine Problem 1:
• Set up in the most detailed way the shell
momentum Balances for flow inside a circular
pipe. Define variables, explain vanishing and
non-vanishing components and plot the
results. Discuss also the implication of the
results and cite examples on where we can
use the results.
• Do the same for flow through an annulus.