Fluid flow

A fluid flow is motion described by a velocity field $\mathbf{u}(\mathbf{x},t)$. The trajectories of fluid elements satisfy $d\mathbf{x}/dt=\mathbf{u}(\mathbf{x},t)$; the mass density and other fields obey their conservation laws and constitutive equations. This physical motion differs from a flow on a flow network.

A unidirectional flow has velocity parallel to a single fixed direction, for example $\mathbf{u}=u(y){\mathbf{e}}_x$. If the speed is independent of the coordinate along that direction, the convective acceleration $(\mathbf{u}\cdot \nabla )\mathbf{u}$ vanishes. The steady Navier-Stokes equation then reduces to a linear balance of the pressure gradient and viscosity, as in Couette flow and Poiseuille flow.

In steady flow, the velocity and other relevant flow fields are independent of time in the chosen reference frame. Streamlines then coincide with the paths of moving particles, while convective acceleration can still be nonzero.

An inviscid flow neglects viscosity in the fluid flow. Its momentum balance is described by the Euler equations for an inviscid fluid.