Kelvin's circulation theorem ($d\Gamma /dt=0$)

In an inviscid barotropic fluid subject to conservative body force, the circulation of a material loop is constant. For constant density, parameterize that loop by $\mathbf{r}(s,t)$ with ${\mathbf{r}}_t=\mathbf{u}$. Differentiating $\Gamma =\int \mathbf{u}\cdot {\mathbf{r}}_{s}ds$ gives an integral of $(D\mathbf{u}/Dt)\cdot d\mathbf{r}$ plus $\int {\partial }_s(|\mathbf{u}{|}^2/2)ds$. The latter vanishes on a closed loop, and the Euler equations make the former the integral of a gradient, also zero. For a barotropic density, $\nabla p/\rho$ is still a gradient of specific enthalpy. Constant circulation is consistent with changing local vorticity when a vortex tube changes its cross-sectional area.

In smooth barotropic inviscid flow with conservative body force, Kelvin's circulation theorem preserves circulation of material curves. Initially zero vorticity therefore gives zero circulation on contractible loops for all times. A loop winding around an excluded obstacle can have a nonzero constant circulation: the planar field $\mathbf{u}=\Gamma {\mathbf{e}}_{\theta }/(2\pi r)$ is irrotational outside the origin but has circulation $\Gamma$ on a positively oriented enclosing loop.