Past exam of the viscous flow course of the University of Oxford / 2023 / 1 / b / i

For the unidirectional flow $\mathbf{u}=(0,0,w)$, incompressibility gives ${\partial }_{z}w=0$. Hence $w=w(x,y,t)$, and the convective acceleration $w{\partial }_{z}w$ vanishes. The transverse components of the Navier-Stokes equation give $p_x=p_y=0$, while the axial component givesA steady-flow assumption is implicit in the question. Neither unidirectional flow nor a time-independent pressure gradient alone eliminates ${\partial }_{t}w$: a decaying transient can be superposed on the final pipe profile. The native PDF does not explicitly say steady flow in this part. For the intended steady flow, $w_t=0$, and thereforeTaking the pipe walls to be stationary, the no-slip boundary condition isThe no-penetration boundary condition is already satisfied by the assumed velocity field. This is the Poisson equation defining rectangular duct flow.