Lagrangian / Eulerian frames of reference

mcmaster.ca January 27, 2025 1

Diffusion
Stationary

𝜕𝑐
= −∇ ⋅ 𝐽Ԧ
𝜕𝑡

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Diffusion
Moving

2 m/s

1s

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Diffusion
Moving

u = 2 m/s

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Diffusion
Moving

𝑐(𝑋, 𝑡) X
u = 2 m/s 𝑋 𝑥, 𝑡 = 𝑥 + 𝑢 𝑡

𝑐(𝑥, 𝑡) 𝐷𝑐(𝑋, 𝑡) 𝜕𝑐(𝑥, 𝑡) 𝜕𝑐 𝜕𝑥

= +
x

𝐷𝑡 𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑋
𝜕𝑐(𝑥, 𝑡) 𝜕𝑐
= + 𝑢
𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑥

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Material derivative

Lagrangian frame of reference Eulerian frame of reference

Total / material derivative Spatial derivative
Frame of reference moving with the material Frame of reference moving with the material

𝐷 𝜕
= +𝑢⋅∇
𝐷𝑡 𝜕𝑡

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Diffusion
Moving

𝜕𝑐
= −∇ ⋅ 𝐽Ԧ − 𝑣Ԧ ⋅ ∇𝑐
𝜕𝑡
2 m/s

𝜕𝑐
+ 𝑣Ԧ ⋅ ∇𝑐 = −∇ ⋅ 𝐽Ԧ
𝜕𝑡 1s

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Moving mesh
Arbitrary Lagrange-Eulerian method

Lagrangian frame of reference Eulerian frame of reference

Total / material derivative Spatial derivative
Frame of reference moving with the material Frame of reference moving with the material

Computational mesh
Computational domain
Reference domain for computation

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Navier stokes
Momentum diffusion

mcmaster.ca January 27, 2025 9

Navier stokes
Fluid flow

• Field of interest is velocity: 𝑢 𝑥,

Ԧ 𝑡
• Highly non-linear since velocity field itself is convecting with the velocity field!
• Not usually uniform – must be Eulerian frame of reference

• Neighbouring fluid streams ‘drag’ on each

• Try to smooth gradients in velocity

u1
𝐹 = 𝜇 𝑢1 − 𝑢2
u2
= −𝜇∇𝑢

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Navier stokes
Viscous stress

• Neighbouring fluid streams ‘drag’ on each

• Try to smooth gradients in velocity

u1 𝐹12 = 𝜇 𝑢1 − 𝑢2
u2 = −𝜇∇𝑢
u3 𝐹23 = 𝜇 𝑢2 − 𝑢3
= −𝜇∇𝑢
𝐹2 = −∇ ⋅ −𝜇∇𝑢
2
= 𝜇∇ 𝑢
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Navier stokes
Viscous stress

• Sometimes you’ll see the symmetric part of the velocity tensor extracted:

𝐹2 = −∇ ⋅ −𝜇∇𝑢
2
= 𝜇∇ 𝑢
1 𝑇
= ∇ ⋅ 𝜇 ∇𝑢 + ∇𝑢
2

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Navier stokes
Forces and Momentum diffusion

• Recall: F = ma

Ԧ 2
𝐹 = 𝜇∇ 𝑢 − ∇𝑝 + 𝜌𝑔
2
𝑚𝑎Ԧ = 𝜇∇ 𝑢 − ∇𝑝 + 𝜌𝑔
𝐷𝑢 2
𝜌 = 𝜇∇ 𝑢 − ∇𝑝 + 𝜌𝑔
𝐷𝑡

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Navier stokes
Mass conservation

𝜕𝜌
= −∇ ⋅ 𝜌𝑢
𝜕𝑡
• If incompressible, 𝜌 is constant,

0=∇⋅𝑢
• Typically contributes to the pressure, 𝑝

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Navier stokes
What you’ll actually see!

𝜕𝑢 2
Time dependent 𝜌 + 𝜌 𝑢 ⋅ ∇ 𝑢 = 𝜇∇ 𝑢 − ∇𝑝 + 𝜌𝑔
𝜕𝑡
𝜕𝜌
= −∇ ⋅ 𝜌𝑢
𝜕𝑡

𝜌 𝑢⋅∇ 𝑢 = 2
𝜇∇ 𝑢 − ∇𝑝 + 𝜌𝑔
Stationary
0=∇⋅𝑢

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Navier stokes
Laminar vs Turbulence

• Laminar
• Smooth
• Predictable
• Fixed streamlines
• Turbulent
• Chaotic / unstable
• Shifting streamlines
• Can be ‘averaged’

https://youtu.be/Jkiv5r4Wq1g

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Navier stokes
Boundary conditions

• Slip
• Nonslip
• Symmetry
• Inlet
• Normal velocity
• Average / total flow (nonlocal coupling)
• Pressure
• Outlet
• Pressure
• Velocity
• Average / total flow

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