Module 6

Lecture 2: Navier-Stokes and Saint Venant

equations
 Navier-Stokes Equations

Claude-Louis Navier Sir George Gabriel Stokes

 St.Venant equations are derived from Navier-Stokes Equations for shallow

water flow conditions.
 The Navier-Stokes Equations are a general model which can be used to model
water flows in many applications.
 A general flood wave for 1-D situation can be described by the Saint-Venant
equations.

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Navier-Stokes Equations Contd…

 It consists of 4 nonlinear PDE of mixed hyperbolic-parabolic type describing

the fluid hydrodynamics in 3D.

 Expression of F=ma for a fluid in a differential volume

∂u ∂u ∂u ∂u
ax = +u +v +w (6.6)
∂t ∂x ∂y ∂z
∂v ∂v ∂v ∂v
ay = +u +v +w (6.7 )
∂t ∂x ∂y ∂z
∂w ∂w ∂w ∂w
az = +u +v +w (6.8)
∂t ∂x ∂y ∂z

∂ui ∂ui where i: x, y, z

ai = + uj ui: u, v, w
∂t ∂x j uj: u, v, w
 The acceleration vector contains local and convective acceleration terms
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Navier-Stokes Equations Contd…

 The force vector is broken into a surface force and a body force per unit volume.
 The body force vector is due only to gravity while the pressure forces and the
viscous shear stresses make up the surface forces(i.e. per unit mass).

1  ∂p ∂τ xx ∂τ yx ∂τ zx 
f x = g x + − + + +  (6.9)
ρ  ∂x ∂x ∂y ∂z 
1  ∂p ∂τ xy ∂τ yy ∂τ zy 
f y = g y + − + + +  (6.10)
ρ  ∂y ∂x ∂y ∂z 
1  ∂p ∂τ xz ∂τ yz ∂τ zz 
f z = g z + − + + +  (6.11)
ρ  ∂z ∂x ∂y ∂z 
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Navier-Stokes Equations Contd…

 The stresses are related to fluid element displacements by invoking the

Stokes viscosity law for an incompressible fluid.

∂u ∂v ∂w
τ xx = 2µ , τ yy = 2µ , τ zz = 2 µ (6.12)
∂x ∂x ∂x
 ∂u ∂v 
τ xy = τ yx = µ  +  (6.13)
 ∂y ∂x 
 ∂w ∂u 
τ xz = τ zx = µ  +  (6.14)
 ∂x ∂z 
 ∂v ∂w 
τ yz = τ zy = µ  +  (6.15)
 ∂z ∂y 
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Navier-Stokes Equations Contd…

 Substituting eqs. 6.12-6.15 into eqs. 6.9-6.11, we get,

1 ∂p  ∂ 2u ∂ 2u ∂ 2u 
fx = gx − + ν  2 + 2 + 2  (6.16)
ρ ∂x  ∂x ∂y ∂z 
1 ∂p  ∂ 2v ∂ 2v ∂ 2v 
fy = gy − + ν  2 + 2 + 2  (6.17)
ρ ∂y  ∂x ∂y ∂z 
1 ∂p ∂2w ∂2w ∂2w
fz = gz − + ν  2 + 2 + 2  (6.18)
ρ ∂z  ∂x ∂y ∂z 
1 ∂p ∂ 2 ui
fi = gi − +ν Einstein notation
ρ ∂xi ∂x j ∂x j

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Navier-Stokes Equations Contd…

 The three N-S momentum equations can be written in compact form as

∂ui ∂ui − 1 ∂p ∂ 2ui
+ uj = +ν + gi (6.19 )
∂t ∂x j ρ ∂xi ∂x j ∂x j
 The equation of continuity for an incompressible fluid

∂u ∂v ∂w
+ + =0
∂x ∂y ∂z
∂ui
=0 (6.20)
∂xi

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 Saint Venant Equations

The Saint Venant Equations were formulated in the 19th

century by two mathematicians, de Saint Venant and
Bousinnesque.
Joseph Valentin Boussinesq

The solution of the St. Venant equations is known as dynamic

routing, which is generally the standard to which other methods
are measured or compared.
Jean Claude Saint-Venant

Continuity equation: ∂Q ∂A Q-Discharge through the channel

+ =0 A-Area of cross-section of flow
∂x ∂t y- Depth of flow
Momentum equation: S0-Channel bottom slope
Sf- Friction slope
1 ∂Q 1 ∂  Q 2  ∂y
+   + g − g (So − S f ) = 0
A ∂t A ∂x  A  ∂x
Assumptions of St. Venant Equations

• Flow is one-dimensional

• Hydrostatic pressure prevails and vertical accelerations are negligible

• Streamline curvature is small.

• Bottom slope of the channel is small.

• Manning’s and Chezy’s equation are used to describe resistance effects

• The fluid is incompressible

• Channel boundaries are considered fixed and therefore not susceptible to

erosion or deposition.

1D gradually varied unsteady flow in an open channel is given by St. Venant

equations:

 Continuity Equation ( based on Conservation of Mass)

 Momentum Equation ( based on Conservation of Momentum)

Module 6
 1-D Open channel flow

In the diagrams given,

Q = inflow to the control volume
q = lateral inflow

∂Q
∂x = Rate of change of flow
with distance
∂Q Elevation View
Q+ dx = Outflow from the C.V.
∂x
∂ ( ρAdx) = Change in mass
∂t

Plan View

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 St. Venant equations

Continuity equation:
∂Q ∂A Q-Discharge through the channel
+ =0 A-Area of cross-section of flow
∂x ∂t
Conservation of Mass
In any control volume consisting of the fluid (water) under consideration, the net
change of mass in the control volume due to inflow and outflow is equal to the net
rate of change of mass in the control volume

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 Continuity Equation-Derivation

Q = AV = volume water discharge [L3/T]

ρQ = Mass water discharge = ρAV [M/T]

∂/∂t(Mass in control volume) = Net mass inflow rate (assuming q=0)

∂ (ρA) ∂ ( AV )
∆x = ρAV x − ρAV x + ∆x = − ρ ∆x
∂t ∂x
∂ (ρA) ∂ ( AV )
i.e ∆x + ρ ∆x = 0
∂t ∂x
 ∂A ∂AV 
⇒ ρ∆x +  = 0; Here AV = Q, disch arg e
 ∂t ∂x 
through the cross − sec tion
 ∂A ∂Q 
⇒ + =0
 ∂t ∂x 
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In 1-D open channel flow continuity
equation becomes,

Conservation form

∂Q ∂A
+ −q =0
∂x ∂t
Non-conservation form
(velocity is dependent variable)

∂ (Vy ) ∂y
+ =0
∂x ∂t

∂y ∂V ∂y
V +y + =0
∂x ∂x ∂t

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Example Problem

Calculate the inlet velocity Vin from the diagram shown.

d  
0= ∫ ρd∀ + ∑ ρV ⋅ A
dt CV CS

d
= ( ρAtank h) − ρVin Ain + ρVout Aout
dt
dh
= Atank − Vin Ain + Vout Aout
dt
= 0.1 * 0.1x10 −2 − Vin (0.0025) + 2 g * 1(0.0025)
Vin = 4.47 m / s
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 Momentum

In mechanics, as per Newton’s 2nd Law:

Net force = time rate of change of momentum

Change in momentum
in the s direction

∑ F = ∆(mv )
s s

mass
Sum of forces in
the s direction Velocity in the s
direction
Momentum Equation

 The change in momentum of a body of water in a flowing channel is

equal to the resultant of all the external forces acting on that body.

d
∑ F = ∫∫∫Vρd∀ + ∫∫ VρV .dA
dt c .v . c.s.

Sum of forces
on the C.V.

Momentum stored Momentum flow

within the C.V across the C. S.

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Conservation of Momentum

This law states that the rate of change of momentum in the control volume is equal
to the net forces acting on the control volume
Since the water under consideration is moving, it is acted upon by external forces
which will lead to the Newton’s second law

d
∑ F = dt ∫∫∫Vρd∀ + ∫∫VρV .dA
c .v . c.s.

Momentum flow
Sum of forces on Momentum stored across the C. S.
the C.V. within the C.V

1 ∂Q 1 ∂  Q 2  ∂y
+   + g − g (So − S f ) = 0
A ∂t A ∂x  A  ∂x
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Applications of different forms of momentum equation

 Kinematic wave: when gravity forces and friction forces balance each other
(steep slope channels with no back water effects)

 Diffusion wave: when pressure forces are important in addition to gravity and
frictional forces

 Dynamic wave: when both inertial and pressure forces are important and
backwater effects are not negligible (mild slope channels with downstream
control)

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 Approximations to the full dynamic equations

The three most common approximations or simplifications are:

Kinematic
Diffusion
Quasi-steady models

Kinematic wave routing:

 Assumes that the motion of the hydrograph along the channel is controlled by
gravity and friction forces. Therefore, uniform flow is assumed to take place. Then
momentum equation becomes a wave equation:
∂Q ∂Q
+c =0
∂t ∂x
where Q is the discharge, t the time, x the distance along the channel, and c the
celerity of the wave (speed).
 A kinematic wave travels downstream with speed c without experiencing any
attenuation or change in shape. Therefore, diffusion is absent.
Diffusion wave routing

 The diffusion wave approximation includes the pressure differential term

but still considers the inertial terms negligible; this constitutes an
improvement over the kinematic wave approximation.
∂y
S f = S0 −
∂x
 The pressure differential term allows for diffusion (attenuation) of the
flood wave and the inclusion of a downstream boundary condition which
can account for backwater effects.

 This is appropriate for most natural, slow-rising flood waves but may lead
to problems for flash flood or dam break waves

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Quasi-Steady Dynamic Wave Routing

 It incorporates the convective acceleration term but not the local

acceleration term, as indicated below:
∂y V∂V
S f = S0 − ( ) − ( )
∂x g∂x
 In channel routing calculations, the convective acceleration term and
local acceleration term are opposite in sign and thus tend to negate each
other. If only one term is used, an error results which is greater in
magnitude than the error created if both terms were excluded
(Brunner, 1992).
 Therefore, the quasi-steady approximation is not used in channel routing.

Module 6