Laminar Boundary Layer

ME302 - Heat Transfer

Dr. N. Gnanasekaran
Assistant Professor

Department of Mechanical Engineering

National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal
gnanasekaran@nitk.edu.in

October 27, 2020

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 Laminar Boundary Layer

Laminar Boundary layer

The flow of a real fluid over a body can be divided into two
zones. One, a viscous layer surrounding the solid surface and
another which is a zero shear stress zone beyond the former
zone.
It has to be noted that, the flow initially uniform having one
component of velocity along the flow direction becomes two
dimensional on encountering the solid surface.
Solution of the boundary layer equation provides the method
for estimating the frictional resistance along the wetted surface
of the body.

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 Laminar Boundary Layer

2-D boundary layer equation

For two dimensional, steady state, incompressible flow, boundary

layer equations constitutes the following:
Continuity:
∂u ∂v
+ =0 (1)
∂x ∂y
Momentum
∂u ∂u 1 dp ∂2u
u +v =− +v 2 (2)
∂y ∂y ρ dx ∂y
Exact solutions are obtained by solving the above equations.
However, differential solutions are not attainable without
considerable mathematical elegance.

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 Laminar Boundary Layer

Momentum integral equation

A relatively simpler method, slightly less accurate-yet more

powerful in the sense that the process is applicable in varied
situations, lies in integrating equation 2 (momentum equation)
over the thickness of the boundary layer.
The integrated boundary layer equation can also be derived
independently by considering control volume which will be fo-
cused in this section.

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 Laminar Boundary Layer

Momentum integral equation contd....

With reference to the figure, a free stream flow at U∞ ap-
proaches a surface whose leading edge coincides with x=0.
x is measured along the surface and y is perpendicular to it.
δ(x) is the thickness of the boundary layer at a location x.
1-2-3-4 define a control volume whose faces 1-2 and 3-4 are
parallel to the solid surface and the other two faces are perpen-
dicular to the surface. The height of the face 1-4 or 2-3 is L
and L is greater than the thickness of the boundary layer.
Fluid masses enter through faces1-4, 1-2 and 2-3 carrying with
them the momentum prevailing in the respective neighbour-
hood. No mass enters through 3-4, the face being coincident
with the solid wall. The face 3-4, on the other hand, experi-
ences the wall shear and whose length is ∆ x.
A unit depth perpendicular to the plane of 1-2-3-4 is being
considered.
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 Laminar Boundary Layer

Momentum integral equation contd....

Conservation of mass:
The axial velocity at a location y on 1-4 face is u and the
mass entering through a strip dy is

ρudy (3)

Thus mass inlet through the volume of 1-4 is:

Z L
ρudy (4)
0

Mass leaving through 2-3 is written by using Taylor’s

expansion as:
Z L Z L
d h i
ρudy + ρudy ∆x (5)
0 dx o

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 Laminar Boundary Layer

Momentum integral equation contd....

Since at steady state no change in of propeties take place within
the control volume the excess of outflow through 2-3 is replenished
through 1-2. In other words the mass coming from the free stream
zone into the control volume is:
d  L
Z 
ρudy ∆x (6)
dx 0

Conservation of Momentum:
The momentum in-flow through a strip dy is :
ρu 2 dy (7)
and through the face 1-4 is:
Z L
ρu 2 dy (8)
0

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 Laminar Boundary Layer

Momentum integral equation contd...

Outflow through 2-3 is:

Z L Z L
2 d  
ρu dy + ρu 2 dy ∆x (9)
0 dx 0

Inflow through 1-2 due to the mass coming from the zone of U∞ is
Z L
d  
U∞ ρudy ∆x (10)
dx 0
Considering equation 8,9 and 3, we obtain the efflux of momentum
through the control surface as:
Z L Z L
d  2
d  
ρu dy ∆x − U∞ ρudy ∆x (11)
dx 0 dx 0

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 Laminar Boundary Layer

Momentum integral equation contd....

The face 1-2 being in the free stream zone, no shear stress acts on
it. The pressure on the face 1-4 is p, and is independent of y by
boundary layer theory.
The external forces acting on the control volume are hence:
dp
−τw ∆x − ∆x.L (12)
dx
Combining Equations 11 and 12, we can write the momentum
balance for the control volume as:

Z L Z L Z L
d   d  2
 dp
U∞ ρudy − ρu dy = τw + dy (13)
dx 0 dx 0 dx 0

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 Laminar Boundary Layer

Momentum integral equation contd....

In order to evaluate the pressure gradient we can move into the
free stream zone and use Bernoulli’s equation
p U∞ 2
+ =C (14)
ρ 2
dp dU∞
= −ρU∞ (15)
dx dx
Equation 13 is now written using equation 15 :
d  L dU∞ L d  L 2 
Z  Z Z
U∞ ρudy + ρU∞ dy − ρu dy = τw
dx 0 dx 0 dx 0
(16)
or for incompressible flow
d  L dU∞ L d  L 2  τw
Z  Z Z
U∞ udy + U∞ dy − u dy = (17)
dx 0 dx 0 dx 0 ρ
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 Laminar Boundary Layer

Momentum integral equation contd....

Consider the differentiation:
Z L Z L
dU∞ L
Z
d   d
U∞ udy = U∞ udy + udy (18)
dx 0 dx 0 dx 0
or Z L Z L Z L
d d dU∞
U∞ udy = uU∞ dy − udy (19)
dx 0 dx 0 dx 0
Equation 17 can be written as:
Z L Z L  dU  Z L Z L
d d 2 ∞
 τ
w
uU∞ dy − u dy + U∞ dy − udy =
dx 0 dx 0 dx 0 0 ρ
(20)
or
Z L
dU∞ L
Z
d 2 τw
(uU∞ − u )dy + (U∞ − u)dy = (21)
dx 0 dx 0 ρ
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 Laminar Boundary Layer

Momentum integral equation contd....

The limits of integration 0 to L can be split into o to δ and δ
to L.
In the free stream region of δ to L, however, u=U∞ and each
of the integrals is zero. Hence, Equation 21 can be effectively
written as,
Z δ
dU∞ δ
Z
d 2 τw
(uU∞ − u )dy + (U∞ − u)dy = (22)
dx 0 dx 0 ρ
It will be seen later that two terms in the L.H.S of equation 22
represent variation of significant physical parameters.
In the present form equation equation 22 the integral equation
for the momentum can represent both laminar and turbulent
flows, since no assumption has yet been made for the shear
stress, τw .
In case U∞ =C, such as it happens when a uniform flow contin-
ues past a flat plate at zero incidence, the second term on the
L.H.S is zero, since the pressure gradient or dU∞ /dx- is zero. 12 / 21
 Laminar Boundary Layer

Solution for flow over a flat plate

The steps involved in solving Equation 22 are:
Choosing a velocity profile that satisfies all the essential and
some additional boundary conditions.
Evaluating the integrals and reducing the L.H.S to a differential
expression on boundary layer thickness.
Postulating the law of shear stress for wall shear stress, depend-
ing on the flow regime. For laminar flow, by newtons law of
shear stress is given by:
∂u
τw = µ( )y =0 (23)
∂y
Solving the differential equation for boundary layer thickness,
Tracking back to wall shear stress to estimate the skin friction
in flow along the body surface.
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 Laminar Boundary Layer

Solution for flat plate contd....

We shall illustrate the method of solution by considering an incom-
pressible, laminar, steady flow of a Newtonian fluid along a flat plate
at zero incidence.
Velocity profile
The essential conditions to be satisfied by the boundary layer velocity
profile are:
y=0, u=0, v=0 (No slip condition)
y= δ, u= U∞ (free stream velocity at the edge of the boundary)

∂u
y = δ,
=0 (24)
∂y
This is no shear at the edge of the boundary layer.
y=0 and
1 dp ∂2u
0=− +v 2 (25)
ρ dx ∂y
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 Laminar Boundary Layer

Solution for flat plate contd....

Since the most important objective of the exercise is to estimate the
wall shear stress as correctly as possible, while pursuing the approx-
imate integral solution, we force the velocity profile to satisfy the
differential boundary layer equation(exact) on the wall. This then
becomes the additional boundary condition of first priority. Thus,

∂2u 1 dp
( )y =0 = (26)
∂y 2 µ dx
For a flat plate

dp
=0 (27)
dx
Therefore we get,
∂2u
= 0. (28)
∂y 2 y =0
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 Laminar Boundary Layer

Solution for flat plate contd...,

It is then proposed that the boundary layer velocity profile can be
written in terms of a polynomial in y with the number of terms
equalling the number of boundary conditions to be satisfied. For
the four conditions listed by us, we choose,
u = A + By + Cy 2 + Dy 3 (29)
The degree of polynomial in ’u’ can be increased by postulating addi-
tional boundary conditions. It is customary to verify the convergence
of an approximate integral solution by comparing the results of the
velocity profiles, one a degree higher than the other.
From the above equation we obtain,
∂u
= B + 2Cy + 3Dy 2 (30)
∂y
and
∂2u
= 2C + 6Dy (31)
∂y 2
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 Laminar Boundary Layer

Solution for flat plate contd....

Substitution for the four boundary conditions results in:
0=A
U∞ = Bδ + C δ 2 + Dδ 3
0=B+2Cδ + 3Dδ 2
0=2C
Solutions of the four algebraic equations yield,

A=0 (32)
3 U∞
B= (33)
2 δ
C =0 (34)
1 U∞
D=− (35)
2 δ3
u 3 y 1 y
= ( ) − ( )3 (36)
U∞ 2 δ 2 δ
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 Laminar Boundary Layer

Boundary layer thickness

Integral momentum equation (Eqn. 22) for a flow over flat plate
can be reduced as:
Z δ
d u u τw
(1 − )dy = 2
(37)
dx 0 U∞ U∞ ρU∞
The above integral in Equation is evaluated. by substituting for
u/U (infinity) is evaluated to be 39/280, or:
d 39 τw
( δ) = 2
(38)
dx 280 ρU∞
We now impose the laminar flow condition, for which
∂u
τw = µ( )y =0 (39)
∂y
or,
3 µU∞
τw = (40)
2 δ
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 Laminar Boundary Layer

Boundary layer thickness contd....

Thus the integrated momentum equation for the flat plate results
in
39 dδ 3 µU∞ 1
= 2 δ
(41)
280 dx 2 ρU∞
or,
dδ 140 µ
δ = (42)
dx 13 ρU∞
which upon integration yields,
280 µx
δ2 = +C (43)
13 ρU∞
The hydrodynamic boundary layer starts growing from the leading
edge where the fee stream flow first encounters the solid surface.
We can therefore choose;
δ=0 (44)
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 Laminar Boundary Layer

Boundary layer thickness equation contd....

At x=0 resulting in C=0. We should, however, recall that the

boundary layer equation are of course not valid in the immediate
vicinity of x=0, for Re, is low. Therefore from the above equation
we obtain,  δ 2 280 µ
= ( (45)
x 13 ρU∞ x
δ 4.64
=√ (46)
x Rex
Note that the information of the order of the order of magnitude
analysis and from solution of the differential form of the boundary
layer equation for a flat plate geometry results in C=5.

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 Laminar Boundary Layer

Skin friction co-efficient

The wall skin friction coefficient is defined as
τw (x)
Cf (x) = 1 2 (47)
2 ρU∞
Substituting for
τw (48)
from earlier equation, we get
3 µU 3µ
Cf (x) = 1 2 = (49)
2 2 ρU∞ δ ρU∞ δ
or, √
µ x 1 Rex
Cf (x) = 3( ) =3 (50)
ρU∞ x δ Rex C
Where, C=4.64 for the 3rd degree polynomial we chose for the
velocity profile. We thus have,
3
Cf (x) = Re −1/2 (51)
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