The Navier-Stokes Equations

Adam Powell
May 7, 2004
Below are the Navier-Stokes equations and Newtonian shear stress constitutive equations in vector form,
and fully expanded for cartesian, cylindrical and spherical coordinates. The momentum equation is given
both in terms of shear stress, and in the simplied form valid for incompressible Newtonian uids with
uniform viscosity.
Vector Form These are the equations written using compact vector notation.
The continuity equation (conservation of mass):
D
Dt
+ u = 0 (1)
The motion equation (conservation of momentum):

Du
Dt
= p + g (2)
Shear stress constitutive equation:
=
_
u +u
T

2
3
u
_
(3)
The simplied motion equation for an incompressible Newtonian uid with uniform viscosity:

Du
Dt
= p +
2
u + g (4)
1
Cartesian Coordinates For a general uid in cartesian coordinates:
mass :

t
+
(u
x
)
x
+
(u
y
)
y
+
(u
z
)
z
= 0 (5)
xmomentum :
_
u
x
t
+ u
x
u
x
x
+ u
y
u
x
y
+ u
z
u
x
z
_
= (6)

p
x


xx
x


yx
y


zx
z
+ F
x
ymomentum :
_
u
y
t
+ u
x
u
y
x
+ u
y
u
y
y
+ u
z
u
y
z
_
= (7)

p
y


xy
x


yy
y


zy
z
+ F
y
zmomentum :
_
u
z
t
+ u
x
u
z
x
+ u
y
u
z
y
+ u
z
u
z
z
_
= (8)

p
z


xz
z


yz
y


zz
z
+ F
z
Shear stress constitutive equation:

xx
=
_
2
u
x
x

2
3
u
_
(9)

yy
=
_
2
u
y
y

2
3
u
_
(10)

zz
=
_
2
u
z
z

2
3
u
_
(11)

xy
=
yx
=
_
u
x
y
+
u
y
x
_
(12)

xz
=
zx
=
_
u
x
z
+
u
z
x
_
(13)

yz
=
zy
=
_
u
y
z
+
u
z
y
_
(14)
u =
u
x
x
+
u
y
y
+
u
z
z
(15)
For a Newtonian incompressible uid in cartesian coordinates:
xmomentum :
_
u
x
t
+ u
x
u
x
x
+ u
y
u
x
y
+ u
z
u
x
z
_
= (16)

p
x
+
_

2
u
x
x
2
+

2
u
x
y
2
+

2
u
x
z
2
_
+ F
x
ymomentum :
_
u
y
t
+ u
x
u
y
x
+ u
y
u
y
y
+ u
z
u
y
z
_
= (17)

p
y
+
_

2
u
y
x
2
+

2
u
y
y
2
+

2
u
y
z
2
_
+ F
y
zmomentum :
_
u
z
t
+ u
x
u
z
x
+ u
y
u
z
y
+ u
z
u
z
z
_
= (18)

p
z
+
_

2
u
z
x
2
+

2
u
z
y
2
+

2
u
z
z
2
_
+ F
z
2
Cylindrical Coordinates For a general uid in cylindrical coordinates:
mass :

t
+
1
r

r
(ru
r
) +
1
r

(u

) +

z
(u
z
) = 0 (19)
rmomentum :
_
u
r
t
+ u
r
u
r
r
+
u

r
u
r

u
2

r
+ u
z
u
r
z
_
= (20)

p
r

_
1
r

r
(r
rr
) +
1
r

r
+

rz
z
_
+ F
r
momentum :
_
u

t
+ u
r
u

r
+
u

r
u

+
u
r
u

r
+ u
z
u

z
_
= (21)

1
r
p

_
1
r
2

r
(r
2

r
) +
1
r

+

z
z
_
+ F

zmomentum :
_
u
z
t
+ u
r
u
z
r
+
u

r
u
z

+ u
z
u
z
z
_
= (22)

p
z

_
1
r

r
(r
rz
) +
1
r

+

zz
z
_
+ F
z
Shear stress constitutive equation:

rr
=
_
2
u
r
r

2
3
( u)
_
(23)

=
_
2
_
1
r
u

+
u
r
r
_

2
3
( u)
_
(24)

zz
=
_
2
u
z
z

2
3
( u)
_
(25)

r
=
r
=
_
r

r
_
u

r
_
+
1
r
u
r

_
(26)

rz
=
zr
=
_
u
z
r
+
u
r
z
_
(27)

z
=
z
=
_
u

z
+
1
r
u
z

_
(28)
u =
1
r

r
(ru
r
) +
1
r
u

+
u
z
z
(29)
For a Newtonian incompressible uid in cylindrical coordinates:
rmomentum :
_
u
r
t
+ u
r
u
r
r
+
u

r
u
r

u
2

r
+ u
z
u
r
z
_
= (30)

p
r
+
_

r
_
1
r

r
(ru
r
)
_
+
1
r
2

2
u
r

2

2
r
2
u

+

2
u
r
z
2
_
+ F
r
momentum :
_
u

t
+ u
r
u

r
+
u

r
u

+
u
r
u

r
+ u
z
u

z
_
= (31)

1
r
p

+
_

r
_
1
r

r
(ru

)
_
+
1
r
2

2
u

2
+
2
r
2
u
r

+

2
u

z
2
_
+ F

zmomentum :
_
u
z
t
+ u
r
u
z
r
+
u

r
u
z

+ u
z
u
z
z
_
= (32)

p
z
+
_
1
r

r
_
r
u
z
r
_
+
1
r
2

2
u
z

2
+

2
u
z
z
2
_
+ F
z
3
Spherical Coordinates For a general uid in spherical coordinates:
mass :

t
+
1
r
2

r
_
r
2
u
r
_
+
1
r sin

(u

sin ) +
1
r sin

(u

) = 0 (33)
rmomentum :
_
u
r
t
+ u
r
u
r
r
+
u

r
u
r

+
u

r sin
u
r

u
2

+ u
2

r
_
=
p
r
(34)

_
1
r
2

r
_
r
2

rr
_
+
1
r sin

(
r
sin ) +
1
r sin

+
phi
r
_
+ F
r
momentum :
_
u

t
+ u
r
u

r
+
u

r
u

+
u

r sin
u

+
u

r

u

cot
r
_
=
1
r
p

(35)

_
1
r
2

r
_
r
2

r
_
+
1
r sin

sin ) +
1
r sin

+

r
r

cot
r
_
+ F

momentum :
_
u

t
+ u
r
u

r
+
u

r
u

+
u

r sin
u

+
u

u
r
r
+
u

cot
r
_
=
1
r sin
p

(36)

_
1
r
2

r
_
r
2

r
_
+
1
r

+
1
r sin

+

r
r
+
2

cot
r
_
+ F

Shear stress constitutive equation:

rr
=
_
2
u
r
r

2
3
( u)
_
(37)

=
_
2
_
1
r
u

+
u
r
r
_

2
3
( u)
_
(38)

=
_
2
_
1
r sin
u

+
u
r
r
+
u

cot
r
_

2
3
( u)
_
(39)

r
=
r
=
_
r

r
_
u

r
_
+
1
r
u
r

_
(40)

r
=
r
=
_
1
r sin
u
r

+ r

r
_
u

r
_
_
(41)

=
_
sin
r

_
u

sin
_
+
1
r sin
u

_
(42)
u =
1
r
2

r
(r
2
u
r
) +
1
r sin

(u

sin ) +
1
r sin
u

(43)
4
For a Newtonian incompressible uid in spherical coordinates:
rmomentum :
_
u
r
t
+ u
r
u
r
r
+
u

r
u
r

+
u

r sin
u
r

u
2

+ u
2

r
_
=
p
r
(44)
+
_
1
r
2

2
r
2
_
r
2
u
r
_
+
1
r
2
sin

_
sin
u
r

_
+
1
r
2
sin
2

2
u
r

2
_
+ F
r
momentum :
_
u

t
+ u
r
u

r
+
u

r
u

+
u

r sin
u

+
u

r

u

cot
r
_
=
1
r
p

(45)
+
_
1
r
2

r
_
r
2
u

r
_
+
1
r
2

_
1
sin

(u

sin )
_
+
1
r
2
sin
2

2
u

2
+
2
r
2
u
r

2 cos
r
2
sin
2

_
+ F

momentum :
_
u

t
+ u
r
u

r
+
u

r
u

+
u

r sin
u

+
u

u
r
r
+
u

cot
r
_
=
1
r sin
p

(46)
+
_
1
r
2

r
_
r
2
u

r
_
+
1
r
2

_
1
sin

(u

sin )
_
+
1
r
2
sin
2

2
u

2
+
2
r
2
sin
u
r

2 cos
r
2
sin
2

_
+ F