1.7 Simplified Mathematical Models
The conservation equations for mass and momentum are more complex than
they appear. They are non-linear, coupled, and diliicult to solve. It is diffi-
cult to prove by the existing mathematical tools that a unique solution exists
for particular boundary conditions. Experience shows that the N avier-Stokes
equations describe the flow of a Newtonian fluid accurately. Only in a small
number of cases — mostly fully developed flows in simple geometries, e.g. in
pipes, between parallel plates etc. ~ is it possible to obtain an analytical so-
lution of the N avier~St0kes equations. These flows are important for studying
the fundamentals of fluid dynamics, but their practical relevance is limited.
In all cases in which such a solution is possible, many terms in the equa-
tions are zero. For other flows some terms are unimportant and we may
neglect them; this simplification introduces an error. In most eases, even the
simplified equations cannot be solved analytically; one has to use numeri-
cal methods. The computing efiort may be much smaller than for the full
equations, which is a justification for simplifications. We list below some flow
types for which the equations of motion can be simplified.