Fluid Mechanics and Computational Fluid Dynamics

Fluid mechanics has two parts: dynamics and kinematics. The kinematics describes the motion of the fluid without any consideration of the forces that cause fluid motion. Fluid motion where the forces are considered is called fluid dynamics. Fluid flows can be classified according to several criteria; for example, considering viscosity, compressibility, Mach number, and so on. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a science that gives quantitative computations of fluid flow derived from the three basic conservation laws (conservation of mass, conservation of momentum, and conservation of energy) that govern fluid flow with the aid of computers. CFD plays an important role in analyzing fluid flow and heat transfer problems using numerical methods. The essentials steps to be followed to develop a CFD model are explained. A moving reference frame (MRF) is a relatively simple, robust, and efficient steady-state CFD modeling technique used to simulate rotating machinery.