BIOLOGICAL PHYSICS BIOT-402

Reynolds Number

NASIR IQBAL
FLUID FLOW
STREAMLINE LAMINAR FLOW
TURBULENT FLOW
REYNOLDS NUMBER
Streamlines for
fluid passing an
obstacle streamlines

v
Velocity of particle
Velocity profile for the laminar - tangent to streamline
flow of a non viscous liquid
Turbulent flow indicted by the swirls eddies and vortices
REYNOLDS NUMBER

A British scientist Osborne Reynolds (1842 1912)

established that the nature of the flow depends upon a
dimensionless quantity, which is now called the Reynolds
number Re.

Re = v L /

density of fluid
v average flow velocity over the cross section of the
pipe
L dimension characterising a cross section
 Re is a dimensionless number

Re = v L /

[Re] [kg.m-3] [m.s-1][m] [Pa.s]-1

[kg] [m-1][s-1][kg.m.s-2.m-2.s]-1 = [1]

For a fluid flowing through a pipe as a rule of thumb

Re < ~ 2000 laminar flow

~ 2000 < Re < ~ 3000 unstable laminar / turbulent

Re > ~ 2000 turbulent

 Re = v L /
Sydney Harbour Ferry
Re = v L /

= 103 kg.m-3 Re = (103)(5)(10) / (10-3)

v = 5 m.s-1 Re = 5x107

L = 10 m

= 10-3 Pa.s
Spermatozoa swimming

Re = v L /
 Spermatozoa swimming

Re = v L /

= 103 kg.m-3
Re = (103)(10-5)(10x10-6) / (10-3)
v = 10-5 m.s-1

L = 10 mm Re = 10-4

= 10-3 Pa.s
Household plumbing pipes
Typical household pipes are about 30 mm in diameter and water flows
at about 10 m.s-1

Re ~ (10)(3010-3)(103) / (10-3) ~ 3105

The circulatory system

Speed of blood v ~ 0.2 m.s-1
Diameter of the largest blood vessel, the aorta L ~ 10 mm
Viscosity of blood probably ~ 10-3 Pa.s (assume same as water)

Re ~ (0.2)(1010-3)(103) / 10-3) ~ 2103

The method of swimming is quite different for
Fish (Re ~ 10 000) and sperm (Re ~ 0.0001)

Modes of boat propulsion which work in thin liquids (water)

will not work in thick liquids (glycerine)

It is possible to stir glycerine up, and then unstir it completely.

You cannot do this with water.
FLUID FLOW
IDEAL FLUID
EQUATION OF CONTINUITY

How can the blood deliver oxygen to body so successfully?

How do we model fluids flowing in streamlined motion?

IDEAL FLUID

Fluid motion is usually very complicated. However, by making a set of

assumptions about the fluid, one can still develop useful models of fluid
behaviour.

An ideal fluid is

Incompressible the density is constant

Irrotational the flow is smooth, no turbulence

Nonviscous fluid has no internal friction ( = 0)

Steady flow the velocity of the fluid at each point is constant in time.
 EQUATION OF CONTINUITY (conservation of mass)
A1
A2

v2

v1
In complicated patterns of streamline flow, the streamlines effectively define
flow tubes. So the equation of continuity
where streamlines crowd together the
flow speed must increase.
 EQUATION OF CONTINUITY (conservation of mass)

m1 = m2

V1 = V2

A1 v1 t = A2 v2 t

A1 v1 = A2 v2

A v measures the volume of the fluid that flows past any point of the
tube divided by the time interval

volume flow rate Q = dV / dt

Q = A v = constant

if A decreases then v increases

if A increases then v decreases
Applications

Rivers

Circulatory systems

Respiratory systems

Air conditioning systems

Blood flowing through our body

The radius of the aorta is ~ 10 mm and the blood flowing through it has
a speed ~ 300 mm.s-1. A capillary has a radius ~ 410-3 mm but there
are literally billions of them. The average speed of blood through the
capillaries is ~ 510-4 m.s-1.

Calculate the effective cross sectional area of the capillaries and the
approximate number of capillaries.
Setup

radius of aorta RA = 10 mm = 1010-3 m

radius of capillaries RC = 410-3 mm = 410-6 m
speed of blood thru. aorta vA = 300 mm.s-1 = 0.300 m.s-1
speed of blood thru. capillaries RC = 510-4 m.s-1

Assume steady flow of an ideal fluid and apply the equation of continuity
Q = A v = constant AA vA = AC vC

where AA and AC are cross sectional areas of aorta & capillaries respectively.

aorta

capillaries
Action

AC = AA (vA / vC) = RA2 (vA / vC)

AC = (1010-3)2(0.300 / 510-4) m2 = 0.20 m2

If N is the number of capillaries then

AC = N RC2

N = AC / ( RC2) = 0.2 / { (410-6)2}

N = 4109