Potential flow

Potential flow, also know as incompressible flow or irrotational flow in fluid mechanics is flow defined by the equations

<math> \nabla \times \mathbf{v} = 0</math> (zero rotation = no shear)

<math> \nabla \cdot \mathbf{v} = 0</math> (zero divergence = continuity)

Equivalently,

<math> \mathbf{v} = \nabla \Phi \; , </math>

where:

• v is the vector fluid velocity
• Φ is the fluid flow potential, scalar
• " ×" is curl
• " ·" is divergence

Together with the Navier-Stokes equations, these equations can be used to calculate solutions to many practical flow situations.

See also

• http://www.mas.ncl.ac.uk/~sbrooks/book/nish.mit.edu/2006/Textbook/
• http://www.idra.unige.it/~irro/lecture_e.html