BOUNDARY LAYER THEORY Prof.

Sunil Bagade
BOUNDARY LAYER THEORY
Boundary Layer Theory: Boundary layer thickness, its characteristics, laminar
and turbulent boundary layers, Displacement thickness, Momentum
thickness, Energy thickness, separation, boundary layer control
INTRODUCTION
Consider the flow of a fluid in a stationary pipe or over a solid
surface that is nonporous. All experimental observations
indicate that a fluid in motion comes to a complete stop at the
surface and assumes a zero velocity relative to the surface.
That is, a fluid indirect contact with a solid “sticks” to the
surface due to viscous effects, and there is no slip. This is
known as the no-slip condition.
The layer that sticks to the surface slows the adjacent fluid
layer because of viscous forces between the fluid layers, which
slows the next layer, and so on. Therefore, the no-slip
condition is responsible for the development of the velocity
profile. The flow region adjacent to the wall in which the
viscous effects (and thus the velocity gradients) are significant
is called the boundary layer. The fluid property responsible for
the no-slip condition and the development of the boundary
layer is viscosity.
REPRESENTATION OF BOUNDARY
LAYER ON A FLAT PLATE
• A laminar boundary layer is initiated at
the leading edge of the plate for a short
distance and extends to downstream.
The transition occurs over a region, after
certain length in the downstream
followed by fully turbulent boundary
layers.
• For common calculation purposes, the
transition is usually considered to occur
at a distance where the Reynolds
number is about 500,000. With air at
standard conditions, moving at a velocity
of 30m/s, the transition is expected to
occur at a distance of about 250mm.
REYNOLDS NUMBER BASED ON
DISTANCE X ALONG THE WALL

The higher the Reynolds number, the thinner the boundary layer, all
else being equal, and the more reliable the boundary layer
approximation. The boundary layer is thin when  << x.
 BOUNDARY LAYER

For a laminar boundary layer growing on a flat plate, as in Fig.,

 boundary layer thickness  is at most a function of V, x, and fluid properties  and .
The  /x is a function of Rex. In fact, it turns out that  is proportional to the square root of
Rex.
However, that these results are valid only for a laminar boundary layer on a flat plate. As we
move down the plate to larger and larger values of x, Rex increases linearly with x.
• At some point, infinitesimal disturbances in the flow begin to grow, and the
boundary layer cannot remain laminar—it begins a transition process
toward turbulent flow.
• For a smooth flat plate with a uniform free stream, the transition process
begins at a critical Reynolds number, Rex, critical ≅ 1  105, and continues until
the boundary layer is fully turbulent at the transition Reynolds number,
Rex, transition ≅ 3  106.
 laminar sublayer

• A very thin layer next to the wall behaves like a near wall region
of the laminar flow.
• This layer is known as laminar sublayer and its velocities are
such that the viscous forces dominate over the inertia forces.
• No turbulence exists in it.
BOUNDARY LAYER THICKNESS ()
• It is known that no-slip conditions have to be
satisfied at the solid surface: the fluid must
attain the zero velocity at the wall.
Subsequently, above the wall, the effect of
viscosity tends to reduce and the fluid within
this layer will try to approach the free stream
velocity. Thus, there is a velocity gradient that
develops within the fluid layers inside the
small regions near to solid surface.
• The boundary layer thickness is defined
as the distance from the surface to a point
where the velocity is reaches 99% of the free
stream velocity.
• This definition however gives an approximate
value of the boundary layer and hence  is
generally termed as nominal thickness of the
boundary layer.
BOUNDARY LAYER THICKNESS
1) Displacement Thickness (* )
2) Momentum Thickness ()
3) Energy Thickness (**)
DISPLACEMENT THICKNESS (* )
Displacement thickness is defined as the distance by which the external
potential flow is displaced outwards due to the decrease in velocity in the
boundary layer
The displacement thickness represents the amount of distance
that thickness of the body must be increased so that the fictitious uniform inviscid
flow has the same mass flow rate properties as the actual flow
Let b is the width of plate,
u is the local velocity and
U is the free stream velocity
The decrease in the mass flow rate due to the influence of
viscous forces is
𝛿
= 𝜌 𝑈 − 𝑢 𝑏 𝑑𝑦
0
The mass flow rate deficiency by displacing the solid boundary by
= 𝜌𝑈 (𝛿 ∗ 𝑏)
Area of the boundary layer
From equation 1 and 2
𝛿
𝜌 𝑈 − 𝑢 𝑏 𝑑𝑦 = 𝜌𝑈 𝛿 ∗ 𝑏
0

𝛿
∗ 𝜌 𝑈 − 𝑢 𝑏 𝑑𝑦
 =
0 𝜌𝑈𝑏
𝛿
∗ 𝑈 − 𝑢 𝑑𝑦
 =
0 𝑈
𝛿
∗ 𝑢
 = 1− 𝑑𝑦
0 𝑈
MOMENTUM THICKNESS ()
The flow retardation in the boundary layer also results the reduction in
momentum flux as compared to the inviscid flow.
The momentum thickness is defined as the thickness of a layer of fluid with
velocity U, for which the momentum flux is equal to the deficit of
momentum flux through the boundary layer.
Let b is the width of plate,
u is the local velocity and
U is the free stream velocity

The decrease in the momentum flux due to the

influence of viscous forces is
𝛿
= 𝜌 𝑈 − 𝑢 𝑏𝑢𝑑𝑦
0
The momentum flux rate deficiency by displacing the solid
boundary by = 𝜌𝑈𝑏𝑈
From equation 1 and 2
𝛿
𝜌 𝑈 − 𝑢 𝑢 𝑏 𝑑𝑦 = 𝜌𝑈𝑏𝑈
0

𝛿
𝜌 𝑈 − 𝑢 𝑢𝑏 𝑑𝑦
=
0 𝜌𝑈𝑈𝑏
𝛿
𝑈 − 𝑢 𝑢 𝑑𝑦
=
0 𝑈2
𝛿
𝑢 𝑢
= 1− 𝑑𝑦
0 𝑈 𝑈
ENERGY THICKNESS (** )
The flow retardation in the boundary layer also results the reduction in
Kinetic energy as compared to the inviscid flow.
Energy thickness is basically defined as the distance, measured
perpendicular to the boundary of the solid body, by which the boundary
should be displaced to compensate for the reduction in kinetic energy of
the flowing fluid on account of boundary layer formation.
Let b is the width of plate, u is the local velocity and
U is the free stream velocity
The decrease in the kinetic energy due to the
influence of viscous forces is
𝛿
1
= 𝜌𝑢𝑏 𝑈2 − 𝑢2 𝑑𝑦
0 2
The kinetic energy rate deficiency by displacing the solid
boundary by 1
= 𝜌𝑈𝛿 ∗∗ 𝑏𝑈2
2
From equation 1 and 2
𝛿
1 1
𝜌𝑢𝑏 𝑈 − 𝑢 𝑑𝑦 = 𝜌𝑈𝛿 ∗∗ 𝑏𝑈2
2 2
0 2 2
1
𝛿 𝜌𝑢𝑏 𝑈2 − 𝑢2 𝑑𝑦
𝛿 ∗∗ = 2
1
0 𝜌𝑈 𝑏𝑈2
2
𝛿
𝑈2 − 𝑢2 𝑢 𝑑𝑦
𝛿 ∗∗ =
0 𝑈3
𝛿
𝑢 𝑢2
𝛿 ∗∗ = 1 − 2 𝑑𝑦
0 𝑈 𝑈
 BOUNDARY LAYER SEPARATION
Boundary layer is formed in the case of flow of real fluids. Viscous forces exist in such
flows. The shear stress at the wall is given by

𝑑𝑢
𝜏=𝜇
𝑑𝑦 𝑦=0

The wall shear cannot be zero. Hence at y = 0, du/dy cannot be zero. This means that
the velocity gradient at the wall cannot be zero
• Separation of flow is said to occur when the direction of the flow velocity near the
surface is opposed to the direction of the free stream velocity, which means
(du/dy) ≤ 0.
• Such a situation does not arise when there is no pressure gradient opposed to the
flow direction, ie., the pressure downstream of flow is higher compared to the
pressure upstream.
• An example is subsonic diffuser. In the direction of flow the pressure increases.
The increase in area along the flow causes a pressure rise.
• If (dp/dx) increases to the extent that it can overcome the shear near
the surface, then separation will occur. Such a pressure gradient is called
adverse pressure gradient.
 In the case of incompressible flow in a nozzle a favourable pressure gradient
exists. Separation will not occur in such flows.
 In the case of diverging section of a diffuser, separation can occur if the rate of
area increase is large.
 This is shown in Fig.. In turbulent flow, the momentum near the surface is high
compared to laminar flow.
 Hence turbulent layer is able to resist separation better than laminar layer.
In the case of flow over spheres, cylinders, blunt bodies, airfoils etc., there
is a change in flow area due to the obstruction and hence an adverse
pressure gradient may be produced.
Simple analytical solutions are not available to determine exactly at what
conditions separation will occur. Experimental results are used to predict
such conditions.