Simple Couette Flow with Viscous Dissipation
As an example of planar lubrication with significant heat generation due to oil-film friction, consider simple thermal Couette flow with adiabatic wall and constant temperature of the moving plate.
Approach | Assumptions | Sketch |
• Reduced N–S equations and HT eqs. | • Steady laminar 1-D flow | ![]() |
• Constant thermal wall cond. | • \rm ∇p = 0; u_0 and d are constant |
Based on the postulates \rm \vec{\bf v}=[u(y),0,0] and ∇p ≡ 0, the Navier– Stokes equations reduce to:
0 = 0 <continunity>
and
\rm 0=\frac{d^2u}{dy^2} <x-momentum> (E.3.15.1a)
subject to u(y = 0) = 0 and u(y = d) = \rm u_0. Thus,
\rm u(y)=u_0\frac{y}{d} (E.3.15.1b)
The heat transfer equation (3.64) with \rm\Phi =\left\lgroup\frac{\partial u}{\partial y} \right\rgroup ^2 from Eq. (3.65) reduces to:
\mathrm{k}{\frac{\mathrm{d}^{2}\mathrm{T}}{\mathrm{d}\mathrm{y^{2}}}}=-\mathrm{\mu}\left\lgroup{\frac{\mathrm{u}_{0}}{\mathrm{d}}}\right\rgroup^2 (E.3.15.2)
subject to \rm \frac{dT}{dy} \Big|_{y=0}=0 ~\text{and}~T(y=d)=T_0
Double integration yields:
\begin{array}{c c}\rm {\rm{{ T}({ y})=T_{0}+\frac{\mu{u}_{0}^{2}}{2\mathrm{k}}\left[1-\left\lgroup\frac{\mathrm{y}}{\mathrm{d}}\right\rgroup ^{2}\right]}}\end{array} (E.3.15.3)
At the plate surface \rm q_s=q(y=d)=-k\frac{\partial T}{\partial y} \Big|_{y=d} we have:
\rm q_s=\mu \frac{u_0^2}{d} (E.3.15.4)
Comments: Clearly, as μ and \rm u_0 increase and the spacing decreases, \rm q_s shoots up. For simple Couette flow du/dy evaluated at y = d is equal to \rm u_0 / d so that \rm q_s = u_0 τ_{wall} here, which is a simple example of the heat transfer and momentum transfer relation (see Reynolds–Colburn analogy). Of interest would be the evaluation of the mean fluid temperature, \rm T_m=\frac{1}{\dot m} \int_A\rho\,u\,T\,dA, to estimate h from \rm q_s=h(T_0-T_m).