
Basic Equations 
of 
Fluid Mechanics 
97 
also  due to the  motion 
of 
the fluid  element and for the description 
of 
this 
modification it 
is 
important that one follows the mass om9\' i.e. knows x9\(t) 
and also takes it into consideration as known. 
It 
is 
assumed that this motion 
of 
particles 
is 
constant and unequivocal,  i.e.  that the considered fluid element 
does not split up during the considerations 
of 
its motion. The fluid pertaining 
to the considered fluid element at the moment 
in 
time t = 0 remains also at all 
later moments 
in 
time. This signifies that it 
is 
not possible for two different 
fluid elements to take the same point in  space at an  arbitrary time: 
x9\(t) = 
xL(t) for 
9\ 
*-
L. 
When a fluid element 
9\ 
is at the position xi' at the time t i.e. xi = (x9\(t»i 
at the time 
t, 
then the substantial thermodynamic property or fluid property 
u9\(t) 
is 
equal to the field quantity u  at the point x; at time 
t: 
~(t) 
= U(xi' t) when (x9\(t»i = xi at t 
For the temporal change 
of 
a quantity u9\ (t) results: 
dU9\ 
au  au 
(dx; 
) 
Tt=-at+ 
ax; 
dt 
9\ 
With (dx/dt)9\ = (U)9\ = 
U; 
holds: 
dU9\ 
= 
Da 
= 
au 
+u 
au 
dt 
Dt 
at 
I  ax; 
The operator 
u(Xj' 
t) applied to the field quantity 
D/Dt 
= u,iJ/ax
j 
is often 
defined 
as 
the substantial derivatve and will be applied in the subse-
quent derivations. Significance 
of 
individual terms are: 
a/at = (a/at)x; = change with time at a fixed location, 
partial differentiation with respect to time 
d/dt= total change with time (for a fluid element), 
total differentiation with respect to time 
for e.g. for a fluid when 
~ 
= 
P9\ 
= const i.e. the density 
is 
constant, then 
it holds: 
dp9\ 
= Dp 
=0 
or 
ap 
=-U,.~ 
dt 
Dt 
at 
ax; 
When at a certain point in space a/at (u)xj = 0 indicate 
of 
stationary condi-
tions, i.e. the field size 
u(x
j
, 
t) 
is 
stationary and thus has no time dependency. 
On the other hand 
d(~)/dt 
= 
Du/Dt 
= 
0, 
is 
u9\ (t) = 
u(Xj 
, t) = const. i.e the 
field 
is 
independent 
of 
space and time. 
MASS 
CONSERVATION 
(CONTINUITY 
EQUATION) 
For fluid-mechanics considerations a "closed fluid system" can always 
be found,  i.e. a system for whose total mass holds 
M = const. This 
is 
easily 
seen for a fluid mass, which 
is 
stored 
in 
a container. For fluid setups, control 
volumes can always 
be 
defined, within which the systemic total mass can be