M4A33:

Flow in curved pipes: the Dean equations

Consider flow down a slowly curved pipe. In terms of cylindrical polar coordinates
(r, , z) we shall model this as a portion of a torus, (r b)2 + z 2 = a2 where b  a, and
seek solutions independent of , driven by a pressure gradient in the -direction.
The velocity u = (ur , u , uz ) satisfies the Navier Stokes equations

uz
1
=0
(rur ) +
z!
r r

u2
p
ur 
Dur
2
=

+ ur 2
Dt
r
r
r



u 
Du
u u r

= G(r, z, t) + 2 u 2
+
Dt
r
r
Duz
p

=
+ 2 uz
Dt
z

(1)

where the material derivative D/Dt = /t + ur /r + uz /z. Here G is the downpipe

pressure gradient, G = 1/r p/. We shall seek steady solutions to these equations.
Let us first see if there is a unidirectional solution, as for the straight pipe. If we substitute
ur = 0 = uz , we find
p
=0
z

and

u2
p
=
r
r

u
=0.
z

(2)

So such a solution is only possible if u is constant on cylinders. Such a flow would be

consistent with a no-slip condition only for flows between concentric cylinders. Any curved
pipe-flow cannot be unidirectional.
However, if the pipe is almost straight, we might expect the flow to be almost unidirectional. Now r and z vary over the scale a and we assume
ba

so that

r = b + ax ' b

and

1
1

r
a
r

(3)

We scale z = az and let U0 be a typical scale of u . Then we expect a suitable scale for
the pressure to be p U02 a/b and if we scale
u2
ur
ur
uz

ur
r
z
r

ur u z U 0

a1
2

(4)

We therefore write
u =

U0 u

ur,z = U0

a1
2

ux,z

p = U02

a
b

(5)

and neglecting terms of order (a/b), equations (1) become

U02
b

ux
uz
+
=0

x
z!
1
u2
U0  a  2 2
U02 p
Dux

+ 2
ux
=

Dt
1
b x
a
b
U0
U02 Du
= G + 2 2 u
1/2
Dt
a
(ab)


1
U02 Duz
U02 p
U0  a  2 2
=
+
uz
b
Dt
b z
a2 b

We choose the scale U0 and define a parameter K such that

Ga2
=1
U0
From now on we drop the
equations.

U0 a  a  2
K=
.

(6)

and

(7)

from all the dimensionless variables to obtain the Dean

ux
uz

+
=0

x
z




p
Dux

2
2

+ ux
K
u = K

x
Dt
.
(8)

Du

K
= 1 + u

Dt

Duz
p

K
= K
+ uz
Dt
z
These equations are essentially the two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations with a body
force u2 acting towards the inside of the bend. If we write u = (u, v, w) in Cartesian
coordinates (x, y, z), and introduce a stream function, (x, z) where u ux = /z
and w uz = /x, and v(x, z) u , then (8) reduce to
K(z vx x vz ) = 1 + 2 v

K(z x x z ) = 2 2Kvvz

(9)

where = 2 is the downpipe vorticity and suffices now denote partial derivatives.
These equations are to be solved for v(x, z) and (x, z) subject to the no-slip conditions
= 0,

v=0

on the pipe boundary.

(10)

There is one parameter in the problem, K, which is known as the Dean number and defined
in (7). It is a Reynolds number modified by the pipe curvature, (a/b).