Substantial derivative
(Derivata materiale in italiano)
Prof. Francesco Avallone
Corso di Aerodinamica
2024-2025
Substantial derivative
Consider a generic fluid element that moves in a generic flow field.
The flow field is characterized by a velocity
V and density field 𝜌 that can vary in
space and time
𝑽 = 𝑢𝒊 + 𝑣𝒋 + 𝑤𝒌
𝑢 = 𝑢 𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑧, 𝑡
𝑣 = 𝑣 𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑧, 𝑡
𝑤 = 𝑤(𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑧, 𝑡)
Fluid element moving in a flow field
𝜌 = 𝜌 𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑧, 𝑡
Substantial derivative 2
Substantial derivative
Consider a generic fluid element that moves in a generic flow field.
The fluid element is at point 1 at instant t1
and reaches point 2 at instant t2
characterized by a different density and
velocity
𝜌1 = 𝜌 𝑥1 , 𝑦1 , 𝑧1 , 𝑡1
𝜌2 = 𝜌 𝑥2 , 𝑦2 , 𝑧2 , 𝑡2
Fluid element moving in a flow field
Substantial derivative 3
Substantial derivative
Consider a generic fluid element that moves in a generic flow field.
Using Taylor’s series, we can write
𝜌2
𝜕𝜌 𝜕𝜌
= 𝜌1 + 𝑥2 − 𝑥1 + 𝑦2 − 𝑦1
𝜕𝑥 1 𝜕𝑦 1
𝜕𝜌 𝜕𝜌
+ 𝑧2 − 𝑧1 + 𝑡2 − 𝑡1
𝜕𝑧 1 𝜕𝑡 1
+ ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ 𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑠
We neglect higher order terms
Fluid element moving in a flow field
Substantial derivative 4
Substantial derivative
Consider a generic fluid element that moves in a generic flow field.
Dividing both sides by 𝑡2 − 𝑡1
𝜌2 − 𝜌1
𝑡2 − 𝑡1
𝜕𝜌 𝑥2 − 𝑥1 𝜕𝜌 𝑦2 − 𝑦1 𝜕𝜌 𝑧2 − 𝑧1
= + +
𝜕𝑥 1 𝑡2 − 𝑡1 𝜕𝑦 𝑡 − 𝑡1
1 2
𝜕𝑧 𝑡 − 𝑡1
1 2
𝜕𝜌
+ 𝑡2 − 𝑡1
𝜕𝑡 1
Average time-rate of change of
density when the fluid element
Fluid element moving in a flow field
moves from position 1 to position 2
Substantial derivative 5
Substantial derivative
Consider a generic fluid element that moves in a generic flow field.
In the limit of 𝑡2 appraoching 𝑡1
𝜌2 − 𝜌1 𝐷𝜌
lim =
𝑡2 →𝑡1 𝑡2 − 𝑡1 𝐷𝑡
Instantaneous time rate of change of
density of the fluid element as it moves
through point 1.
Fluid element moving in a flow field Substantial derivative
Substantial derivative 6
Substantial derivative
𝐷𝜌
𝐷𝑡
It is the time rate of change of
density of a given fluid element as it
moves through space.
Here, our eyes are locked on the fluid
element as it is moving, and we are
watching the density of the element
Fluid element moving in a flow field
change as it moves through point 1.
Substantial derivative 7
Substantial derivative
𝐷𝜌 𝜕𝜌
≠
𝐷𝑡 𝜕𝑡
Note that the the substantial derivative
is different from the temporal
derivative!!
The latter is the variation of density in a
fixed point in space. The former is the
variation of density of a fluid element as
Fluid element moving in a flow field
it moves through point 1.
Substantial derivative 8
Substantial derivative
𝜌2 − 𝜌1
𝑡2 − 𝑡1
𝜕𝜌 𝑥2 − 𝑥1 𝜕𝜌 𝑦2 − 𝑦1 𝜕𝜌 𝑧2 − 𝑧1
= + +
𝜕𝑥 1 𝑡2 − 𝑡1 𝜕𝑦 𝑡 − 𝑡1
1 2
𝜕𝑧 𝑡 − 𝑡1
1 2
𝜕𝜌
+
𝜕𝑡 1
𝑦2 − 𝑦1
lim =𝑣
𝑡2 →𝑡1 𝑡2 − 𝑡1
𝑥2 − 𝑥1 𝑧2 − 𝑧1
Fluid element moving in a flow field lim =𝑢 lim =𝑤
𝑡2 →𝑡1 𝑡2 − 𝑡1 𝑡2 →𝑡1 𝑡2 − 𝑡1
Substantial derivative 9
Substantial derivative
𝐷𝜌 𝜕𝜌 𝜕𝜌 𝜕𝜌 𝜕𝜌
=𝑢 +𝑣 +𝑤 +
𝐷𝑡 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑡
It is not a simple temporal
derivative
Fluid element moving in a flow field
Substantial derivative 10
Substantial derivative
In a Cartesian coordinate system
𝐷 𝜕 𝜕 𝜕 𝜕𝜌
=𝑢 +𝑣 +𝑤 +
𝐷𝑡 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑡
Remembering that
𝜕 𝜕 𝜕
∇≡ 𝒊 +𝒋 +𝒌
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧
Fluid element moving in a flow field
Substantial derivative 11
Substantial derivative
Substantial derivative in vector notation
𝐷 𝜕
≡ + 𝐕∙∇
𝐷𝑡 𝜕𝑡
Substantial Convective
derivative derivative
Local
derivative
Fluid element moving in a flow field
Substantial derivative 12
Substantial derivative
𝐷 𝜕
≡ + 𝐕∙∇
𝐷𝑡 𝜕𝑡
Convective derivative
is physically the time rate of change due
to the movement of the fluid element
from one location to another in the flow
field where the flow properties are
spatially different.
Fluid element moving in a flow field
Substantial derivative 13
Substantial derivative
𝐷𝑇 𝜕𝑇
≡ + 𝐕∙∇ 𝑇
𝐷𝑡 𝜕𝑡
It can be applied to any field variable
such as the temperature
Fluid element moving in a flow field
Substantial derivative 14
Fundamental equation with substantial derivative
Substantial derivative 15
Vector identity
To rewrite the equations, we will use the following vector identity
∇ ∙ 𝜌𝐕 = 𝜌∇ ∙ 𝐕 + 𝐕 ∙ ∇𝜌
this identity states that the divergence of a scalar times a vector is equal
to the scalar times the divergence of the vector plus the dot product of
the vector and the gradient of the scalar.
Substantial derivative 16
Continuity equation
𝜕𝜌
+ ∇ ∙ 𝜌𝐕 = 0
𝜕𝑡
Applying the vector identity
𝜕𝜌
+ 𝐕 ∙ ∇𝜌 + 𝜌∇ ∙ 𝐕 = 0
𝜕𝑡
𝐷𝜌 𝜕𝜌
= + 𝐕 ∙ ∇𝜌
𝐷𝑡 𝜕𝑡
𝐷𝜌
+ 𝜌∇ ∙ 𝐕 = 0
𝐷𝑡
Substantial derivative 17
Momentum equation: x component
𝜕 𝜕𝑝
𝜌𝑢 + ∇ ∙ 𝜌𝑢𝐕 = − + 𝜌𝑓𝑥 + ℱx viscous = 0
𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑥
We can use the same
𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝜌 vector identity as before
𝜌 +𝑢
𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑡
∇ ∙ 𝜌𝑢𝐕 = ∇ ∙ 𝑢 𝜌𝐕 = 𝑢 ∇ ∙ 𝜌𝐕 + 𝜌𝐕 ∙ ∇𝑢
𝜕𝜌 𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑝
𝑢 +𝜌 + 𝑢 ∇ ∙ 𝜌𝐕 + 𝜌𝐕 ∙ ∇𝑢 = − + 𝜌𝑓𝑥 + ℱx viscous
𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑥
Substantial derivative 18
Momentum equation: x component
𝜕𝜌 𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑝
𝑢 +𝜌 + 𝑢 ∇ ∙ 𝜌𝐕 + 𝜌𝐕 ∙ ∇𝑢 = − + 𝜌𝑓𝑥 + ℱx viscous
𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑥
𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝜌 𝜕𝑝
𝜌 +𝑢 + ∇ ∙ 𝜌𝐕 + 𝜌𝐕 ∙ ∇𝑢 = − + 𝜌𝑓𝑥 + ℱx viscous
𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑥
𝜕𝜌
+ ∇ ∙ 𝜌𝐕 = 0
𝜕𝑡
Continuity equation
𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑝
𝜌 + 𝜌𝐕 ∙ ∇𝑢 = + 𝜌𝑓𝑥 + ℱx viscous
𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑥
Substantial derivative 19
Momentum equation: x component
𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑝
𝜌 + 𝜌𝐕 ∙ ∇𝑢 = − + 𝜌𝑓𝑥 + ℱx viscous
𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑥
𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑝
𝜌 + 𝐕 ∙ ∇𝑢 = − + 𝜌𝑓𝑥 + ℱx viscous
𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑥
𝐷𝑢 𝜕𝑝
𝜌 =− + 𝜌𝑓𝑥 + ℱx viscous
𝐷𝑡 𝜕𝑥
Similarly, the y and z components are
𝐷𝑣 𝜕𝑝 𝐷𝑤 𝜕𝑝
𝜌 =− + 𝜌𝑓𝑦 + ℱy 𝜌 =− + 𝜌𝑓𝑧 + ℱz viscous
𝐷𝑡 𝜕𝑦 viscous 𝐷𝑡 𝜕𝑧
Substantial derivative 20
Energy equation
𝜕 𝑉2 𝑉2
𝜌 𝑒+ +∇∙ 𝜌 𝑒+ 𝑽 = 𝜌𝑞ሶ − ∇ ∙ 𝑝𝑽 + 𝜌 𝒇 ∙ 𝑽 + 𝑄ሶ 𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑐
′ ′
+ 𝑊ሶ 𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑐
𝜕𝑡 2 2
𝑉2
𝐷 𝑒+
2
𝜌 = 𝜌𝑞ሶ − ∇ ∙ 𝑝𝑽 + 𝜌 𝒇 ∙ 𝑽 + 𝑄ሶ 𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑐
′ ′
+ 𝑊ሶ 𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑐
𝐷𝑡
Substantial derivative 21
Why do we use two forms of the same equations?
The two forms state the same physical principle
The one without substantial derivative is named conservative form of the
fundamental equation
The one with substantial derivative is named non-conservative form of
the fundamental equation
Sometimes, the former provides more accurate results in CFD. Therefore,
the distinction is more relevant from this perspective
Substantial derivative 22
