When a fluid flows past a point or through a path different parameters associated with the flow of the fluid,

certain parameters vary and others may remain constant. The two basic parameters of any fluid flow are velocity of the fluid particle or element and the pressure of the fluid at the point under consideration. The flow of fluids can be classified in different patterns based on the variation of the flow parameters with time and distance. The benefit of characterizing the fluid flow as certain patterns helps in analyzing it under the appropriate solution paradigm. Classification Based on Variation with Time The classification of the fluid flow based on the variation of the fluid flow parameters with time characterizes the flow in two categories, steady and unsteady flow. If the flow parameters, such as velocity, pressure, density and discharge do not vary with time or are independent of time then the flow is steady. If the flow parameters vary with time then the flow is categorized as unsteady. In real conditions it is very rare to have such flows with parameters exactly constant with time. The parameters usually vary with time but variation is within a small range such as the average of particular parameter is constant for certain duration of time. Classification Based on Variation with Space The other classification criterion for the fluid flow is based on the variation of the flow parameters with distance or space. It characterizes the flow as uniform or non-uniform. The fluid flow is a uniform flow if the flow parameters remain constant with distance along the flow path. And the fluid flow is nonuniform if the flow parameters vary and are different at different points on the flow path. For a uniform flow, by its definition, the area of the cross section of the flow should remain constant. So a fitting example of the uniform flow is the flow of a liquid thorough a pipeline of constant diameter. And contrary to this the flow through a pipeline of variable diameter would be necessarily nonuniform. Flow Types and Examples A steady flow can be uniform or non-uniform and similarly an unsteady flow can also be uniform or non-uniform. For a steady flow discharge is constant with time and for a uniform flow the area of cross section of the fluid flow is constant through the flow path. Examples of Different Flow Types Steady and Uniform Flow: Flow through a pipeline of constant diameter with a discharge constant with time. Steady and Non-Uniform Flow: Fixed discharge flow through a tapering pipe. Water flow through a river with a constant discharge is also a good example of such flow as the span of river generally varies with distance and amount of water flow in river is constant. Unsteady and Uniform Flow: A flow through pipeline of constant cross section with sudden changes in fluid discharge or pressure. Unsteady and Non-Uniform Flow: Pressure surges in a flow through a pipe of variable cross section. A practical example can be the water flow in the network of canals during water release. When all the time derivatives of a flow field vanish, the flow is considered to be a steady flow. Steady-state flow refers to the condition where the fluid properties at a point in the system do not change over time. Otherwise, flow is called unsteady. Whether a particular flow is steady or unsteady, can depend on the chosen

The random field U(x,t) is statistically stationary if all statistics are invariant under a shift in time. This roughly means that all statistical properties are constant in time. Often, the mean field is the object of interest, and this is constant too in a statistically stationary flow. Steady flows are often more tractable than otherwise similar unsteady flows. The governing equations of a steady problem have one dimension fewer (time) than the governing equations of the same problem without taking advantage of the steadiness of the flow field. Subsonic vs transonic, supersonic and hypersonic flows While many terrestrial flows (e.g. flow of water through a pipe) occur at low mach numbers, many flows of practical interest (e.g. in aerodynamics) occur at high fractions of the Mach Number M=1 or in excess of it (supersonic flows). New phenomena occur at these Mach number regimes (e.g. shock waves for supersonic flow, transonic instability in a regime of flows with M nearly equal to 1, non-equilibrium chemical behavior due to ionization in hypersonic flows) and it is necessary to treat each of these flow regimes separately. A classification scheme for steady and unsteady flow is useful in describing the flows of interest. The simplest steady flow is uniform flow, in which no flow variable changes with distance. In a uniform steady flow, every flow variable is a constant with respect to distance and time. If the flow is not uniform, then it is classified as nonuniform and can be further divided into gradually varied and rapidly varied flow. In gradually varied steady flow, the flow variables may change with distance, but all variables are constant in time. Furthermore, the variations with distance are gradual, so vertical accelerations are small. In rapidly varied flow, substantial variations are present in vertical and/or transverse flow. An extreme example is a hydraulic jump below a dam. This flow can still be analyzed as 1-D flow, but the rapidly varied zone of the flow must be recognized and isolated in the analysis. Additional examples of rapidly varied flow are flows through culverts and bridges and over weirs and spillways. Unsteady uniform flow is impossible, so only nonuniform unsteady flow is of interest in hydraulic analysis. Both gradually varied and rapidly varied unsteady flows are possible, and the same general rules for analysis apply as for steady flow. The zones of rapidly varied flow must be isolated before analysis under the 1-D flow assumption; thus, the method of analysis for steady and unsteady flow is the same in this respect. A supercritical flow is when the flow velocity is larger than the wave velocity. Froude number: where U = velocity of the flow g = acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s or 32.2ft/s) h = depth of flow relative to the channel bottom If Fr < 1, we call the flow subcritical; if Fr > 1, we call the flow supercritical.

Subcritical occurs when the actual water depth is greater than critical depth. Subcritical flow is dominated by gravitational forces and behaves in a slow or stable way. It is defined as having a Froude number less than one. Supercritical flow is dominated by inertial forces and behaves as rapid or unstable flow. Supercritical flow transitions to subcritical through a hydraulic jump which represents a high energy loss with erosive potential. When the actual depth is less than critical depth it is classified as supercritical. Supercritical flow has a Froude number greater than one. Critical flow is the transition or control flow that possesses the minimum possible energy for that flowrate. Critical flow has a Froude number equal to one. Critical flow is the special case where the froude number (dimensionless) is equal to 1. i.e. The velocity divided by the square root of (gravitational constant multiplied by the depth) =1. Sub critical flow i has a froude number less than 1, and is therefore characterised by slow moving deep water. Supercritical flow is defined as having a froude number greater than 1 and is therefore characterised by shallow fast moving flows. laminar flow occurs at low Reynolds numbers, where viscous forces are dominant, and is characterized by smooth, constant fluid motion, while turbulent flow occurs at high Reynolds numbers and is dominated by inertial forces, which tend to produce chaotic