Are streamlines parallel in inviscid and irrotational flow

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SUMMARY

In fluid dynamics, streamlines are always parallel to the local velocity of the flow, regardless of whether the flow is irrotational or viscous. Streamlines do not need to be parallel to each other and can converge or diverge based on changes in flow velocity. For steady flow conditions, the pathlines of individual fluid particles coincide with the streamlines. Therefore, the requirement for streamlines to be parallel is not necessary for irrotational flow, as they are defined by their relationship to local velocity.

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Are fluid streamlines in an irrotational, but viscous, flow parallel? Or does the flow need to be both irrotational and inviscid?
 
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Streamlines are always parallel to the local velocity. They don't have to be parallel to each other (though they can never cross). For example, if the flow accelerates in a region, streamlines will get closer together, which couldn't happen if they had to be parallel.
 
boneh3ad said:
Streamlines are always parallel to the local velocity. They don't have to be parallel to each other (though they can never cross). For example, if the flow accelerates in a region, streamlines will get closer together, which couldn't happen if they had to be parallel.
Oh I see. But if we are strictly talking about streamlines of individual fluid elements, in which case would the streamlines be parallel?
 
charlies1902 said:
Oh I see. But if we are strictly talking about streamlines of individual fluid elements, in which case would the streamlines be parallel?

I am not even sure what you mean by that. Streamlines are defined as lines that are parallel to the local velocity at each point along their paths. If you are talking about the path an individual particle would take through a flow, that is generally called a pathline, and for a steady flow, is identical to the streamlines.
 

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