Learn Fluid Mechanics with Olivier Cleynen

I am Olivier Cleynen and I like to explain fluid mechanics as if you were my new work colleague.

Here you can learn how to think like a fluid dynamicist — how to frame problems, compute the key quantities, and decide what is important in your fluid flow.

Get to the important stuff:

How to deal with turbulence
Which equations will tell you what
How CFD software works (and why it’s so slow!)
How to find out what controls a specific flow.

I have a PhD in fluid mechanics but this course is not academic. There are no edge cases, made-up laminar flows, or long proofs. To be comfortable in this course, you will need solid high-school-level math & physics (vectors, calculus, solid mechanics). From there, we will progress rapidly, in chunks of ten minutes each.

I release videos as time permits and will experiment with channels and pricing. Register here to be notified of updates.

Here is a preview of the course: ↓

2 Analysis of existing flows

Quantify the forces, moments, and powers associated with an existing flow

2.1 Mass balance

2.2 Visualizing mass balance

2.3 Mass balance: an example

2.4 Mass balance: another example

2.5 Momentum balance

2.6 Visualizing momentum balance

2.7 Momentum balance: an example

2.8 Momentum balance: another example

2.9 Energy balance

2.10 Energy balance: shortcomings

2.11 Energy balance: an example

2.12 Energy balance: “losses”

2.13 Kill the Bernoulli equation

2.14 Non-uniform and unsteady flows

2.15 Limits of this method

3 Working with pressure and shear

Quantify the effect of pressure and shear in fluids

3.1 Pressure on hard surfaces

3.2 Pressure on hard surfaces: example

3.3 Pressure within fluids

3.4 Special case: buoyancy

3.5 Shear on hard surfaces

3.6 Shear on hard surfaces: example

3.7 Shear within fluids

3.8 Shear perpendicular to a surface

3.9 Shear and velocity

4 Prediction of fluid flows:
theory and practice

Understand how fluid flow is calculated using computers (Computational Fluid Dynamics)

4.1 Fields, not trajectories

4.2 Time changes on a grid: example

4.3 Time changes on a grid

4.4 Mass balance equation: general case

4.5 Mass balance equation: incompressible flow

4.6 Momentum balance: general case

4.7 Momentum balance: incompressible flow

4.8 Energy balance

4.9 CFD: discretizing the momentum equation

4.10 CFD: the most basic loop

4.11 CFD: modeling turbulence

4.12 CFD: recap

5 Deciding what matters

Identify which parameters influence your flow, and which don’t

5.1 Scales in fluid mechanics

5.2 Non-dimensional momentum balance

5.3 Important flow parameters

5.4 Difficulties equating parameters

5.5 Revisiting turbulence

5.5 Comparing results: coefficients

5.6 Comparing results: one example

5.7 Comparing results: another example

5.8 Deciding what matters: recap

Fluid Mechanics
for the Real World

1 Basic flow quantities

2 Analysis of existing flows

3 Working with pressure and shear

4 Prediction of fluid flows:
theory and practice

5 Deciding what matters

Fluid Mechanics for the Real World

1 Basic flow quantities

2 Analysis of existing flows

3 Working with pressure and shear

4 Prediction of fluid flows: theory and practice

5 Deciding what matters

Fluid Mechanics
for the Real World

4 Prediction of fluid flows:
theory and practice