Stream Line vs Streak Line vs Path Line: Difference and Comparison

Key Takeaways

1. Streamlines show the path of fluid particles at an instant in time. They are tangent to the velocity vector at every point and follow the instantaneous velocity field.
2. Streaklines show the path history of fluid particles that have passed through a particular location. They provide a record of where particles came from.
3. Pathlines show the path traced out by individual fluid particles over time. They allow tracking of particle trajectories and provide a time history of particle motion.

What is Stream Line?

A streamline refers to a line representing the velocity vector’s instantaneous direction at every point within a fluid flow. In other words, it’s a path a fluid particle would follow as it moves through the fluid at a specific instant. Each point along a streamline indicates the direction of the fluid’s velocity at that point.

Streamlines are a valuable tool in fluid dynamics as they help engineers, researchers, and scientists understand and analyze how fluids move, allowing them to study fluid behavior, optimize designs, and make predictions about flow patterns in various scenarios.

What is Streak Line?

In fluid dynamics, a streakline represents the path that a fluid particle would trace as it moves through a fluid flow over a certain period of time. Unlike a streamline, which indicates the instantaneous velocity direction at each point, a streakline shows how fluid particles move and deform within the flow over a specific time interval.

Imagine injecting a dye or marker into a fluid at a fixed point to visualise a streakline. As the dye disperses and spreads within the flow, it leaves behind a visible trail representing the path taken by the fluid particles originating from that point. The resulting streakline provides insight into the history and behavior of the fluid particles over time.

What is Path Line?

In fluid dynamics, a pathline represents the trajectory an individual fluid particle follows as it moves through a fluid flow over time. It is the complete history of the particle’s motion, showing the specific path it has taken since it entered the flow until the current point.

Pathlines are a valuable tool for understanding the behavior of fluid particles in various scenarios, such as in environmental flows, chemical reactions, and industrial processes. They provide insights into how individual particles move, disperse, and interact within a fluid flow over time.

Difference Between Stream Line, Streak Line, and Path Line

1. Streamlines represent the instantaneous direction of fluid flow at a single moment. They offer insight into the general flow pattern. Streaklines depict the path taken by individual fluid particles over a certain time interval. They capture the history of particle movement. Pathlines describe the complete trajectory of a specific fluid particle from its initial position to its current location, regardless of time.
2. Streamlines are independent of time and provide information about the flow pattern at a specific moment. Streaklines reflect changes in flow patterns over time, showing how a particle’s path evolves. Pathlines represent the entire history of a particle’s motion, accounting for changes over time.
3. Streamlines give a general overview of fluid direction throughout the flow field. Streaklines focus on the movement of individual particles and how they travel through the flow. Pathlines provide a detailed view of the specific path followed by a single particle, disregarding the broader flow pattern.
4. Streamlines do not cross or intersect each other within a steady flow; they maintain their individuality. Streaklines can cross and intersect, representing the simultaneous paths of different particles over time. Pathlines are unique to each particle and do not cross, providing a clear trajectory for each.
5. Streamlines are useful for visualizing and understanding the overall flow pattern in a flow field. Streaklines are valuable for studying how individual particles move and their paths change over time. Pathlines help grasp the historical path a single particle takes, aiding in understanding complex motion behaviors.

Comparison Between Stream Line, Streak Line, and Path Line

Parameters of Comparison	Stream Line	Streak Line	Path Line
Time Dependency	Instantaneous	Over a time interval	Historical trajectory
Visualization	Snapshot of flow	Tracing particle path	Continuous particle path
Individual vs. Bulk	Bulk flow pattern	Individual particle	Individual particle
Crossings	No crossings	Can cross/intersect	No crossings
Information Depth	Velocity direction	Particle evolution	Complete trajectory

References

1. https://content.iospress.com/articles/biorheology/bir6-2-07
2. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/4376209/

Last Updated : 19 September, 2023