An example illustrating the incompleteness of the Navier–Stokes–Fourier equations for thermally compressible fluids

This paper illustrates, by example, the incompleteness of the Navier–Stokes–Fourier (NSF) equations for the case of thermally compressible fluids, namely fluids possessing a nonzero coefficient of thermal expansion. The work is a follow-up to a recent publication that offered elementary arguments quantifying that incompleteness but did not provide an explicit physical example thereof. The present example was chosen strictly for the simplicity of the calculations required to bring it to fruition, rather than for its importance in applications. The example analyzes steady-state, one-dimensional (albeit nonunidirectional) heat conduction through a quiescent fluid bounded by concentric spheres maintained at different temperatures. This example is counterpart to the classic NSF case of steady-state, one-dimensional (but now unidirectional) heat conduction through a quiescent fluid bounded by flat plates maintained at different temperatures. The contrasting results obtained for the two cases illustrates effects arising from the proposed amendments to the traditional NSF equations. For the case of gases the amended results indicate the possibility of their differing significantly from classical results based on the NSF equations when the gas is rarefied. For liquids, however, physically realizable values of the relevant parameters governing the amended equations are such that no sensible deviations from classical NSF behavior are observed. The difference owes to the relative incompressibility of liquids compared with gases. The smallness of the effect for liquids is, however, noted to be atypical of the amended consequences arising in circumstances where the temperature varies along, rather than purely normal to solid surfaces, as in the present concentric-sphere example. In that case Maxwell thermal creep effects would create more profound effects than in the present example, whether for liquids or gases.