Energy-Based Visualization of 2D Flow Fields

In this paper, we present a novel approach for energy-based flow visualization. Inspired by Bernoulli’s principle, which is limited to steady inviscid flow, we derive a set of energies whose sum is conserved along pathlines in 2D time-dependent viscous flow. We present an interactive approach for visual analysis based on these quantities, as well as a compact color-coded representation. This enables effective analysis of energy conversion along selected pathlines, as well as its spatial coherence. We exemplify the utility of our approach using results from computational fluid dynamics and flow in elastic porous media.