The Physics Behind Turbulence

Fluid flows can be studied through streamlines, these are basically the velocity vectors through which the fluid flows. We call a fluid flow laminar when these vectors are parallel to each other, this is when the flow has no energy loss. However, when the fluid streamlines get mixed up or curled they form circular profiles called vortices or eddies. This phenomenon reduces the energy of the fluid flow by curling and dissipating energy as heat into the system.