Question on 3D potential flow

Adrin Gharakhani

Assume we have potential flow normal to a zero thickness square-shaped flat panel.

The question is "is the surface potential jump at the perimeter of the plate zero or non-zero - and why?"

A little background:

We know the velocities at the edges are infinite due to the geometric singularity. However, it is not immediately obvious whether the potential jump there must have a value or not.

In standard 2D potential flow books the potenial at the edges is found to be zero (for flow normal to a flat plate). However, I have a problem with this - the solution is obtained as a degenerate case of flow normal to an ellipse which implicitly assumes single-valued and continuous potential on the boundary.

Thanks in advance for any input

Adrin Gharakhani