QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY

Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering

MECH448
Introduction to Compressible Fluid Flow

Assignment 1 - 2012 - SOLUTIONS

QUESTION 1.
An air stream enters a variable area channel at a velocity of 25m/s with a pressure of 135kPa and a
temperature of 10oC. At a certain point in the channel, the velocity is found to 260m/s. Using
Bernoulli's equation (i.e., p + V2/2 = constant), which assumes incompressible flow, find the
pressure at this point in the channel. In this calculation use the density evaluated at the inlet
conditions. If the temperature of the air is assumed to remain constant, evaluate the air density at
the point in the flow where the velocity is 260m/s. Compare this density with the density at the inlet
to the channel. On the basis of this comparison, do you think that the use of Bernoulli's equation is
justified?

SOLUTION.

If the subscripts 1 and 2 are used to denote conditions at the two sections of the channel
considered, Bernoulli's equation gives:

V12 V2
p1 +   p2   2
2 2

where point 1 is at the inlet and point 2 is the downstream point considered.
This equation can be rearranged to give:

V12 V22 
p2       p1
 2 2 

The density,  , is evaluated using the inlet conditions usng the perfect gas law. Since air flow is
being considered, this gives:

p p 135x103
 RT , i.e.,:     1.66kg/m3
 RT 287x283

Substituting this together with the initial conditions into the rearranged Bernoulli equation then
gives:
  252 2602 
p2  1.66     135000  79340Pa  79.34kPa
 2 2 

Hence the pressure at the point being considered is 79.34kPa.

If it is assumed that temperature changes in the flow can be neglected, the equation of state gives
using conditions at the second point:

p2 79.34x103
2    0.98kg/m 3
RT2 287x283

This indicates that the density changes by about 40% through the flow which strongly suggests that
the assumption of incompressible flow is not justified.
QUESTION 2.
Two air streams are mixed in a chamber. One stream enters the chamber through a 7cm diameter
pipe at a velocity of 90m/s, a pressure of 160kPa, and a temperature of 30oC. The other stream
enters the chamber through a 1.6cm diameter pipe at a velocity of 160m/s with a pressure of 75kPa
and a temperature of 30oC. The air leaves the chamber through a 9cm diameter pipe at a pressure of
90kPa and a temperature of 30oC. Assuming that the flow is steady, find the velocity in the exit
pipe.

SOLUTION.

If subscripts 1 and 2 refer to the 7cm diameter inlet pipe and the 1.6cm diameter inlet pipe
respectively and if subscript 3 refers to the outlet pipe then, since the flow is steady,:

m 1  m 2  m 3

i.e., since

m   V A

this equation can be written as:

1V1 A1   2V2 A2  3V3 A3

i.e.,:

  
1V1 d12   2V2 d 22  3V3 d32
4 4 4
i.e.,:

1V1d12   2V2 d 22  3V3 d 32

Hence, using   p / RT , the following equation is obtained:

p1 p p
V1d12  2 V2 d 22  3 V3 d32
T1 T2 T3

i.e.,:

160 75 90
x90x7 2  x160x1.6 2  xV3 x92
303 303 303
From this equation it follows that:

160x90x49  75x160x256
V3   101.5m/s
90x81

Hence the velocity in the exit pipe is 101.5m/s.

QUESTION 3.
The jet engine fitted to a small aircraft uses 38kg/s of air when the aircraft is flying at a speed of
760km/hr. The jet efflux velocity is 580m/s. If the pressure on the engine discharge plane is
assumed to be equal to the ambient pressure and if effects of the mass of the fuel used are ignored,
find the thrust developed by the engine.

SOLUTION.

Consider the flow relative to the aircraft. The momentum equation then gives by considering a
control volume surrounding the aircraft and by noting that the pressure is assumed to be the same
everywhere on the surface of this control volume:

Thrust  Rate momentum leaves control volume  Rate momentum enters control volume

i.e.,

T  m out Vout  m in Vin

Since the effects of the fuel mass are being ignored, this equation gives:

 760 
T  m Vout  Vin   38x  580    14020N  14.02kN
 3.6 

Hence the thrust developed by the engine is 14.02kN.

QUESTION 4.
A rocket used to study the atmosphere has a fuel consumption rate of 125kg/s and a nozzle
discharge velocity of 2400m/s. The pressure on the nozzle discharge plane is 85kPa. Find the thrust
developed when the rocket is launched at sea-level.

SOLUTION.

Consider a control volume surrounding the rocket. Because the pressure on the surface of this
control volume is equal to the ambient pressure everywher except on the nozzle exhaust plane, the
momentum equation gives:

Thrust   pexit  pambient  Aexit  Rate momentum leaves control volume

i.e.,:

T  m Vexit   pexit  pambient  Aexit

i.e.,:

T  125x2400   85000  101300  Aexit  (300000  12570 Aexit )N  (300  12.57 Aexit )kN

Therefore the thrust is (300 - 12.57Aexit)kN.

QUESTION 5.
Air being released from a tire through the valve is found to have a temperature of 12oC. Assuming
that the air in the tire is at the ambient temperature of 27oC find the velocity of the air at the exit of
the valve. The process can be assumed to be adiabatic.

SOLUTION.

Because the flow is adiabatic, the energy equation gives:

V22 V2
c p T2   c p T1  1
2 2

But the velocity in the tire can be assumed to be zero so if subscript 1 refers to conditions in the tire
and subscpt 2 refers to conditions at the exit of the valve, the energy equation gives:

V22
c p T2   c p T1
2
i.e.,:

V22
1007x285   1007x300
2
cp for air having been taken to have a value of 1007J/kg K. From the above equation it follows that:

V2  173.8m/s

Therefore the air leaves the tire with a velocity of 173.8m/s.