SPRING 2016

MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
MDM 503 ADVANCED GAS DYNAMICS
HOMEWORK 1: REVIEW
1. The equation of state for a perfect gas is usually represented by the van der Waals' equation
when its temperature is low and its pressure is high as
RT
p  a 2
1  b
where a and b are constants and a = 0.1790 Nm4/kg2 and b = 0.001397 m3/kg for nitrogen.
Determine the speed of sound of nitrogen at a temperature of 400 C and a pressure of 1.8
MPa by using the
a) equation of state for a perfect gas and
b) van der Waals' equation of state.
(Ans. a) 311.2 m/s; b) 316.8 m/s)

2. Air at a temperature of 250C is flowing with a velocity of 180 m/s. A projectile is fired into
the air stream with a velocity of 800 m/s in the opposite direction to that of the air flow.
Calculate the angle that the Mach waves from the projectile make t the direction of flow.
(Ans. 20.750C)

3. At a given instant of time, two pressure waves, each moving at the speed of sound, emitted
by a point source moving with constant velocity in a fluid at rest, are shown in the figure.
Determine the Mach number involved and indicate with a sketch the instantaneous location
of the point source. (0.625)

4. The sound generated by a supersonic airplane is heard 10 s after its passage directly over an
observer on the ground. The airplane is traveling at an altitude of 5000 m in an atmosphere
with an average temperature of 100 C. Find the velocity of the airplane. (Ans. 457 m/s)

5. An observer on the ground finds that an airplane flying horizontally at an altitude of 2500
m has travelled 6 km from the overhead position before the sound of the aircraft is first
heard. Assuming that, overall, the aircraft creates a small disturbance, estimate the speed at
which the airplane is flying. The average air temperature between the ground and the
 altitude at which the airplane is flying is 100 C. Explain the assumptions you have made in
arriving at the answer. (Ans. 877 m/s)

25 cm

5 cm

12.5 cm

Problem 3

6. A Pitot static tube is placed in a subsonic air flow. The static pressure and temperature in
the flow are 80 kPa and 120C, respectively. The difference between the stagnation and static
pressures is measured using a manometer and found to be 200 mm of mercury. Find the air
velocity assuming

a) an incompressible flow and

b) compressible flow.
(Ans. a) 233.6 m/s; b) 220 m/s)

7. The exhaust gases from a rocket engine have a gas constant of 594 J/kgK. They can be
assumed to behave as a perfect gas with a specific heat ratio of 1.25. These gases are
accelerated through a nozzle. At some point in the nozzle where the cross-sectional area of
the nozzle is 0.7 m2, the pressure is 1000 kPa, the temperature is 5000C and the velocity is
100 m/s. Find the mass flow rate through the nozzle and the stagnation temperature and
pressure. Also find the highest velocity that could be generated by expanding this flow. If
the pressure at some other point in the nozzle is 100 kPa, find the temperature and velocity
 at that point in the flow assuming the flow to be one-dimensional and isentropic. (Ans.
152.5 kg/s, 774.7 K, 1011 kPa, 487.7 K, 1306 m/s)

8. A liquid fuelled rocket is fired on a test stand. The rocket nozzle has an exit diameter of 30
cm and the combustion gases leave the nozzle at a velocity of 3800 m/s and a pressure of
100 kPa, which is the same as the ambient pressure. The temperature of the gases in the
combustion area is 24000C. Find the temperature of the gases on the nozzle exit plane, the
pressure in the combustion are and the thrust developed. Assume that the gases have a
specific heat ratio of 1.3 and a gas constant of 923.9 J/kgK. Assume that the flow in the
nozzle is isentropic. (869.6 K, 12980 kPa, 127 kN)

9. A converging nozzle is fed with air from a large reservoir where the temperature and
pressure are 400 K and 170 kPa, respectively. The nozzle has an exit cross-sectional area of
0.001 m2 and discharges into the atmosphere with a pressure of 100 kPa. The flow is
isentropic throughout the nozzle. Determine the pressure, the Mach number, the temperature
and the velocity at the exit plane, and also find the mass flow rate. (Ans. 100 kPa, 344.2 K,
334.8 m/s, 0.3388 kg/s)

10. Air is stored in a. tank of 3 m3 in volume at a pressure of 300 kPa and a temperature of 400
K. Air is discharged through a converging nozzle with an exit area of 0.001 m2. Determine
the time required for the tank pressure to drop to 125 kPa, if the nozzle discharges to the
atmosphere with a pressure of l00 kPa. Assume isentopic, quasi-steady flow through the
nozzle, where the steady flow equations applicable at each instant of time. Also, there is
enough heat transfer to the tank, so that the temperature of the air in the tank is constant.
(Ans. 11.63 s)

11. Air is supplied to a converging-diverging nozzle from a large reservoir, where the pressure
and temperature are 432 kPa and 322 K, respectively. The ratio of the exit to throat cross-
sectional areas is 1.7. The flow is frictionless and adiabatic.

a) Determine the ranges of back pressure for which (i) there is a normal shock wave
in the nozzle, (ii) there are oblique compression waves outside the nozzle and (iii) there are
oblique expansion waves outside the nozzle.
b) Find the mass flux at the exit of the nozzle when there is a normal shock wave at
the exit plane of the nozzle.
 (Ans. a) (i) 393 kPa > pb > 247.1 kPa, (ii) 247.1 kPa > pb > 54.35 kPa, (iii) 54.35 kPa > pb
> 0 kPa; b) 571.7 kg/m2/s)

12. Air is supplied to a converging-diverging nozzle from a large reservoir where the pressure
and temperature are 544 kPa and 292 K, respectively. There is a normal shock wave at a
point where the cross-sectional area is 0.002 m2. At the end of the duct, where the cross-
sectional area is 0.003 m2, the Mach number is 0.3. Assume adiabatic and frictionless flow.
Determine the

a) loss in the stagnation pressure,

b) throat cross-sectional area,
c) exit pressure,
d) back pressure and
e) mass flow rate.
(Ans. a) 326.7 kPa; b) 0.0005879 m2; c) 204.2 kPa; d) 204.2 kPa; e) 0.7563 kg/s)

13. In a suction type supersonic wind tunnel, which is shown in the figure, air flows through a
converging-diverging nozzle into a test section with constant cross-sectional area and
discharges into a vacuum tank. The tunnel is designed for a Mach number of 2.0 and the
cross-sectional area of the test section is 0.006 m2. How long can uniform conditions be
maintained at the test section. Initially, the vacuum tank is completely evacuated and it has
a volume of 4 m3. Assume that the atmospheric pressure and temperature are 100 kPa and
150C and the air is brought to rest adiabatically. The flow is adiabatic and frictionless. (Ans.
3.282 s)

Test section

Vacuum
tank patm

Problem 13
14. A normal shock wave occurs in an air flow at a point where the velocity is 680 m/s, the
static pressure is 80 kPa and the static temperature is 600C. Find the velocity, static pressure
and static temperature downstream of the shock. Also find the stagnation temperature and
stagnation pressure upstream and downstream of the shock. (Ans. 277.3 m/s, 309.2 kPa,
524.8 K, 563.1 K, 503.2 kPa, 563.1 K, 395.6 kPa)

15. A perfect gas flows through a stationary normal shock. The gas velocity decreases from
480 m/s to 160 m/s through the shock. If the pressure and the density upstream of the shock
are 62 kPa and 1.5 kg/m3, find the pressure and density downstream of the shock and the
specific ratio of the gas. (Ans. 292.4 kPa, 4.5 kg/m3, 1.3)

16. Show the downstream Mach number of a normal shock approaches a minimum value as
the Mach number increases towards infinity. What is this minimum Mach number for a gas
with a specific heat ratio of 1.67. (Ans. 0.4479)

17. A normal shock wave propagates at a speed of 2600 m/s down a pipe that is filled with
hydrogen. The hydrogen is at rest and at a pressure and temperature of 101.3 kPa and 250C,
respectively, upstream of the wave. Assuming hydrogen to behave as a perfect gas with
constant specific heats, find the temperature, pressure and velocity downstream of the
wave. (Ans. 1607 m/s, 445.7 kPa, 505.5 K)

18. As a result of a rapid chemical reaction, a normal shock wave is generated which
propagates down a duct in which there is air at a pressure of 100 kPa and a temperature of
300C. The pressure behind this shock wave is 130 kPa. Half a second after the generation
of this shock wave, a second normal shock wave is generated by another chemical reaction.
This second shock wave follows the first one down the duct, the pressure behind this second
shock wave being 190 kPa. Find the velocity of air and the temperature behind the second
shock wave. Also find the distance between the two waves at a time of 0.7 s after the
generation of the first shock wave. (Ans. 168.5 m/s, 364.8 K, 174.8 m)

19. A normal shock wave, across which the pressure ratio is 1.45, moves down a duct into still
air at a pressure of 100 kPa and a temperature of 200C. Find the pressure, temperature and
velocity of the air behind the shock wave. If the end of the duct is closed, find the pressure
acting on the end of the duct after the shock is reflected from it. (Ans. 145 kPa, 326.3 K,
93.8 m/s, 207 kPa)
20. A normal shock wave moves down a shock tube at a velocity of 700 m/s into the air with
a pressure of 150 kPa and a temperature of 350 K. At the end of the tube, a piston is moving
in the opposite direction at a velocity of 50 m/s. Determine
a) the velocity of the reflected normal shock wave, and
b) the pressure and the temperature behind the reflected normal shock wave.
(Ans. a) 425 m/s, b) 2244 kPa, 873.9 K)