Compressible Fluid

Presentation by:
Peter Kay

Senior Lecturer
Flow

2017/18
Leaning Objectives
By the end of this lecture you should be able to:
• Discuss the concept of stagnation temperature
• Describe the operation and relevance of a de Laval nozzle
• Calculate the mass flow rate though a choked nozzle
• Understand the importance of critical pressure on chocked flow
Sonic Velocity
• As the pressure at a point is increased the adjacent molecules undergo
a small change in position.
• If the fluid is incompressible then the motion is infinitely quick.
• Most fluids are, to some degree compressible, therefore this time is
finite.
• If there is a sudden change, or the fluid is moving quickly then this time
is important.
Sonic Velocity
• For a thermally perfect gas the relationship is:

• We can express the velocity of a gas as a function of the sonic

velocity

• Where is the Mach Number.

• When:
Stagnation Temperature
Stagnation Pressure
• Recalling from Bernoulli’s principle:

• Static Pressure: A > B

• Dynamic Pressure: A < B
• Stagnation Pressure: A = B

A C
B
Stagnation Temperature
• The stagnation temperature is the temperature that would be attained
if the fluid was brought to rest.
• In the same way that there is a stagnation pressure, it can be shown
that the stagnation temperature is:

• It indicated that the stagnation temperature is higher than the

temperature by
Stagnation Temperature
• It can be shown that the stagnation temperature can be expressed
as:

• And the stagnation pressure is:

Nozzles and Diffusers
Nozzles and Diffusers
• Nozzles and diffusers have do very different
things.
• Nozzles:
o Reduction of cross-sectional area with
distance
o ‘Converts’ high-pressure low-speed flow into
low-pressure high-speed flow.

• Diffusers:
o Increase of cross-sectional area with distance
o ‘Converts’ low-pressure high-speed flow into
high-pressure low-speed flow.
Flow Through a Nozzle
• It can be shown that:

• If we assume that the flow is subsonic () then

o Therefore and are opposite signs
o In other words as increases then decreases
• If we assume that the flow if supersonic then
o Therefore and are the same sign
o In other words as increases then increases
• For then must be zero. The second derivative of this is positive
therefore A is minimum.
o In other words if the flow is sonic it must be sonic at the throat
Rocket Nozzles Subsonic Supersonic

• The application of the previous principles were

realised by Carl de Laval. Who designed a A1 At A2
convergent-divergent nozzle to accelerate steam p1 pc p2
to supersonic velocities.
• The term de Laval nozzle is now used to describe
nozzle of this general shape.
Choked Flow
Compressible Mass Flow
• From continuity:

• Recalling that:

• Then:

• From the universal gas equation:

• Substituting gives:
Compressible Mass Flow
• From previous slide

• Recalling that:
and
• Then:

Collecting terms gives:

Compressible Mass Flow
• The relationship of compressible mass flow is:

• Notice that:

• The relationship with velocity () is more difficult to determine.

Choked Flow
• The figure shows the relationship: 1

Normalised Mass Flowrate [-]

• Note that the maximum mass flow rate 0.8
occurs at a Mach Number of unity.
• Therefore when the flow becomes 0.6
choked the maximum flow rate is:
0.4

0.2

0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
Mach Number [-]
Critical Pressure
• Recalling that:

• If for choked conditions then:

• For air , therefore:

• The flow will choke when the downstream pressure falls below 0.53 of
the upstream pressure.
 Compressible Fluid
Presentation by:
Peter Kay

Senior Lecturer
Flow

2017/18
Exercise
• What is the speed of sound in air?

State any assumptions you make.

Solution
• What is the speed of sound in air?
• Assuming:
o Thermally perfect gas
o An air temperature of 300 K
• From steam tables:
Exercise
• What is the stagnation temperature on the nose of a rocket travelling
at 2 km/s?

State any assumptions you make.

Solution
• Assuming an air temperature of and
• Mach number (using sonic velocity previously calculated):

• Stagnation temperature:
Exercise
• Air flow adiabatically through a pipe. At plane 1 the temperature is -2 °C, the
air pressure is 1.5 bar and the speed of the air is 270 m/s. At plane 2 the air
pressure is 1.2 bar and the temperature is -17 °C. Determine the following:
o The density of the air at plane 1
o The stagnation temperature
o The velocity of the air at plane 2
o The density of the air at plane 2.

State any assumptions that you make.

Solution
The density of the air at plane 1.
• From the universal gas law

Therefore:
Solution
The stagnation temperature
• Need to use:

• First need to find out .

• Substituting gives:
Solution
The velocity at plane 2
• Since it is adiabatic then the stagnation temperature remains
constant.
• Rearranging

• Gives:

• Need to calculate new sonic velocity:

• Therefore
Solution
The density of air at plane 2
• From universal gas law

• Rearranging gives: