COMPRESSIBLE FLOWS

Lecture slides by
Dr. Arun M.
Associate Professor
Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
NITK
Inputs from and other web resources: Fluid Mechanics: Fundamentals and
Applications
Third Edition in SI Units
Yunus A. Cengel, John M. Cimbala
McGraw-Hill, 2014
High-speed color schlieren image of the bursting of a toy balloon overfilled with
compressed air. This 1-microsecond exposure captures the shattered balloon skin and
reveals the bubble of compressed air inside beginning to expand. The balloon burst also
drives a weak spherical shock wave, visible here as a circle surrounding the balloon. The
silhouette of the photographer's hand on the air valve can be seen at center right.
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In general, fluid flows are considered as “incompressible flows” where
density variations and compressibility effects are negligible.

In this section, we lift this limitation and consider flows that involve
significant changes in density. Such flows are called “compressible flows”,
and they are frequently encountered in devices that involve the flow of
gases at very high speeds.

Compressible flow combines fluid dynamics and thermodynamics in that

both are absolutely necessary to the development of the required
theoretical background.

Hence, we develop the general relations associated with compressible flows

for an ideal gas with constant specific heats.

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We start this topic by introducing the concepts of stagnation state,
speed of sound, and Mach number for compressible flows.

The relationships between the static and stagnation fluid properties are
developed for isentropic flows of ideal gases, and they are expressed as
functions of specific heat ratios and the Mach number.

The effects of area changes for one dimensional isentropic subsonic and
supersonic flows are discussed.

These effects are illustrated by considering the isentropic flow through

converging and converging–diverging nozzles.

The concept of shock waves and the variation of flow properties across
normal and oblique shock waves will be discussed.

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 Objectives
• Appreciate the consequences of compressibility
in gas flow
• Understand why a nozzle must have a diverging
section to accelerate a gas to supersonic speeds
• Predict the occurrence of shocks and calculate
property changes across a shock wave

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 12–1 ■ STAGNATION PROPERTIES
Stagnation (or total) enthalpy

Static enthalpy: the ordinary enthalpy h

Energy balance (with no heat or work

interaction, no change in potential energy)

Aircraft and jet engines involve high

speeds, and thus the kinetic energy
Steady flow of a fluid through an term should always be considered
adiabatic duct. when analyzing them. 6
 If the fluid were brought to a complete stop, the energy balance becomes
Stagnation enthalpy: The enthalpy of a fluid
when it is brought to rest adiabatically.

During a stagnation process,

the kinetic energy of a fluid is
converted to enthalpy, which
results in an increase in the
fluid temperature and
pressure.
The properties of a fluid at
the stagnation state are called
stagnation properties
(stagnation temperature,
stagnation pressure, stagnation
density, etc.).
Kinetic energy is converted to enthalpy during a
The stagnation state is
stagnation process.
indicated by the subscript 0.

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Isentropic stagnation state: When the
stagnation process is reversible as well as
adiabatic (i.e., isentropic).
The stagnation processes are often
approximated to be isentropic, and the
isentropic stagnation properties are simply
referred to as stagnation properties.
When the fluid is approximated as an ideal
gas with constant specific heats

Stagnation (or total) temperature T0 : It

represents the temperature an ideal gas
attains when it is brought to rest
adiabatically.
Dynamic temperature: V2/2cp : corresponds
The actual state, actual stagnation
to the temperature rise during such a state, and isentropic stagnation state
process. of a fluid on an h-s diagram.

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Stagnation pressure P0 :The pressure
a fluid attains when brought to rest
isentropically.

Stagnation density 0

When stagnation enthalpies are used,

the energy balance for a single-stream,
steady-flow device
The temperature of an ideal gas
flowing at a velocity V rises by
V2/2cp when it is brought to a
When the fluid is approximated as an ideal gas complete stop.
with constant specific heats

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