Introduction

Propulsion and Power Systems

The Study of Propulsion
• The study of propulsion is intimately linked to the understanding of
internal fluid mechanics.
• This means that duct flows are of prime interest to propulsion.
• The physical phenomena in a real duct include the following effects:
• Friction
• Heat transfer through the walls
• Chemical reaction within the duct
• Area variation of the duct
• Compressibility effects, e.g. appearance of shocks
• The laws of thermodynamics govern the relationship between the state
variables of the gas, namely density ‘𝜌’, pressure ‘p’, absolute temperature
‘T’, entropy ‘s’, internal energy ‘e’, and derived properties such as enthalpy
‘h’ and specific heats at constant pressure and volume, ‘cp’ and ‘cv’,
respectively.
• In addition to the laws of thermodynamics, the fluid flow problems need to
obey other conservation principles that are introduced in Newtonian
mechanics.
• These are conservation of mass and momentum as described in classical
mechanics.
• We will review only the principles that have a direct impact on our study of
jet engines.
A Brief Review of Thermodynamics
• To get started, we need to characterize the medium that flows
through the duct.
• In gas turbine engines the medium is a perfect gas, often air.
• The perfect gas law that relates the pressure, density, and the
absolute temperature of the gas may be derived rigorously from the
kinetic theory of gases.
• p = 𝜌RT
• where R is known as the gas constant, which is inversely proportional
to the molecular weight of the gas, i.e.,
Equation (1)
• Where 𝑅ത is the universal gas constant.
• Also called molar or ideal gas constant.
• Its value is R = 8314 J/kmol.K
• By definition, a kmol is defined as 1000 mol, or 6.0251 x 1026
molecules of the substance.
• The molecular weight of air in terms of kg and kmol is then:
• The universal gas constant (R) is, as its name implies, universal, i.e.,
the same regardless of the gas being considered.
• The ideal gas law in terms of R is PV = nRT.
• Where P = the absolute pressure of the gas
• V = the volume occupied by the gas
• n = number of moles of the gas
• T = the absolute temperature of the gas.
• Note that we use the font V for volume to distinguish from V for
velocity or speed.
Specific Heat
• The specific heat is the amount of heat per unit mass required to
raise the temperature by 1ᴼC.
Specific Volume
• To calculate specific volume you need to know the volume (V) and the
mass (m).
• Specific volume equals volume divided by mass. Typically, volume is
measured in cubic meters (m3), and mass is measured in kilograms.
Specific volume is then calculated as volume divided by mass.
• In other words, Specific volume is a property of materials, defined as the
number of cubic meters occupied by one kilogram of a particular
substance.
• A closer examination of the definition for specific volume shows that the
specific volume v is the inverse of the gas density r

• v=1/r
Problem
• Calculate the density of (dry) air where its static pressure and
temperature are 3.0 MPa and 25ᴼC, respectively.
• The molecular weight (MW) of Dry Air = 29 kg/kmol
• First we will calculate the Gas Constant from Equation (1)
First Law of Thermodynamics or Law of
Conservation of Energy
• The first law of thermodynamics is the application of the conservation of
energy principle to heat and thermodynamic processes.
• The change in internal energy of the system is equal to the heat added to
the system minus the work done by the system.

The first law makes use of the key concepts of internal energy, heat, and
system work.
It is used extensively in the discussion of heat engines.
The standard unit for all these quantities would be the joule, although they
are sometimes expressed in calories or BTUs.
Examples of First Law of Thermodynamics
• Heat engines are a good example of First Law of Thermodynamics.
• Heat transfer into them takes place so that they can do work.
• Another example could be the melting of ice in a glass of lemonade.
• The total amount of heat in the system has remained the same, but
has just gravitated towards equilibrium, where both the former ice
cube (now water) and the lemonade are the same temperature.
• This is, of course, not a completely closed system. The lemonade will
eventually become warm again, as heat from the environment is
transferred to the glass and its contents.
Open System
• Open systems are those systems in which mass and energy, both can
flow through the boundaries of system.
• They are sometimes referred as control volume.
• For example: A water heater is an example of open system as the cold
water enters in the system whereas hot water flows out of the
system, it means that energy and mass both flows through the
boundaries of the system hence it is an example of open
system(control volume).
Close System
• Closed systems are those systems in which mass remains fixed
whereas energy can flow through the boundaries of system that is
why closed systems are also called control mass.
• For example: A gas filled in container and a movable piston is a closed
system as changing the volume by adjusting the piston results in
change in temperature of the gas which means that thermal energy
flowed in the system whereas mass of the gas remains constant.
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