MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

CHAPTER 4
ISENTROPIC FLOW

ME 411 GAS DYNAMICS 4. ISENTROPIC FLOW LECTURE 04 - 1/8

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MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

4.1 INTRODUCTION

The compressible flow is 3D in general, but the discussion is restricted to 1D flows

Although the static pressure in a streamtube can be considered constant, the velocity chanes due to no-
slip condition.
But from a 1D point of wiev, it can be approximated by its average value so that it is uniform.

From a one-dimensional point of wiev, the fluid properties in compressible flows are affected.
(i) changes in the cross-sectional area
(ii) friction
(iii) heat transfer

In many practical problems, these effects ocur simultaneously.

Due to the complexity of the analysis of such flows, these factors are studied one at a time, while the
others being neglected.

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MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

In this chapter, the effects of

(i) friction and
(ii) heat transfer
are neglected.

Therefore
(i) steady
(ii) one-dimensional
(iii) adiabatic
(iv) reveresible
flows with area change are studied.

These isentropic flows with area change are known as simple area change flows.

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 MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

They have two important applications

(i) flow in ducts
(ii) flow in stream tubes
are neglected.

The flow in pipes and ducts is usually adiabatic.

In the case of nozzles and diffusers, the ducts are usually very short so that the frictional effects are
negligible.
Therefore, the flow is reversible, hence it is isentropic.
The main function of nozzles and diffusers are to accelerate or decelerate the flow as efficiently as
possible.
Therefore, isentropic process provides a useful standard for the comparison of the actal performance of
nozzles and diffusers.

For external flows around bodies and internal flows through passage, there are stream tubes which lie
outside the boundary layer.
In these stream tubes, the effects of heat transfer are negligible and the flow may be treated as isentropic

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 MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

4.2 GOVERNING EQUATIONS

Control volume

Fp
p1 p2
1 2
Flow V2
V1
direction h2
h1
A1 A2

1
2

a) Continuity Equation
For steady flows, mass flow rate is constant
For 1D flows, flow properties are uniform (constant) over each cross-section
  1A1V1   2 A2V2
m

b) Momentum Equation
For frictionless flows
Fp  p1A1  p2 A2   2 A2V22  1A1V12

where Fp is the pressure force acting on the side walls of the control volüme.

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MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

Control volume

Fp
p1 p2
1 2
Flow V2
V1
direction h2
h1
A1 A2

1
2
c) Energy Equation
When there is no heat transfer between the control volüme and its surroundings

V12 V22
h1   h2 
2 2

d) The Second Law of Thermodynamics

For isentropic flows

s1  s2

e) Equation of State

For isentropic flows

p   RT

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 MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

4.3 STAGNATION CONDITIONS

The stagnation conditions are extremely important for defining a reference state for compressible
flows.
The stagnation state is defined as the state where the flow velocity is zero.

Infinitely large Infinitely large

reservoir reservoir

p p Stagnation
Stagnation
Flow   Flow state
state p0, T0
V V
p0, T0 h0, 0
h h
h0, 0
T T

Applying the energy equation

V2
h0  h 
2
where h0 is the stagnation enthalpy.

The stagnation enthalpy has the same value for all states, which are reachable adiabatically from a
given static state, whether the deceleration process is reversible or not.
The stagnation enthalpy may be fixed by using the second law of thermodynamics
s0  s

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MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

The deceleration process, which is governed by first and second law of thermodynamics, can be
illustrated on a Mollier diagram.

h T
p0 p0
h0 T0

Stagnation Stagnation
state state
V2/2 V2/(2cp)
p p
h T
Static state Static state
s s
s = s0 s = s0

For a perfect gas, h = cpT, so that the energy equation becomes

V2
T0  T 
2c p
or using cp = kR/(k – 1) , so that the energy equation becomes
k 1 2
T0  T  V
2kR
where T0 is the stagnation temperature and it has the same value whether the acceleration or
deceleration process is isentropic or not.

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