MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

4.4 CHARACTERISTIC SPEEDS OF GAS DYNAMICS

They are two types of characteristic speeds
(i) dimensional characteristic speeds and
(ii) nondimensional characteristic speeds

4.4.1 Dimensional Characteristic Speeds

There are three important dimensional characteristic speeds
a) Stagnation Speed of Sound
It is the speed of sound at the stagnation state

a0  kRT0

For an adiabatic flow, the stagnation speed of sound is constant.

b) Maximum Speed
A gas can attain its maximum speed when it is hypothetically expanded to zero pressure. The static
temperature corresponding to this state is also zero.
The maximum speed of a gas represents the speed corresponding to the complete transformation of the
kinetic energy associated with the random motion of gas molecules (thermal energy) into directed kinetic
energy. =0
k 1 2
T0  T  V
2kR

2k
Vmax  RT0
k 1

ME 411 GAS DYNAMICS 4. ISENTROPIC FLOW LECTURE 05 - 1/7

 MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

c) Critical Speed of Sound

The speed of sound at the sonic state of a perfect gas, where M = 1

V *  a *  kRT *

where the superscript * indicates the sonic state.

k 1 2 k  1 *2 V *2 k  1 *2
T0  T  V T*  V   V
2kR 2kR kR 2kR

2k
V *  a*  RT0
k 1

Relation between Dimensional Characteristic Speeds

2k
a*  RT0 a* 2
k 1 
a0 k 1
a0  kRT0

2k
Vmax  RT0 Vmax 2
k 1 
a0 k 1
a0  kRT0

2k
Vmax  RT0
k 1
Vmax k 1

a* 
2k
RT0 a* k 1
k 1

ME 411 GAS DYNAMICS 4. ISENTROPIC FLOW LECTURE 05 - 2/7

 MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

Steady Flow Adiabatic Ellipse

Recall adiabatic energy equation

k 1 2 k 1 2 k 1 2
T0  T  V  kRT  V  kRT0  constant  a2  V  constant
2kR 2 2
At the stagnation state V = 0 so that T = T0 or a = a0 , while V  Vmax as T = 0 or a = 0
2 2
V2  a 2  Vmax
2
 a02
k 1 k 1
or
V2 a2
2
 2 1
Vmax a0

which is known as the steady flow adiabatic ellipse

M = 0.3

Subsonic M=1

Supersonic
Incompressible Transonic

M=5

450 Hypersonic
V

ME 411 GAS DYNAMICS 4. ISENTROPIC FLOW LECTURE 05 - 3/7

 MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

4.4.2 Non-dimensional Characteristic Speeds

There are two important dimensional characteristic speeds

a) Mach Number
It has two important disadvantages:
(i) The Mach number is not only proportional to the velocity, but it is also a function of temperature
due to the definition of the speed of sound.
(ii) The Mach number tends to infinity at high velocities.

b) Mach Number Referred to Critical Conditions

It can be defined as
V
M* 
a*
V2 V 2 a2 2 a
2
M *2    M
a *2 a 2 a *2 a *2
Recall adiabatic energy equation

2 2 k  1 *2
V2  a 2  Vmax
2
 a02  a
k 1 k 1 k 1

V2 2 a2 k  1
 
a *2 k  1 a *2 k  1

2 M *2 k  1
M *2  
k  1 M2 k 1

ME 411 GAS DYNAMICS 4. ISENTROPIC FLOW LECTURE 05 - 4/7

 MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

k 1 2
M
M *2  2
k 1 2
1 M
2
or
2
M *2
M 
2 k  1
k  1 *2
1 M
k 1

M*

k 1
k 1
2.0

1.0

M
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0

ME 411 GAS DYNAMICS 4. ISENTROPIC FLOW LECTURE 05 - 5/7

 MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

3.4 EFFECTS OF AREA VARIATION ON FLOW PROPERTIES IN ISENTROPIC FLOW

Control volume

p p + dp
  + d
V Flow V + dV
h direction h + dh
A A + dA

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

   AV  (   d )( A  dA)(V  dV )
m
0 0 0 0
 AV   AV  VdA  AVd   AdV   dVdA  AdVd  Vd dA  d dVdA

dV d dA
  0
V  A

ME 411 GAS DYNAMICS 4. ISENTROPIC FLOW LECTURE 05 - 6/7

 MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
(2.4)
(2.3)
b) Momentum Equation

For frictionless flows (2.4)

dp  (V  dV )  mV

pA  ( p  dp )( A  dA)  ( p  )dA  m
2
0  0
dpdA  m  dV  mV

pA  pA  Adp  pdA  dpdA  pdA   mV
2

 dV
 Ad p  m Control volume

   AV
Noting that m
p p + dp
dp V  2
  + d
dp   V d V or  d 0 V Flow V + dV
  2  direction
h h + dh
A A + dA
Combining continuity and momentum equations
1
dA dp  V2 
  1  2
A V 2  dp / d 

For an isentropic process, the entropy is constant so that dp/d = (p/)s = a2

2 
1 M 2   1 M 2 
dA dp dA dV
 or 
A V A V

ME 411 GAS DYNAMICS 4. ISENTROPIC FLOW LECTURE 05 - 7/7