Advanced Gasdynamics

D. Scott Stewart

Fall 2006
Lecture 19
5 Quasi-one dimensional ow
Many practical problems in the context of gasdynamic ow assume that the
ow is one-dimensional or nearly so. The basis for this approximation is that
the cross-section of ow ducts conne the ow to vary slowly across the cross-
section, and the ow is principally along the main ow axis. If one dened
a characteristic area of the cross-section A(x) > 0 then h(x) =

A(x) is a
representative measure of dimension and ow length. If R(x) is the radius
curvature of the mean-streamline in the duct then slow variation can be
expressed asymptotically as
h
R
<< 1 .
The duct can simply be a ow stream-tube (comprised of streamlines), in
which case one simply assumes that the ow is nearly one-dimensional. We
will consider A(x) to be specied and only a function of the stream direction
x.
In either case, for a ow in a real duct, or a portion of a nearly one-
dimensional ow, we can assume that the ow is approximated as uni-
directional with u = u(x, t)

i, with the same dependences for all the other

ow variables. However the eect of area variation does aect the ow,
specically through the continuity (mass conservation) equation.

Mechanical Science and Enginering, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois

1
x = x
2
x
1
A(x
1
)
A(x
2
)
Figure 1: Flow in a duct with slowly varying cross-section
.
Consider the integral form of the conservative form of the mass equation

t
+ (u)

dV = 0 .
which we write (using the divergence theorem) as

t
dV +

S
(u) ndS = 0 .
Consider the limit as x = x
2
x
1
0. We note that u n is zero on the
walls of the duct (streamtube). We approximate the integrals, both surface
and volume as x , V 0, where V = A( x)x, x
1
< x < x
2
, as

t
|
x
A( x)x + [(uA)|
x
2
(uA)|
x
1
] x +O(x
2
) = 0 .
If we divide the last result by x and take the limit at x 0 (with
A(x
1
) A(x
2
) A( x), then we obtain
A
t
+
uA
x
= 0 . (1)
One can make similar arguments for the moment equation to obtain
(uA)
t
+
u
2
A
x
+
p
x
= 0 , (2)
2
and the integral form of the energy equation to obtain
A(e + 1/2
2
)
t
+

x
[uA(e +pv + 1/2u
2
)] = Q
s
A, (3)
As an exercise show that (1) - (3) can be re-written as

t
+u

x
+
u
x
+u
1
A
dA
dx
= 0 , (4)

u
t
+u
u
x

+
p
x
= 0 , (5)
u
t
+u
u
x
c
2

u
t
+u
u
x

=
Q
s
e
,p
, (6)
Equations (4)-(6) form a basic model that can describe both steady and
unsteady 1-D ows, with area change eects and energy addition. Gener-
ally the solution to these equations admit smooth solutions but also admit
discontinuous jumps (shock and contact discontinuities). If we use the jump
notation |[]| =
+

then the jump relations can be written

|[U]| = 0 ,
|[U
2
+p]| = 0 ,
|[U(e +pv + 1/2U
2
)|] = 0 .
where U = u V is the particle velocity in the frame of the discontinuity at
speed V in the shock frame. These Rankine-Hugoniot jump relations hold
are valid for both contact discontinuities and normal shocks. The contact
discontinuity has no mass ux across it and is a material surface with u = V ,
hence U = 0. We will say more about this shortly. The shock has a non zero
mass ux and hence the energy equation jump relation can be simplied to
|[e +pv + 1/2U
2
|] = 0.
3