AVIATION HIGH SCHOOL Revision E

Advanced Jets November 2017

a.n.c
“It’s What You Need” to Know about: Air Behavior Inside a Duct.

Name : ______________________________________________. Date: __________

Lesson # : 4 . AIM : Engine Airflow & Its Energy.

What types of energies do we measure and what are the factors that affect them?

I. Terms to Know
A. Subsonic = below the speed of sound
B. Supersonic = above the speed of sound
C. The speed of sound is approximately 762 MPH at sea level
1. As the density of the air ( or any other medium) through which sound travels increases the speed
of sound increases
2. As the temperature of the air ( or medium) through which sound travels increases the speed of
sound increases due to the molecules having more (kinetic) energy.
D. A Duct is a passageway for fluid flow ( air or water).
1. Convergent Duct - is where the duct goes from a larger cross-sectional area to a smaller
cross-sectional area. In other words, the duct walls come in towards each other.
2. Divergent Duct - is where the duct goes from a smaller cross sectional area to a larger
cross sectional area. In other words, the duct walls separate out.

Air Flow

Convergent Duct Divergent Duct

E. Diffuser : is a duct that, by its shape, reduces the velocity and increases the pressure of fluid flowing through it.
F. Nozzle : is a duct that, by its shape, increases the velocity & decreases the pressure of fluid (air or water)
flowing through it.

II. Pressure , Temperature & Velocity Energy of the Air / Gas Flow Inside A Gas Turbine Engine
A. Abbreviations to know:
P = Pressure. T = Temperature. s = Static ( not moving). t = Total.
B. Energy is the ability to do work or, energy is a property of matter that makes things happen or
effects a change.
C. Total Energy inside a running gas turbine engine is = to the Total Pressure inside the engine.
Total Pressure (Pt) is = to the velocity pressure of the air/gas flowing through the engine + the
static pressure of that air / gas flow. Total pressure is the measure of the total energy of a gas in
motion.
1. In other words, total energy of the gas flow = to the velocity ( kinetic ) energy + static pressure
(potential ) energy.
Velocity energy = to kinetic energy. Pressure energy = to potential energy.
Note: the heat energy contained in the air / gas flow inside the engine is reflected in the static pressure of that
flow. (as temperature increases, pressure increases and vice versa).
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 D. Static Pressure (Ps) = pressure energy of a gas at rest that is pushing out to all sides.
(Like the air in a room)
1. The static pressure includes the increase or decrease in pressure energy due to
temperature changes.
E. Total Pressure (Pt) is the measure of the total energy within a gas that is moving.
F. Static Temperature (Ts) = is the measure of the heat in a stationary gas ( not flowing ).
G. Total Temperature (Tt) = is the temperature of gas in motion. It includes the temperature
increase due to friction.

III. What do we measure to find the total energy contained within the airflow of a Gas Turbine
Engine.

A. The total energy contained in an airflow is equal to:

1. The velocity (or kinetic) energy plus the static pressure (potential) energy plus the heat
energy contained in the airflow.
B. To measure the total energy in the flow we only measure the Velocity energy plus the static
pressure energy since the heat energy of the flow is reflected in the static pressure.

Note: Energy / Matter can neither be created or destroy. It can, however, change from one form to another.

IV. Air Behavior Inside a Duct ( with regard to its pressure & velocity energy)
As we discussed above, in order to measure the total energy of the airflow within a turbine engine we
measure the velocity ( kinetic) energy of the flow and its static pressure ( or kinetic energy).
Depending on where we are in the engine, sometimes we prefer to have pressure energy over velocity
energy ( in all sections prior to the burner) and sometimes we prefer to have velocity energy ( from the
burner back through the exhaust). To that end, it is possible to change one form of energy to the other
within the turbine engine. Here is how we do it:

A. The behavior of airflow inside a duct is dependent on :

1. The shape of the duct ( either convergent or divergent )
2. The speed of the air traveling through the duct
a. Subsonic air behaves like an incompressible fluid.
(air molecules can’t be squeezed together)
b. Supersonic air behaves like a compressible fluid. (Air molecules can be bunched up).
3. Bernoulli’s Principle: states that the total energy ( velocity + static pressure ) of a fluid
in motion at a constant rate can not & does not change. Total energy is constant.
Therefore, if the velocity energy of that flow decreases, its pressure energy must
increases. Constant energy of the constant flow must be maintained, so as one form of
energy increases ( velocity or pressure energy )the other must decrease.
Note: By “a fluid in a constant flow or at a constant rate” we mean that we are neither adding energy to the
flow nor taking energy away.
4. Mass AirFlow is the amount of air passing a fixed point in a duct.
A. Mass Airflow = Density (of the airflow) X Its Velocity X the Cross Sectional area of the duct.
B. The Mass Airflow through a duct, at a fixed altitude and temperature, can not change. It must be
equal in all areas of the duct regardless of the changes in the cross sectional area of the duct.

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V. Subsonic Airflow Inside a Duct ( with reference to its pressure energy and velocity energy)
A. As Subsonic air flow enters into a Convergent Duct its velocity increases & its pressure
decreases.
B. A convergent duct acts as a Nozzle for subsonic airflow.

Subsonic Airflow V & P Convergent Duct

1. The reason for increase in the subsonic airflow’s velocity & its decrease pressure as it flows
into a convergent duct is as follows:
a. Subsonic airflow behaves like a non-compressible fluid.
b. Because subsonic air behaves like a non-compressible fluid it can not bunch up
at the convergent section of the duct, yet all the airflow must flow through the
convergency. Therefore for all the air to pass through the convergent
passageway without bunching up its velocity must increase..
c. Bernoulli’s principle states that in a constant flow as the velocity of a fluid
increases its pressure decreases.
Another way of looking at it is by considering the mass airflow through the duct.
Mass Airflow = Density (of the airflow) X Its Velocity X the Cross Sectional area of the duct.
Mass Airflow through a duct can not change. It must be equal in all areas of the duct
Now remember, sub-sonic airflow behaves as a non-compressible fluid (density doesn’t increase), so as the
mass airflow enters the convergent duct its velocity must increase in order to keep mass airflow the same
because the cross sectional area of the duct is getting smaller.

C. As Subsonic air flow enters into a Divergent Duct its velocity decreases & its pressure increases.
D. A divergent duct acts as a Diffuser for subsonic airflow.

Subsonic Airflow V &P

Divergent Duct

1. The reason for subsonic airflow’s decrease in velocity and its increase in pressure as it flows into a
divergent duct is as follows:
a. Velocity energy of the airflow gets spread out or diffuses as the flow enters the
divergent portion of the duct; As a result the velocity of the flow decreases.
b. Bernoulli’s principle states that in a constant flow as the velocity of a fluid decreases its
pressure increases.
c. If we look at it from the mass airflow point of view, velocity has to go down in order to
keep the mass airflow the same as the duct gets larger in cross sectional area.

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VI. Supersonic Airflow Inside a Duct ( with reference to its velocity & pressure energy)
A. As Supersonic air flow enters into a Convergent Duct its velocity decreases & its pressure increases.
B. A Convergent duct acts as a diffuser for Super-Sonic Airflow

Supersonic Airflow V & P Convergent Duct

1. The reasons for supersonic airflow’s decrease in velocity & its increase in pressure as it
flows into a convergent duct is as follows:
a. Supersonic airflow behaves like a compressible fluid.
b. Because supersonic air behaves like a compressible fluid it will bunch up at
the convergent section of the duct and its velocity will decrease.
1. The supersonic airflow will also create a shock wave when it hits the duct.
It is exactly the same shock wave that is created when an aircraft breaks the
sound barrier ( goes faster than the speed of sound)
This shock will cause the velocity of the airflow to decrease.
c. Bernoulli’s principle states that in a constant flow as the velocity of a fluid
decreases its pressure increases.

Mass Airflow is a little bit different for Supersonic Airflow than it was for sub-sonic airflow. Remember
supersonic airflow behaves like a compressible fluid, so its density can change.
We see that as supersonic air flows into a convergent duct its velocity increases ( & pressure decreases).
The reason for this is that the increase in density of the airflow at the convergent duct has a bigger overall
effect than the decrease in the cross section area of the duct. So as supersonic air flows into a convergent
duct, the density increases but the area of duct, and its affect on mass airflow, does not decrease by the same
amount. It is smaller, hence the velocity must also decrease to compensate for the bigger increase in density
of the airflow. Remember Mass Airflow must remain the same.

Supersonic Airflow V & P

Divergent Duct

C. As Supersonic air flow enters into a Divergent Duct its velocity will increase & its pressure will
decrease.
D. A Divergent Duct acts as a Nozzle for Super-Sonic Airflow
1. The reason for supersonic airflow’s velocity to increase & its pressure to decrease as it
flows into a convergent duct is as follows:
a. The formula for Mass Airflow through a duct is:
Mass Airflow = density of airflow X volume of the duct X the velocity of the airflow.
Hence, as the air flows into a divergent duct the air will expand out into the increased
volume. Since, in a divergent duct, the volume the air is flowing into is increasing, its density
will decrease. From the Mass Airflow formula we see that if density decreases the velocity must
increase since the mass airflow through the duct at any given point must remain the same.

Note: The decrease in density of the airflow has a much larger affect on decreasing the mass
airflow than the increase in volume of the duct does to increase it; therefore velocity must increase
to keep mass airflow the same..
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