Internal flows of dense gases

Summary.

The properties of internal flows of dense gases having large specific heats are discussed on the basis of two prototypical examples: inviscid nozzle flows and laminar boundary-layer flows. In the first case it is shown that rarefaction shocks may be completely admissible. Also it is shown that the transition from a subsonic to a supersonic state may require a rather unusual nozzle shape having two throats rather than a single throat. Under adiabatic wall conditions the energy equation is found to play a minor role in the description of laminar boundary layers. New effects not possible in dilute gases are seen to result from the non-monotonous Mach number variation in external supersonic flow fields.