Global Smooth Supersonic Flows in Infinite Expanding Nozzles

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the conditions for the existence and properties of smooth supersonic flows in infinite nozzles, establishing criteria for flow behavior, vacuum formation, and flow extension in symmetric convex nozzles.

Contribution

It provides new necessary and sufficient conditions for global smooth supersonic flows and characterizes vacuum points and flow regularity in nozzles.

Findings

Flow in straight nozzles never approaches sonic or vacuum states under certain conditions.

Existence of a unique global smooth flow in symmetric convex nozzles for given inlet conditions.

Vacuum points are located on the upper wall and the flow speed is Lipschitz continuous.

Abstract

This paper concerns smooth supersonic flows with Lipschitz continuous speed in two-dimensional infinite expanding nozzles, which are governed by a quasilinear hyperbolic equation being singular at the sonic and vacuum state. The flow satisfies the slip condition on the walls and the flow velocity is prescribed at the inlet. First, it is proved that if the incoming flow is away from the sonic and vacuum state and its streamlines are rarefactive at the inlet, then a flow in a straight nozzle never approaches the sonic and vacuum state in any bounded region. Furthermore, a sufficient and necessary condition of the incoming flow at the inlet is derived for the existence of a global smooth supersonic flow in a straight nozzle. Then, it is shown that for each incoming flow satisfying this condition, there exists uniquely a global smooth supersonic flow in a symmetric nozzle with convex upper wall. It is noted that such a flow may contain a vacuum. If there is a vacuum for a global smooth transonic flow in a symmetric nozzle with convex upper wall, it is proved that for the symmetric upper part of the flow, the first vacuum point along the symmetric axis must be located at the upper wall and the set of vacuum points is the closed domain bounded by the tangent half-line of the upper wall at this point to downstream and the upper wall after this point. Moreover, the flow speed is globally Lipschitz continuous in the nozzle, and on the boundary between the gas and the vacuum, the flow velocity is along this boundary and the normal derivatives of the flow speed and the square of the sound speed both are zero. As an immediate consequence, the local smooth transonic flow obtained in [10] can be extended into a global smooth transonic flow in a symmetric nozzle whose upper wall after the local flow is convex.