Internal Flows

In this course we address fluid dynamic phenomena of interest in internal flow situations for aerospace propulsion applications. The goal of the course is to develop physical insight into the phenomena that characterize internal flow in fluid machinery. As such we will discuss not just what happens, but why it happens and what are the consequences for propulsion systems. The course covers topic, which are not dealt with in courses or texts about external fluid dynamics. The flows described in Internal Flows are generally rotational, often three-dimensional, unsteady, and sometimes occurring in non-inertial (e.g., rotating) coordinate systems.

The course can be viewed as the development of flow models and ideas to enable allow physical insight into the behavior of three-dimensional and unsteady flows. One of the objectives of the course is to provide an increased ability to interpret computational and experimental results and hence to effectively extract conclusions about the key features of complex internal flows.

This course is inspired by 16.540 Internal Flow from the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT. Much of the material is based on the lectures of Profesor E. M. Greitzer, with permission.

 One short “Fundamentals quiz” (~20 minutes) will be given after the first week to refresh fundamentals, this won't count to the final grade.  

You will be asked to develop four “concept questions” and answers along the course duration, which help to illustrate the physical principles and approximations that are made. This activity will be done in small teams (~5-6 people MAX).  They are to be handed in accordance with the course schedule reported at the end of this syllabus.  The concept questions will count 25% of the final grade. 

A final individual oral exam will be held (~20-30 minutes), which counts for 75% of the final course grade. The final ORAL exam will occur during the Exam Week. Oral exams slots will be communicated via Brightspace.