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SG2215 Compressible Flow 7.5 credits

Administer About course

The course will be based on selected parts of the book by John D. Andersson, Modern Compressible Flow, Mc Graw Hill , 1990, from which may be cited:

"This book deals exclusively with that "marked departure", i.e., it deals with compressible flows, in which the density is not constant. In modern engineering applications, such flows are the rule rather than the exception. A few important examples are the internal flows through rocket and gas turbine engines, high-speed subsonic, transonic, supersonic, and hypersonic wind tunnels, the external flow over modern airplanes designed to cruise faster than 0.3 of the speed of sound, and the flow inside the common internal combustion reciprocating engine. The purpose of this book is to develop the fundamental concepts of compressible flow, and to illustrate their use."

Information per course offering

Choose semester and course offering to see current information and more about the course, such as course syllabus, study period, and application information.

Termin

Information for Spring 2026 Start 16 Mar 2026 programme students

Course location

KTH Campus

Duration
16 Mar 2026 - 1 Jun 2026
Periods
P4 (7.5 hp)
Pace of study

50%

Application code

60438

Form of study

Normal Daytime

Language of instruction

English

Course memo
Course memo is not published
Number of places

Places are not limited

Target group
No information inserted
Planned modular schedule
[object Object]
Schedule
Schedule is not published

Contact

Examiner
No information inserted
Course coordinator
No information inserted
Teachers
No information inserted

Course syllabus as PDF

Please note: all information from the Course syllabus is available on this page in an accessible format.

Course syllabus SG2215 (Spring 2025–)
Headings with content from the Course syllabus SG2215 (Spring 2025–) are denoted with an asterisk ( )

Content and learning outcomes

Course contents

For an inviscid, compressible gas the students should be able to

  • calculate pressure, velocity and temperature for quasi one-dimensional, stationary, isentropic flow
  • calculate changes of pressure, velocity and temperature over normal and oblique shock waves
  • calculate changes of pressure, velocity and temperature in simple expansion waves
  • calculate pressure, velocity and temperature for unsteady, one-dimensional, non-linear waves
  • calculate the flow field in linear theory for subsonic and supersonic flow around bodies
  • understand how pressure and drag on a body changes in transsonic flow

Intended learning outcomes

Finishing this course the student should know how to:

  • derive the conservation laws of mass, momentum and energy of inviscid, compressible flow and apply them to various fluid dynamical problems to e.g.
    - analyse the interaction of forces between solid boundaries and flowing gases from the basic principles of compressible flow
    - analyse the energy conversion process in a flowing gas from the thermodynamic principles of isentropic and irreversible flow respectively
    - interpret results from performed experiments
  • demonstrate a physical understanding of the mathematical formulas derived
  • give a physical description of the special effects appearing in hypersonic flows.

Literature and preparations

Specific prerequisites

Completed course in Fluid Mechanics, at least 4 credits.

English B / English 6

Literature

You can find information about course literature either in the course memo for the course offering or in the course room in Canvas.

Examination and completion

If the course is discontinued, students may request to be examined during the following two academic years.

Grading scale

A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

Examination

  • INL2 - Assignment, 1.5 credits, grading scale: P, F
  • INLA - Assignment, 1.5 credits, grading scale: P, F
  • LAB1 - Laboratory Work, 0.7 credits, grading scale: P, F
  • LAB2 - Laboratory Work, 0.8 credits, grading scale: P, F
  • TEN1 - Examination, 3.0 credits, grading scale: A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

Based on recommendation from KTH’s coordinator for disabilities, the examiner will decide how to adapt an examination for students with documented disability.

The examiner may apply another examination format when re-examining individual students.

Homework assignments (INL1; 1,5 university credits), (INL2; 1,5 university credits).
Laboratory work (LAB1; 0,7 university credits), (LAB2; 0,8 university credits).
Final oral exam, (TEN1; 3 university credits).

Examiner

Profile picture Michael Liverts

Ethical approach

  • All members of a group are responsible for the group's work.
  • In any assessment, every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used.
  • In an oral assessment, every student shall be able to present and answer questions about the entire assignment and solution.

Further information

Course room in Canvas

Registered students find further information about the implementation of the course in the course room in Canvas. A link to the course room can be found under the tab Studies in the Personal menu at the start of the course.

Offered by

SCI/Mechanics

Main field of study

Mechanical Engineering

Education cycle

Second cycle