Question about what happens to density of airflow through a heated tube

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    Airflow Density Tube
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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the effects of heating airflow in a copper tube connected to a piston cylinder system. When a blowtorch heats the air in the tube, the primary change is the increase in temperature, which affects the density of the airflow. The participant identifies that Rayleigh flow principles can be applied to understand the behavior of the heated air compared to unheated conditions. This indicates that the heated air will have lower density, leading to differences in flow characteristics as it enters the piston cylinder.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Rayleigh flow principles
  • Basic thermodynamics concepts related to gas behavior
  • Familiarity with airflow equations and density calculations
  • Knowledge of heat transfer mechanisms in gases
NEXT STEPS
  • Study Rayleigh flow and its applications in fluid dynamics
  • Explore the ideal gas law and its implications on density changes with temperature
  • Investigate heat transfer methods in gases, focusing on convection
  • Examine the effects of temperature on airflow characteristics in various systems
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Mechanical engineers, fluid dynamics researchers, and anyone involved in thermal management systems will benefit from this discussion.

Green Zach
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I know the basic equations for airflow, but for some reason this question has been puzzling me: say you have a copper tube open at one end and connected to a piston cylinder system at the other. Air is drawn through the copper tube and into the cylinder as the piston moves from top to bottom, and while this is going on you are holding a blowtorch up to a section of the copper tube and thus transferring some heat to the flowing air. Other than increased temperature, how would the air entering the cylinder differ from the exact same experiment minus the blow torch? For some reason this is really bugging me.
 
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RIGHT! I'm an idiot... Just to clear it up you would probably be able to figure this out using Rayleigh flow.
 

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