Inviscid and viscous stationary waves of gas flow through contracting-expanding nozzles (Q1046476)

The authors consider the following model for viscous isentropic compressible flows through a contracting-expanding nozzle: \[ (a\rho)_t + (a\rho u)_x = 0, \quad (a\rho u)_t + (a\rho u^2)_x + a(P(\rho))_x = \epsilon (a u_x)_x, \tag{1} \] where \(\rho\), \(u\), \(P\), \(\epsilon > 0\) and \(a=a(x)\) are the density, velocity, pressure, viscosity coefficient of the gas and the area of the cross section at \(x\) of the rotationally symmetric tube of the nozzle. Here, \(P(0)=0\), \(P'(\rho)>0\), \(P''(\rho) \geq 0\) for all \(\rho > 0\); \(a(x)\to a_{\pm}\), \(a_x(x)\to 0\) as \(x \to \pm \infty\); \(a_x(x)< 0\) for \(x<0\); \(a_x(x)> 0\) for \(x>0\). The authors examine the steady-state problem of system (1) from the viewpoint of dynamical systems, which can be treated as a singularly perturbed system with viscosity coefficient \(\epsilon\) as a small parameter. Detailed analysis for the limit slow and fast systems are carried out for general \(a(x)\). Singular orbits are constructed for a special type of \(a(x)\). The main results on a classification of the inviscid steady-states and the existence of their viscous profiles are then established by applying the geometric singular perturbation method.