Group-invariant solutions for one dimensional, inviscid hydrodynamics

Abstract

In this paper, the results of the Lie group method carried out by Ovsiannikov are utilized to study the one-dimensional hydrodynamic equations governing compressible, inviscid fluid flow in the absence of heat conduction. One-parameter subgroups of the admissible R-parameter Lie group of point transformations of the system are applied to reduce the first-order, non-linear system of partial differential equations (PDE)s to a first-order system of ordinary differential equations (ODE)s. Closed-form solutions to the reduced ODE systems are subsequently determined using a linear velocity profile ansatz. These solutions are valid in one-dimensional (1D) planar, cylindrical and spherical geometries and are connected to solutions of the governing system of PDEs through an inverse map. The linear velocity type solutions were first considered by Sedov in 1953 and constitute a subclass of all possible similarity solutions of the compressible hydrodynamics equations. They further serve as illustrative examples of using solutions obtained for the reduced ODEs to find solutions of the associated system of PDEs. Consequently, the reduced systems of ODEs are provided in their entirety inviting additional solutions to be determined via alternative explicit or numerical solution techniques.