The relationship between pressure and density when compressing or expanding gases

depends on the nature of the process.

isothermal

isentropic or adiabatic

polytropic

Isothermal Compression/Expansion Processes

If a compression or expansion takes place under constant temperature conditions - the
process is said to be isothermal.The isothermal process can with the Ideal Gas Law be
expressed as
p / = constant
(1)
where
p = absolute pressure
= density
The isothermal process can also be expressed as
pV = constant
(1a)
or
p1V1 = p2V2 (1b)
where
V = gas volume (m3, ft3...)
suffix1 denotes initial conditions and suffix2 denotes final conditions

Isentropic (or adiabatic) Compression/Expansion Processes

If a compression or expansion takes place under constant volume conditions - the
process is said to be isentropic. The isentropic process can with the Ideal Gas Law be
expressed as
p / k = constant
(2)
where
k = cp / cv - the ratio of specific heats - the ratio of specific heat at constant pressure - cp to the specific heat at constant volume - cv
The isentropic or adiabatic process can also be expressed as
pVk= constant
(2a)
or
p1V1k = p2V2k (2b)

Polytropic Compression/Expansion Process

An isothermal process must occur very slowly to keep the temperature in the gas
constant. The adiabatic process must occur very rapidly without any flow of energy in or
out of the system. In practice most expansion and compression processes are
somewhere in between, or said to be polytropic.
The polytropic process can be expressed as
pVn= constant
(3a)
or
p1V1n = p2V2n (3b)
where
n = polytropic index (ranging 1 to 1.4)