Aims

The aims of the course are to:

• To introduce you to the basic principles of heat exchanger design.
• To compare predicted with actual performance and hence understand the limitations of heat transfer correlations.
• To give you experience in the production of workshop drawings and the problems of manufacture and assembly to such drawings.
• To demonstrate that different 'optimal' designs can arise from the same brief.

Content

Heat exchangers are found virtually everywhere, from domestic heaters to exotic space applications. This project involves the design, construction and testing of a small shell-and-tube heat exchanger. It spans the whole process of product development, from the conception and sizing using basic theory, to the manufacturing, assembly, and final testing.

Students will work in groups of two to undetake the initial design.  The groups will then be paired, into groups of four.  The four will then finalise the choice of design.  The interim repot will describe both the initial pairs design and the final group of fours design.  The interim report will include the theory and drawings and carries a large proportion of the total marks.

Thi sproject is front-end loaded.  Weeks 1 and 2 require a lot of work.  Weeks 3 and 4 are light.

Week 1

At the start of the project you will learn about the fundamentals of heat exchangers, using a poorly-designed heat exchanger as an example. You will develop your own computer-based design tool, which you will use to select an optimal configuration. The Majority of groups use Matlab, although some have usesd Excel and Python. Prior experience with Matlab, Excel or Python is therefore beneficial.

Week 2

In the second week, you will refine your design in line with the workshop's manufacturing capabilities and your assembly capabilities. Clever engineering at this stage can greatly simplify assembly and improve off-design performance. At the end of the week you will produce detailed manufacturing drawings and an interim report.

Week 3

In the third week you will work out the off-design performance of your heat exchanger and use your computer-based design tool to assess other groups' designs. This feeds into your final reports. Meanwhile, the workshops will be machining parts to your manufacturing drawings and commenting on your designs.

Week 4

In the final week you will assemble your heat exchangers. On test day, all groups test their heat exchangers together. The project finishes with a comparison of all heat exchangers and a glamorous prize ceremony.

MINI-LECTURES Week 1

Review of relevant heat transfer principles, shell-and-tube heat exchanger design.

MINI-LECTURES Week 2

Use of computer simulation package, discussion of students designs.

Aims

The aims of the course are to:

• To introduce you to the basic principles of heat exchanger design.
• To compare predicted with actual performance and hence understand the limitations of heat transfer correlations.
• To give you experience in the production of workshop drawings and the problems of manufacture and assembly to such drawings.
• To demonstrate that different 'optimal' designs can arise from the same brief.

Content

Heat exchangers are found virtually everywhere, from domestic heaters to exotic space applications. This project involves the design, construction and testing of a small shell-and-tube heat exchanger. It spans the whole process of product development, from the conception and sizing using basic theory, to the manufacturing, assembly, and final testing.

Students will work in groups of two to undetake the initial design.  The groups will then be paired, into groups of four.  The four will then finalise the choice of design.  The interim repot will describe both the initial pairs design and the final group of fours design.  The interim report will include the theory and drawings and carries a large proportion of the total marks.

Thi sproject is front-end loaded.  Weeks 1 and 2 require a lot of work.  Weeks 3 and 4 are light.

Week 1

At the start of the project you will learn about the fundamentals of heat exchangers, using a poorly-designed heat exchanger as an example. You will develop your own computer-based design tool, which you will use to select an optimal configuration. The Majority of groups use Matlab, although some have usesd Excel and Python. Prior experience with Matlab, Excel or Python is therefore beneficial.

Week 2

In the second week, you will refine your design in line with the workshop's manufacturing capabilities and your assembly capabilities. Clever engineering at this stage can greatly simplify assembly and improve off-design performance. At the end of the week you will produce detailed manufacturing drawings and an interim report.

Week 3

In the third week you will work out the off-design performance of your heat exchanger and use your computer-based design tool to assess other groups' designs. This feeds into your final reports. Meanwhile, the workshops will be machining parts to your manufacturing drawings and commenting on your designs.

Week 4

In the final week you will assemble your heat exchangers. On test day, all groups test their heat exchangers together. The project finishes with a comparison of all heat exchangers and a glamorous prize ceremony.

MINI-LECTURES Week 1

Review of relevant heat transfer principles, shell-and-tube heat exchanger design.

MINI-LECTURES Week 2

Use of computer simulation package, discussion of students designs.

Aims

The aims of the course are to:

• To introduce students to the basic ideas governing the design of turbomachinery and teach them to make measurements both of overall performance and of the detailed fluid flow in such machines.

Objectives

As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:

• work in groups to design different builds of both the compressors and the turbines for one set of apparatus.

Content

This project involves the theory and design of turbomachinery.

The basic theory necessary to design a centrifugal compressor and a radial inflow turbine will be given. Students will then prepare designs of both compressor and turbine blades to fit onto a prescribed impeller. The blades will be made out of aluminium strip by the students and the resulting combination will be tested by sucking air through it. There will be scope for detailed experimental investigation of the fluid flow and for the results to be used to modify the design. Group design will be chosen and the sensitivity of design to manufacturing variations will be explored. This design will then be refined and contrasted with the optimal designs of other groups.

Test the vacuum cleaner to measure the variation of pressure rise with flow rate. Hence decide on the flow rate for the turboexpander with robust design in mind. Write a short report on this.

Lectures on the aerodynamic design of turbomachinery with special emphasis on radial flow machines. Decide on the design rotational speed and type of blading.

Design of rotor and stator blades for both a turbine and a compressor and produce an optimal group design. Write a short report on this.

Make multiple builds of the same design (blades cut out of aluminium strip and attach to rotors).

Test combinations of different rotors and explore influence manufacturing variations. Measure the overall performance and details of the casing pressure distribution and flow direction. Write a short report on this.

Modify the blades as necessary and retest for final optimal group design contrasting with best design from other groups. Final report.

Aims

The aims of the course are to:

• To introduce students to the basic ideas governing the design of turbomachinery and teach them to make measurements both of overall performance and of the detailed fluid flow in such machines.

Objectives

As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:

• work in groups to design different builds of both the compressors and the turbines for one set of apparatus.

Content

This project involves the theory and design of turbomachinery.

The basic theory necessary to design a centrifugal compressor and a radial inflow turbine will be given. Students will then prepare designs of both compressor and turbine blades to fit onto a prescribed impeller. The blades will be made out of aluminium strip by the students and the resulting combination will be tested by sucking air through it. There will be scope for detailed experimental investigation of the fluid flow and for the results to be used to modify the design. Group design will be chosen and the sensitivity of design to manufacturing variations will be explored. This design will then be refined and contrasted with the optimal designs of other groups.

Test the vacuum cleaner to measure the variation of pressure rise with flow rate. Hence decide on the flow rate for the turboexpander with robust design in mind. Write a short report on this.

Lectures on the aerodynamic design of turbomachinery with special emphasis on radial flow machines. Decide on the design rotational speed and type of blading.

Design of rotor and stator blades for both a turbine and a compressor and produce an optimal group design. Write a short report on this.

Make multiple builds of the same design (blades cut out of aluminium strip and attach to rotors).

Test combinations of different rotors and explore influence manufacturing variations. Measure the overall performance and details of the casing pressure distribution and flow direction. Write a short report on this.

Modify the blades as necessary and retest for final optimal group design contrasting with best design from other groups. Final report.

Aims

The aims of the course are to:

• To introduce students to the basic ideas governing the design of turbomachinery and teach them to make measurements both of overall performance and of the detailed fluid flow in such machines.

Objectives

As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:

• work in groups to design different builds of both the compressors and the turbines for one set of apparatus.

Content

This project involves the theory and design of turbomachinery.

The basic theory necessary to design a centrifugal compressor and a radial inflow turbine will be given. Students will then prepare designs of both compressor and turbine blades to fit onto a prescribed impeller. The blades will be made out of aluminium strip by the students and the resulting combination will be tested by sucking air through it. There will be scope for detailed experimental investigation of the fluid flow and for the results to be used to modify the design. Group design will be chosen and the sensitivity of design to manufacturing variations will be explored. This design will then be refined and contrasted with the optimal designs of other groups.

Test the vacuum cleaner to measure the variation of pressure rise with flow rate. Hence decide on the flow rate for the turboexpander with robust design in mind. Write a short report on this.

Lectures on the aerodynamic design of turbomachinery with special emphasis on radial flow machines. Decide on the design rotational speed and type of blading.

Design of rotor and stator blades for both a turbine and a compressor and produce an optimal group design. Write a short report on this.

Make multiple builds of the same design (blades cut out of aluminium strip and attach to rotors).

Test combinations of different rotors and explore influence manufacturing variations. Measure the overall performance and details of the casing pressure distribution and flow direction. Write a short report on this.

Modify the blades as necessary and retest for final optimal group design contrasting with best design from other groups. Final report.