Thermal / Fluids Laboratory

(This lab is administered collaboratively with the Paper Science & Chemical Engineering Department)

The Thermal / Fluids Laboratory provides opportunities for students to demonstrate and apply the concepts of heat transfer, thermodynamics and fluid mechanics to laboratory experiments aimed at the design, development, and optimization of engineering products.  Students learn data reduction and analysis procedures while using working models and related software to conduct experimental engineering studies of energy processes.  This laboratory serves Fluid Mechanics (MME/PCE 313), Engineering Thermodynamics (MME/PCE 314), Engineering Thermodynamics II (MME 414), and Heat Transfer (MME/PCE 403), which are part of a Design Thread that integrates modeling with design throughout the curriculum.  The development of this laboratory is shared jointly between the Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Department and the Paper Science and Chemical Engineering Department.  Considerable progress was made in CY 2007 with the addition of eight new pieces of equipment including a dynamometer, thermal imager, scaled steam turbine plant, pump demonstrator, wind tunnel and gas turbine display.  In addition, internal combustion engines, an exhaust gas analyzer and several fluid and thermal measuring devices were obtained for capstone design projects.

Equipment

Thermal Imager
Analog/Digital Servo Drives
Dynamometer
Wind Tunnel
Steam Turbine
Centrifugal Pump Lab
Precision Thermometer  
Refrigerated Bath
Gas Turbine Engine Display
Radiation Thermometer
Bomb Calorimeter
Diesel Engine
Flow Visualization Table
Flame Calorimeter