CAPSTONE THERMAL SYSTEM DESIGN PROJECT USING ENGINEERING EQUATION SOLVER (EES)

摘要

The capstone thermal system design course at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo has been modified to reinforce fundamental concepts in introductory fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and thermodynamics through a quarter-long design project. Through the use of Engineering Equation Solver (EES), the computational effort of thermal design is reduced; because EES has built-in thermophysical properties for most common solids, liquids, and gasses. As a result, the students can focus on design iterations and not on interpolation of property tables. At the end of the quarter, the students present their design to panelists who evaluate their design based on expected cost. In the past three years, the students have designed a hydronic snow-melting system, a ground source heat pump system for a small office building, a radiant heating system for a greenhouse, and a refrigeration system for an ice rink.