ME 1065: Thermal Systems Analysis and Design

Description: Design, analysis, and optimization of thermal systems. Systems analysis applied to heat exchanger, power conversion, air conditioning, refrigeration, and heat recovery systems. Economics, equation fitting, and thermal property evaluation are integrated into the simulation and optimization of thermal system designs.

Prerequisites: ME 1051, ME 1052, and ME 1072

Textbook: No textbook is required for this class, but Thermal Design and Optimization by Bejan, Tsatsaronis & Moran (Wiley, 1995) is strongly recommended. Additionally, you should have access to the texts used in your Thermodynamics, Fluids, Heat Transfer, and Numerical Analysis courses.

I will also post notes from various textbooks/sources on the web page and I will put a few textbooks on reserve in the library, including W. Stoecker’s Design of Thermal Systems (ISBN: 0070616205), Y. Jaluria’s Design and Optimization of Thermal Systems (ISBN: 0070323887), and Suryanarayana and Arici’s Design and Simulation of Thermal Systems (ISBN: 0071199020).

Software: You can use any software package to solve homework and design project problems. I recommend the use of Engineering Equation Solver (EES), which can be downloaded from software.pitt.edu.

Announcements:

  • Reminder: The final exam is 12/9 at 2 pm in room 722. You are allowed 2 sheets of paper and a calculator.
  • I have posted your wiki page grades. Everyone did a fantastic job. I will be sending you my comments about the pages shortly (the comments are often in sentence fragments, fyi).
  • I have created an evaluation link for part 3 of the design project on that page of the wiki. All evaluations must be completed by the end of the week.
  • Our 2nd/final exam is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 9, at 2 pm. Please let me know ASAP if you have a conflict with this.
  • The 2nd part of the DP is now due on Monday, 11/17. You can still turn it in on Friday (11/14) by 5 pm for priority in the grading order.
  • Log books are also due on Monday, 11/17.
  • Both the PPT file for the oral report and the written report for Part 3 of the DP are due on Wednesday, Dec. 3, by the beginning of class. Oral presentations will be 10 minutes apiece, and will be presented on Dec. 3 and 5.
  • A review for the 2nd exam will be given on 11/19.
  • There will be no lecture for class on 11/24. Instead, there will be a DP help session.
  • If you have not yet chosen a topic for your wiki project, please do so immediately. Failure to choose a topic by the end of the day on Monday (11/3) will result in a reduction in your wiki project grade.
  • Your graded exams are available outside my door. Please pick them up before class on Monday.
  • We will go over the exam solutions and wrap up the fuel cell notes on Monday. Your fuel cell homework is still due on Monday 11/10.
  • I will unfortunately be out of town for both of my office hours next week (11/4 and 11/5). Please e-mail me with any questions about the homework.
  • The second part of the design project is now due at 12 noon on FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14 (rather than on 11/10).
  • Class on Wednesday (11/5) is canceled. Instead, I will be available in the classroom at 4-5 pm on Friday (11/7) to answer any questions you might have about the design project.
  • IMPORTANT: I am extending the deadline for choosing your group for the wikidot topic until Friday, October 24. Sorry that I neglected to mention that in class. Of course, you can certainly choose your 2-person group sooner than that!
  • HW 1 will now be due on Sept. 8.
  • Class will now meet MW at 4-5:15 pm, rather than MWF at 4-4:50 pm.
  • Office hours for the upcoming week will be W 2-3 and F 9-10. (Office hours are now back to normal.)
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