Session: 09-04-02: Fluid Mechanics, Aerospace, Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer, and Energy Systems

Paper Number: 99545

99545 - Applying Computational Tools to Improve Student Learning Experience in Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Courses 

In recent engineering education, transformations of classroom activities have been arising due to advancements in computer and mobile technologies. This evolution enables instructors to be more and more flexible to introduce computational tools which can be effectively used and promoted in engineering education to advance students’ learning process when the tools are appropriately utilized in the classroom activities.

This paper focuses on the implementation of a computational tool to improve the students’ learning experience and enhance their knowledge of the energy and exergy analysis of different energy systems in the Power Generation System course.  The combined heat and power systems and organic Rankine cycle systems were used to perform a case study.  Students were given three assignments. For the first assignment, the students were required to perform the calculation process manually to show their understanding of the basic theory and fundamentals. Then, in the second assignment, students were required to develop computational tools in Microsoft Excel and evaluate both systems' performance under varying operating conditions. In the last assignment, they were asked to use the computational tool to determine the effect of key parameters on the cycle power output and thermal efficiency, exergy efficiency, exergy destruction in the cycle, etc.

The proposed computational tool is a self-developed computational tool using Microsoft Excel and allows students to be released from tedious calculating processes and focus on more design-oriented problems.  In addition, students will have the ability to perform parametric analysis and get immediate results to changes in the different design conditions and operating parameters that would affect the energy system performance.  Furthermore, the proposed tool also provides the students with a quick visualization of essential parameters such as the thermal efficiency, net power, exergy efficiency, and exergy loss in each component of the cycle, etc.  Meanwhile, it gives students the information of which is the most critical component in terms of exergy destruction, which parameter is very important for operators and designers.  Feedback from students and class instructors proves that the use of the proposed tool significantly improves the student learning experience in the Power Generation Systems course, makes the course more dynamic, and motivates the students to learn the material more iteratively. It should be noted that a limited number of students (i.e., 15 students) from a single course provided feedback on the presented method. Based on this study, future work can be extended to include more samples from various engineering courses.

Presenting Author: Jian Zhang University of Wisconsin Green Bay

Presenting Author Biography: BIOGRAPHY<br/><br/>Dr. Jian Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Resch School of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin Green Bay. He received his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Mississippi State University in August 2018. He has broad research interests in the area of thermal fluid science with an emphasis on advanced thermal / energy systems and technologies. His current research includes developing and optimization of renewable and distributed energy systems, investigating medium- and low-grade heat recovery technology, and designing and evaluating HVAC systems. He has published 40+ journal and conference papers and has a total of 900+ citations on Google Scholar. He has been serving as a reviewer for an ample number of internationally renowned journals. In recent years, he keeps served as Track Chair and Session Chair for ASME Energy Sustainability Conference (Power and Energy Conference) from 2017 to 2021. Along with research experience, he has many years of teaching experience in teaching undergraduate courses including Heat and Mass Transfer, Thermodynamics, System Dynamics, etc.

Authors:

Jian Zhang University of Wisconsin Green Bay
Heejin Cho Mississippi State University
Pedro Mago West Virginia University