Míriam Rocchi Tavares - e-mail: mtavares@usp.br
Marcello Augusto Chilov - e-mail: chilov@usp.br
Departamento de Engenharia Mecânica -Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo
Av. Prof. Mello Moraes, 2231, Cidade Universitária-05508-900, São Paulo, SP, Brasil

This work deals with the development of an educational software to be used as additional tool to Thermodynamics experimental and theoretical courses. In addition, it is designed to help students to visualize, through graphics, thermodynamic processes occurring in simple systems as well to calculate energy exchanges in these processes. The program, named PROCTER, Thermal Systems Analysis Program, was implemented as an analysis unit to another educational software, PRODITER, the Thermodynamics Educational Program (Villani, 1997). The unit PROCTER treats only thermal systems following the definition of "simple compressible pure substances". Consequently, the term "systems" refers here to substances behaving as perfect gases (air in absence of phase change, Ni, He etc.) and other pure substances (water, R-22, R12, ammonia ,etc). The studied processes correspond to possible evolutions of moving boundary system configurations in tanks fitted with pistons, stops, springs. The user can choose among several options. The program also presents a case where the student defines the thermodynamic final state by means of acting on the screen, that is, by moving the piston on the computer monitor screen. In this situation calculations are updated on screen in real time.

Keywords: Educational software, Thermodynamic properties, Thermal systems.
 
 

N. R. M. Brasiliense*,rogeri@impt.ufsc.br
M.C. Damiani+,damiani@impt.ufsc.br
L.O. Emerich dos Santos*,emerich@impt.ufsc.br
P.C. Philippi*,philippi@impt.ufsc.br

(*) Porous Media and Thermophysical Properties Laboratory (LMPT).
Mechanical Engineering Department. Federal University of Santa Catarina BP476
88040-900 Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
 (+) Engineering Simulation and Scientific Software (ESSS)
Parque Tecnológico de Florianópolis - Rodovia SC 401 km 001
88030-000 - Florianópolis - Santa Catarina - Brasil

The present paper describes LGFlow, a two-dimensional interactive numerical water table for fluid flow visualization, developed for educational purposes and based on lattice gas models. Lattice gas models are relatively recent and were developed to perform hydrodynamic calculations, being object of considerably interest in the last years. Two models are used, the Boolean model and the Boltzmann model.  In its simplest form, Boolean model consists of a regular lattice populated with particles that hop from site to site in discrete time steps in a process, often, called propagation. After propagation, particles in each site interact with each other in a process called collision, in which the number of particles and momentum are preserved. An exclusion principle is imposed in order to achieve better computational efficiency and a Boolean variable ni (r, t) is assigned to each direction in a site to indicate the presence (ni=1) or absence (ni=0) of a particle in that direction. Boltzmann model has the same principles but works with real variables related to the ensemble average values of <ni (r, t)>. Despite its simplicity, these models reproduce Navier-Stokes equation behavior for low Mach numbers. The present work deals with two-dimensional models based on a hexagonal lattice. Intended to be a self-learning tool in fluid-mechanics education, LGFlow received an attractive and user-friendly graphics interface based on Coi-lib( with an on-line visualization window for velocity and pressure fields and boundary conditions are easily managed from form windows. This work, some visualization examples are given of fluid flow around obstacles and inside constrictions and compared with available data found in fluid mechanics literature.

Keywords: fluid flow, numerical water table, lattice-gas
 
 

Jeppe Grue - jeg@iet.auc.dk
Aalborg University, Pontoppidanstraedet 101, dk-9220 Aalborg Ost, Denmark

Inger Bach - ib@iet.auc.dk
Aalborg University, Pontoppidanstraedet 101,dk-9220 Aalborg Ost, Denmark

The Department of Thermal Energy Technology at Aalborg University offers a M.Sc. degree in Energy Engineering and an International M.Sc. Degree in Sustainable Energy Tech-nology is planned to start up in 2001. The Energy Engineering education focuses on the detailed design of thermal components and energy systems, typically with special focus on Computational Fluid Dynamics at component level, and with focus on simulation and optimisation when ad-dressing energy systems in general. The International Master, education focussing on foreign students is planned to be running over three semesters, ending up with a master degree. The ob-jective of this education is to give the students knowledge about and understanding of different types of sustainable energy supply systems and effect on both the overall and the local supply system. The feature that makes both degrees stand out from most engineering degrees is that the whole curriculum in engineering is project-organized (problem-based learning). In every semes-ter the project activities are supported by relevant lectures in the field of thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, combustion, energy systems and optimisation. A general and comprehensive evalua-tion of the education programme in engineering at Aalborg University has proved the concept to
be an effective educational system, which produces readily adaptable graduates with strong qualities in the fields of management, problem-solving, co-operation, and project work.

Keywords: Thermal Energy, Problem-oriented, Master, Education, Sustainable Energy
 
 

Washington Braga - wbraga@mec.puc-rio.br
Mechanical Engineering Department - Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro

This paper presents a tutorial intended to be used on the Internet that discusses the First Law of Thermodynamics dealing with energy balances. Using simple Thermodynamics principles to begin with, the tutorial intends to help students built their knowledge on energy balances applied to thermal sciences, in situations in which Heat Transmission is important. Written both htm and Java languages, which are interactive languages used on the Internet, the tutorial can be used by mechanical engineering undergraduated students taking courses such as Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer and Transport Phenomena as well as by more advanced students planning to challenge their level of expertise on the subjects, preparing themselves for final examinations. The exercises are set by the students, using relatively general physical situations. The corrections of such exercises are done within the tutorial, validating the answers and offering general advise or comments when necessary. The tutorial is prepared in order that the student may evaluate his/her own knowledge along several tests. Preparation of such tutorial is part of the efforts conducted at the Mechanical Engineering Department of Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro to help students built their own knowledge on Thermal Sciences.

Keywords: Engineering education, First law of thermodynamics, Tutorial on the internet, distance learning