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Fall 2018 - Spring 2019
Fall 2018 - Spring 2019
Fall 2018 - Spring 2019
spring 2018
Temperature Stabilizing Hot Liquids
in collaboration with omkar savant and shanthi thillairajah
This project imagined a scenario in which you had a Styrofoam cup of warm liquid at some temperature from 30 to 60°C, and you could only control the temperature of the liquid by adding various heated elements at 100°C. The goal was to maintain the original temperature as steadily as possible. At a prescribed temperature of 41°C, the team achieved a root-mean-squared (RMS) temperature deviation of 0.37°C.
my contributions
During this project, I tackled the design and analysis of an L25 orthogonal array to study transient fluid temperature of the liquid in the cup given a variety of conditions. This experience stressed the importance of rigorous empirical testing in the absence of reliable theory.
Available Heating Elements
The four heating elements each had unique heat transfer coefficients, specific heats, and geometries.
Where Theory Fails
On the left is an extreme simplification of a two-body enclosure containing a hot solid sphere submerged in a cooler fluid. On the right is the associated equation for transient fluid temperature. At its most simple state, theory alone would not suffice, and systematic empirical testing seemed like a more effective method for arriving at a solution.
Testing Results
At a target temperature of 41°C, the team used soapstones at 80-second intervals to achieve a RMS error value of 0.37°C.
Available Heating Elements
The four heating elements each had unique heat transfer coefficients, specific heats, and geometries.
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