Thermal Engineering Laboratory
熱力工程實驗室

Objective

The objective of the thermal engineering laboratory is to introduce the student the fundamental theories and the industrial applications of thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics. This laboratory supports the courses for the undergraduate and graduate studies. Moreover, this laboratory also supports the advanced research in the area of thermal engineering, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics.

Facilities

Experimental System for Macro-Scale Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop Measurement The experimental system for macro-scale heat transfer and pressure drop measurement is a self-developed experimental system to acquire the heat transfer and pressure drop data from different dypes of pipes, inlet configurations, and pipe orientations. This system can demonstrate to students the procedures for data taking and reduction to obtain convective heat transfer coefficients and friction factors inside the macro-tubes.

Experimental System for Micro-Scale Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop Measurement The experimental system for micro-scale heat transfer and pressure drop measurement is a self-developed experimental system to acquire the heat transfer and pressure drop data from the micro-tubes with different tube size and roughness. This system can demonstrate to students the procedures for data taking and reduction to obtain convective heat transfer coefficients and friction factors inside the micro-tubes.

Air Conditioning Experimental Chamber The air conditioning experimental chamber is a versatile experimental facility in which the air-flow in/outlets can be flexibly changed. Also, the self-developed moving data acquisition system can be used to measure and record the environmental parameters at different location inside the chamber. The whole experimental facility enables the research student to study the IAQ (indoor air quality) and heat transfer problems inside the pre-defined experimental conditions. Also, it can provide the experimental data for the subsequent CFD (computational fluid dynamics) verification.

Heat Conduction Laboratory Unit The Heat Conduction Laboratory Unit enables student to study the heat conduction process through different experiments: Linear heat conduction experiment; Radial heat conduction experiment; Extended surface heat transfer experiment.

Heat Exchanger Laboratory Unit The Heat Exchanger Laboratory Unit enables student to study the heat exchange process of the four general heat exchangers: Concentric Tube Heat Exchanger; Plate Heat Exchanger; Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger; Jacketed Vessel with Coil and Stirrer.

Computer Linked Refrigeration Unit The refrigeration cycle in various forms finds applications in countless industrial and domestic situations throughout the world. For example, the storage and transport of perishable foodstuffs and drugs would be extremely difficult if not impossible without refrigeration. The Computer Linked Refrigeration Laboratory Unit is a vapor compression refrigerator and has been designed to enable students to safely study the cycle in detail.

Computer Linked Cross Flow Heat Exchanger In order to transfer heat between two fluids, many forms of heat exchanger have been devised. In one of the most common arrangements, heat is transferred between a fluid flowing through a bundle of tubes and another fluid flowing transversely over the outside of the tubes in a cross flow format. The Computer Linked Cross Flow Heat Exchanger enables student to study the heat exchange process in different arrangements.

Thermal Radiation Unit The Thermal Radiation Unit consists of a pair of electrically heated radiant heat and light sources, together with a comprehensive range of targets and measuring instrumentation. The unit is capable to demonstrate the fundamental laws relating to radiation.

Experiments

For Experimental System for Macro-Scale Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop Measurement:

1. Demonstration of Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop Measurement Inside Macro-Tube
2. Investigation of the Variation in Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop for Various Tubes and Inlet Configurations
3. Determination of the Heat Transfer Coefficient and Friction Factor
4. Analysis of the Transitional Behavior inside Macro-Tube

For Experimental System for Micro-Scale Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop Measurement:

1. Demonstration of Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop Measurement Inside Micro-Tube
2. Investigation of the Variation in Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop for Various Tube Size and Surface Roughness
3. Determination of the Heat Transfer Coefficient and Friction Factor
4. Analysis of the Transitional Behavior inside Micro-Tube

For Air Conditioning Experimental Chamber:

1. Demonstration of Air Conditioning Process
2. Investigation of the ‘IAQ’ and heat transfer problems for Various Environmental Conditions
3. Investigation of the ‘IAQ’ heat transfer problems for Various In/Outlet Conditions
4. Flow Field and Heat Transfer Analysis

For Heat Conduction Laboratory Unit:

1. Demonstration and calculations of Linear Heat Conduction
2. Demonstration and calculations of Radial Heat Conduction
3. Demonstration and calculations of Surface Heat Transfer (conduction, convection and radiation)
4. Demonstration and calculations of Heat Conduction through liquids and gasses
5. Calculation of the thermal conductivity (k value)
6. Demonstration of the effectiveness of thermal paste
7. Demonstration and calculations of thermal resistances (R value) in series
8. Demonstration of ‘thermal lag’

For Heat Exchanger Laboratory Unit:

1. Demonstration of heat transfer from one fluid to another through a solid wall
2. Energy balance and efficiency calculations
3. Comparison of different types of heat exchanger in terms of performance, size and relative cost
4. Demonstration of Parallel-flow and Counter-flow operation of the heat exchangers
5. Measurement of the heat transfer coefficient, and the effect of fluid flow rates and the driving force (temperature differential) upon it
6. Introduction to the logarithmic mean temperature difference in heat exchangers
7. Flow-through and batch heating, with or without stirring, using a heating jacket or a coil

For Computer Linked Refrigeration Laboratory Unit:

1. Demonstration of the Vapor Compression Refrigeration Cycle, and production of the cycle diagram under various conditions
2. Investigation of the variation in Refrigerator ‘Duty’ for various Condensing Temperatures
3. Investigation of Coefficient of Performance based on Electrical, Shaft and Indicated Power for various Evaporating Temperatures
4. Investigation of System Parameters under Transient Conditions

For Computer Linked Cross Flow Heat Exchanger:

1. Steady State Determination of Heat Transfer Temperature Difference and Surface Heat Transfer Coefficient for a Single Tube in a Transversely Flowing Air Stream
2. Deduction of the Relationship between Nu, Re and Pr Numbers for Each of the Six Tube Rows
3. Steady State Determination of the Mean Surface Heat Transfer Coefficient for Tubes

For Thermal Radiation Unit:

1. Measurement of Emissivity
2. Lambert’s Cosine Law and Lambert’s Law of Absorption

Courses supported