Mighty ducts: Final report

Abstract

Mechanical engineering undergraduate education traditionally included a substantial amount of experimental work. However, a shift of focus towards a more theory based curriculum led to a loss of practical "gut feeling"-type understanding of the material. A laboratory setup will be developed as part of this project to support future generations of undergraduate students in obtaining such practical understanding of class material. The final product should be targeted towards a future HVAC systems class at the undergraduate level and include the necessary laboratory documentation for the students to execute experiments.

The objective of this project is to develop a system for the characterization of fan performance and ductwork fittings (subsequently called system) that includes the following aspects:

1. Measurement of fan curves (pressure vs. volumetric flowrate) at various fan speeds

2. Determination of pressure loss for various different duct components (including elbows and straight sections). You may choose to express the loss coefficients in terms of equivalent straight duct length.

3. Determination of interaction between fittings arranged in series (aka system effect) expressed in pressure vs. air velocity relative to baseline

4. Integration into an overall learning environment with predefined 50 minute laboratory modules as mentioned above including the required instructional material.

5. An automated controller to emulate constant torque, constant fan speed, and constant flowrate behavior of the fan (teams that include an electrical engineer only).