THERMAL AND FLUIDS ENGINEERING I – ENGR-2250-04 – 2010 Fall

Syllabus, Policies, and Procedures – Section 4, TF 12:00-1:50pm, SAGE 4101

Course Summary

Thermal and Fluids Engineering I (TFE1) introduces the following three fields of engineering science
for analyzing engineered products and processes involving energy and fluids:
C thermodynamics – the science of the conversions between forms of energy (e.g., heat into
work) and their relations to macroscopic measurable quantities (e.g., temperature,
pressure, etc.);
C fluid mechanics – the properties of gases and liquids at rest in a force equilibrium (fluid
statics), and their motion when acted on by non-equilibrium forces (fluid dynamics);
C heat transfer – the transmission of thermal energy from a hotter object to a cooler object via
conduction, convection or radiation.
This course presents these fields as an integrated applications-oriented component of what it is to be
an engineer.

Course Audience

TFE1 is a multidisciplinary course that is required in several engineering majors and can serve as a
“multidisciplinary engineering elective” in other engineering majors. However, Chemical Engineers
should probably not be taking TFE1, as they have their own self-contained course sequence.

Course Objectives

After completing TFE1, students shall be able to:

C explain and apply the laws of thermodynamics and the use of control volume balances of
mass, momentum, and energy in the types of systems and in the manner they are
commonly encountered by a practicing engineer on a regular basis;
C interpret the physical modeling of real thermal-fluid systems to make more knowledgeable
design decisions when energy transfer and fluid mechanics are involved (which is
especially important for curricula requiring no other thermal-fluids courses –
Biomedical, Civil, Computer and Systems, Electric Power, Electrical, and Industrial
and Management Engineering);
C advance from this solid practical foundation to more in-depth courses in this area (e.g., for
Aeronautical, Environmental, Materials, Mechanical, and Nuclear Engineering
majors);
C successfully answer questions on the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination related
to thermodynamics (7% of morning session), fluid mechanics (7% of morning session),
and heat transfer (in various afternoon sessions) for those who may wish to pursue
licensure as a Professional Engineer.

Prerequisites

This is a sophomore/junior level course. Introduction to Engineering Analysis (IEA, ENGR-1100) and
Physics I (PHYS-1100), or their equivalents, are required prerequisites. Introduction to Differential
Equations (MATH-2400) is a co-requisite.

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Materials

Please always bring at least one blank sheet of paper to class for work to hand in.

Always bring your textbook to class as a reference during lectures, in-class quizzes and problem
sessions, and exams. Computers are necessary to access the LMS course site and use the EES software
for homework, but are not required in the class and are not permitted during exams.

Text, available from the bookstore:

Kaminski, Deborah A., and Michael K. Jensen. Introduction to Thermal and Fluids
Engineering. John Wiley and Sons; 2005. ISBN 0-471-26873-9.

Minimum operating system: Windows XP; Macintosh OS X 10.5

Internet browser: see http://kb.blackboard.com/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=51413176

for functional combinations of operating system and browser

Software applications: EES (Engineering Equation Solver, available from LMS site)
Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0+

Course Mechanics

The course is divided into three parts:

I. Introductory thermodynamics and heat transfer;
II. Fundamentals of fluid mechanics, thermodynamic properties, and open systems; and
III. Internal flows, external flows, and convection heat transfer.
Each part consists of six or seven lessons, a review session, and an exam. A final comprehensive
review and exam completes the course.

Each lesson in the course is a distinct unit of instruction. For each lesson we expect the following.
Prior to class:
C at least skim the assigned reading and study the examples that are in the reading;
C if available for that lesson, take any self-assessment quizzes in the RPILMS site.
During class:
C submit at the beginning of class all homework assignments due from previous lessons;
C if available for that lesson, take an in-class preparatory quiz;
C attend class in a manner that respects your fellow classmates and their desire to learn;
C perform any in-class assignments with the intent of learning, especially from your mistakes;
C hand in any in-class assignments or attendance sheets before you leave class.
After class:
C complete any homework assignments in a clear and presentable manner; in particular, for
each question that requires more than simple calculations you should try to show that
1) you understand what the question is asking you (a picture can be worth a
thousand words),
2) you know how to answer the question,
3) you know what the answer is, and
4) you know what your answer means;
C actively pursue your questions via the discussion boards in the RPILMS site.

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Grading

Final Exam (comprehensive) 32%

Exams (3 @ 16% each) 48%
Assignments 20%

“Assignments” includes homework, in-class exercises, and LMS quizzes. Note that these are not
equally weighted in their distribution. A few homework problems will be weighted much more
heavily than the rest. These usually require significant effort and may involve extensive numerical
calculations. These homework problems will be made clear in the assignments. The in-class exercises
and LMS quizzes are each weighted approximately the same as a single standard homework problem.

Unexcused late homework will be accepted with typically a 30% to 50% penalty, at the discretion of
the instructional team, and will generally be graded without feedback. In-class work can not be made
up late, though you may be excused (see “excused absences”, below).

At our discretion, we may weight individual or groups of assignments differently, including weighting
some zero (in effect dropping them from the average). If we do, the new weighting will be applied
identically to all students in the class. Your final grade will then be the higher of the result using the
weighting shown above and the result using the new weighting. That is, the new weighting can only
help you, it cannot hurt you. A zero weighting will typically only be applied to assignments that were
at least 50% complete (independent of the grade you received). In particular, we will typically not
“drop” an assignment you did not do: a zero will be averaged in for that assignment at its full weight.

Excused Absences

Requests to be excused must be made in writing (email is acceptable) to the course instructor and
should include:
C the date and lesson number of your absence,
C the reason for your absence, and
C the date you submitted your request.
You are responsible for obtaining all class notes, announcements, changes, etc., made in any lesson
you miss as well as for completing any missed work. We will answer any specific questions you may
have, but we will not re-teach the lesson.

Exams must be taken when scheduled unless an appropriate written excuse from a physician, athletic
coach, or the Student Experience Office is provided to the course instructor. The format and content
of a makeup exam is at the discretion of the instructional team.

Attitude

We expect you to take the course seriously, to try to meet the learning objectives for the course in
general and each lesson in particular, to put effort into the assignments, to attend class, and to be
intellectually curious.

You should expect us to take the course seriously, to have reasoned and defensible learning objectives
for the course, to have selected appropriate course materials, to be prepared for class, to convey
information effectively, and to be helpful and approachable.

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Caveat

We can not guarantee that the weather, the web, the world in general, etc., will not interfere with our
work to meet the objectives of this course. Please note that extenuating circumstances may require
changes to the schedule and procedures in this syllabus. If you encounter any personal difficulties
(e.g., medical issues, necessary travel, etc.), you must inform us as soon as possible (and before the
event if you know it is coming) to make arrangements for completing your work with minimal penalty.

Pedagogical Strategies for Meeting the Course Objectives

RPILMS We will be using Rensselaer’s Learning Management System (from BlackBoard) to

- facilitate some interaction in the course,
- organize the details about objectives and assignments for each lesson, and
- provide you with an easy to access central repository for course materials, assignments, and
communications between us.
You will be introduced to this system on the first day of class.

Pre-Lesson. Learning in this course begins with you. Prior to meeting in class, you will be expected
to have studied all assigned course materials – typically reading the text – for a given lesson.
Supplemental materials may also be available from the LMS to enhance your learning and guide you
in exploring topics outside the scope of this course. These supplemental materials are not required,
though some of them may be topics of discussion in class.

Upon completion of the assigned course materials, there may be a self-assessment quiz in the RPILMS
to measure your level of comprehension and indicate where we should spend class time clarifying
concepts. It is imperative that you come to class so prepared.

Class. Some in-class lectures, discussions, and exercises are intended to teach you certain topics “by
doing”, and all are designed to assure you that you have all of the skills necessary to complete the
homework assignment for that lesson. Attendance may be recorded and can affect your grade.
Excused absences will not count against your grade.

Homework. The homework assignments are intended to reinforce what you learned during the lesson
and to help prepare you for the exams. Homework assignments must be turned in on time to avoid a
penalty. The penalty is typically a 30%-50% deduction, at the discretion of the instructional team.
“On time” is the beginning of the next class unless we specify otherwise. You are encouraged to
collaborate with other students in this class on the homework assignments. If you work closely, submit
the assignment with joint authorship indicated; all participants will receive the same grade.

Exams. The exams are

C open book, crib sheets(s), and calculator, and
C closed notes and computer.
A single two sided 8½” x 11” sheet of notes is permitted at the first exam, two sheets at the second
(typically one will be your sheet from the first exam), and three sheets at the third exam (typically two
will be your sheets from the first two exams). The material in the course is cumulative so, while each
exam is intended to test your knowledge of the current part only, it will necessarily assume knowledge
from any preceding parts. The final exam is cumulative and comprehensive to the entire course; three
crib sheets are allowed.

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Help. In addition to office hours, the LMS site has an ungraded “Anonymous Q&A” forum. You may
post any questions about the course material without fear that you might be labeled as asking a “stupid
question” or “wasting time” on questions you will not be tested on. We encourage everyone to feel
free to anonymously respond to your post to help answer your questions. We will post our responses
using our names so you can distinguish them as answers from the instructional team. Please note that
there may be a significant delay (e.g., 24 hours, sometimes more) between your posting and our
response; a question posted just hours before a test will likely not be responded to in time.

Course Policy on Academic Integrity

Rensselaer’s policy on academic dishonesty is explained in The Rensselaer Handbook of Student

Rights and Responsibilities. You are expected to review and understand this information. In addition,
the following policies apply specifically to this course.

C Committing, or attempting to commit an act of academic dishonesty, or assisting in the

commission or attempt of such an act, is a flagrant offense to the process and culture
of education; expect our reaction to it to be harsh.

C You are expected to refrain from any academically dishonest act, and to be vigilant in
protecting your work from others who might attempt to commit an act of academic
dishonesty.

In this course, academic dishonesty can take the following forms.

C Taking a quiz with any assistance from another person, regardless of who they are, unless
given explicit permission by the quiz proctor.
C Taking an exam with any assistance from another person (other than members of the
instructional team who you might call on, e.g., to clarify a question).
C Using any materials (such as a text or a calculator) that you did not bring for you and you
alone to use on an exam, unless given explicit permission by the exam proctor.
C Using any materials (such as extra texts, extra crib sheets or notes, a laptop, communications
devices such as phones, etc.) that are not explicitly permitted during an exam.
C Manipulating an assignment after it has been graded with the intent of obtaining a higher
grade.
C Attempting to acquire future exam questions or solutions in advance of the exam.
C Indicating someone as “present” (e.g., on an attendance sheet or by submitting a quiz) who
is not present in class at the time the indication is made, or having someone indicate
you as present.

The penalty for violating these policies is at the discretion of any or all members of the instructional
team. The academic penalty will range from
C a significant reduction in grade or zero grade for the assignment in question, to
C a failing grade in the course,
as deemed by the instructor to be appropriate to the infraction. In addition, for violations deemed by
the instructional team to be outrageous or flagrant,
C a recommendation for suspension from Rensselaer.

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Instructional Team

Course Instructor (Section 4)

Thomas C. Haley (RPI ’84 and many more....)

Tom Haley (Ph.D. Nuclear Engineering, M.S. Applied Mathematics, M.S. energy policy
concentration, B.S. Nuclear Engineering) has been an instructor in various venues and at
various levels (preschool through graduate school and corporate) for over 20 years. Currently
he is a Clinical Associate Professor at Rensselaer in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace,
and Nuclear Engineering. As a nuclear engineer at an engineering consulting firm for 16
years, Mr. Haley was a jack-of-all-nuclear-analysis-trades consultant specializing in criticality
safety, numerical/statistical analysis, and software development. His real full time job is
currently stay-at-home dad. (And loving it!)

Office: JEC 2026 Office Hours: Friday 11:00am-11:50am

Phone: 276x6975 and by appointment
Email: haleyt2@rpi.edu
(also expect replies from TomHaley@aol.com)

Teaching Assistant (Section 4)

Jasmine Jiang

Jasmine Jiang is a graduate student in the department of Biomedical Engineering. She’s

working in the field of cardiovascular bioengineering. Her research focus is to study the
influence of atherosclerosis-related hemodynamics on the phenotypes and physiology of
human endothelial cells. In her research, two different fluid systems were set up to create the
flow patterns representative of blood flows in the human carotid artery. Endothelial cells
exposed to these flows can have different responses in their phenotypes as well as gene
expression. Ms. Jiang will be a TA for Section 4 of Thermal and Fluids Engineering. She’ll
always be helpful for any questions on homework and class.

Office: CBIS-3131 Office Hours: Monday 2:00pm - 4:00pm

Phone: N/A Thursday 10:00am - 12:00 noon
Email: jiangm3@rpi.edu

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 SCHEDULE: THERMAL AND FLUIDS ENGINEERING I – FALL 2010 – SECTION 4

Meeting
Text
Lesson 12:00pm Topics Homework
Reading
- 1:50pm
Tuesday Introduction and course overview study LMS
1
31 August & syllabus
Friday 1.1 - 1.5 The First Law of Thermodynamics, Hwk-2
2 3 September 2.1 - 2.5, thermodynamic properties;
2.13 overview of EES software
Tuesday 2.6 - 2.11 Work, enthalpy, specific heat, ideal gas Hwk-3
3
7 September
Friday 2.12, Isothermal, isobaric, isochoric, polytropic Hwk-4
4
10 September 2.14 process; adiabatic compression/expansion
Tuesday 3.1 - 3.4 The first law as a rate equation; Hwk-5
5
14 September the three modes of heat transfer
Friday 3.5, 3.7, Resistance analogy; Hwk-6
6
17 September 3.8 combined thermal resistances
Tuesday 3.6 Lumped system models Hwk-7
7
21 September
Friday Review
8
24 September
Tuesday Exam 1
9
28 September
Friday 4.1, Introduction to fluid mechanics; Hwk-10
10
1 October 4.2.1,3,5 fluid statics
Tuesday 4.3 - 4.5 Open and closed systems; Hwk-11
11
5 October conservation of mass and energy
Friday 4.6, 4.7* Bernoulli equation; Hwk-12
12
8 October flow measurement (*web resource)
(Tuesday)
*** Follow Monday Class Schedule ***
12 October
Friday 4.8 Conservation of linear momentum for Hwk-13
13
15 October open systems
Tuesday 5.1 - 5.5 Thermodynamic properties of pure Hwk-14
14 19 October substances, two-phase systems, properties
of real liquids and solids, state principle

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 Friday 6.1 - 6.7 Applications of energy conservation Hwk-15
22 October principle to open systems:
15
nozzles/diffusers, turbines, pumps and
compressors, heat exchangers
Tuesday Review
16
26 October
Friday Exam 2
17
29 October
Tuesday 9.1 - 9.4 Internal flows I: laminar and turbulent Hwk-18
18
2 November flows
Friday 9.5 - 9.9 Internal flows II: friction, entrance Hwk-19
19
5 November effects, and minor losses in pipes
Tuesday 10.1-10.3 External flows I: flat plates Hwk-20
20
9 November
Friday 10.4-10.6 External flows II: bluff bodies, composite Hwk-21
21
12 November bodies, and lift
Tuesday 12.1, Convection heat transfer I: external Hwk-22
22
16 November 12.2 forced flow
Friday 12.3-12.7 Convection heat transfer II: internal Hwk-23
23
19 November forced flow
Tuesday 12.8, Convection heat transfer III: natural and Hwk-24
24
23 November 12.11* mixed convection (*web resource)

26 November *** Thanksgiving Break ***

Tuesday Review
25
30 November
Friday Exam 3
26
3 December
Tuesday Catchup / Makeup / Review Class
27
7 December
Friday Review
28
10 December
Final Final Final Exam
Exam Exams

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