(375e) Design of an Open-Ended Unit Operations Experiment in Transport Phenomena

The junior unit operations course at UCSB focuses on experiments in thermodynamics and transport phenomena. Students typically rotate through four 2-week experiments over the 10 week quarter. While the experimental rotation gives students exposure to many types of experiments, there is limited time for students to explore areas of interest outside of predetermined experiments. This open-ended experiment was designed to reinforce concepts in momentum and heat transfer and build upon their problem solving skills by allowing the students to explore an area of interest. The experiment consists of a variable-speed, centrifugal pump mounted to a work stations with an exchangeable discharge pipe that allows for many types of experiments to be rapidly "dropped-in". Students are able to choose from several proven experiments including the measurement of frictional losses in pipes, characterization of multiple types flow meters, measurement of fluid velocity profiles, and development of pump performance curves. In addition, students are able to rapidly manufacture prototype parts via 3D printing to test new part designs that otherwise would be cost or time prohibitive to acquire.