Case Studies in Mechanical Engineering – Decision Making, Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer

Case Studies in Mechanical Engineering: Decision Making, Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer Stuart Sabol, Engineering Manager - Power Engineering at Power, Energy - USA Using a case study approach, this reference tests the reader s ability to apply engineering fundamentals to real-world examples and receive constructive feedback Case Studies in Mechanical Engineering provides real life examples of the application of engineering fundamentals. They relate to real equipment, real people and real decisions. They influence careers, projects, companies, and governments. The cases serve as supplements to fundamental courses in thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, instrumentation, economics, and statistics. The author explains equipment and concepts to solve the problems and suggests relevant assignments to augment the cases. Graduate engineers seeking to refresh their career, or acquire continuing education will find the studies challenging and rewarding. Each case is designed to be accomplished in one week, earning up to 15 hours of continuing education credit. Each case study provides methods to present an argument, work with clients, recommend action and develop new business. Key features: Highlights the economic consequences of engineering designs and decisions. Encourages problem solving skills. Application of fundamentals to life experiences. Ability to practice with real life examples. Case Studies in Mechanical Engineering is a valuable reference for mechanical engineering practitioners working in thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer and related areas.

Table of Contents:
Case 1 Steam Turbine Performance Degradation 1-1 1.0 Steam Turbine Types 1-2 1.0.1 Steam Turbine Components 1-4 1.0.2 Startup and Operation 1-6 1.0.3 Performance Monitoring and Analysis 1-8 1.0.4 Analyzing Performance Data Corrected Pressures 1-9 1.0.5 Analyzing Performance Data Flow Function 1-11 1.1 Refresher 1-13 1.1.1 Steam Turbine Efficiency 1-13 1.1.2 Example 1-13 1.2 Case Study Details: 1-13 1.2.1 Performance Trend 1-14 1.2.2 IP Turbine Enthalpy Drop 1-15 1.3 Case Study Findings 1-15 1.4 Decision Making and Actions 1-16 1.4.1 Value 1-16 1.4.2 Decision Making and Actions Alternatives 1-18 1.4.3 Decision Making and Actions Making a Plan 1-18 1.5 Closure 1-19 1.6 Symbols and Abbreviations 1-20 Case 2 Risk/Reward Evaluation 2-1 2.0 Case Study 2-3 2.1 Background: 2-3 2.1.1 Types of Gas Turbine Generating Plants 2-3 2.2 Gas Turbine Operating Risks 2-7 2.2.1 Gas Turbine Major Maintenance 2-8 2.2.2 Equivalent Fired Hours 2-9 2.2.3 Failure Costs 2-9 2.2.4 Reading Assignment 2-10 2.3 Case Study Evaluations: 2-10 2.3.1 Review 2-10 2.3.2 Presenting Results 2-11 2.3.3 Judgment Calls 2-12 2.3.4 Exercise: 2-13 2.3.5 Sensitivities: 2-13 2.3.6 Exercise - Sensitivities 2-14 2.3.7 Presentation of Results 2-14 2.4 Case Study Results 2-14 2.5 Closure 2-15 2.6 Answer Key 2-16 Case 3 Gas Turbine Compressor Fouling 3-1 3.0 Background 3-2 3.0.1 Gas Turbine Types 3-2 3.0.2 Gas Compressor Fouling and Cleaning 3-3 3.0.3 Exercise 1: Read the following articles: 3-4 3.0.4 Inlet Filtration 3-5 3.0.5 Gas Turbine Performance Measurement 3-7 3.1 Case Study Details 3-7 3.1.1 Derivative of the Cost Function 3-8 3.1.2 Exercise 2: 3-8 3.1.3 Linear Programming 3-9 3.1.4 New Methods New Thinking 3-9 3.1.5 Presenting Results 3-11 3.2 Case Study Results / Closure 3-11 3.3 Symbols: 3-13 3.4 Attachments 3-14 Case 4 Flow Instrument Degradation, Use and Placement 4-1 4.0 Background 4-2 4.0.1 Nuclear Steam Power Cycles 4-2 4.0.2 Core power level measurement 4-3 4.0.3 Differential Pressure Flow Measurement Devices 4-4 4.0.4 Two-Phase Piping Pressure Drop 4-7 4.1 Case Study Details 4-8 4.2 Exercises 4-11 4.2.1 Complete the following: 4-11 4.2.2 Uncertainty 4-11 4.2.3 Conclusions 4-12 4.3 Closure 4-12 Case 5 Two-Phase Hydraulics 5-1 5.0 Background 5-2 5.0.1 Reading Assignment 5-3 5.0.2 Muller-Steinhagen and Heck 5-4 5.0.3 Void Fraction 5-5 5.0.4 Pumping Net Positive Suction Head Required 5-6 5.0.5 Projects 5-7 5.1 Case Study Details 5-9 5.2 Exercises 5-11 5.2.1 Liquid Flow to Reboiler 5-11 5.2.2 Two-Phase Flow from Reboiler 5-11 5.2.3 Pump Suction 5-11 5.2.4 Discuss: 5-12 5.3 Closure: 5-12 5.4 Answer Key: 5-14 Case 6 Reliability and Availability 6-1 6.0 Background 6-2 6.0.1 Models 6-3 6.0.2 Availability: Planned and Unplanned Outages Parallel Systems 6-5 6.0.3 Series and Parallel Processes 6-7 6.0.4 Stochastic Models 6-9 6.0.5 Reading 6-9 6.0.6 Applicability 6-10 6.1 Case Study Details 6-10 6.1.1 Initial Block Flow Diagram 6-10 6.1.2 Business Structure 6-12 6.1.3 Modified Block Flow Diagram 6-13 6.1.4 Other Considerations 6-14 6.1.5 Exercises: 6-15 6.2 Closure 6-15 Case 7 Efficiency and Air Emissions 7-1 7.0 Background 7-3 7.0.1 Cogeneration or CHP 7-3 7.0.2 Environmental Considerations 7-3 7.0.3 Efficiency 7-5 7.1 Case Study Details 7-6 7.1.1 General 7-6 7.1.2 Proposed CHP Plant 7-7 7.1.3 Steam Boilers 7-8 7.1.4 Fuel 7-8 7.1.5 Gas Turbine 7-9 7.1.6 Air 7-10 7.2 Refresher 7-11 7.2.1 Gas Mixture Molecular Weight 7-11 7.2.2 Gas Mixture Heating Value 7-11 7.2.3 Species Weight Fraction 7-11 7.2.4 Ultimate Analysis 7-12 7.3 Exercises: 7-12 7.3.1 Outside Reading 7-12 7.4 Exercises 7-13 7.4.1 Boiler Operation 7-13 7.4.2 Cogeneration Plant 7-13 7.4.3 Conclusion: 7-14 7.5 Closure 7-14 7.6 Symbols and Abbreviations 7-19 Case 8 Low Carbon Power Production 8-1 8.0 Background 8-3 8.0.1 Dispatch and Renewable Power Resources 8-4 8.0.2 Capacity Factor and Availability Factor 8-4 8.0.3 Fuel Costs (FC in equation (8.1)) 8-5 8.0.4 Capital Cost Recovery (CR in equation (8.1)) 8-5 8.0.5 Non-Fuel Operations and Maintenance (M in equation (8.1)) 8-5 8.0.6 Regulation and Government Support 8-5 8.1 Refresher 8-6 8.1.1 Short Run Marginal Cost 8-6 8.1.2 CO2 Emissions 8-6 8.1.3 Long Run Marginal Cost 8-6 8.2 Case Study Details 8-6 8.2.1 Reading Assignment 8-7 8.2.2 Transmission Costs 8-8 8.2.3 Economic Models 8-8 8.2.4 Carbon Emissions 8-9 8.2.5 Understanding the Findings 8-9 8.2.6 Explaining the Results 8-11 8.3 Closure: 8-11 8.4 Answer Key 8-13 Case 9 Heat Exchangers and Drain Line Sizing 9-1 9.0 Background 9-2 9.0.1 Steam Surface Condensers 9-2 9.0.2 Feedwater Heaters 9-5 9.0.3 Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient 9-6 9.0.4 Condensing Heat Transfer 9-6 9.0.5 Forced Convection Inside of Tubes 9-6 9.0.6 Conduction heat Transfer 9-7 9.0.7 Off-Design Exchanger Performance 9-7 9.0.8 Drain Line Sizing 9-8 9.1 Reading 9-9 9.1.1 Read the following article and answer the questions below. 9-9 9.1.2 Additional reading and reference: 9-9 9.2 Case Study Details 9-10 9.2.1 Flow Diagram and Equipment 9-10 9.2.2 Design Cases 9-12 9.2.3 Exercises: 9-13 9.3 Closure 9-14 9.4 Answer Key: 9-16 Case 10 Optimized Maintenance 10-1 10.0.1 Maintenance Practices 10-2 10.0.2 Economic Model for Maintenance 10-3 10.0.3 Operating Costs Other Than Maintenance 10-4 10.1 Refresher 10-4 10.1.1 Cost of to Generate Power 10-4 10.1.2 Fixed and Variable Operations and Maintenance (O&M) 10-4 10.1.3 Cost of Fuel 10-4 10.1.4 Short Run Gross Margin 10-5 10.2 Presentation Techniques 10-5 10.2.1 Waterfall Chart 10-5 10.2.2 Line and Scatter Plots 10-6 10.3 Reading 10-6 10.3.1 Read the following and answer the questions below. 10-6 10.3.2 Questions: 10-7 10.3.3 Additional Resources 10-7 10.4 Case Study Details 10-7 10.4.1 Data 10-7 10.4.2 Exercises 10-10 10.5 Closure 10-11 10.6 Answer Key: 10-13 10.7 Symbols and Abbreviations 10-17 Case 11 Project Engineering 11-1 11.0 Opening 11-1 11.1 Background 11-2 11.1.1 Mustard 11-2 11.1.2 Working with Warfare Agents 11-3 11.1.3 Alternative Technology HD Decontamination 11-4 11.2 Project Planning and Definition 11-4 11.2.1 Project Management 11-7 11.2.2 Client Requirements 11-7 11.2.3 Work Breakdown Structure 11-9 11.2.4 Growing the Team 11-9 11.2.5 Process Basis of Design 11-11 11.3 Executing the Project 11-12 11.3.1 The Process 11-12 11.3.2 Stakeholder Communication 11-13 11.3.3 Ton Container Cleanout. 11-14 11.3.4 Demonstration Tests 11-14 11.3.5 Materials of Construction 11-15 11.3.6 Unexpected Events 11-16 11.4 Closure 11-16 11.5 Answer Key: 11-18 Case 12 In the Woodshop 12-1 12.0 Background 12-2 12.0.1 Band Saw 12-3 12.0.2 Table Saws 12-3 12.0.3 The Router 12-4 12.0.4 Safety 12-4 12.0.5 Measurements 12-4 12.1 References: 12-5 12.2 Case Study Details 12-5 12.2.1 Exercise 12-6 12.2.2 The Cove 12-7 12.2.3 Extra credit 12-8 12.3 Closure 12-8 12.4 Glossary: 12-10 12.5 Solutions: 12-11 Glossary Appendix Index

About the Author :
Mr. Sabol is an engineer with broad experience in the power industry, detailed design, and asset management. His accomplishments include writing of computer programs, detailed fluid system designs, engineering designs for the destruction of chemical weapons, resolution of complex engineering problems, engineering project management, and management of power generating assets. He graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Mechanical Engineering, holds a Professional Engineer's license in the State of Texas and is a certified Project Management Professional. His published works relate to the use of modelling programs, maintenance optimization, and woodworking techniques. Currently residing in Texas, Mr. Sabol provides consulting services.