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Course specification
The current and official versions of the course specifications are available on the web at https://www.usq.edu.au/course/specification/current.
Please consult the web for updates that may occur during the year.

MEC2106 Introduction to Thermofluids

Semester 2, 2021 Toowoomba On-campus
Short Description: Introduction to Thermofluids
Units : 1
Faculty or Section : Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences
School or Department : School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering
Student contribution band : Band 2
ASCED code : 030799 - Mechanical, Industrial Enginee
Grading basis : Graded

Staffing

Examiner: Byrenn Birch

Requisites

Pre-requisite: CIV1500 or CIV1501 or Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BENH or BEBC or BEHS or GCEN or MENS or GEPR

Other Requisites

Recommended pre-requisite: ENM1600

Rationale

This fundamental course enables students to study the flow behaviour of fluids (liquids or gasses) and their interaction with the environment. Through an understanding of how these processes occur, students will design efficient systems, benefitting the environment and the economy. This course leads into the higher-level studies of thermofluids in MEC3107 Thermofluids, MEC4108 Advanced Thermofluids and MEC4104 Renewable Energy Technology.

Synopsis

Students will learn how pressure controls the movement of fluids and fluids exert pressure on their surroundings. They will study how the exchange of energy via work and/or heat transfer enables the design of practical devices. The implications of these processes are used in the analysis of practical systems.

Objectives

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course. On completion of this course, students should be able to:

  1. apply first law of thermodynamics and thermodynamics property data of pure substances to the analysis of thermodynamic processes;
  2. analyse closed and steady flow engineering systems;
  3. analyse static and flowing fluid flow systems using the conservation of mass, energy and momentum;
  4. select an appropriate pump for a specified system using a pump specification chart;
  5. classify mechanisms of heat transfer and analyse simple steady state thermal systems;
  6. analyse and compare the results of experimental and theoretical analyses; and
  7. produce a written report to outline the results of an experiment.

Topics

Description Weighting(%)
1. Introduction 5.00
2. Fluid statics 10.00
3. Energy and the first law of thermodynamics 10.00
4. Properties of pure substances 8.00
5. Energy analysis of closed systems 10.00
6. Energy analysis of open flow systems 10.00
7. Inviscid fluid flow 10.00
8. Fundamentals of viscous fluid flow 15.00
9. Fundamentals of turbomachinery 8.00
10. Fundamentals of heat transfer 14.00

Text and Materials

ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from USQ's Online Bookshop (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2021&sem=02&subject1=MEC2106)

Please contact us for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)

Cengel, YA, Cimbala, JM, and Turner, RH 2017, Fundamentals of thermal fluid sciences, 5th in SI Units edn, McGraw Hill.
(The text is available in electronic form and in soft cover. This textbook is also used in MEC3107 Thermofluids and MEC4108 Advanced Thermofluids.)

Reference Materials

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.
Cengel, YA & Boles, MA 2015, Thermodynamics: an engineering approach, 8th edn, McGraw Hill, NY.
Finnemore, EJ & Franzini, JB 2002, Fluid mechanics with engineering applications, 10th edn, McGraw-Hill, Boston, MA.
(SI Metric Edition.)
Kreith, F & Bohn, MS 2016, Principles of heat transfer, 8th edn, Brooks/Cole Publishing, Australia.
Munson, BR, Young, DF & Okiishi, TH 2015, Fundamentals of fluid mechanics, 8th edn, Wiley, New York.
Singh, O 2008, Applied Thermodynamics, 3rd edn, New Age International, New Delhi.

Student Workload Expectations

Activity Hours
Assessments 17.00
Lectures 39.00
Practical Classes 10.00
Private Study 73.00
Tutorials 26.00

Assessment Details

Description Marks out of Wtg (%) Due Date Objectives Assessed Notes
Quiz 100 10 04 Aug 2021 1
Assignment 1 200 20 23 Aug 2021 1,2,6,7
Assignment 2 300 30 20 Sep 2021 1,2,3,4,6,7
Assignment 3 400 40 25 Oct 2021 1,2,3,4,5,6,7

Important assessment information

  1. Attendance requirements:
    It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities (such as lectures and tutorials) scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.

  2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
    To satisfactorily complete an assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks or a grade of at least C-. Students do not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to be awarded a passing grade in this course. Refer to Statement 4 below for the requirements to receive a passing grade in this course.

  3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
    Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure http://policy.usq.edu.au/documents.php?id=14749PL (point 4.2.4)

  4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
    To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must obtain at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course (i.e. the Primary Hurdle).

  5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
    The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the weighted aggregate of the marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.

  6. Examination information:
    There is no examination for this course.

  7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
    Deferred and Supplementary examinations will be held in accordance with the Assessment Procedure https://policy.usq.edu.au/documents/14749PL.

  8. University Student Policies:
    Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene University policies and practices. These policies can be found at http://policy.usq.edu.au.

Assessment Notes

  1. Students must familiarise themselves with the USQ Assessment Procedures (http://policy.usq.edu.au/documents.php?id=14749PL).

  2. Referencing in Assignments must comply with the Harvard (AGPS) referencing system. This system should be used by students to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The Harvard (APGS) style to be used is defined by the USQ library’s referencing guide. These policies can be found http://www.usq.edu.au/library/referencing

Date printed 8 November 2021