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ENERGY CONVERSION TOPICS IN AN UNDERGRADUATE THERMODYNAMICS COURSE AT THE UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY

CPT Blace C. Albert, MAJ Shawn E. Klawunder, and Dr. A. Özer Arnas

Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering United States Military Academy West Point, NY 10996

Abstract

The mission of the United States Military Academy (USMA) is “To educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country; professional growth throughout a career as an officer in the United States Army; and a lifetime of selfless service to the nation.”1 In order to accomplish this mission, USMA puts their cadets through a 47-month program that includes eight academic semesters. Upon graduation, the cadets receive a Bachelor of Science degree and are commissioned as officers in the United States Army. A very unique aspect of the academic program at USMA is that each cadet is required to take a minimum of five engineering classes regardless of their major or field of study. This means that about 500 cadets will have taken the one-semester course in thermodynamics. The thermodynamics course taught at USMA is different from others throughout the country. Within every class there is a mixture of cadets in engineering and non-engineering majors, i.e. languages, history, and others. The unique mixture of students has prompted instructors at USMA to work hard to design a course that is very physical and hands-on. This has been achieved particularly in the area of energy conversion systems. Topics covered include vapor power cycles, internal combustion engines, gas turbine engines, and vapor-compression refrigeration cycles. Four laboratories and a tour of a cogeneration facility supplement the thermodynamic concepts. The course is also brought to life by some very unique teaching aids. These teaching aids include the following: reference cards for solving problems, turbine/compressor blades, jeep engine cutaways, distributor caps, cam shafts, fuel injectors, gas turbine engines (T-53, T-700, AGT-1500, and Mars), V2 rocket (scramjet), J85 jet engine (with and without afterburner), Broadhead-Garrett trainers, and cutaways of air-conditioners and refrigerators. Finally, students majoring in Mechanical Engineering (general mechanical and aeronautical systems), Civil Engineering, Engineering Management, or Environmental Engineering, complete a design of a cogeneration facility for USMA.

Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition Copyright ©2002, American Society for Engineering Education

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Klawunder, S., & Albert, B., & Arnas, O. (2002, June), Energy Conversion Topics In An Undergraduate Therm Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--10652