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The Chemical Thermodynamic Module of The Expert System for Thermodynamics (“TEST”) Web Application

Abstract Hosted from www.thermofluids.net, the TEST web portal is a freely accessible thermodynamics web-based software package for engineering education. It combines several modules – multi- media problems and examples, an online solution manual for educators, traditional thermodynamic charts and tables, fifteen chapters of animations to illustrate thermodynamic systems and fundamental concepts, and a suite of thermodynamic calculators called daemons for solving thermodynamic problems and pursuing what-if scenarios. Designed as ‘browsable’ Java applets, these daemons cover a wide range of topics - property evaluation of working substances, energy, entropy, and exergy analysis of generic open and closed systems, IC engines, gas and vapor power cycles, refrigeration, HVAC, combustion, chemical equilibrium, and gas dynamics.

In this paper, the chemistry module comprising of combustion and equilibrium analysis daemons for both open steady systems and unsteady processes is presented. The range of problems for which the combustion daemons can be used include balancing chemical reactions, evaluation of properties of reactants and products mixtures, energy and entropy analysis of premixed and non- premixed reactants, and calculation of adiabatic flame temperature for complete reaction. The equilibrium daemons build upon the combustion daemon, use very similar applet interface, and yet employ the powerful Gibbs function minimization algorithm to handle tens of species in the equilibrium products mixture. These simple-to-use daemons, comparable in their accuracy to established codes such as NASA CEA1 and STANJAN2 , are used to determine equilibrium constant, equilibrium composition, and equilibrium temperature of methane combustion as a function of equivalent ratio. This paper demonstrates how simple it is to calculate the equilibrium temperature and then pursue what-if studies by varying the fuel air ratio, fuel composition, or the number of species in the products mixture. Once a solution is achieved, what-if studies can be performed by changing the fuel, selecting different products species, varying the air fuel ratio, or any controllable property by simply changing the parameter and then pressing a single update button.

Introduction

The advantages of web-based educational resources are obvious. Without any need for installation, students can access the latest version of software from any computer platform. Developers can update their software in real time and instructors can assign students exercises that require use of web-based software without having to rely on IT support personnel to make the software explicitly available on systems in university computer laboratories. Requiring only a standard web browser to operate, students can access these tools using devices other than laptops such as high-end mobile phones. Advances in Java programming, JavaScript, CSS, and

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Bhattacharjee, S., & Paolini, C. (2009, June), The Chemical Thermodynamic Module Of The Expert System For Thermodynamics (“Test”) Web Application Paper presented at 2009 Annual Conference & Exposition, Austin, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--5853