Test The Expert System For Thermodynamics
Subrata Bhattacharjee · 2020
Just as calculators revolutionized engineering problem solving, the day has come for web-delivered domain-specific software tools to bring about the next revolution in engineering education and practice.Students can not only solve a problem online, but conduct parametric studies, simulate engineering systems and gain an insight which is not possible in a traditional set up.Web delivery means the software is available anywhere, anytime from classroom to the dormitory without the hassles of installation, upgrades, or compatibility with operating systems.Such a web-based tool, TEST, The Expert System for Thermodynamics, is being developed at San Diego State University for a comprehensive education of engineering thermodynamics.TEST is more than a thermodynamic calculator.It combines hundreds of HTML pages with the power of Java programming to offer a visual environment over the web to analyze thermodynamic problems, obtain paperless solution, plot thermodynamics graphs, generate solutions and reports, spreadsheet friendly thermodynamic tables, pursue what-if scenarios after a problem is solved, and produce TEST-Code which can be stored or emailed to regenerate a solution instantly.The topics covered include state evaluation, energy, entropy and exergy analysis, closed and open cycles, refrigeration, air-conditioning, combustion and gas dynamics.Engineering systems are introduced through animations and classified according to how the governing equations simplify -open vs. closed systems, for instance.Once a system is classified, choosing an appropriate model for the working fluid -ideal gas, real gas, phase-change model, etc. -launches a Java Applet, called a daemon in TEST, which has the knowledge of the working fluid properties as well as the simplified form of the mass, energy, entropy, and exergy equations for the particular system.The expert system not only helps one solve a problem fast and accurately but also helps detect logical inconsistencies in the specifications of the input variables.If pressure and temperature are entered for an ideal gas, the daemon will prevent a user (with appropriate warning) from specifying the gas density.But the main advantage of the visual environment is the ease with which parametric studies can be performed.Because all the variables of a problem are visually exposed, any conceivable what-if scenario can be pursued with the click of a button without a single line of programming.The usage of TEST is growing steadily.It has been installed in 175 different universities around the world and mirrored in nine different countries.More than 10,000 educators, professionals and students have registered although no registration or fee is necessary to use the site.TEST can be freely accessed from any of its mirror sites, which are linked from www.prenhall.com/thermo.