Dhushy Sathianathan

Application of neutron radiography for fluid flow visualization

Real-time thermal neutron radiography has been applied to the visualization of fluid flows. Since neutrons can penetrate metal casings, the technique may be useful for the visualization of fluids flowing inside metal enclosures, such as valves, engine or transmission components, etc. The technique described involves shadowgraph imaging of neutron-opaque tracer materials (either solid or fluid particles) as they convert in a stream of neutron-transport ambient fluid. Real-time motion pictures of several simple flows have been recorded, from which velocities, regions of flow separation, rate of mixing, and other information about the flow field can be obtained. The neutron radiography facility at the Penn State Breazeale Nuclear Reactor and the studies performed to determine viable liquids useful in neutron radiography applications are described. Some samples of successful flow visualizations are also presented.

Streakline flow visualization with neutron radiography

Although flow visualization is an extremely useful tool in fluid mechanics research, many practical fluid flow problems have limited optical access for visualization. A technique has been developed which permits fluid flow to be visualized even in cases where the flow is completely shrouded by metal. The technique employs real-time thermal neutron radiography, which is similar to x-ray radiography except that a collimated beam of neutrons is used. Neutrons can easily penetrate metal casings, but are attenuated by elements such as hydrogen, boron, cadmium, and gadolinium. Various combinations of neutron-opaque tracer particles moving in neutron-transparent ambient fluids were tested for image contrast, resolution, and ability to accurately track the flow. Experiments in a simple pipe flow have demonstrated the feasibility of the technique. Namely, it was possible to visualize the motion of streaklines within a flow field shrouded by metal, which would not have been possible with any other technique.

Work in progress - preparing for TC2K on a large scale

Preparation for compliance with TC2K for ABET accreditation is being carried out at twelve campuses which offer one or more of nine different engineering technology programs. A system-wide continuous quality improvement plan is in place. It includes the courses restructuring to reflect meeting the TC2K criteria, providing feedback for faculty members, and for assessing the way in which the educational objectives, program outcomes, and learning outcomes are being met. In order to facilitate the effectiveness of learning outcomes several short surveys were developed for some programs while others are in the process of development These targeted student performance, faculty perception, and student perception regarding learning outcomes in each specific program and course. Complementary to these were exit surveys, alumni and employee surveys that strive to provide information about programs. Currently, data collection is in progress using these surveys in order to judge their effectiveness with plans to offer them online and automated to a database.

The Center for Engineering Design & Entrepreneurship: an evolving facility to support curricular innovations

As the College of Engineering at Penn State University implements changes to achieve its goal of educating world-class engineers, greater numbers of students from first-year through seniors are involved in industry sponsored design projects. In addition, the students are also involved in international design teams, and working collaboratively with Colleges of Business to introduce modern business skills as a integral part of engineering design curriculum. These initiatives are based on a common theme of engaging students in cross-disciplinary problem-based learning opportunities in the context of industry sponsored engineering design projects. The curriculum needed to support these initiatives has been under development since the early 1990s. To support this curricular need, a physical space is developed where the necessary tools for collaboration, design, construction and testing are made available. This facility has evolved from various forms throughout the many decades to support the curricular innovations.

Faculty collaboration and course coordination in geographically dispersed campuses

With a growing emphasis on vertical and horizontal integration of engineering curricula, there is a growing need for strong coordination among engineering courses. This paper outlines a coordination and collaboration model that has been developed as part of the NSF funded ECSEL initiative. This effort is currently implemented at the Pennsylvania State University, USA. The model has been implemented on a first-year design course taught at 19 campuses in the Penn State system. The model involves developing a competency-based course structure, identifying coordination team, identifying coordination mechanisms using appropriate technology, faculty development and incentives to sustain long-term coordination. At the core of the coordination and collaboration efforts are student driven activities, and it is these activities that will sustain this effort in the long-term. A large part of the student activities involves archival of student design work as electronic portfolios. These portfolios are shared with the feeder campuses which is a significant part of student-student, faculty-student and industry-student collaboration.

Pipe Flow Simulation Software: A Team Approach to Solve an Engineering Education Problem

THE STUDY OF THE MOTION OF FLUIDS is integral to many engineering disciplines. A first course in fluid mechanics introduces many types of flow, including steady flow through pipe systems. Computer simulations can play a role in the discovery of fluid engineering principles without requiring extensive laboratory facilities or the complicated mathematics associated with the theoretical development. TheFluid Flow Construction Set was developed as an educational tool to introduce engineering students to fluid flow in pipe systems. The software is an interactive tool to explore the fluid flow characteristics of a pipe system by manipulating the physical construction of the system. Both steady (time-independent) and transient (time-dependent) pipe flow can be simulated. The motivation and software design requirements are presented first, followed by specific details on how the objectives of the design tool were met.