thermal lab

Experiment Title

By:

Student 1

Student 2

Student 3

Experiment #

Section: XXX

Lab Instructor: TA’s Name

Submitted towards partial fulfillment of the requirements for

EXPERIMENTAL METHODS IN THE THERMAL SCIENCES

– Date of Submission

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, AZ 86011

ABSTRACT (Student 3)

The abstract should be a concise summary of the entire report. It provides a brief introduction to the subject, a brief description of the method used, an overview of the results, and the major conclusions. It should not include tables or graphs and should be limited to no more than half of a page. The Abstract should address the following:

· What is the Lab about?

· What was measured and how?

· What were the measurements used for? (to find what!)

· What were the significant results/findings/trends observed? (discuss from numbers calculated / plots shown in the results and discussion section)

· State whether the results/findings/trends observed behave as expected? If not, why? Comment on sources of error.

INTRODUCTION (Student 2)

This section should include the following information:

1. Clearly and effectively present the objectives AND purpose of the experiment

2. Show a figure showing the schematic of the experimental facility and explains what is shown in the figure

3. State in brief what measurements would be performed and why?

4. State pointwise what facts/hypothesis(es) is being tested in this Lab

This section should discuss the importance of the experiment being performed, provide some background for the study, and give a clear statement of the objectives of the work. The objectives may include items such as testing a theory, determining the numerical value of some parameter, or better understanding a certain phenomenon. The reader should obtain a clear picture of the motivation underlying the experiment and a concise statement of what was to be accomplished. Students should avoid copying the objectives directly from the lab handouts; rather they should state these in their own words what they think is the purpose.

This section should briefly discuss the underlying theory of the experiment and/or the facts/hypothesis(es) is being tested. The assumptions used in developing the theory should be identified and mention whether the validity of these assumptions are assessed later. All assumptions should be viewed with skepticism in order to lay the groundwork for later understanding and explaining discrepancies between theory and experiment.

METHOD (Student 2)

This section should include the following information:

1. Discusses what measurements were taken - how/how many times/when/where/under what conditions!

2. Discusses instruments used to make measurements

3. Identifies measurement and instrument uncertainty, resolution, and/or accuracy

4. Identifies what would be done with the measurements and states/explains the subsequent Governing Equations that would be used to address the objectives and purpose of the Lab

This section contains an overview of the experimental facility and procedure. Typically, diagrams/figures/pictures are used to illustrate the important features of the experimental apparatus such as key dimensions, placement of transducers, etc. The experimental procedure should describe enough information for another person to repeat the experiment. Step-by-step procedures, especially those copied or paraphrased from the laboratory write-ups, should NOT be given. A more detailed discussion should be presented for procedures that are particularly difficult, require a special technique, or are relevant to understanding specific advantages or disadvantages of the approach. In addition, any problems or sources of experimental error that could influence the results should be explained.

While presenting the equations, introduce all equations (per format seen below) that are used to calculate results. Explain how your measurements will be sued to calculate key variables. The governing equation(s) derived from the stated assumptions and application of the basic conservation laws should be stated. Each variable and parameter must be defined unless previously defined. If appropriate, non-dimensional variables should be introduced, and their significance outlined.

RESULTS & DISCUSSION (Student 1)

This is the most important section of your lab report. It should summarize the results of the experiment in the form of figures and tables. Each Figure and Table should be explained by text. The outcomes of the results should be described, and explained relative to the theory.

The results and discussion section should be presented in two sections:

1. Experimental Data

· Experimental Raw Data collected should be summarized, tabulated, and/or put in charts/figures. If there in too much raw data, it should be referenced in the text and presented in the Appendix.

2. Analysis of Experimental Data.

· Analysis of Experimental Data includes analyzing the data, describing and justifying the trends, curve fitting if appropriate, and regression analysis.

Figures and tables should be prepared so as to provide the most compact yet complete presentation possible. To this end, each figure and table should conform to the accepted practices of data presentation. Axes should be clearly labeled to indicate the axis parameter, its numerical scale, and the appropriate units. Data points should be clearly designated by easily recognizable symbols such as circles, squares, triangles, etc. Theoretical results should be presented as lines (or curves). Labels should be employed to delineate between the various symbols and lines used. Multiple figures and tables may be included on a single page provided that they clearly communicate the intended information. Note, all tables and figures must be referenced within the body of the report and numbered consecutively as they appear.

Discussions should include statements that can be backed up using data/figures/tables. Discussions should make clear the purpose of each figure and should serve to unify and supplement the information contained in the figures and tables. Discussions can also describe the techniques and procedures used to reduce the data to final graphical form and assess the accuracy and reliability of the data.

This section should be the most thought-provoking part of the report; students should therefore spend a majority of their time preparing this section. Here, the experimental data should be interpreted in the context of the underlying theory/assumptions. Data discrepancies should be fully discussed in the context of the uncertainty in the experimental results and the validity of the theory. Weak assumptions or experimental inaccuracies should be identified. Sources of error should be logical and technically substantiated; avoid attributing all discrepancies to vague concepts such as "human error" or "equipment inaccuracies." The plausibility of the explanations should be demonstrated to a potentially skeptical reader by convincing arguments.

CONCLUSIONS (Student 3)

This section should include a clear, concise statement of what the report is about and the significant findings of the work, generally in order of importance. The conclusions are taken from the major points of the discussion. Conclusions are frequently followed by recommendations for improving the experimental procedure or for future work, building on the results of the study. Recommendations should be specific and justified technically by the results and discussion of the experiment.

REFERENCES (Student 3)

This section should include a list of all references used for conducting the experiment and for the preparation of the report. List the references according to the following format (similar to IEEE):

[1]	Northern Arizona University, "Bernoull's Theorem Demonstration: ME 495," Flagstaff, AZ, 2016.
[2]	M. S. H. Moran, "Properties of Saturated Water (Temperature Table)," in Fundamentals of Engineering Thermodynamics, 4th ed., New York, John Wiley and Sons, 1999, p. 804.
[3]	International Organization of Standardization, "Measurement of fluid flow by means of pressure differential devices inserted in circular cross-section conduits running full -- Part 1: General principles and requirements," 2003. [Online]. Available: http://www.iso.org/iso/catalogue_detail?csnumber=28064. [Accessed 16 September 2016].

APPENDIX (Student 1)

Raw data, extra tables, equations and derivation when appropriate. All entries must be referenced within the lab report (i.e. additional data provided in Appendix A…).

Relevant lab notebook page copies must be attached to the back of the report (after the Appendix). The student responsible for the Results section of each report should be the one to attach their lab notebook entries. Notebook copies do not need to be referenced within the lab report.

REPORT FORMAT (Student 3)

It is the responsibility of the student 3 that the report be clearly and concisely written. They are to ensure that report is written in a single format, and that all sections have the same flow and readability. Any significant changes to the content or calculations should be reviewed by the entire team.

Below is an example an acceptable figure format for the report (Figure 1). Figures should be simple, with a best-fit trendline if applicable, the trendline equation, and the least squares fit (R2). R2 above 0.9 represents a strong correlation of the trendline to the data. Any legends or equations should be inside the range of figure axis, not outside the figure area. Scale should be selected to maximize the visualization of the data trends and minimize empty space. Multiple figures that depict related data should all be on similar scales, so the data can be effectively compared.

All images and figures should be of professional quality, no hand-drawn or poor-quality scans are allowed. These type of figures must be digitally redrawn using vector-based software (i.e. PowerPoint, Solidworks…)

Example Figure:

Note, the figure title is shown BELOW the figure, the figure is centered on the page, and a figure usually takes up 2/3-3/4 of the width of the page.

Figure 1 - Log(P) vs. Log(T) for the tank blowdown.

Next is an example an acceptable table format for the report (Table 1). The most important data, that summarizes the result, should be tabulated. Additional data, if deemed necessary, should be included using the same table format in the Appendix (Appendix A). The table format should be simple and uncluttered. The data is the focus, not the table format. The column headings should be bold and separated from the data with a single line. It is common to not completely box in the table. Rather, leave the sides of the table open and end the table with another single line.

Example Table:

Note, the table title is listed ABOVE the table, the table is centered on the page, and the table usually takes up 2/3-3/4 of the width of the page.

Table 1 - Time history of temperature for calculating convection heat transfer

Time (sec)	Air Temperature (°C)	Mid Temperature (°C)	Center Temperature (°C)	Surface Temperature (°C)
0	23.518	93.273	92.327	83.680
100	23.836	81.014	80.857	73.190
200	23.836	70.222	69.597	64.291
300	22.724	62.264	62.420	57.896
400	22.724	54.932	55.868	51.967
500	23.359	50.718	49.781	47.437
600	22.883	46.812	46.343	43.996
700	22.565	42.430	42.900	40.863
800	22.247	39.922	39.922	38.039
900	22.724	37.568	37.411	37.411
1000	23.042	36.468	35.996	35.210

Example Equations:

Equations should be digitally recreated if the original is a poor-quality scan or copy. The equation should be centered on the page with an equation number cited on the right margin. The equation number must also be cited in the text, (Eq. 1). The variables and their units can be defined in the text if there are only a few in the equation: E - energy (J), m – mass (kg), c - speed of light (m/s). But if there are several variables, they should be listed in an outline form below the equation

E = mc2 (1)

For more information, please refer to the two documents shared in the ‘Equations Format’ folder on how equations are presented in a technical publication. Sometimes when too many symbols are used, the use of ‘Nomenclature’ is a good idea.

English and Grammar requirement for your reports:

Remember to apply the lessons you learned in EGR 386W. Your writing must be concise, clear, and consistent throughout the report. Use appropriate grammar and maintain a high register (professionalism in your tone). Do NOT use first person. The data is the focus of the report, not you or your group. The lack of first person often leads to excessive use of passive voice. You must LIMIT the use of passive voice whenever possible. There is always a more concise way to can describe your data when you avoid first person and attempt to limit passive voice.

Log(T) and Log(P)

y = 0.1166x + 1.8106

R2 = 0.9773

2.25

2.3

2.35

2.4

2.45

2.5

4.555.56

Log(P)

Log(T)