Phase 1: Proposal - Stakeholder Needs

To achieve the goals of this project, the following needs have been summarized from our stakeholders:

• Design and construct a phase changing material (PCM) test chamber for use in power plant cooling
• Determine the total pressure drop across the system, and relative pressure drop for hydrostatic pressure
• Feature easily interchangeable parts that accommodate a variety of PCM’s that will alter viscosity of the fluid
• Research potential liquid and particle combinations that can be used in the system
• Design must be cost effective
• Design and construction must be completed by February 2015

Phase 1: Proposal - Project Goals

There are two overarching goals that need to be achieved by the end of senior design:

1. Design a phase change material test chamber for power plant cooling that characterizes the flow of slurry relevant to the proposed alternative dry cooling technology.
2. Research and evaluate potential phase change material substitutes of varying densities and sizes to test the flow characteristics within the testing chamber at different slurry viscosities.

Drexel Senior Design Project:

Every engineer at Drexel University has to complete a senior design project to graduate. Senior design lasts over the course of three terms or about 9 months, and is a means of utilizing the skills developed in the classroom to accomplish complex design challenges. This blog is meant to document our senior design group as we move through the design phases of our project.

The Group:

The group consists of five aspiring mechanical engineers, Chris, Jim, Zack, Travis, and myself (also, conveniently named Zach). The team formed at the end of our junior year to get a head start on senior design, and begin drafting the proposal.

The Project:

The purpose of the project is to characterize the flow of phase changing materials (PCM) for a next generation power plant dry cooling tower. Essentially, we are a small part of a large project designed to cool steam leaving a power plant at a faster rate utilizing a PCM that has a greater latent heat of fusion than water. Ideally, the PCM will provide an effective cooling alternative over water that is used in cooling baths within power plants. Specifically, our contribution to the project is to design a testing chamber that will characterize the flow of the PCM within a mock power plant cooling bath. The testing chamber will not use the actual PCM, but rather a substitute that has similar density and size characteristics to paraffin wax, the PCM currently being researched for future use in power plants.