A Virtual Laboratory for Education on Gas Turbine Principles and Operation

A software package created for educating engineering students on the principles of gas turbines is presented. It starts from the presentation of basic material on the principles of gas turbine components operation (turbomachinery, combustion chambers, inlets, exhausts). The usual textbook material is supported by audiovisual material that enhances the student’s ability to assimilate the principles taught. Computational tools are included, allowing the execution of design studies as well as performance simulations, for a wide range of gas turbine types. Both aircraft and land based gas turbines are covered. A user friendly interface allows the execution of calculations, whose results can be presented in a variety of formats, with the help of a flexible graphical user interface. A number of specific engines have been chosen to be represented, one of the reasons for this choice being that the package in its current form is primarily intended for use by air force and naval academy students, expected to come in contact with the specific engines employed by the corresponding organizations. Finally, a number of laboratory exercises are included. The exercises are performed in a way that is a reproduction of actual laboratory tests. The software employs audio-visual effects, including videos and other animations, to support the instruction of gas turbine principles, and is implemented in a classroom specifically designed for this purpose. The audiovisual effects are employed to transfer the actual physical reality into the classroom, creating thus the virtual environment.Copyright © 2006 by ASME

[1]  Torsten Fransson,et al.  Gas Turbine Simulations in the Computerized Educational Program CompEduHPT: Educational Aspects , 2003 .

[2]  Daisie D. Boettner,et al.  A VIRTUAL GAS TURBINE LABORATORY FOR AN UNDERGRADUATE THERMODYNAMICS COURSE , 2004 .

[3]  Torsten Fransson,et al.  An International, Electronic and Interactive Teaching and Life-Long Learning Platform for Gas Turbine Technology in the 21st Century , 2000 .

[4]  K. W. Ramsden.  An Interactive Methodology for Axial Compressor Design Teaching , 1999 .

[5]  Anastassios G. Stamatis,et al.  A Computer Model as an Educational Tool for Gas Turbine Performance , 1999 .

[6]  Cengiz Camci,et al.  A Student-Executed Industrial Gas Turbine Design Project , 1999 .

[7]  H. Motz.  Teaching Engineering , 1967, Nature.

[8]  Torsten Fransson,et al.  An International Electronic and Interactive Teaching and Life-Long Learning Platform for Gas Turbine Technology in the 21st Century , 2001 .

[9]  N. Aretakis,et al.  Instructing the Principles of Gas Turbine Performance Monitoring and Diagnostics by Means of Interactive Computer Models , 2000 .

[10]  H. Perez-Blanco,et al.  An Update of the Virtual Energy Laboratory , 2000 .

[11]  Torsten Fransson,et al.  Gas Turbine Simulations in the Computerized Educational Program CompEduHPT: Three Case Studies , 2003 .

[12]  Horacio Perez-Blanco,et al.  The Virtual Energy Laboratory (VEL): A Didactic Graphical Simulator for Thermal System Design , 1999 .

[13]  Torsten Fransson,et al.  Web-Based, Interactive Laboratory Experiment in Turbomachine Aerodynamics , 2004 .

[14]  K. W. Ramsden.  An Interactive Method for Teaching Turbine Design , 1999 .

[15]  Torsten Fransson,et al.  Computerized Educational Program in Turbo machinery , 1998 .