Integrating a Cogeneration Facility into Engineering Education

化学和机械工程课程正在进行能源生产和管理研究，并分析新建的25兆瓦热电联产设施的实时数据。为学生提供来自实际过程的实时数据，以及必要的建模工具来理解这些数据，可以活跃和丰富热力学、传热、系统分析和过程控制等学科。正在开发的工具基于通用平台：Excel；VBA;并且，广泛可用的商业过程模拟器。这些数据可以在网上找到，大二的学生可以通过这些数据对燃气轮机、蒸汽轮机、空调系统、冷却塔和锅炉等主要装置进行实际的物质和能量平衡计算。自然会引入数据约简和数据协调等主题。三年级学生正在探索先进的过程建模，包括热回收蒸汽发生器的能量回收。这种单独操作的垂直整合使高年级学生能够探索能源生产和管理中的全球问题，包括公用事业成本的优化和与过程中断和高度可变负载相关的过程动力学分析，以及由此产生的最优控制策略。

A study of energy production and management with the analysis of real-time data from a newly constructed 25MW cogeneration facility is being incorporated into the Chemical and Mechanical Engineering curricula. Providing students real time data from actual processes, along with the modeling tools necessary to make sense of the data,is enlivening and enriching such subjects as Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer, Systems Analysis, and Process Control. The tools being developing are based on universal platforms: Excel; VBA; and, widely available commercial process simulators.The data, web-available, is allowing sophomore-year students to perform real-world material and energy balance calculations on major unit operations including gas and steam turbines, air conditioning systems, cooling towers, and boilers. Topics including data reduction and data reconciliation will be introduced naturally. Junior-year students are exploring advanced process modeling, including energy recovery in a heat recovery steam generator. Vertical integration of such individual operations is enabling senior-year students to explore global issues in energy production and management, including the optimization of utility costs and the analysis of process dynamics associated with process upsets and highly variable loads, and the resulting optimal control strategies.