2022 | Project at University of Twente | Team of 6 | 12 weeks
My role: Modeling & Simulation lead / Data analysis
Competition element
Over 3 months, we were assigned the following goal:
“Cool down a tub of water as much as possible with two bicycle pumps.“
Overview:
Designed and tested a cooling system that used two bicycle pumps to cool water by compressing and expanding air. The project focused on applying the laws of thermodynamics to maximize temperature redution.
- Temperature measurement over a 4.8-minute test period showed an increase rather that the expected decrease. Analysis revealed that the system primaliry cooled the pump chamber instead of the water reservoir.
- Frictional heating in the pump and the heat transfer from the surroundings introduced additional energy, which led to a net temperature rise in the water.