Academics
BSEN 2210: Engineering Methods of Biological Systems
This was the first biosystems class i took at Auburn. It was geared towards teaching us the basics in general skills that we will be using during our academic and professional careers. I personally enjoyed this class because it introduced us to a lot of new and interesting topics and challenges.
One of the programs that was AutoCAD. We had multiple assignments that taught us how to work the basics of the program, but I had a lot of fun just messing around with the pattern tool. I make a really fun design (depicted to the right) that is not necessarily functional, but did allow me to become more familiar with the program as a whole, while also showcasing my creative freedom.
Also in this class, we were tasked with making a water filter using materials that can be found outside or in the trash, so I went out and collected rocks, sand, and cotton (yes, I found actual natural cotton around) as well as a zaxby’s cup and random container. Using these materials, I worked with my team to assemble a water filter that could significantly decrease the turbidity of water.
Overall, I would say that I learned most about which materials are the best at filtering water (in this case, cotton). This project was mostly trial-and-error via making many different versions of our filter and testing to see how much the turbidity would decrease.
Making a water filter showed me a lot about the engineering process and working with limitations. Our team had to research filters, develop a design, make the product, test and redesign, and then present the project to our class.
The combination of working with the engineering design process and having to present to the class taught me a lot about teamwork and public speaking that will translate well over to my professional career.
BSEN 2240: Biological and Bio-environmental Heat and Mass Transfer
This class focused on the methods at which heat and mass move between different things. In order to study this movement, we looked at three base equations and built from there:
Each of these equations corresponds to a method of heat transfer with convection on the left, radiation in the middle, and conduction on the right. Using these equations, we studied all sorts of things, like heat exchangers, methods of fins, forced and natural convection, etc.. The concepts that were particularly interesting to me were the thermal to electrical resistance analogy, laminar vs. turbulent flow, and the quantitative analysis of mass transfer.
In the spring semester of my freshman year, I took ENGR 1110 - Intro to Electrical Engineering. At the time, I thought this class would be completely irrelevant to everything else I would do in college because I was not studying electrical engineering, but this preconception was dismantled when we started talking about the thermal to electrical resistance analogy. This analogy functions under the idea that all types of heat and mass transfer can ultimately be whittled down to an electrical resistance equation. For example, the simplified equation for conduction is show below:
Since temperature is the driving force in heat transfer, we leave it, but we can replace everything else with resistance, R. That gives us this equation:
where
This can be applied to any type of heat or mass transfer as long as the driving force stays on top and resistance, R, is used to replace everything else.
By simplifying in this way, heat and mass transfer systems can be modeled as electrical wires where each resistor is a method of heat transfer. These resistors, whether they are in series or parallel, can then be added together (R, total) and the whole heat or mass transfer system can be simplified down to one equation with the difference in driving force being the difference across the whole system.
I think this concept is super interesting because it combines two areas of engineering in an unexpected way, and I love when things piece together like this. Finding unusual connections and patterns is one of my favorite things to do, so when it happens in class, I am immediately more engaged.
I always see videos online of people filling up a water balloon and poking a perfect hole in it so that the water spews out in a way that makes it seem like it is not moving. I learned that this is called laminar flow, but I never actually understood where it comes from. In heat and mass transfer, I learned exactly where this comes from and how to do calculations with it.
Laminar flow is a region of movement in which the flow of a fluid is predictable; everything moves in a steady pattern. Turbulent flow is what happens when a fluid begins to move unpredictably. In order to distinguish whether a fluid is in laminar or turbulent flow, we have to calculate the Reynolds and Nusselt numbers. The Reynolds number and one form of the Nusselt number are calculated in the same way regardless of the system, but by calculating the Nusselt number through an experimental formula, the equation varies based on the system and the Reynolds number.
The consistent Reynolds and Nusselt number formulas are as follows:
Generally, when the Reynolds number is below 500,000, the flow is expected to be laminar. In the case of the water balloon with the unmoving water, I can infer that the Reynolds number would likely be less than 500,000.
Combining this Reynolds number with the correct Nusselt number equations, we could figure out how much fluid is being moved in a given amount of time as well as any heat transfer coefficients we need.
Learning all of this has made me appreciate little science experiments so much more because there truly is so much detail hidden behind our every day lives. Most of the time, we do not even notice when heat or mass transfer is happening, and I think that is what makes it so interesting to me.
As I was saying earlier, I love when hidden patterns or connections emerge. Another one of these hidden patterns is in the quantitative analysis of mass transfer. Using what we know from heat transfer, we can make all the same equations in mass transfer, so everything solves the same. For example, the driving force in heat transfer is temperature difference, where the driving force in mass transfer is concentration difference. By switching these two out in our
electrical resistance analogy equations, we can easily calculate mass transfer like we did with
heat transfer.
There are a couple other things that also need to be swapped out in order for units to match
(like mass diffusivity and density or concentration instead of our thermal coefficients), but the
equations are all basically the same.
where
My love for all things patterns should serve me well as sometimes the simplest things are hidden behind a pattern, and finding them makes me feel like I am fitting together the puzzle that is our world. I do not think I will ever stop looking for these connections and I believe that is a beautiful thing both professionally and personally.
