2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This paper presents the authors’ experience in introducing the Aspen Plus software to support students in understanding various types of thermofluid cycles for an undergraduate mechanical engineering thermofluids course.

In most thermodynamics/thermofluids courses, students are asked to analyze thermofluid systems using a combination of steam tables or the ideal gas law equations. However, in industry, an engineer would be expected to use a process simulator to simulate thermofluid cycles. The main motivation of this project was to familiarize students with such software.

Students were assigned to work in groups of two to analyze three different types of thermofluid cycles; Rankine cycles, gas power cycles, and refrigeration cycles. Each cycle was covered in an assignment. The assignment prompt was to analyze the cycles by hand using steam tables or ideal gas relationships and then to simulate the cycle using a commonly used process simulator, Aspen Plus. This allowed students to compare their hand-calculated answers with the Aspen simulation. Students were provided a comprehensive video tutorial in the beginning of the semester to explain how to use the software.

After evaluating the assignments submitted by the students, it was found that students were proficient in the use of the software to analyze basic and complex thermofluid cycles. By integrating software that is commonly used in industry, students will be better prepared to design an analyze systems in the real world.