P09451 Mid-Project Review

Bryan McCormick (ME) Project ManagerAndy Freedman (ME) Heat Transfer/Fluids Analysis & Design

John Kreuder (ME) Thermal ModelerKen McLoud (ME) Structural Designer

Jon Holdsworth (EE) Electrical System DesignerGabriela Santa Cruz (IE) Engineering Economics

Sponsored by:

Current System

Current System

Project Description

• Improved test stand for studying thermo-electric modules

• High Level Customer Needs:– Implement air-cooling on cold side of thermo-electric array in

addition to the water-cooling system.– Be able to experimentally validate thermoelectric system

models and enable more parameters to be explored.– Improve user interface and data acquisition to allow greater

ease of use of the test stand.– Improve set-up and shut-down procedures to reduce

assembly times

System Architecture

Piping

Piping

Valves for Air/H2O Interchange

Power Unit

Improved Tool Clearance

Force Sensors

Power Unit4 zones

Interchangeable Fins

Power Unit

Power UnitPermanently Mounted Thermocouples

Current Status

• Design meets all needs except – CN12: Quantify temperature distribution across

module reliably

• Design meets all specifications except– A iii.: Measure thermal gradients across hot and cold

module surfaces– C ii.: Over-temperature shutdown for heater– D ii.: Reduce module failures during exchange and

assembly

Current Status

• On target to meet $7500 budget– Current budget ~$5700

• Schedule: – Design completed on schedule– Minor design revisions to be completed within next

week – On track to meet parts in house date

Identified Risks & Items from Design Review

• Safety shutdown for heater– Investigating flow sensor for heater

• Thermocouple placement to accommodate all possible setups– Adjust length of grooves to accommodate all setups, thermocouples will be under module but

not centered• Control System functionality

– Current design appears feasible, testing will be completed once parts arrive• Thermal Expansion

– Testing will be performed with force sensors to determine room temperature pressures that equate to steady state pressures

• Module failures– Force measurements, uniform pressure– Investigate new wire connectors

• Costs of aluminum piping– Switch to PVC for cold pipe, steel for hot pipe

• Manufacturing time– Many parts will be in before parts in house date– Build schedule set to complete by end of week 5

MSD II Milestones

• 3/9/09 Test Plan Finalized

• 3/19/09 All Parts in House

• 4/10/09 Assembly Complete

• 5/1/09 Testing Complete

• 5/8/09 Documentation Finalized

• 5/15/09 Final Project Review

Questions?