Category: Engineering

Fan heaters

Fan heaters

Fan heaters

07/20/17

“How can we use a heating element to heat up a room?”

 

During winter time we often need to heat up space. But making a fully built HVAC system can take a lot of time to warm a space. So what could we do to modify this? Well, let’s think of it from a systems perspective. We know that a heating element can be used to heat up a surrounding medium. And we know that fans can transfer one medium to another. So what if we were to combine both to take heat up and transfer air? This setup is known as a fan heater and is quicker but more expensive (due to the higher cost of electricity) than gas heaters.

Heating element

Heating element

Heating element

07/19/17

“How can we convert electricity into heat using a machine?”

 

When designing heating systems, we often need a quick, efficient, and non-pollutive way to generate heat. So how can we use our engineering mindset to accomplish this? Well, let’s first think back to our scientific knowledge. We know that we can make heat from electricity by passing it through a resistive element. So what if we were to implement this in a mechanical system using real life technology? Well, this type of object is known as a heating element and is used for thermal appliances such as radiative heaters.

Radiative heaters

Radiative heaters

Radiative heaters

07/17/17

“How can we make heaters that do not require a surrounding medium?”

 

Heating is a common need everywhere. However, sometimes our surrounding medium might not be a good heat conductor or we may not have a medium at all! So how can we make a  heater which is not affected by the surrounding environment? Well, let’s think back to basic physics. We know that infrared is a form of light, and light is able to pass through anything. So what if we were to take some metallic wires, wire them around an element, and then apply electricity to heat the element to emit infrared? Well, it turns out that this invention is a little device known as an infrared heater. Infrared heaters are classified by the wavelengths they emit (ranging from 760 nm down to a minuscule 1 nm!) and are used everywhere from cooking kebab to warming outer space missions.

How installing a microgrid can save money

How installing a microgrid can save money

How installing a microgrid can save money

07/12/17

“Is it possible for a town to save money by installing a microgrid?”
One of the biggest criticisms of microgrids is that they are too expensive to implement. However, the town of Sterling, Massachusetts proves that wrong. Sterling Massachusetts has recently installed a 2-megawatt battery attached to a microgrid with a 3-megawatt solar panel that can support the town’s police station and emergency dispatch center for at least two weeks in case of an emergency situation. During peak use, the batteries can discharge and power homes, eliminating the need for external energy transmission. This technology saves the town up to $400K per year and is attracting visitors from Japan to Germany. Read more Sterling here.

Convection heating

Convection heating

Convection heating

07/11/17

“How can we heat spaces using gas?”
With space heating, we can keep our buildings at a warm temperature no matter the weather outside. However, what is one way that we can implement this? Well, let’s use our engineering mindset to find out. We know that processes in nature can raise their temperature using convection. So why don’t we just imitate this and use convection heating? To do this, let’s take some air, and channel it across a heating element to warm it up, and then mix it into a local space. This method is widely used across buildings worldwide.

Space heating

Space heating

Space heating

07/10/17

“How can we keep spaces in buildings warm?”

 

Buildings are the most common form of shelter for humans. They can provide simple comfort, warmth, and protection from the exterior world. However, they are subject to variations which make them less habitable, such as unwanted changes in temperature. So how could we use our engineering mindset to solve this problem? Well, we know that most of the heat in buildings is caused by the gaseous atmosphere inside it. So what if we were to pump a gas with a higher temperature into the living space? Well, this is the fundamental idea behind space he ing, and is used everyday by people all over the world

Surveying trilateration

Surveying trilateration

Surveying trilateration

07/09/17

“What is the modern method for surveying?”

 

Surveying through triangulation can be a painful and arduous task whose accuracy is limited by larger distances. So how can we make a rethink of surveying methods to take into account modern technology? Well, let’s use our engineering mindsets to think about it. We know that we can control the emission of light and microwaves and that these can reflect off surfaces all while moving at the speed of light. So what if we were to use this timed response to infer the distance traveled between two points? Well, this method for surveying is known as trilateration and has become widely used in civil engineering

Control systems

Control systems

Control systems

07/08/17

“How are complex engineering systems controlled?”

 

In the modern world of engineering, devices and processes are no longer operated in a purely mechanical format. Instead, they now have a network of sensors and actuators that allow for programmable movement and operation. However, what exactly causes these systems to move? Well, after many years of incremental development, engineers have designed something known as control systems to manage all operations. Control systems are the programmable logic that allows engineering systems to operate. Engineers that work with control systems are known as control systems engineers.

Using infrared sensing to see through objects

Using infrared sensing to see through objects

Using infrared sensing to see through objects

07/06/17

“Can we see through objects using infrared sensors?”

 

Wouldn’t it be cool if we could see through objects without X-rays? It would be really useful for applications such as scientific research and security, and we would not have to deal with harmful radiation. Luckily, Scientists and Engineers have discovered that some objects such as shopping bags that are opaque in the visible spectrum are actually transparent in the infrared spectrum!