"Wisdom begins in wonder" – Socrates
Category: Engineering
Drawbacks of Building With Brick
12/18/24
“What are the drawbacks of building with brick?”
There are brick buildings all over the world. But while brick has its advantages, it also has its disadvantages. The Drawbacks of Building With Brick are that it provides weak protection from earthquakes, are susceptible to molding, and can be expensive to build.
Benefits of Building With Brick
12/17/24
“What are the benefits of building with brick?”
People can create buildings out of a wide range of materials. Brick buildings are commonly found in places like the Northeastern US. Why did people make this choice? Well, bricks are durable, low-maintenance, fire-resistant, and good for the environment. The Benefits of Building With Brick make this material an obvious choice for countless developers.
Open Loop Water Source Heat Pump
12/14/24
“How can extract water to use in a water source heat pump?”
Water source heat pumps extract heat from water for a building. One of the most common types is to extract water from a source, extract the heat from it, and then return it to the source. This configuration is called an Open Loop Water Source Heat Pump and is one of the most common designs.
Image credit http://www.energyvanguard.com
Closed Loop Water Source Heat Pumps
12/13/24
“How can we make water source heat pumps that don’t directly extract water?”
Water source heat pumps use water to heat a building. however, many systems rely on water extraction. How can we make one that’s more sustainable? Well, what if we were to make something that simply exchanges heat using sealed pipes? Well, this exists as Closed Loop Water Source Heat Pumps. This technology is not only more sustainable but also more resilient against winter freezing.
Image credit http://www.energy.gov
Rheology
12/12/24
“What is the study of the flow of matter?”
Flows happen in matter, whether it’s in a liquid, gas, or even a soft solid. The science behind studying material flow phenomena is called Rheology. Rheology has direct insights for physics, engineering, materials science, physiology, and chemistry.
Ground Source Heat Pumps
12/07/24
“How can heat pumps use the ground as a heat source?”
Heat pumps take heat from one place and transfer it to another. Typically, underground layers in the Earth are much more mild compared with the Earth’s surface. This means that heat can be transferred from the ground to a building on a cold day and vice versa on a hot day. This is how Ground Source Heat Pumps work.
Water Source Heat Pumps
12/06/24
“How can a heat pump use water as a source?”
Heat pumps take heat from one medium and transfer it to another. Water Source Heat Pumps extract heat from a body of water to heat a desired space. Water source heat pumps typically have a higher heat transfer rate than ground source heat pumps.
Image credit: http://www.kimpton.co.uk
Dynamic Programming
11/28/24
“How can we solve a complex programming problem by breaking it into sub-problems?”
Some programming problems can be incredibly complex to solve. But by breaking it into repeatable sub-problems, we can create solutions for these to work into a solution for the larger overall problem eventually. This technique is called Dynamic Programming and can be used in all sorts of applications, ranging from finding the smallest distance between two points to deciding the most optimal way to arrange items in a piece of luggage.
Storm Drain Inlet Filtration Units
11/17/24
“How can we attach filters to storm drains?”
Storm drains carry floodwaters away from cities to a dumping source. However, pollution from the city, such as debris or runoff, may enter the storm drain and harm the environment. People can install Storm Drain Inlet Filtration Units to keep these in place.
Image credit https://oldcastleinfrastructure.com/
