Blog 3 Capstone Project Update

Greetings Houstonians! Once again, Team Three (A.K.A. Dynamic Developers) has gathered intellectual resources and data to create a third blog post. This blog focuses on work completed and work in progress, milestones, future project work, and backup plans. 

We are coming to the end of the semester, so it would make sense to have a description of our work in a more mature image. 

The work period of March 30 - April 13 is shown below in a bullet point list form. It includes tasks Completed and tasks currently in progress. 

Tasks Completed: 

• Finalized  Research and started on the Arduino program. 

• Create an Excel spreadsheet Comparing Costs.

• Design Harness Using CAD software.

Tasks Currently in progress:

• Design Connections by creating a circuit Diagram.

• Begin planning of fabrication Process.

• Perform detailed engineering analysis to confirm design decisions.

• Identify flaws for improvement and refine design using COMSOL.

• Continue performing design analysis. 

When we say, “finalized research”, we mean the products that we intend to use for our prototype. We have gathered a potential and well-thought-out list of them for future reference. As for the Arduino code, extensive hours have been invested to create a program that allows us to see the necessary RPM to dissipate heat from the heat-dissipating device (Figure 1)(Figure 3). The Excel spreadsheet compares the cost of the researched product list (Table 1). This will help us pick the best option for the prototype based on cost. The final completed task is a design harness using CAD software (Figure 2). Having a visual, and an initial idea of what the product will look like is a great start for the first two bullet points of future tasks which are mentioned in the chart below. 

The rest of the future tasks are performing detailed engineering analysis, identifying flaws using COMSOL, and further analysis of the prototype to optimize time, design, and product selection. Currently, we are working on handwritten equations to understand and back up future design choices. Our approach is to format the Capstone project as a problem from the heat transfer book provided to us by our heat transfer professor (Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer 7th Edition).

During the work period from April 14 to April 27, our team is prepared to achieve the final milestone toward project completion. Our immediate focus has shifted to conducting detailed Engineering Design Analysis, leveraging rigorous heat transfer analysis and equations to validate our design decisions. These calculations will inform critical fabrication and material details, including heat resistance, thickness, and geometry, guiding our final material selections. Using our established 3D CAD concept, we will develop a comprehensive model of the device to visualize its functionality. 

Furthermore, we will harness COMSOL simulation tools to refine our design based on stakeholder feedback and simulation outcomes. Through material selection and heat transfer simulations, we aim to identify and address design flaws, ensuring improvement of our system. Our next steps also involve refining our Python/Arduino code to optimize system functionality and performance. 

Additionally, we will enhance our validation efforts through uncertainty analysis of our tools, ensuring robust outcomes for the project's second semester. In a similar way, we are committed to the ongoing updates and finalization of our budget spreadsheet to maintain transparency and accountability. 

Despite the demanding schedule ahead, our team is dedicated to intensifying our project focus, striving for thorough progress, and nearing completion of Capstone Semester 1 by the end of this time period.

Over the next two weeks, the biggest obstacle to our team will be managing our remaining tasks for this semester while balancing the chaos that comes along with the end of a semester, including final exams, final projects, and the other responsibilities of each team member. Besides that, conducting the COMSOL simulation will be additionally tedious, as it's a simulation software none of the members of our team have worked with before, so there will be a learning curve. 

As for the management of the remaining tasks, our team plans to stay vigilant on the division of the workload, which will be the most important in getting everything completed, ensuring everyone and their respective tasks are staying on our designed schedule and helping each other when it's needed and they are experiencing difficulties. Concerning COMSOL, COMSOL has an extensive learning library available for anyone to use to understand the fundamentals of the software, as well as there being a multitude of tutorials on YouTube available. Additionally, one of the members of our team has experience using comparable multiphysics simulation software, which will be a useful resource if necessary. 

Figure 1: Python Code Analyzing Forced Convection Approach 

 Figure 2: Initial Device Concept 

Table 1: Excel Sheet With Material List and Prices

Figure 3: Python Code Analyzing Necessary Fan RPM For Calculated Heat Transfer Coefficients