Use Google to Solve Engineering Problems

Posted on 2009/08/10 by admin

Google is obviously the most popular search engine today. But did you know Google can solve problems directly? Simple math, unit conversion, money conversion, looking up definitions and weather, you can do this right by typing into the google search engine!

I’m not suggesting you use Google to solve difficult problems. But for sheer convenience, when you need a quick unit conversion or don’t have your calculator in a the meeting, this can’t be beat.

Check out the Google Features Page and see which items interest you. Things like:

  • Calculator: directly type in math problems like 60*60*24*365 to find out the number of seconds in a year
  • Unit conversion: I type in 24 lb in kg and get my answer
  • Definitions: I type define: thermodynamics. Typing define: ensures that it tries immediately to comb dictionaries for a solution. (Tip: if the define: command does not work, then you probably have a very unusual word. In these cases, I find that if I just do a search on the word I am trying to define, then the top results of my search will probably be definitions of the word!)
  • Taking a trip? Search 500 Canadian dollars in US Dollars

Found any other useful things? Comment here!

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Posted in General Engineering Topics, General Office | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

U Values for Heat Exchangers

Posted on 2009/08/06 by admin

Find free “U” values for heat exchanger design in this post.

What is a “U” value? If you’ve taken any classes in heat exchange, you probably are familiar with the simplest heat exchanger design equation:

Q (duty) = U (coefficient) * A (area) * deltaTlm * F

Where deltaTlm and F depend on exchanger geometry and are explained in any heat transfer text.

The trickiest part is the “U” value, where you have to find a co-efficient that fits the type of heat exchange you are performing. Here are some free resources I have found, if you don’t have a book like Perry’s or Rules of Thumb to help you.

U in Heat Exchangers

Collection of U Values

U for Air Cooled Exchangers

Typical Overall Heat Transfer Coefficients

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Posted in Heat Exchange | 3 Comments

Process Equipment Cost Estimate

Posted on 2009/08/06 by admin

Need to quickly estimate the capital cost of a new piece of equipment for an economics evaluation?

Try Matches’ Process Equipment Cost Estimates. This tool from consulting company Matches will give you a fair estimate of the capital cost of many pieces of chemical engineering equipment like pumps, blowers, compressors, reactors, heat exchangers, etc.  Some of my peers have said it’s impressively accurate for a free service, at least for “normal” sized equipment.

Do you need an installed cost instead of a capital cost? For very rough work, consider checking out the Lang Factor and this Lang factor discussion thread.

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Posted in Economics / Equipment Costing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Excel Chart Selector and Chart Cleaner

Posted on 2009/07/27 by admin

Want to create quick, clean, and appropriate Excel charts? Charts that show off your data in a smart way? Charts that get rid of grey backgrounds, huge labels, and annoying fluff? (Also known as chartjunk).

Juice Analytics are so-called “information visualization experts” – which means they help companies review their data, do business analysis, etc. I like to follow their Juice Analytics Blog. In this post I will highlight two of their tools that will help the busy Excel user who doesn’t know much about making good charts.

Fixing Excel Charts – This Excel Chart Cleaner is an easy-to-install tool that works with the more common Excel charts. It will help you quickly create a professional-looking chart that shows off your data well.

Excel Chart Chooser Intro // Direct Link This tool will just give you a clean chart, much like the tool above. You can then enter your own data in. This tool also suggests a chart type that is good for you, depending on what kind of data you are trying to show. Go here if you don’t know what kind of chart to use.

See if these speed up your work.

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Determine Pressure Drop in Straight Pipe

Posted on 2009/07/27 by admin

How can you determine the pressure drop, also known as pressure loss or ΔP1, of a piece of straight pipe?

Any fluid mechanics textbook will describe in detail the process you can use, the reasons why it works, and the history of how people discovered the equations. This post will skip the background, and just go over the steps quickly, with some links to a charts and calculators and some practical advice.

We will assume it is completely straight pipe with fully developed flow. There are no eddies or fluctuations due to valves, fittings, pipe entrances or exits, etc.

If you want to consider bends, entrances, and exits, there are many different methods not discussed here. The most popular is the equivalent length method in Crane Techinical Paper No. 410. If you have changes in elevation or pipe size apply Bernoulli’s principle.

Straight pipe steps:

Although the order is a little flexible, you should hit on all of these steps to size your pipe:

Continue reading →

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  1. Tip: for some fonts you can hold ALT and type 916 to automatically create the “delta” sign, Δ. Δ is often used to mean “difference” in math/science/engineering. [↩]
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Posted in Pumps/Piping/Hydraulics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments