DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTERACTIVE PSYCHROMETRIC CHART TUTORIAL

DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTERACTIVE PSYCHROMETRIC CHART TUTORIAL Karyn L. Biasca Paper Science Department, University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point Abstract The psychrometric chart may be a troublesome tool for undergraduate students to learn to use. The chart’s importance in the analysis of industrial systems involving air and water vapor is undeniable, and reading the chart is an important skill for students to master. The tutorial presented in this paper is an interactive, online supplement to textbook explanations of the chart. Sophomore students in an “Introduction to Process Engineering Calculations” course used the tutorial as their first exposure to the material, and upper division students in a “Mass Transfer Operations” course used the tutorial as a review/refresher on the chart prior to their study of humidification and drying processes. Student reaction to the tutorial was overwhelmingly positive; the tutorial allowed students to spend as much (or as little) time as they needed to master the use of the chart. Use of the tutorial as an out-of-class assignment has eliminated the need to use class time to teach the basic skills of reading properties from the chart, and allowed greater emphasis on use of the chart in problem-solving. Introduction Over many years of teaching the “Introduction to Process Engineering Calculations” course, I developed a set of standard lectures and activities to introduce students to the psychrometric ...