University Events

Description: Mechanical Engineering MS Project Presentation by Mr. Joshua James Banez

DATE:
April 24, 2024

TIME:
3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

LOCATION:
Science & Engineering (SENG), Room 110 (Materials Science Lab)

Zoom link:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/6854837191?pwd=YmZJY3liZjRiM1NXT1VJNnlpMi9uUT09
(Contact scunha@umassd.edu or mraessi@umassd.edu for the Meeting ID# and Passcode)

TOPIC:
Advancing the AST Probe Calibration Process through Computational and Experimental Analyses and Novel Fixture Design

ABSTRACT:
Ametek Brookfield's Advanced Sensing Technology (AST) probe calibration process currently takes over 109 hours to fully complete, which is very long and costly. By shortening the calibration process, lead-times on AST instruments could be decreased, more probes could be calibrated, and the cost to manufacture would be reduced. AST probes are high-tech and precise measurement tools used in a variety of applications to report temperature and viscosity of the desired fluid. The calibration process for such an instrument requires time in an environmental chamber for three different cycles: the burn-in cycle, the air cycle, and the oil cycle. The burn-in cycle is a 27-hour process that cycles the temperature to set a base for the AST probes. The probes are then put through a 16-hour calibration where the probes are suspended in air and then a 66-hour calibration where the probes are submersed in a calibrated oil standard. The solution chosen to speed up calibration required re-design of the current tray fixture for holding the oil in the calibration cycle. The current fixture takes up a lot of mass in the system during both the air and oil cycles of the calibration process. This mass leads to a greater heat capacity in the system which, in turn, adds to the time it takes for the system to come to steady state at each calibration point. The project involved both designing a new fixture and analyzing the time that could be saved in the calibration cycle. Experimental testing with prototypes was then used alongside the simulation to provide more accurate results. Using a combined knowledge of heat transfer, thermal systems, design, and manufacturing engineering this project was able to create a novel fixture that reduced the heat capacity in the system by 31.65% during the oil calibration. This led to an estimated time savings of 33 hours, or 50%, for the just oil cycle from the simulation analysis. The prototypes were machined and experimentally tested to show an actual time savings for the oil cycle of 29.8 hours resulting in an oil cycle that takes only 54.85% of the current time. The new design delivers similar levels of accuracy in the calibration process, while significantly shortening the process.

ADVISOR:
- Dr. Mehdi Raessi, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, UMass Dartmouth

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- Dr. Wenzhen Huang, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, UMass Dartmouth
- Dr. Sankha Bhowmick, Professor / Chairperson, Department of Mechanical Engineering, UMass Dartmouth

Open to the public. All MNE students are encouraged to attend.

For more information, please contact Dr. Mehdi Raessi (mraessi@umassd.edu).