Conduction, cycles & the laws of thermodynamics — how heat moves and how engines turn it into work.
Place two material layers between temperature-controlled plates and trace series thermal resistance, transient storage and a contact-resistance temperature jump.
Cool or heat an aluminum sphere in an airflow chamber and compare Newton's-law cooling against heat-transfer coefficient, area and heater power.
Heat a gray specimen inside an isothermal enclosure and separate emitted, absorbed and net radiative heat exchange across the infrared spectrum.
Inspect a concentric-tube counterflow exchanger and adjust flow rates, fouling and a cold-side bypass while checking outlet temperatures and energy balance.
Heat or cool a sealed water charge under a constant-pressure piston and watch sensible heating give way to a boiling plateau and back through condensation.
Compare two matched exchangers side by side and see why counterflow delivers more heat transfer than parallel flow at the same UA.
Trace a superheated steam power plant through pump, boiler, turbine and condenser, and see how condenser pressure and turbine losses affect output.
Run a cutaway gas turbine through compression, heat addition and expansion, and balance pressure ratio and firing temperature against compressor demand.
Follow an ideal-gas piston through four reversible isothermal and adiabatic steps and explore the thermodynamic efficiency limit as a heat engine or refrigerator.
Heat a bar on a precision bench and compare free expansion against a restrained bar that converts thermal strain into elastic stress.