In Thermal Applications, I expect to learn how to apply the laws and concepts I learned in Thermodynamics on a more thorough level.

My Final MET350 ePortfolio

While I have had a relatively rough journey through this course, I can confidently say that I have been able to meet this course’s objectives. While my tests have not been the strongest, they have demonstrated that I know how to begin a process to start the problem-solving process which also showed my critical thinking skills being put to work. My initial learning process was the same as it is for most classes. I attend a class every time there is a scheduled class and take notes accordingly. Initially, the process was very straightforward and made sense. However, as the course progressed with more intricate concepts being introduced, I started realizing that this was not always going to be a “Point A to Point B” situation when solving problems. The more challenging the material got, I found myself struggling to keep up. Despite this, I proceeded to read the book more and to seek resources on the internet that expanded on the material we learned in class. This helped me a great deal in learning how to approach problems, especially with interpreting what questions are looking for. What also helped me was seeing how Professor Ayala approached questions and what his thought process was when solving a problem. I made a steady habit of laying out all the variables and then the equations I would need to be using. Although my first test grade might not be indicative of a strong initial start, my progressive improvement in my grades throughout the semester, along with my steadily consistent submissions of homework, serves to prove that I can apply these concepts when given a problem that tries to challenge my knowledge. Thankfully, the problems I have encountered have helped foster a deeper understanding of thermodynamics and its applications to real life situations.

My work is demonstrated in this course through my consistent homework uploads, and my progression in how well I perform on my exams. I will place a link of examples to each goal in order below this paragraph. For all goals, I feel like I have been able to demonstrate my understanding and implementation of key concepts through my completion of homework and my steady progression of improving test grades. I feel the most confident with the last three goals since my understanding is what led my group to achieve such a high grade for it. I feel like I have improved with my test taking skills which, in turn, also sharpened my critical thinking.

This course and its contents will absolutely intersect with my career. I am still not sure what type of engineering work I will be doing professionally, but the way cooling systems work and how the laws of thermodynamics function will inevitably present problems where I will have to implement what I have learned from this course in order to solve those things.

I have not yet been able to apply the things I have learned in this course to my job or other courses yet. I am hoping to change that by landing an engineering internship soon.

I’ll likely use the skills I learned in a field where I’m working on cooling systems, jet systems, or even air-conditioning processes. Maybe I need to find out how much power I need or maybe just figure out the pressures within an “ideal” cycle. Another good example is if I need to take a description of a heat process and form my own diagram in order to find numerical values for every step in the process. The possibilities are near endless since thermodynamics (especially the concepts I learned in Thermal Applications) are used in almost every engineering discipline, and are especially prevalent in mechanical engineering. The things I learned in this course will be essential for my professional career as an engineer.

If I were starting this class again, I’d tell myself to be more consistent with reading the textbook for important information. I’d also tell myself to look for supplemental information online for things that didn’t click from the textbook. That way, I can understand my own way as well.

After taking this class, I feel like I have progressed as an engineer by sharpening my critical thinking skills. The tests, more than the homework, challenged my problem solving skills by presenting unique scenarios for me to solve. The tests didn’t give as much information as some of the homework problems would, but that doesn’t mean the tests were absent of necessary information. Reading through the book and inferring solutions to roadblocks I experienced during solving a problem was what brought about those improvements. My biggest accomplishment in the course is actually related to this as well. On Test 3, I found myself stuck trying to figure out how to solve for all of the values for each step in Problem 1 on Test 3. I read through my notes and textbook and realized that since the air-conditioning was ideal, the the thermal efficiency leaves at 100%. This allowed me to backtrack from the other problems and solve for the rest of the variables I did not have available. Connecting this information through the psychrometric chart also assured me that I was on the right path.

My biggest strength is actually being able to identify the variables I’m given and laying out a foundation in order to complete the problem. This is mainly highlighted by my work in one of the problems on Test 1 where I displayed all the steps, along with their relevant values, in order to complete the problem. My biggest weakness, however, was setting myself on an approach. I kept second-guessing myself which not only ate time, but also prevented me from completing a problem completely. This was particularly the case with Test 2, since I was caught off guard by the prompt. I drew a diagram but for some reason kept misunderstanding how the fluid returned from space heating and throttled to condenser pressure. I wrote the diagram as a completely different process which threw off all my work when it was much more straightforward than I was thinking. Another example was when I was solving Problem 1 on Test 3. Even though I got the process down right, I kept second guessing myself on a temperature value for the air going into the room. Thankfully, I found evidence through my psychrometric chart which helped me settle on the right temperature in the end.

I thought this course would have been challenging but relatively straight-forward when it came to approaching how to solve problems. I also figured that it would rely on the foundation I built in my first Thermodynamics class pretty heavily. I don’t really have much of a different opinion now that I have completed the course. The class was challenging, and the questions weren’t unreasonably “tricky.” For some of the questions, you had to rely on assumptions that simply made sense (relying on intuition and previously shown knowledge). My assumptions didn’t change in this regard because it was all true in the end.