Computer Applications for Engineers using Excel

This book illustrates the use of computational methods in engineering analyses by focussing on thermofluid analyses and by using a general-purpose spreadsheet application which is Microsoft Excel. The Excel-based modelling platform described in the book has four elements; (i) Excel with its user-interface and built-in functions, (ii) the Solver add-in that comes with Excel, (iii), the integrated programming language Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and (iv) an Excel add-in for fluid properties called Thermax. While the two main components, Excel and Solver, are adequate for most fluid mechanics and heat-transfer analyses, Thermax helps the students to perform thermodynamic analyses with Excel. VBA is needed for the development of custom functions when the analytical model cannot be executed by only using Excel’s built-in functions and Thermax functions. Properly used, the Excel-based modelling platform minimises the effort of developing the analytical computer model so that more attention can be paid to the application of the relevant thermofluid principles. Apart from the wide availability of Excel on personal computers, the modelling platform allows the students to be more involved in the process of developing their models compared to other applications that are dedicated to thermofluid analyses. The book has been compiled from the first two books of a set of three books that illustrate the use of the Excel-based modelling platform for various types of computer-aided thermofluid analyses. The selected topics it includes are intended to suit a 2 credit-hour course on computer-applications for engineers that is preferably taken after completing the basic three thermofluid courses. The book builds on the students’ theoretical background at an intermediate level and does not discuss advanced related topics such as CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics), the finite-element method, exergo-economics, or multi-objective optimisation. The last two topics are discussed in the third book of this set and can be added if required. Most of the examples given in the book are based on relevant cases or examples given in standard thermofluid textbooks or obtained from the published literature so that the students can look for any additional information needed to validate their Excel models and verify their results. Exercises are given at the end of each chapter to help students sharpen their skills related to the particular topic.