Abstract:

The renewal of teaching methodologies is promoted by the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), mainly in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Part of this implementation is carried out through laboratory sessions, which force students to apply their knowledge in real equipment or in new technologies that delve into the resolution of the problem in the corresponding area of study. The aim of this laboratory session is to use ICT tools, in this case, the Matlab software, for the comparison of data obtained from an exhaust gas analyzer, as well as to carry out a diagnosis of the combustion process. During the session, the student learns to operate the analyzer and to obtain the composition of the exhaust gases, which come out of a mini-thermal power plant installed at the University of Jaén. Next, Matlab is used to calculate the composition and thermodynamic properties of the gases, from the experimentally measured data. Finally, the student compares the internal calculations of the equipment with those obtained by Matlab and performs a diagnosis to assess the combustion efficiency and the amount of excess air. In this session, the student is introduced to the use of computational tools for the comparison of results and assessment of combustion, achieving the objectives set by the EHEA.

Keywords:

Laboratory session, Matlab, combustion analysis, exhaust gases, gas analyzer, thermal engineering.