Heat transfer is an integral part of the broader discipline of thermofluid sciences. Within mechanical engineering education, the thermofluids curriculum traditionally consists of different courses including inter alia thermodynamics and fluids mechanics. Thermodynamics focuses on the application of the balance equations/conservation laws of mass (continuity), energy (first law) and entropy (second law), while fluid mechanics focuses on the application of mass and momentum balances. Heat transfer and turbomachinery are dedicated to determining the rate of heat transfer and rate of work, respectively, that are required as inputs in the solution of the balance equations.
This separation into different courses of what in real life is inseparable has led to misconceptions among learners. The aim of this paper is to propose and demonstrate an integrated pedagogical framework for teaching thermofluid systems analysis. The framework is based on the four fundamental balance equations of mass, energy, entropy, and momentum, combined with the component characteristic equations, or source terms, for heat transfer, work, pressure rise and pressure loss, as well as the relevant fluid property relationships. We demonstrate the methodology via a single simple case study with the aid of Mollier diagrams. However, it can readily be extended to the more complex cases encountered throughout the thermofluids curriculum.