Thermal engineering involves heating and cooling systems, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics. It is essential in industries such as electric power, automotive, and HVAC. Heat transfer is a major concern, and engineers must understand fluid dynamics. Thermal engineering also applies to HVAC, refrigeration, and temperature regulation in buildings, as well as in vehicles and machines. Cooling mechanisms are added to regulate internal temperature and prevent overheating.
Thermal engineering is a broad field of engineering that includes technologies dealing with heating and cooling systems, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics. Instruments that control temperature are essential in many areas, including the electric power industry; the automotive industry; and the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) industry. Thermal engineering principles are also fundamental to the operation of vehicles and other machines.
Heat transfer is a major concern within the field. The transfer of energy, in the form of heat, across different physical regions is heat transfer. When a high-temperature area is close to a lower-temperature area, heat naturally flows from the higher-temperature region to the lower-temperature region. This principle, known as conduction, is used in many thermal engineering environments to raise or lower the temperature of a system. Insulation, for example, minimizes heat conduction and keeps temperature regions relatively distinct.
Liquid heating and cooling is important in many industrial settings and is another branch of thermal engineering. An engineer in this field must also understand fluid dynamics. Coolant, a cooling substance, is used to reduce the temperature of processes and prevent overheating. Boiling is another method used to create steam which can be condensed in the refining of a chemical. Studying these processes helps thermal engineers determine the optimum temperature setting for each case.
Thermal engineering also has applications outside industrial plants. One example is the HVAC industry, which deals with refrigeration, ventilation and temperature regulation within buildings. An office building in a hot, humid climate may need more ventilation and air conditioning to aid in cooling than the same building in a cold climate. Commercial establishments such as restaurants may require extensive refrigeration systems for food storage. All of these technical considerations would be within the purview of this type of engineering.
On a smaller scale, vehicles such as cars use thermal engineering in their day-to-day function. The heating and cooling of the car is controlled by thermal management systems integrated into the design. Heat transfer, fluid dynamics and other engineering principles are at work to cool the engine and keep the oil flowing.
Thermal engineering is important to the design of almost any machine. Mechanical elements and electrical circuits generate heat during operation, and heat buildup can often threaten the device. Cooling mechanisms, usually fans or liquid circulators, are added to compensate and help regulate the internal temperature of the machine. Devices that use this principle include computers and car batteries.
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