TY - THES A1 - Ajitkumar Shah, Karan T1 - Development of Decision-making Model for Cost Optimization of Heat Exchanger on the Basis of Spreadsheet Programs N2 - The current advancements in the field of heat exchangers have expanded their range of applications in many industries. The most important factor while investing in the heat exchanger is sizing them for a particular application. The sizing of a shell and tube heat exchanger is always a challenge, often causing customers to invest in either an oversized or undersized heat exchanger. The purpose of this study is to solve the customer’s conundrum of investing in an appropriate size shell and tube heat exchanger. The objectives of this study were (a) to develop and implement a spreadsheet program for optimization of overall heat transfer coefficient of shell and tube heat exchanger, (b) to determine profitability analysis using the Net Present Value (NPV) method, (c) to analyse the price sensitivity using the Monte Carlo simulation. The iteration and optimization are based on Kern’s method. The user defines the process parameters such as the temperature of hot and cold streams, mass flow rates and fluid densities. The user also assumes the tube related properties. The final sizing of the shell side is determined along with Reynolds number and pressure losses on the shell and tube side. The pressure losses are then converted into the operating cost of the heat exchanger to determine NPV. The Monte Carlo simulation calculates 1000 different NPVs for a given scenario, thus facilitating the user’s crucial decision-making process. This study is probably a first instance to combine preliminary sizing of the shell and tube heat exchanger with price sensitivity analysis using the Monte Carlo method. KW - Shell and tube heat exchanger KW - Cost-benefit analysis KW - Kern’s design method Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:hbz:1383-opus4-9114 ER - TY - THES A1 - Bhatt, Revant Nitin T1 - Characterization and Optimization of Process Parameters for Polycaprolactone-based Medical Scaffolds for a Magnetic Planar Drive-based 3D Printer N2 - This thesis investigates the optimization of process parameters for a Magnetic Planar Drive (MPD)-based 3D printer to fabricate Polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds for medical applications. The study aims to identify an optimal set of parameters that ensures high-dimensional accuracy while maintaining structural integrity. A systematic experimental methodology was adopted, beginning with a full-factorial design to establish baseline parameters for printing temperature (170°C), printing speed (15 mm/s), and nozzle diameter (0.4 mm). A Box-Behnken Design (BBD) was employed to optimize critical parameters, specifically layer height, raster width, and mover levitation height. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) identified layer height as the most dominant factor influencing dimensional accuracy (p < 0.0001), while raster width and mover levitation had lesser effects. The experimental validation of the optimization results revealed discrepancies between the numerically and empirically optimized parameter sets. Although the numerically optimized settings had a theoretically superior accuracy of 98.29%, their practical implementation led to structural failures, specifically the collapse of scaffold bridges. In contrast, the empirically optimized set (layer height: 0.2 mm, raster width: 0.45 mm, mover levitation height: 2.25 mm) consistently achieved a mean dimensional accuracy of 97.14% while maintaining stable printability. The findings demonstrate the potential of MPD-based 3D printing for fabricating medical scaffolds and establishing a validated parameter set. Y1 - 2025 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:hbz:1383-opus4-22330 ER - TY - THES A1 - Chhabra, Vaibhaiv Bobby T1 - Design of a Robust Powertrain of an E-Bike Test Bench N2 - In the last few decades, environmental impacts of petroleum-based transportation have led to a renewed interest in electric transport infrastructure. E-bikes are zero-emission vehicles as they do not emit any combustion by-products. With the increasing demand for electric bikes over the past decades, the production of e-bikes has also rocketed. The purpose of this thesis is to optimize and design a robust power train of an e-bike test bench that is stationed in the Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences. The mechanical design of the present test bench is modular and flexible. The current test rig is susceptible to large disturbances due to vibrations in the chain drive mechanism. Due to the large segments in the chain drive, the torque results are also interrupted. These issues have been overcome by the substitution of the chain-drive mechanism to a belt-drive mechanism. The optimized power transmission system remains the same ensuring a smooth power flow in the system. In order to optimize the powertrain, three different concepts were proposed. Each concept was graded on the basis of different criteria with the help of Decision Matrix Analysis in order to choose the most promising concept. A conceptual 3D CAD model and 2D Drawings of the powertrain have been designed on SolidWorks for better reference. The substituted or the new parts that were essential for the new optimizing concept were decided with the help of a Morphological Box followed by a detailed Bill of Materials (BOM). The new powertrain was commissioned with the new parts as per the concept. The thesis further expands on the characteristics of the present test bench and the optimized test bench, the results and readings of the present test bench and the commissioning of the new powertrain. The thesis concludes with the possibility of the future work on the test bench and structural changes that are necessary for the e-bike that is to be tested. Y1 - 2020 ER - TY - THES A1 - O'Shea, Brendan T1 - Evaluation of Solidworks on how to integrate part preparation for Additive Manufacturing in the CAD modeling process N2 - Solidworks is a CAD software that facilitates the construction of 3D models and drawings to enable production. These systems are usually designed to be used in conjunction with Subtractive Manufacturing (SM) and forming processes. This is due to the enormous portion of world-wide production in which these two processes are used. Because of this, design guidelines are customarily based on the abilities and constraints of conventional manufacturing processes. Additive Manufacturing (AM) replaces these with a new set of advantages and limitations that should be considered to assist in the design of parts. Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) represents a methodology which closely resembles Design for Assembly (DFA) and Design for Manufacturing (DFM), as far as reducing component count and allow for easier manufacturing. The aim of this research is to establish DfAM criteria and to evaluate the core Solidworks software in its ability to support design using these criteria. DfAM criteria is sub-divided into two categories. Product DfAM criteria are those derived from the advantages offered by AM technology, while Process DfAM are those determined by the limitations of the AM technique used. Three example models, each addressing multiple criteria, are created in Solidworks and optimized for printing. Through this process, helpful features in the software are identified and analyzed. Embodiment of these examples by means of Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) validates these features in an exemplary way and explores the integration of AM design practices in Solidworks. The results of this evaluation will allow further research into CAD support for AM, specifically with respect to Product DfAM. Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:hbz:1383-opus4-13823 ER - TY - THES A1 - Rownak, Nasir T1 - Design of a 3D printed manual high flow pump N2 - This project aimed to design a manual pump to transport low viscous fluid. It was designed according to some design requirements. Different types of pumps were compared, and then a pump was selected. Then the rotor was designed using SolidWorks. After making the CAD models, ANSYS Fluent (CFX) was used to perform Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation to validate the result. Different components have been used to design the pump. The list was provided, and their functions were discussed. Then the guidelines for Additive Manufacturing (AM) were discussed, and the pump's casing was modified according to the AM guidelines. After modification of the design, the results were compared with the initial design. Y1 - 2022 ER -