Help
The ubiquitous help button,
, brings up page specific help. Short help pages simply requires hovering the mouse on top of the button while complicated help pages requires a click to open and another to close.
Home
Home takes you to the home page. The login block can be found there unless TEST is installed in your computer hard drive. Although www.thermofluids.net is the one-stop portal for all TEST mirrors, it is a good idea to bookmark at least one mirror site such as test.sdsu.edu, energy.sdsu.edu or enthalpy.sdsu.edu.
Property Tables
You will find all traditional charts and tables (in both English and SI units) in this module. They are organized according to the underlying material model (IG model for ideal gas, PC model for phase-change fluid, etc.). The corresponding state TESTapp (thermodynamic calculator) can be can be launched by clicking the icon on the left column. A state TESTapp is a smart table that can be used to find or verify manually interpolated (or guesstimated) property values.
Animations
The Animation library is organized into 16 chapters closely following textbooks on engineering thermodynamics. They are used for visualizing practical thermodynamic systems, link them to the underlying physics, and illustrating thermodynamic fundamental. Even the derivation of the energy equation, understanding the meaning of various terms, or even the differential T-dS relation, you will find an animation that can be quite helpful.
Interactives
An Interactive (rich interactive animation) is a visual simulation tool for specific systems such as IC engines, gas turbine, etc. For example, evaluation of thermal efficiency of a diesel cycle is as easy as selecting a compression ratio, a cut-off ratio, and a maximum temperature, and letting the Interactive do rest of the work. It can be used to quickly perform parametric studies to back up theoretical conclusions or to gain basic understanding of a system.
TESTapps
All the TESTapps (thermodynamic calculators) TEST provides are organized in a tree (upside down) structure based on the simplifying assumptions. If you are familiar with how to simplify a problem by introducing suitable assumptions (closed vs. open system, steady vs. unsteady system, etc.), you should be using this map to quickly launch the desired TESTapp. If you are a beginner, the TESTapps page (at the root of the tree) is the right place for you to start. It leads you through a step-by-step procedure, offering you a table of choices (with explanation) to simplify the problem in a progressive manner. As you make your final assumption (what material model best suits the working fluid), the TESTapp is launched. Once you master this process, you can use the Map to jump start a TESTapp.
Like Maxwell's demon, this custom application is a thermodynamic wizard that takes care of the menial task of a solution such as standard approximations, error checking, unit conversion, etc. The core of the TESTapp is its robust state calculator, which bundles the relevant state variables (p, T, v, u, h, s, etc.) into a single graphical interface called a state. You can enter the known state variables in any desired units and calculate the state fully or partially by the click of a button. The TESTapp checks for redundancy in inputs, determines phase composition, and plots simple thermodynamic diagrams (such as the T-s diagram, psychometric plot etc.). Learning to properly use a TESTapp will help you tremendously in your study of thermodynamics.
Problems
The Problems Tab will allow you access to problems and examples orgnized into 16 chapters. A custom chapter can be generated by using keywords or selecting a specific learning outcomes. Problem schematics are linked to images, animations, or videos as apprpriate. Users with appropriate permisssion can access both TEST and manual solutions. Many problems also involve what-if studies, intended to be carried out with the help of TEST TESTapps, for further insight.
TEST can keep track of your progress as you correctly solve a problem and enter the answers. Key probolems are designed to help you master a specific learning outcome. Different types of problems are further explained when you click the help button on the Problems page.
Forum
Got a thermodynamic question? Simply visit the Forum and post it. You will be pleasantly surprised by how fast you get response. You can browse the questions and comments posted by other users under different categories. In the next release of TEST, you can delete, archive, or even tag specific comments or threads just as you do with your emails. When your question fetches an answer, you will be reminded by an email.
My Account
You can retrieve or change your password, update your account, order a TEST CD for local installation from the myAccount page.
