International Partnership For Evaluating Heat Recovery Equipment

An international collaboration between the Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) Department at Purdue University and a well-known HVAC Engineering School in Lucerne, Switzerland is helping MicroMetl Corporation of Indianapolis refine the design of its innovative wheel-type heat recovery equipment. Exchanging energy between supply and exhaust air streams is required for commercial buildings in Switzerland, but the practice is just starting to gain popularity in the United States. A team of MET students traveled to Switzerland for two weeks in the summer of 2005 and studied a heat recovery installation of European design. In the fall of 2005, Swiss students visited Purdue for two weeks to conduct heat recovery experiments using MicroMetl equipment. After the students returned to their home institutions, subsequent research was conducted using a web-based building control platform that allowed students to monitor/control equipment physically located at Purdue University. This project is one example of how educators in the U.S. and abroad can pursue projects that highlight the globalization of engineering practice. In addition, the project addresses some of the challenges for funding and completing international partnerships on a sustainable basis. MicroMetl Corporation supported the project because it provided new data and analysis about how their stand-alone energy recovery systems perform while mated to a commercial air handler. Global Outlook is Important for Students Purdue University is a well-established destination for international students. With more than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate international students, Purdue has one of the largest populations of foreign students for a public university in the U.S. Despite the large international presence on the West Lafayette campus, Purdue University traditionally sent relatively few students abroad compared to its peer institutions. The status quo for study abroad started changing in 2001, when a new university-wide strategic plan called for expanding the international opportunities for undergraduate students enrolled at Purdue. Once Purdue began promoting global partnerships, the number of international opportunities increased dramatically. International Travel Grants encouraged faculty members to make direct contact with foreign colleagues and plan study abroad trips. In addition, Purdue waived tuition for students studying abroad during the summer semester. Purdue now maintains active educational and research collaborations with partner institutions in many parts of the world, with the heaviest concentrations in Europe and Asia With international collaborations being strongly encouraged, a faculty member from Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) made contact with HTA Lucerne located in Horw, Switzerland. Figure 1 shows the campus of HTA, which is one of the Schools of Applied Science in Central Switzerland and is particularly well-known for its research and teaching in Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC). A planning meeting between the Purdue College of Technology (COT) and HTA Lucerne was held in May of 2003. At that time, strong similarities between the COT and HTA were noted. Both schools have many of the same majors and a strong applications-based technical focus. P ge 11821.2 Figure 1. HTA Lucerne is located at the foot of Mount Pilatus in Central Switzerland. The HVAC program was the starting point for a project-based exchange between the Purdue COT and HTA Lucerne. Rather than having students attend classes at the other institution, students work together on collaborative projects that are required for graduation. The focus on laboratory work avoids problems presented by language difference. Although HTA students have some proficiency in English, German is the standard classroom language. Laboratory work at HTA is routinely conducted in Swiss German, German and partly in English, which has become the standard medium for international technical communications. Table 1 shows the overall schedule for collaborative HVAC projects between Purdue COT and HTA Lucerne during the calendar year. Potential projects are identified in January, when HTA students begin planning for their final diploma project. Once a particular project is selected the initial planning takes place from January through April, using email communications and an occasional teleconference. Project work commences after the Spring semester is completed in U.S., when twoperson teams of Purdue students visit Switzerland for approximately two weeks. This trip takes place in May and focuses on the design and planning necessary to complete the research project. In addition to the technical deliverables, U.S. students are required to observe and report on cultural aspects of their trip. There is a break in the project from June to September, although this time off has been used for laboratory fabrication work. Swiss students visit the U.S. for two weeks in October to finalize the research project. The results of the project are finalized in December, when HTA students receive their diploma. P ge 11821.3 Table 1. Project-based exchanges take place during one calendar year. 2005 Calendar Year Project Task J F M A M J J A S O N D 1. Selection & Planning 2. Work in Switzerland 3. Fabrication / Holiday