Involving Students in the Learning Process: Using Team Competition to Teach Gas Turbine Cycle Design

Active learning is an important part of modern engineering education. It directly engages students in the learning process, helping them think and creatively solve problems. Often this is done in the context of a team project involving group activities both inside and outside the classroom. Analysis and Design of Propulsion Systems is an elective course that has been a traditional lecture course at Baylor University, teaching gas turbine engines using cycle design. In an effort to involve the students more in the learning process, active learning modules were introduced to make the course more interactive. The active learning modules involved assigning students into teams of four that were formed using the Comprehensive Assessment of Team Member Effectiveness (CATME) software. Each team was to operate as a commercial company which included picking a name, developing a logo, and writing a mission statement similar to actual commercial companies. The point of having each team become a commercial company was to foster competition. The companies were tasked to eventually design the lowest cost, most efficient high bypass turbofan engine to replace the existing engines on the B-52H bomber. Each company wrote a persuasive position paper on whether or not the B-52H should be re-engined and a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the re-engined B-52H. Gas turbine cycle design occurred using a three part design project. The engine cycle of choice for this re-design was the high bypass turbofan. Phase one was a detailed mission analysis incorporating the requirements from the RFP and leading to the selection of a design point, the calculation of the required installed thrust for each leg (and consequently the uninstalled thrust for each leg), as well as an average uninstalled specific fuel consumption for the mission. On-design, the next phase in the design process, used an on-design analysis at the design point which resulted in a selection of a fan pressure ratio, an overall pressure ratio, and a bypass ratio. The last phase examined the chosen engine at off-design mission points and the final fuel was calculated using actual uninstalled specific fuel consumption values to assure the fuel reserve was met. All phases were incorporated into a final report. To conclude the process, each team presented their engine as if they were a company seeking to sell their product to a customer. The customer, the professor, then picked an overall winner based on the information presented. Assessment of the course showed that the students appreciated the competitive environment giving them insight into how a gas turbine company might operate. In conclusion, the active learning modules and team competition with the design project were effective in challenging and exciting the students about the design of gas turbine engines. The company context for teams prepares students for what to expect should they work in the gas turbine industry.