Introducing excel based steam table calculations into thermodynamics curriculum

Abstract

To perform and document engineering analyses, a tool with consistent utilization and ready availability is much needed. In the classroom, the abundant access and ease of use of Microsoft Excel make it an excellent instrument to perform engineering calculations. Integration of Excel into thermodynamics courses requires finding a suitable method of finding properties on steam tables. A recent internet search revealed three Excel-based macros which are suitable for computing steam properties in a spreadsheet. A property can then be found by calling a function from the Excel workbook and evaluating that function using other known properties. Performing and documenting any thermodynamics calculations becomes greatly simplified when the readily available Microsoft Excel is used. This paper describes these three tools and evaluates their accuracy against published tables, discusses their suitability to the task, and illustrates their utilization in spreadsheet based example problems. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2008.