PE Mechanical Thermal Fluids study plan
PE Mechanical Thermal Fluids · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Thermal and Fluid Systems
Inventory the full exam topic list for Thermal and Fluid Systems and map each topic to a confidence rating (high, medium, low) so the remaining seven weeks target only weak areas.
Derive and memorize the core fluid statics relations - hydrostatic pressure variation, manometry, forces on submerged plane and curved surfaces, and buoyancy - and solve at least 15 practice problems without notes.
Re-derive the continuity and Bernoulli equations from a control-volume energy balance, then apply them to pipe flow, nozzles, and Pitot-static problems.
Build a one-page formula sheet for fluid statics and ideal-flow energy equations, organized by problem type rather than by textbook chapter.
Your checkpoint
A graded self-assessment table listing every exam topic with a confidence score and a prioritized weak-topic list of no more than 12 items.
Thermal and Fluid Systems
Compute Reynolds number, friction factor (Moody chart and Colebrook correlation), and major/minor head losses for series and parallel pipe networks.
Apply the Darcy-Weisbach and Hazen-Williams approaches and explain when each is appropriate.
Solve pump-system curve intersection problems, including NPSH available versus required and cavitation screening.
Practice dimensional analysis and similitude problems, deriving dimensionless groups and scaling model data to prototype conditions.
Your checkpoint
A worked solutions packet of 20 pipe-flow and pump problems, each with a labeled sketch, unit-checked answer, and a note on the most common trap.
Thermal and Fluid Systems
Set up and solve steady conduction problems in plane walls, cylinders, and spheres, including composite resistances and contact resistance.
Apply the lumped-capacitance model and the Biot number criterion, and solve transient conduction using charts or one-term approximations.
Compute convection coefficients using the standard Nusselt correlations for internal and external flow, selecting the correct characteristic length each time.
Analyze fin performance using efficiency and effectiveness, and decide when fins are worthwhile.
Your checkpoint
A heat-transfer resistance-network portfolio of 15 solved problems spanning conduction, convection, and fins, with all characteristic lengths and properties explicitly justified.
Thermal and Fluid Systems
Solve radiation heat exchange problems using view factors, the Stefan-Boltzmann law, and gray-surface networks for two- and three-surface enclosures.
Analyze heat exchangers using both LMTD and effectiveness-NTU methods, including correction factors for multipass configurations.
Rehearse the full exam topic list under timed conditions to identify remaining gaps before the second half of the plan.
Review every missed item from weeks 1 through 4 and rewrite the formula sheet to close those gaps.
Your checkpoint
A timed 40-question mixed practice set on fluid mechanics and heat transfer, scored, with every wrong answer corrected and annotated with the underlying concept.
Thermal and Fluid Systems
Apply the first and second laws of thermodynamics to open and closed systems, including steady-flow devices such as turbines, compressors, and nozzles.
Analyze ideal and real gas power cycles - Rankine, Brayton, Otto, and Diesel - computing thermal efficiency and identifying irreversibility.
Solve refrigeration and heat pump cycle problems, including coefficient of performance and cascade or multistage arrangements.
Compute entropy changes and apply the isentropic relations for ideal gases with variable specific heats.
Your checkpoint
A cycle-analysis summary sheet comparing four power cycles and two refrigeration cycles, with governing equations, efficiency expressions, and one fully worked numeric example each.
Thermal and Fluid Systems
Analyze psychrometric processes - sensible and latent heating, cooling and dehumidification, humidification, and mixing - using the psychrometric chart and humidity-ratio relations.
Solve combustion problems including stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, excess air, and adiabatic flame temperature.
Apply the three modes of heat transfer together in combined-mode problems such as insulated pipes and heat-exchanger surfaces.
Practice HVAC load estimation and air-distribution calculations tied to psychrometric state points.
Your checkpoint
A psychrometrics and combustion problem set of 15 items with plotted or tabulated state points and a worked adiabatic flame temperature calculation.
Thermal and Fluid Systems
Solve turbomachinery problems involving pump and fan affinity laws, specific speed, and impeller scaling.
Analyze compressible flow through nozzles and ducts, including choked flow, Mach number relations, and normal shocks.
Work through instrumentation and measurement items - orifice and venturi meters, thermocouples, and uncertainty propagation.
Complete a second timed practice exam and log every error by root cause: concept gap, unit slip, misread, or time pressure.
Your checkpoint
A timed 40-question practice exam with a root-cause error log and a targeted remediation list for week 8.
Thermal and Fluid Systems
Re-solve every item in the root-cause error log until each is correct without reference material.
Drill the formula sheet from memory, reconstructing it from blank paper twice under time pressure.
Take one final full-length timed practice exam under realistic conditions and review it the same day.
Confirm exam-day logistics - reference handbook familiarity, calculator policy, and a pacing plan for the question count.
Your checkpoint
A clean, final one-page reference sheet reconstructed from memory plus a scored final practice exam showing improvement over the week 7 attempt.
Milestones
Week 2: Score at least 70 percent on a self-made 20-question fluid mechanics quiz covering statics, pipe flow, and pumps, with all unit conversions correct.
Week 4: Complete the timed 40-question mixed set at or above 65 percent and reduce the weak-topic list to 10 items or fewer.
Week 6: Solve a combined psychrometrics and combustion problem end to end without consulting notes, and explain each step aloud.
Week 8: Score at or above 75 percent on the final full-length timed exam and reconstruct the reference sheet from memory with no missing governing equation.