Why do not the animations show up in my PC?
Why should I register/log in/log out?
To access the full functionality of TEST you must register. The old registration (before Aug, 2004) is no longer recognized. We are sorry for this inconvenience, but this is the only way that any further development of TEST can be supported. As soon as you register (takes less than a minute), a password will be emailed to you. With this password (and your email as the login id), you can log in and change your password to something you can easily remember.
You will be using TEST in its Evaluation Mode for an initial trial period. This is meant for you to check out the site and make sure you have an advanced browser with required plug-ins (Flash Player for animations, Java for the daemons, etc.) to run TEST. Once you verify that TEST works in your system, you can upgrade your access mode to Academic or Professional Mode by visiting the "My Account" page (linked from the TEST home page after you log in).
If you face problems logging in then check your computer clock. Also, your browser must allow cookies (most broswers do that by default). If you increased your security level, it is possible that the browser may not allow cookie creation. In that case you must set your browser security level to Medium and allow it to create a cookie. The cookie lasts for eight hours or until you log out, whichever is longer.
It is important that you log out after every session. Otherwise, you may not be able to log in for up to eight hours.
I cannot log in, why?
As you enter your login id (the email address you used during registration) and password (that was mailed to you or reset by you), the login screen clearly displays if the email address or the password is incorrect. If you cannot remember the password, request it from the login screen. If you have forgotten your email address, it is best to create a new account with an email address that you regularly use and can remember.
If you logged in from some other location and forgot to log out, you have to wait for 8 hours before the cookie expires.
Also check the clock. Your computer clock should be reasonably accurate for the browser to create and remove cookies successfully.
Your browser must allow cookie creation for the login process to work. The cookie expires every 8 hours or when you log out, whichever is earlier.
If all these effort does not produce results, try using a different work station or a different browser. Still problems? Write to support@thermofluids.net describing the specific problem you are facing with as much details as possible.
How do I change/retriev password?
Go to www.thermofluids.net or any of the TEST mirror sites. On the login block of the TEST home page you will find the links 'register now', 'Forgot Your Password?', and 'Change Your Password' links. Follow the appropriate link. The password will be mailed to you in seconds.
What is the most reliable mirror of TEST?
www.thermofluids.net. You may also bookmark thermo.sdsu.edu, energy.sdsu.edu, entropy.sdsu.edu, and exergy.sdsu.edu as reliable TEST servers for educators. For maximum reliability bookmark a mirror that works well for you. Between thermofluids.net and your favorite mirror, TEST will be there when you need it. Some mirrors may not be up to date, so always check the version number at the bottom right corner of the home page.
How do I test TEST?
After you register, you can use TEST in its Academic Mode for about 10 days (unless you are an approved educator, who get immediate permanent account). During this evaluation period you have full access to all the important modules of TEST, including its animation library and daemons in their academic settings. Make sure that you check out (a) Tables and charts, (b) VT Animation library, (c) Daemons (thermodynamic calculators), (d) Multi-media problem sets, and (e) the TEST Forum. Do not forget to go through the Tutorial to evaluate how TEST can help you to be more productive.
Remember, you must have a late version of the browser (IE, Netscape, or Firefox) with java and Flash player plug in. To quickly test if you have the necessary plug ins, try the featured animation and daemon from the TEST home page. If they do not work, download the necessary plug ins from www.java.com and www..macromedia.com.
How can I get permanent access to TEST?
Log in to TEST (at www.thermofluids.net). Click on My Account link next to the greetings, "Welcome ...". There you will see several licensing option. If you are a student with high speed web access, probably TEST-Academic is the best choice. If you would like to install TEST in your desktop or notebook computer to run TEST on a stand-alone mode, you should opt for TEST-Academic-CD. TEST-Professional contains a much richer database. Also, technical assistance over the internet is provided to professional licensees. A TEST-CD is automatically included with professional license to install TEST locally for maximum speed and stand-alone performance. Site license for universities and corporations are also available. If you need any further information just a drop a line to support@thermofluids.net.
Why do not the animations show up in my PC?
The animations require Macromedia Flash Player plug-in. While Netscape bundles Flash Player, you have to download it from www.macromedia.com if you use IE or Firefox. In the macromedia site, click on the Downloads tab, and then on Macromedia Flash Player (Download Free Players) link. The property tables (Daemons.Basics.Tables page) can be best viewed with IE 6+ or NN7+. Older versions cannot recognize the dynamic HTML used in the tables.
Why
do not the daemons show up in my PC? Does TEST work on other operating systems?
You probably do not have java turned on in your browser.
Windows 95/98/NT/2000/ME: If you are using Netscape, all its version except 6.0 should work. Netscape quickly replaced 6.0 with 6.2, in which they fixed some major bugs. Remember to install java while downloading Netscape 6.2. If you are using IE, there should be no problems with IE 4.0 - IE 5.5.
Windows XP: IE 6.0+ does not have automatic Java support like its predecessors. First check if the IE in your PC already has the Java plug-in. To do so, (i) Start Internet Explorer, (ii) from the Tools pull-down menu, select Internet Options and then click on the Advanced tab. (iii) Scroll down to see if you have an icon named Java VM or MicrosoftVM. (iv) If you can find the Java Virtual Machine icon, make sure that JIT compiler for virtual machine is checked (enabled). Any version of IE will work with TEST.
If you do not find the Java Virtual Machine as described above, you can download Java from www.java.com. It is an one-click installation that takes less than a minute over a T1 internet connection. Even if your browser has Java, a download from www.sun.com will ensure that you have the latest edition of Java running in your browser. The TEST-CD also comes with the JVM required by IE. The download option, however, is recommended.
MacX: Netscape 6.5+ works great. Also, IE 7+ works fine.
Linux: Netscape 6.5 works well just as in a PC.
Create an account, if you have not done it already, by following the "register now" link on the home page (www.thermofluids.net). Try out some of the daemons in the Evaluation Mode to make sure TEST runs satisfactorily in your computer. If the animations and daemons do not work as described in the Tutorial, update your browser and make sure it has Java (download from www.java.com) and Flash Player (download from www.macromedia.com) plug-ins. If the Web Edition of TEST works in your computer, TEST can be installed and run (at a higher access speed) locally in your computer. To obtain a CD, you must be (a) an educator, (b) purchase an Academic Mode license with the CD option, or (c) purchase a Professional Mode license. These options are displayed in the "My Account" page accessible from the TEST home page. Once you order a CD ( Currently available for Windows platform only), it should arrive within a week. The CD contains a READEM.txt file with detailed instructions. The following instructions are the most up-to-date and should be followed in case of a conflict with the instructions shipped with the CD. TEST INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS ACTIVATION INSTRUCTIONS 1. Start your browser (Netscape 4.5+, IE 4.0+, or Firefox 1.0+). If you do not have a modern browser, read the README.txt file in the 'browsers' folder (in the CD) and install or upgrade 2. Use the pull-down File menu. Choose "Open.." (or "Open File.."), and browse your hard disk to find the myTEST folder. Open index.html. This should bring up the home page of TEST. Alternatively, open the myTEST folder and double-click the index.html file. Microsoft has installed a security layer in Internet Explorer starting with version 6.0.29. When you start the local edition of TEST, it blocks the homepage from displaying the greetings and alerts you with a message "To help protect your security, Internet Explorer has restricted this file....". You may Click on the warning bar that appears and click on "allow access..". But then you have to do it once every session. A better alternative is to go to the Tools menu of IE, select Internet options.., click on the Advanced tab, scroll down to Security section and check the box that says "Allow active content to run in files on My Computer". Similar problems do not exist with Netscape or Firefox browsers (provided with 3. Bookmark this page (or make it your home page). 4. You will find TEST in Guest-Mode, requiring activation before use. Activation is quite simple. Once you are able to log in to My Account, click on the "Get CD ROM License" button to receive the license file. It will be immediately sent to you as an email attachment "license.txt". Log out and Activation simply means replacing the default license.txt file in the "testcenter" (inside the "myTEST" folder) folder with the "license.txt" file that you receive in your mailbox. The local edition of TEST is now activated. Start your browser and open TEST (by selecting the TEST bookmark made in step 3). You will find a personalized greetings along with the appropriate access mode and expiration date displayed prominently on the home page. 5. Check if Java applets (the daemons) are working. Click on the UnitConverter icon (or link) that appears on the left column of the home page. If Java is not installed, you will see a gray box under the title of the daemon (java applet). Simply go to www.java.com and a single click on "Get it Now" in the Free Download section (of the Java home page) will plug Java into your browser. It takes less than a minute. Firefox and Netscape come pre installed with Java. 6. Check if your browser supports Macromedia Flash Player. To do so, click on the Featured-VT icon on the left margin. If you do not see an animation, you need to install Macromedia Flash Player. Simply go to www.macromedia.com, select their Download tab, and choose Macromedia Flash Player. 8. The expiration date of your license is displayed in the My Account page. You can renew your license with significant discount before your license expires. Every time you renew your TEST license, download an updated "license.txt" file to reflect the new expiration date for the local edition. If you are running TEST locally (installed in your PC), it takes less than two seconds even for the most demanding daemon
to load. Over the net, the loading time depends on the speed of the internet connection. The first time you access a page, it is generally very sluggish. However, because modern versions of the browsers cashes frequently accessed modules, the access speed rapidly increases the more you access TEST. So, before you assess the speed of your connection, access a daemon several times. Typically a daemon
should load within 4-5 seconds if TEST is locally mirrored in your institution and about 5-10 seconds if you are accessing TEST from a really remote mirror. TEST can be mirrored
freely by any academic institutions. Mirroring allows unlimited free access to any user within the domain of the institution. Click on the Create a Mirror link to learn more about how to mirror TEST. For manual evaluation of a property use the tables and charts located in Daemons>Basics>Tables page. These are the tables found on the back of any thermodynamic textbooks. You may still find these pdf files more user friendly than the traditional tables. The state daemons - special purpose Java applets customized to evaluate properties - are located in the Daemons>States page. The daemons come in two flavors - volume daemons to find the state of an extended system and surface daemons to find the state of a flow. Either kind can be used for most properties. Once you launch a daemon by selecting a material model, enter the known properties and click Calculate (or press Enter) to find the complete state. In IE, go to Tools>Internet Options... and on the General tab, click
on the Delete Files... button.
If you use Netscape, go to Edit>Preferences.., expand the Advanced category,
click on Cache, and then Clear Disk Cache.
If you PC runs Windows-XP, TEST may not work with Internet Explorer. Launch Internet Explorer and double-check if TEST works. To do so, launch any daemon, say, the Unit Converter. If it does not show up, that will mean that the
Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is not installed in your machine. (Starting with XP JVM is not automatically included in a PC). To install JVM, open the BROWSERS>MicrosoftVM folder and doubleclick the executable file msjavx86.exe.
Follow the on-screen instructions and IE should work with TEST and any other java-enabled software or web sites.
But the important thing to understand is that it
does not matter. It is the difference in h, u or s that
is important in a solution. If you ever find a thermodynamic problem where
you are asked to evaluate the absolute energy or enthalpy of a substance,
you must ask what is the reference state? The same is true when you evaluate
potential energy using the formula mgh.
You have to know the datum, the reference, in order to get the absolute
energy, but to get the difference you can choose your own reference and
end up with the correct answer mg(h2-h1). There are severel ways to obtain local access to TEST:
1. Mirroring (Free): It is free
for any University. Details of mirroring are discussed below.
2. Desk copy (Free): It is free
and meant only for educators using TEST in their classes. Please register (at www.thermofluids.net) as an educator to obtain a desk copy and a free license for personal use.
3. Site License for Academic Mode:
Any academic institution can purchase a site license for its students to access TEST free of charge. After registering go to My Account to set up a site license. Once we set up the site license for an institution, users can click on the Log In button without supplying any login id or password and gain access to TEST. Contact support@thermofluids.net if you need more information.
4. Academic Mode License: Register for the Evaluation Mode free of charge. During the evaluation period check out TEST and make sure that your browser is appropriately configured (Java and Flash Player plug ins) to run TEST. Now visit My Account (www.thermofluids.net/myaccount) and purchase an Academic License for a small fee. For a slightly higher fee, you may opt for an Academic License with CD to run TEST locally in your PC at the highest possible access speed without having to depend on network speed.
5. Professional Mode License:
It has a much larger database while preserving the same interface as the Academic Web edition. You can also create custom solid, gas, liquid, or a phase-change fluid (using the
real gas model). A TEST-CD is included for installation of TEST in your PC. Technical questions posed on the TEST Forum by professional users receive priority from the moderators.
6. TEST-CD: If you already have an Academic or Professional License, you can acquire a TEST-CD for installing TEST in your PC. Note that the local version will have the same expiry date as your license.
7. Corporate Site License: With this site license install TEST-Pro in an unlimited number of workstations in your corporation.
Contact support@engineeringthermo.com for more information if you have any question?
If you creat a mirror site of TEST in your university, anyone in your institution can access TEST at a significantly faster access speed. Moreover, your university will receive automatic site license, which means anyone can login by simply clicking the Log In button (without supplying any login id or password). Because the new version of TEST requires access to its user database for authenticaltion, the web server in which TEST is mirrored must be running "php with curl". Your system administrator will be familiar with him. To check if the server from which you are reading this page has php with curl, click test php. If php is not available you will see a blank page. Installing php requires recompiling the web server (apache in our case). The detailed instructions for installing php can be found here. Once php is installed, you can download TEST following the methos outlined below. (a) Push: In this method TEST is pushed from our server to yours
everytime any part of TEST is changed. Because our systems take care of
the updating, your system administrators do not have to do anything to
maintain TEST. To set up your web server to mirror TEST, we need an account
in your web server (login name: subrata (if possible)) and a directory
name testcenter with write permission. We can take care of the rest in
a few hours.
(b) Pull: In this method, your web server copies TEST periodically from
our server. To replicate the TEST website, you will need to use rsync and
let us know the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of the host which will
be contacting our rsync server running on voyager4.sdsu.edu. Once you tell
us the FQDN of your rsync client, we will update our rsync.conf to allow
replication. Alternatively, if you create an account for us in your web server
(login name : subrata), we can set the whole thing remotely in that account.
For details of method (b) click here. If you have any questions reqarding mirroring TEST, write to us at support@thermofluids.net.
How do I install TEST in my computer?
1. Create a directory (folder) in the hard disk (C drive, D drive, desktop, etc.). Name it anything you like - say, "myTEST" (we will refer to it as the "myTEST" folder).
2. Insert the TEST-CD into the CD bay, wait for your computer to recognize the CD.
3. Double click the CD icon. You will see the following content:
i. Folders named testcenter and browsers.
ii. A file named index.html.
iii. This README file.
4. Copy the testcenter folder (about 200 MByte) into the "myTEST" folder in your hard disk. This step will take a while (maybe 5-8 minutes).
5. Copy the index.html into the myTEST folder.
6. TEST installation is now complete. All that remains now is to activate TEST by downloading a license file from My Account page of the TEST web site. You do not need the CD for the remaining steps.
your browser.
the CD).
If you are on line, click on the "My Account" link on the home page and log in. You may use any
other computer to access the Internet and log on to www.thermofluids.net/myaccount page.
If you do not have an account, create one in seconds following the 'Register Now' link. A login id and a password will be generated and sent to you by email within seconds.
close the browser window. The license file should appear in your mailbox in a few seconds.
If you do not have an internet connection handy, you may install Java from the TEST-CD. Read the README.txt file in the 'browsers' folder.
7. TEST is now fully installed and ready to run.
How fast are the daemons supposed to load?
How do I find a thermodynamic property?
Why
am I having problems with the TASK-BAR and other little things with this
new version?
Your browser stores images from the TEST web site to make the access
appear faster the next time you visit TEST. This model breaks down, when
a new version is released. The remedy is to use the 'Refresh' button in
IE and the 'Reload' button in Netscape. If that does not work, you have
to delete the temporary internet files stored in your computer.
The
site looks pretty complex. Where do I start exploring?
If you are running TEST locally, the best place to start is the Slide
Show. For hands on training, go through the Tutorial. If you are
looking for an example that matches your problem, try the specific topics
under Tutorial, Slide Show or the Archive. Experienced users can go straight
to the desired daemon using the TEST-Map.
Do
I have the right browser, and is it set up to run TEST?
If you have Netscape Navigator (or Communicator) 4.5 (or above) or
Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 (or above), you have the right browser.
Most PC's these days comes bundled with Internet Explorer. It is best to download java from www.java.com, Flash Player from www.macromedia.com and Acrobat Reader from www.adobe.com.
What
version do I have?
Netscape
Navigator/CommunicatorMicrosoft
Internet Explorer
Start
Navigator. Go to the 'Help' menu, choose 'About Communicator..' or 'About
Navigator..'.
Start
Internet Explorer. Go to the 'Help' menu, choose 'About Internet Explorer'.
How
do I enable Java?
Netscape
Navigator/CommunicatorMicrosoft
Internet Explorer
Go
to the 'Edit' menu, choose 'Preference..', choose 'Advanced', and check
the checkbox named 'Enable Java'.
Go
to the 'View' menu, choose 'Internet Options...', click on the 'Security'
tab, check the 'Medium' radio button, click on the 'Advanced' tab, scroll
down the scroll bar to find Java VM, and check the checkbox named 'Java
JIT Compiler Enabled'.
I
have a browser from the Jurassic era, how do I install a modern version
on my PC?
If you have the TEST-CD, it would take you just five minutes to install Netscape 6.2.
Open the folder named BROWSERS. You will find a README file and two folders named NETSCAPE and MICROSOFTVM. Inside the NETSCAPE folder you will find another README file and a folder named SETUP. Open SETUP and double-click the executable file name N6Setup.exe. Follow the onscreen instructions. Make sure that you click on the Complete Installation so that Java is installed.
I
only want to use the smart thermodynamic tables. Where do I start?
Use the TEST-Map (TEST Home Page>TEST
Map) to jump onto the TEST.Daemons.States page (you may bookmark
this page). Click on the material you are interested in. If the applet
(daemon) does not show up within a minute, you have an old browser or a
poor connection. If TEST is installed on your PC, the daemon takes less
than a couple of seconds to load.
How
accurate are the property values?
About 98%. The real gas properties, however, are based on generalized
compressibility chart and may produce significant error especially at low
pressures, 1% of the critical pressure or lower.
For R-134a, the h and u values from TEST do not agree with those in my textbook.
Is this a bug?
The absolute value of enthalpy has absolutely no meaning. The absolute
values depend on what one chooses as the reference for the internal energy
u.
Because different people choose different reference values, you will find
different values for the u or h
of the same substance under the same conditions in different textbooks.
Why do some material names have an appendix such as a * (Air*) or % (R-510%)?
The symbol * signifies a different reference reference value for enthalpy. The % sign symbolizes
a refrigerant blend. The saturation pressure is a function of temperature as well as quality for such
mixtures.
Where
can I find the Radiation Daemons?
The Blackbody Radiation Applet, Band-Radiation Applet or the RCFTools
do not belong to thermodynamics, and, hence, do not appear in the TEST-Map.
They are linked from the Utility Applets found
at the bottom of the TEST Home Page.
Why
does TEST seem different since the last time I used it?
TEST is continually evolving as users reports bugs, send comments and
suggest new features. To see the latest changes take a feature tour. Please
check this section frequently.
What
is the difference between the Academic and Professional modes of TEST?
The academic version contains a database suitable for most engineering cirriculum.
The professional version, on the other hand, carries a large database and still provides the same ease of use as the academic
version. TEST-Pro users can also receive free and paid consultation from support@engineeringthermo.com.
How
can I obtain a TEST-CD to install TEST locally?
The TEST-CD contains everything, including the latest edition of Netscape
Communicator, to install TEST on a PC or a Server. You simply copy a large folder from the CD to your hard disk and TEST is installed. Even the most demanding of all daemons load in less than a couple of seconds when TEST runs at its native speed.
How
can I create a mirror site of TEST (download TEST) in my University?
What
sort of problems can TEST help me solve?
TEST can assist you in solving problems encountered in Engineering
Thermodynamics textbooks and in real world situations involving HVAC, Combustion,
High Speed Flows, Gas Mixture, Steam Power, Vapor Compression Refrigeration,
Power Cycles, Gas Turbines, Turbojets, Pumps, Compressors and much
more. You can take a Feature Tour (click on the version number at the right end of
Task Bar) to learn about some of the features of TEST.
What
is VT?
Virtual Thermo or VT is a library of multi-media presentation of thermodynamic systems and processes. It explains
how thermodynamic systems work with the help of animations and is designed to complement a future
textbook. Macromedia Flash plug-in (available in most modern
browsers) is required to browse VT.
and other
How can I purchase a copy of the Visual Manual of TEST?
Published by Prentice Hall, TEST -a Visual Introduction, can be purchased from amazon.com. Search with the author
name Bhattacharjee to locate it in amazon.com or any other on-line retailer.
What textbook should I use with TEST?
TEST is designed to be used with almost any textbook. However, some of the concepts TEST emphasizes - material model,
property classification, system classification, etc. - are not explicitly discussed in most textbooks. A textbook
that integrates TEST with a textbook is currently under development. The publication date and the latest information about
this textbook is posted in Book Web Site.
How
can I help make TEST a better courseware/software?
Use the 'Comments' page (comments
) to tell us about what improvements you would like to see in future versions
of TEST. Simple input such as pointing out any typos, lost links, incorrect
answers in examples, etc. have been primarily responsible for the continued improvement of the site.
How do I print the 'p-h' or any other thermodynamic diagram?
When you select a plot on the state-panel, it appears in a floating pop-up frame. Currently there are two ways to print that frame:
1. Do a screen capture (alt and prtSc key) and paste the diagram into a word (or some other)
document.
2. Click on the DATA Used button on the plot, which displays all the x-y data. Copy and paste the data to your favorite spread sheet or any plotting applications and create a presentation quality plot. TEST plots are intended for gaining insight into a solution.
comments page to report
it. In your correspondence, please include the hierachical page name (TEST.
Daemons.States.Volume.H2O, for instance) and the version number (on the title of the daemon).
| Copyright 1998-2004: Subrata Bhattacharjee |