Implementation of a Remote Access Water Laboratory

imposeation of a contrary Access pee research labIntroductionAs information and communication technologies rapidly advance, so too does the spectrum of resource mathematical functiond in the field of pedagogics. One such resource is the subprogram of online learning material and remote access laboratories for distance learning courses. One of the hallmarks of a distance learning course is the separation of teacher and learner in space and/or time, allowing the learner self-paced study at convenient clock, and locations 1, 2. Since its inception, distance learning has become a powerful tool for students in pursuit of education 4.Context of ProjectThe Centre for Renewable Energy Systems Technology (CREST) at Loughborough University is the largest and leading sustainable energy research centre in the UK, it has overseen the research and schooling of the most progressive renewable energy technologies 6. The centre was the first in the UK to offer a postgraduate degree programme in the field of renewable energy corpses technology, along with its innovative distance learning adaptation 6. research laboratory exercises play a critical role in the education of science and engineering science 11, it is important for effective distance learning courses to provide a active laboratory experience 12. Due to the influence of information, communication and computational technologies remote labs argon considered one of the five major shifts in engineering education over the past 100 years they wee-wee the capacity to provide a active experience for distance learning students with signifi peckt advantages in accessibility, availability and safety 20, 21.Problem StatementFigure 1-1 outlines the scope of the project. Water power has been exploited by human beings for many centuries early water wheels driven by rivers or tides were used to grind wheat or drive machinery. As technologies matured and with the orgasm of electricity, water wheels had become water turbi nes designed to generate electricity from the energy stored within the water resource 8. Over 70% of the e prowesshs surface is covered by water, with such a vast resource potential the importance of studying water turbines becomes app atomic number 18nt 9.The current distance learning laboratory assessment for the Water Power module suggests the use of a simulation software to model a water turbine under different conditions this is not sufficient for understanding the physiologic behaviour of the turbine as simulation labs can only produce preprogrammed results 4. A remote lab utilises a software that allows students to gain experimental data exploitation real instruments set in a lab on-campus using only a PC with the aid of the internet 7. For distance learning students to gain a truer understanding of water turbine behaviour, it is proposed that the on-campus laboratory be modified for use as a remote lab.Aims and ObjectivesThe manoeuvre of this project is to design a syste m that can be used in conjunction with the on-campus axial water turbine instrumentation, allowing remote access and control of the lab for distance learning students.The main objectives to facilitate this aim are outlined belowIdentify the dynamic, controllable elements of the on-campus laboratory instrumentation.Design and build a system by which the dynamic elements can be controlled.Implement a method by which this system can be remotely accessed through the Learn server.Integrate the system with the current software used for the laboratory. literature ReviewRemote LaboratoriesIntroductionFor 20 years remote access laboratories have been used in science and engineering education though they have since large(p)ly impacted pedagogy in these fields, their potential in support of distance learning courses and the student autonomous learning experience has yet to be fully realised 10, 11, 15, 16.DefinitionIt can be difficult to assert what remote laboratories encompass as definitio ns provided in the literature are at times inconsistent 10. A clear definition of remote laboratories will be established in the context of this project in order to avoid ambiguity. A remote laboratory is the framework that enables students to carry out a laboratory experiment, using real instruments, through the medium of the internet eliminating the time and space constraints obligate by hands-on laboratories 14, 17.Building BlocksThere are four critical building blocks that form the foundations of a remote laboratory these must be good understood in order to achieve the desired aim 12Scheduling Distance learning courses necessitate the flexibility of allowing students to decide when the can fit labs into their schedule.Remote-Access It is inevitable that the students can make a secure connection to the lab environmentThe Operating Environment It is essential that the user interface of the system is easy to use and understand.Laboratory Assignment The student must realise the aim of the lab and subsequently make the connection between theory and application.In Distance teachingRemote laboratories offer a very high level of flexibility, with access usually 24 hours a day, 7 days a week collision the needs of distance learning courses 10. According to certain studies remote labs have been as effective and had a comparable impact on students to hands-on labs 26.Remote laboratories are not free of short comings they require space, devices, and maintenance at times even greater than hands-on laboratories 13. They are also designed as single-user applications this removes the elements of interaction that hands-on laboratories offer.Other Laboratory Methods untrue LaboratoriesSimulated laboratories usually justified by their cost effectiveness and spatial advantages, have been shown to inspire cognitive thinking by allowing students greater freedom to explore and experiment 18, 19, 23, 24. This however comes with its disadvantages simulated laboratories are u sually designed as single-user applications, subsequently isolating the students.Simulated laboratories are shown to not be equal in their standard across institutions 22. Though they serve well in some graphemes they are not an fitting substitute for hands-on laboratories, as they do not provide the range of possibilities produced when manipulating physical matter the results produced are preprogrammed 4.Hands-on LaboratoriesHands-on Laboratories have been shown to be a corner stone in engineering education as engineering students identify themselves as being essentially practical 25. The results gathered from conducting a hands-on experiment provide natural results, and in this regard are far superior to those of simulated laboratories.Though the benefits of hands-on laboratory experiments are clear disadvantages are also present. Laboratory management can be expensive, equipment requires regular maintenance and qualified staff are needed to supervise experiments 13. The constr aints of accessibility and availability bring about hands-on laboratory sessions impractical for distance learning students 20.ConclusionsRemote laboratories utilise software allowing students to gain experimental data using real instruments set in a lab on-campus using only a PC with the aid of the internet 7. This allows the students to gain practical results from experimentation, eliminating the disadvantages of simulated labs while retaining its advantages.Proposed MethodologyFigure 3-1 represents the general approach that will be taken for this project.Figure 3-1 Overview of Methodology for ProjectProposed DeliverablesThe final deliverable will be in the form of a holy system having integrated both hardware and software and having met the following requirements as shown in Table 4-1.Table 4-1 Requirements for SystemRequirementsExplanation1Easy to determinationThe system must be easy to access through the Learn server with an intuitive, and simplistic user interface. This a llows the student to interact with the software without any great difficulty.2Easy to MaintainThe system should have easy access points in case of failure parts should be replaceable.3DurableThe system should have a high finish with sufficient build quality to last several years.4ReliableThe system should have minimal components and miserable parts, this reduces the chance of failure of the system as a whole.Projected resourcefulness RequirementsThe projected resource requirements are shown in Table 5-1 below.Table 5-1 Projected Resource RequirementsHardware RequirementsSoftware RequirementsTechnical ExpertiseMyRIO Hardware PackageLabVIEWElectronics UnderstandingElectric MotorsAutoCADLabVIEW CompetencyExterior Machined PartsEngineering WorkshopCostThe supreme cost of the hardware is expected to be in the region of 600.Software should incur not cost.The maximum cost of machining of parts is expected to be in the region of 400Total maximum cost will approximate 1000.ReferencesPer raton H. 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