Microscopic and Video-Based Optical Techniques in Engineering Education

This paper explores the advantages of the integration of microscopic and video-based optical techniques into engineering education.Courses involving instrument training, such as Lab I, could help to provide first-year students with the ability to analyze images and videos to obtain highly precise data.This student paper explores video-based optical systems and a modular zoom lens system that were used to collect, analyze, and evaluate the nucleate boiling regime during pool boiling.Pool boiling occurs when a heated surface is submerged in a volume of liquid.The process of pool boiling provides insight into significant improvements in a surface's ability to transfer thermal energy to a fluid.Experimental analysis was completed using the OCA 15EC contact angle goniometer, a high-speed camera, and the Navitar Zoom 6000 Microscope.