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Excel in ME

ME215: Thermodynamics I  and   ME305: Thermodynamics II
ME215 is sophomore-level course covers the basic concepts of properties of a pure substance, the ideal gas relationships; heat, work and the first law of thermodynamics; heat engines, refrigerators and heat pumps, the second law of thermodynamics and the Carnot Cycle; and the concept of entropy, isentropic processes and isentropic efficiency.
ME 305 is taken during the junior year and this is the applied thermodynamics course. Power and refrigeration cycles are covered in depth in the first one-third of the course. The remainder of the course is divided into four approximately equal sections: gas mixtures and gas-vapor mixtures including psychrometrics and air conditioning processes, chemical reactions, chemical and phase equilibrium, and compressible fluid flow.

List of Functions

This file contains a list of all the functions in the module and includes a short description of each, including the units needed for input and output.

YouTube Video on Installation and Use:

Follow this link to a YouTube video on installation and use of the add-ins.

Excel Tools Developed for Thermodynamics:

The following are excel addins and modules developed for use in the ME215 course. Right click the links and select “Save Link Target As” to download the files. Visit our Tutorials section to learn how to utilize them.

Thermodynamics

“All-in-one” Add-in for thermodynamics, which includes XSteam, R134a, R22.
Use thermo64bit.msi. – this is the Microsoft Installer kit that puts the Add-in in the right directory.
You will need to complete steps 3 – 10 in the “Manual Install” below if you have Excel 2016 or later.

Ideal Gas

“All-in-one” Add-in for ideal gas properties and gas dynamics functions
idealgas.msi – this Microsoft Installer kit that puts the Add-in in the right directory

These are the self-install modules contained in the above .msi package
IdealGas.xlam (2007 version)
IdealGas.xla (2003 version)
GasDynamics.chm (compiled help file)

Manual Installation

Your version of Excel may not be recognized by the .msi package. No worries; just follow this manual installation/configuration process:

  1. Download the .xlam file from here (ThermoTables.xlam)
  2. Move the downloaded file to the “C:/Add-ins” folder (or create the folder if it does not exist)
  3. Open Excel, go to File->Options choose “Trust Center” from the left menu bar, then click “Trust Center Settings” on the right in the panel
  4. Now choose “Macro Settings” on menu bar on the left, and select “Enable all macros (not recommended; potentially dangerous macros can run” AND check the box at bottom “Trust access to the VBA object module”. (choosing these settings allows the Add-in to initialize when loaded)
  5. Click “ok” at bottom
  6. Now choose “Customize Ribbon” from the menu bar on the left. In the panel on the right, check the “Developer” box
  7. Click “ok”
  8. Now click on the “Developer” tab on the ribbon bar, and “Excel Add-ins” on the toolbar
  9. Click on “Browse” button, and navigate to the “C:\Add-ins” folder and select the “thermotables.xlam” file you downloaded.
  10. Click “OK” to close the Excel Add-ins window

Below are the individual components of the ideal gas add-in.  You won’t need them if you got the entire .msi package above.

Ideal Gas Properties_2007.xlam (2007 Version)
Ideal Gas Properties.xla (2003 Version)
This addin contains functions that can be used to find enthalpy, entropy, internal energy, and specific heats of various ideal gases.

GasDymanics.xlam (2007 version)
GasDynamics.xla (2003 version)
GasDynamicsHelp.chm (compiled help file)
This addin contains functions for flow of an ideal gas, including isentropic flow, normal shock, oblique shock, Prandtl Meyer expansion, Fanno flow, and Rayleigh flow.
The Compiled Help File must reside in the same folder as the add-in in order for it to be found when requested.