Abstract
Many people enjoy outdoor activities, such as riding dirt bikes or all terrain vehicles, camping, and hunting. Sometimes these excursions occur over several days, and it is not always very easy to keep clean. Although water may be available, such as a lake or stream, it is usually rather cold, and definitely not as warm as most showers taken at home. A heat exchanger was designed in order to take advantage of the heat produced by an engine in a vehicle by using it to heat fresh water for use. Sources of Data - A parametric study was conducted using Microsoft Excel. Inputs such as flow rates, inlet and outlet temperatures, and the size of the heat exchanger were varied. The parametric study was used to estimate the theoretical amount of heat transfer that can be expected between the two working fluids before the system was implemented. Conclusions Reached - After the system was constructed and tested in the field, the performance of the heat exchanger was not as high as calculated in the parametric study. The differences can be explained in the implementation of the shower system and the method by which it had to be connected to the test vehicle. Overall, the greatest performance was observed while heating fresh water at a temperature of sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit flowing at three gallons per minute to seventy-four degrees Fahrenheit.