The Armfield DLMX system is a practical education system aimed at teaching students the basics of fluid mechanics, heat exchange and other fundamental engineering principles. It is a unique combination of coursework and practical demonstration equipment and can be used to teach students of all ages. The equipment comprises a small battery operated base unit, into which one of seven different cartridges is plugged. The base unit contains a water reservoir, pump, controls and viewing panel. The cartridges contain an experimental representation of the topic, and the specific instrumentation required for the particular demonstration. Currently seven different cartridges are available covering fluid mechanics, thermofluids and heat transfer. The cartridges can be changed in seconds as they use a simple plug in mechanism. As the cartridges include their own microcontroller, the base unit automatically detects the cartridge that is fitted and displays the information accordingly. The equipment can be used by a single student, by small groups of students or by a teacher or technician demonstrating to the whole class. The academic content and coursework is provided by Washington State University. It includes classroom exercises, detailed theory of the processes and suggestions for further work. The base unit comprises a clear acrylic water reservoir, mounted on a robust vacuum formed ABS plastic plinth. Under the plinth is a pump with a variable speed control, flow meter, battery, level sensor and the electrical control circuitry with display. The units are battery powered; the internal rechargeable batteries provide more than enough for a long classroom session. The units can also be powered by mains electricity, recharging the batteries at the same time. The simple push fit cartridge interface, provides smartchip and self-sealing hose connections. This mechanism is common to all the DLM cartridges. The quick easy setup ensures that sensible investigations can be performed in less than ten minutes.
