ES2631 Critique and Communication of Thinking and Design

AY2022/2023 Semester 1

Week 2
Engineering Reasoning Framework: Elements of Thought

Lesson Objectives
By the end of this week’s lesson, you will be able to:
1. State and explain the eight elements of thought in the engineering reasoning framework;
2. Identify the elements of thought in an engineering-related article.

Recap
Based on this week’s lecture:
1. What are the eight elements of thought in the Engineering Reasoning Framework (Paul-Elder
Critical Thinking Framework)?
2. What does each element of thought refer to/ mean?

Activity 1
Read the article below and use the questions in Appendix A to help you identify the elements of
thought of the thinking behind it. Discuss your answers in a small group.

A major hydrogen power upgrade is coming to the most fuel-efficient aircraft

No more emissions in the skies.

Otto Aviations’ Celera 550L Otto Aviation

Otto Aviation and ZeroAvia have teamed up to implement the latter’s ZA600 zero-emission

engines to build a hydrogen-powered version of the Celera 500L, dubbed "the most fuel-efficient,
commercially viable business aircraft in the world” by Otto Aviation, according to the firm's official
website.

The Celera 500L was designed for transcontinental range with operating costs equal to or better
 ES2361 Critique and Communication of Thinking and Design

than commercial airline ticket pricing per passenger basis. This criterion requires extremely low
drag across the entire aircraft with a highly fuel-efficient propulsion system. To achieve this,
extensive laminar shapes were used for the wings, fuselage, and tail sections — maximizing
laminar flow to avoid air turbulence, which causes aerodynamic drag and wasted energy.

The fuel efficiency of the aircraft is due to its unique shape, which delivers a 59 percent reduction
in drag. Otto Aviation claims that the idea of laminar flow was taken to new metaphorical heights
with the design of Celera. For example, it uses 80 percent less fuel than a traditionally designed
aircraft.

The Celera runs on a 550-horsepower combustion engine and is able to carry six passengers up to
4,500 nautical miles (8,334 km) at cruise speeds of more than 460 mph (740 km/h). Celera has a
glide ratio of 22:1, meaning that the aircraft can glide for up to 120 miles (roughly 200 km) with
the engines turned off. This allows Celera to cut $328 hourly operating costs and operate at a
much smaller cost than similar aircraft.

Phase One testing is complete

“The data from our first phase of test flights show that we are on the path to achieving our goals
for the aircraft,” said William Otto Jr., CEO of Otto Aviation.

Otto Aviation has announced that the company officially concluded Phase One testing of its Celera
500L aircraft with 55 successful test flights and roughly 51 hours of flight time. Several flights
reached airspeeds of more than 250 mph (402 km/h) at altitudes up to 15,000 feet (4,572 m)
which rises to an airspeed of 460 mph (740.3 km/h) at 50,000 feet (15,240 m).

“We couldn’t be more excited in this step toward our mission of having a production aircraft in
2025, and we look forward to beginning the next phase of development where we will take the
aircraft to higher altitudes and higher speeds,” Otto Jr. added.

“We’re excited that the initial designs are delivering on the comfort and ranges desired by
potential customers,” said Otto Aviation CTO David Bogue. “The volumetric capacity of the
fuselage and specific configuration choices allows our design to adopt either hydrogen or battery-
electric propulsion. We’re eager to build upon the initial version of the 500L and deliver a zero-
emissions version of the aircraft.”

Otto projects that a viable zero-emission aircraft will be available by 2027, and we're excited to
see this unique aircraft in the skies.
Emir, C. (2022, June 20). A major hydrogen power upgrade is coming to the most fuel-efficient aircraft.
Interesting Engineering. https://interestingengineering.com/hydrogen-power-fuel-efficient

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Activity 2
Read the article below on a proposed ‘space bubble’ shield to cool the earth. Use the questions in
Appendix A to help you identify the elements of thought and discuss your answers in a small group.

MIT proposes using a ‘space bubble’ shield the size of Brazil to cool the Earth
A radical new form of solar geoengineering

MIT’s ‘space bubble’ solution could be deployed from space. The MIT team says their solution is “fully
reversible”. Source: MIT/Senseable

A team of MIT researchers is investigating a radical method for countering the effects of climate
change, a press statement reveals.

They propose to use a fleet of "space bubbles" to reflect sunlight away from Earth.

As we all know, such crazy ideas wouldn't even be on the table if humans had drastically curbed
their use of fossil fuels years ago — but here we are.

While some scientists warn that geoengineering is a dangerous distraction from the true work
needed to cut emissions, others say we need to assess all options. That's where the MIT team's
space bubbles come in.

'Space bubbles' are a safer form of solar geoengineering

The MIT team's method is a novel form of solar geoengineering, which is designed to reflect
sunlight away from Earth so as to cool our planet and prevent the worst effects of climate change.
The most widely studied solar geoengineering technique involves injecting reflective aerosol
particles into the upper atmosphere. However, the potential negative impact of such a method is
not yet fully understood, meaning it is far from being seen as a viable option.

The MIT scientists' approach would be a little different. Instead of injecting particles into Earth's
atmosphere, their approach would reflect the sun's heat from space, meaning no potentially
harmful particles would have to be injected into our atmosphere.

The researchers are studying the possibility of positioning a shield made of "space bubbles" at
Lagrangian Point 1, which is a relatively stable orbital point in space, where the gravitational pull
of Earth and the sun evens out. The James Webb Space Telescope, for example, is positioned
in Lagrangian Point 2.

The biggest hurdle for this method is without a doubt in the logistics. The MIT scientists believe
that the bubble shield would have to be roughly the size of Brazil. However, they believe the
bubbles could be manufactured in space, reducing any launch costs. They are currently
experimenting in the laboratory with "space bubbles" made out of silicon.

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In a press release, they explained how in "preliminary experiments, we succeeded at inflating a
thin-film bubble at a pressure of 0.0028 atm, and maintaining it at around -50°C (to approximate
space conditions of zero pressure and near-zero temperature)."

Could solar geoengineering serve as a life raft for humanity?

Crucially, the MIT researchers also wrote that their solar geoengineering solution would be "fully
reversible", presumably meaning the bubbles could quickly be popped if we find they are having
an unwelcome effect on our planet.

This is very important, as we are yet to fully grasp the full complexity of climate change itself, let
alone that of geoengineering methods.

In an interview with Discover Magazine, Linda Schneider, an international climate policy expert

said "even our understanding of the climate change that we’re causing unintentionally right now
still has limitations, especially when it comes to impacts further into the future. Our
understanding of what would happen if we were to intentionally manipulate the climate at a
global scale is even less."

More research is, of course, needed, despite the fact that "space bubbles" are, on paper, a safer
form of solar geoengineering. However, if the worst effects of climate change do become a reality,
as they likely will as things stand, this proposal could serve as a vital life raft for humanity.

Young, C. (2022, June 30). MIT proposes using a ‘space bubble’ shield the size of Brazil to cool the Earth.
https://interestingengineering.com/mit-space-bubble-shield-cool-earth?
utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=mailing&utm_campaign=Newsletter-01-07-2022

Reference
Paul, R., Niewoehner, R. & Elder, L. (2019). The thinker’s guide to engineering reasoning: Based on
critical thinking concepts and tools. Rowan & Littlefield Publishers.

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Appendix A

Analyzing an Engineering Document

One important way to understand an engineering article, text or technical report, is through
analysis of the structure of an author’s reasoning. Once you have done this, you can then
evaluate the author’s reasoning using intellectual standards (see page 26). Here is a template to
use:
1. The main purpose of this engineering article is .
(State, as accurately as possible, the author’s purpose for writing the document. What is the
author trying to accomplish?)

2. The key question that the author is addressing is .

(You goal is to figure out the key question that was in the mind of the author when s/he wrote
the article. In other words, what key question is addressed?)

3. The most important information in this engineering document is .

(Identify the key information the author used, or presupposed, in the article to support his/her
main arguments. Here you are looking for facts, experiences, and/or data the author is using
to support his/her conclusions, as well as its sources.)

4. The main inferences/conclusions in this article are .

(Identify the most important conclusions that the author reaches and presents in this article.)

5. The key concepts we need to understand in this article are .

(To identify these concepts, ask yourself, What are the most important ideas or theories you
would have to understand in order to understand the author’s line of reasoning? Then briefly
elaborate what the author means by these ideas.)

6. The main assumption(s) underlying the author’s thinking is (are) .

(Ask yourself, What is the author taking for granted [that might be questioned]? The
assumptions are generalizations that the author does not think require defense in this context,
and they are usually unstated. This is where the author’s thinking logically begins.)

7a. If we take this line of reasoning seriously, the implications are .

(What consequences are likely to follow if people accept the author’s line of reasoning? Here
you are to follow out the logical implications of the author’s position. You should include
implications the author states, but also include those the author does not state.)

7b. If we fail to take this line of reasoning seriously, the implications are .
(What consequences are likely to follow if people ignore the author’s reasoning?)

8. The main point(s) of view presented in this engineering article is (are) .

(The main question you are trying to answer her is, What is the author looking at, and how is
s/he seeing it? For example, in this guide we are looking at engineering reasoning and seeing it
as requiring intellectual discipline and the development of intellectual skills.)

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If you understand these structures as they interrelate in an engineering article, or technical

report, you should be able to empathically role-play the thinking of the author. Remember, the
eight basic structures of thought highlighted here define all reasoning, regardless of discipline or
domain of thought. By extension, they are also the essential elements of engineering reasoning.

Reproduced from Paul et al (2019, pp.12-13)