Conference Session

Alternative-energy Laboratory Experiences

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Laura Genik, Michigan State University; Craig Somerton, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

. Page 14.357.2Literature ReviewIt is not uncommon to include a design project in a thermal fluids laboratory experience forMechanical Engineering undergraduate students. Choate and Schmaltz1 discussed a design andbuild senior capstone experience in the thermal fluid sciences emphasizing professional ethicsand communication as well as the use of open ended design problems in undergraduateeducation. Kim2 explored the use of innovative design projects in a thermal fluids laboratorycourse to improve the undergraduates understanding of experimental data and design ofexperiments. Knight and McDonald3 looked at balancing the laboratory experience and designprojects in the distinct stems of Mechanical Engineering. Hoke and Somerton4 explored

Conference Session

Learning about Power Systems and Power Consumption

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carl Spezia, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

totheir future employment. Students benefit from the knowledge and experience of practicingengineers. Combining classroom instruction with a capstone design project reinforces keyprinciples and gives students a practical application for their knowledge. This paper reports howelectrical facilities of a university and personnel responsible for its design and maintenancebecame key partners in energy management and renewable power projects for a capstone seniordesign course. This paper documents grid operations, power plant efficiency, and energy costcontrol projects, focusing on a substation design for integrating a wind turbine into theuniversity’s grid. The project includes topics in power systems analysis using practical designmethods. Effective

Conference Session

Solar, Wind, and Novel Energy-System Initiatives

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Samuel Lakeou, University of the District of Columbia; Ben Latigo, University of the District of Columbia

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

submersible pump. The design was a collaborative workof all the engineering programs at the University and enjoyed the participation of severalengineering students, including capstone design projects. The model design is shown in Fig.6. Page 14.217.7 Fig. 6 Model Solar/Wind Powered Water Pumping System on the campus of UDC, entirelydesigned and mounted by UDC students. The center picture depicts an 800 Gal water tank with, inside, a submersible 900W water pump.III. MOU with a local GO and Renewable Energy Power System Design andImplementation.Inspired by the lessons learned from the fact finding mission to Ethiopia and the

Conference Session

Sustainable Education and the Environment

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elaine Scott, Seattle Pacific University; John Lindberg, Seattle Pacific University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

, II, and III in Table 1.)They include a common core of 35 credits that provides a foundation in the liberal arts and anexploratory curriculum that includes 40 credits in the Arts and Humanities (10 credits), SocialSciences (10 credits), Natural Sciences (15 credits, including both biological science andphysical science courses) and Math (5 credits).General Engineering Core RequirementsThe general engineering core requirements are common to all concentrations and includemathematics, chemistry, physics, programming, probability and statistics, circuits, junior leveldesign, internship courses, and the senior design and capstone project. A listing of theserequirements is shown in Table 2 along with related learning outcomes from Table 1. Ten

Conference Session

Curricular Developments in Energy Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Craig Somerton, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

agency that provides energy and environmentalinformation and services, a mechanical engineering capstone design team has taken on thechallenge of designing and implementing a heating system for the worms. In keeping with thetheme of the worm composting, it was decided that this heating system must utilize renewableand sustainable energy sources. This paper will share the design process and the details of thefinal design implementation. The project was unique in that it involved considerable interactionamong the mechanical engineering students, the staff of the non-profit community agency, andthe staff and students of Woodcreek Elementary School. The paper will share the lessonslearned through such interactions and will provide some guidance to

Conference Session

Investigating Alternative-energy Concepts

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Narayanan Komerath, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

did the workload compare to other (graduate or undergraduate?) 3-hour course at (your institution)? Responses: • The workload was manageable. I think with some additional readings, it would've matched a typical elective class. Definitely less than a typical AE core class however. • Pretty typical • The work is comparable to the 3 credit hour capstone courses that seniors in Aerospace Engineering major have to take. The course layout and workload required is almost identical to the senior space design course I took in Fall 2008. • The workload was very light at the start but increased quite exponentially during project completion time. However, the workload was never overwhelming and on the whole