Collaboration Between Senior Design Students and Campus Facilities Staff in Creating a Viable Cogeneration Design for the Campus Wood-Fired Boiler

Abstract

Chad Dunkel is a graduate student in Biological and Agricultural Engineering at the University of Idaho. Chad has also been an active member of the University of Idaho's Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) for approximately 3 years. Through the IAC program Chad has conducted energy assessments on 25 regional manufacturing facilities. Chad is currently conducting research in energy savings via implementation of variable frequency drive blower motor controls for adjusting dissolved oxygen levels in waste water aeration basins.Mr. Ryan A Oliver, BP Ryan Oliver earned his BS degrees in Electrical Engineering and Philosophy at the University of Idaho. While a student he participated in the Department of Energy funded Industrial Assessment Centre program. Now a resident of Alaska, Ryan works for BP as a Discipline Engineer and On-site Process Safety Specialist at the Central Gas Facility in Prudhoe Bay.Dr. Tao Xing P.E., University of Idaho, Moscow Dr. Tao Xing obtained his Ph.D. from Purdue University Mechanical Engineering in 2002. He is also a licensed U.S. Professional Engineer (P.E.). His research interests cover a broad range of thermal-fluid areas using theoretical and computational fluid dynamics (CFD), including renewable energy (wind turbines), multi-phase flows, free-surface flows, ship hydrodynamics, quantitative verification and validation, heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system. His teaching interests focus on integration of simulation technology into engineering courses and laboratories, developing effective formative and summative evaluation methods, and developing innovative teaching modules toward achieving ABET learning outcomes. Dr. Herbert L. Hess, University of Idaho, MoscowHerb Hess is Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Idaho, where he teaches subjects in He received the PhD Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1993. His research and teaching interests are in power electronics, electric machines and drives, electrical power systems, and analog/mixed signal electronics. He has taught senior capstone design since 1985 at several universities.Dr. Steven W. Beyerlein, University of Idaho, Moscow Dr. Beyerlein has taught at the University of Idaho for the last 27 years. He is coordinator of the college of engineering inter-disciplinary capstone design course. He is also a co-PI on a DOE sponsored Industrial Assessment Center program in which several of the student authors have been involved. Dr. Beyerlein has been active in research projects involving engine testing, engine heat release modeling, design of curricula for active , design pedagogy, and assessment of professional skills. Collaboration between Senior Design Students and Campus Facilities Staff in Creating a Viable Cogeneration Design for the Campus Wood-Fired Boiler AbstractAn experimental project was created within our inter-disciplinary product realization capstone course to bring together students and staff from our campus steam plant to explore the feasibility of an economical design for ...

Integrated Solar and Piezoelectric Renewable Energy Project

“…A majority of the projects are now interdisciplinary. 7,8,9,10 Mechanical Engineering has always provided overall program leadership. Each department provides instructors in its disciplines for both administration and technical advising.…”

“…Some of that may be due to both the Mechanical Engineering lead instructor, also the overall senior design course lead, and the Electrical Engineering technical advisor were two of the original three professors who created the program in 1999. 10,11 ABET requirements were addressed by each department separately. Each department writes its own amplification of the (a) through (k) outcomes to this capstone design.…”