Chemical Engineering Senior Design

• Vortex Demonstration Unit

  PROJECT PARTNER // Heumann Environmental Company

  PROJECT DESCRIPTION

  Heumann Environmental Company (HEC) wants a physical piece of equipment that will draw attention at trade shows and other technical events. This project produced the desired equipment and refined the design to make it visually appealing.

  BENEFITS TO PROJECT CLIENT

  1. A physical unit that serves as a way to draw attention at trade shows
  2. Provides a way to discuss the dynamics of cyclones with a tangible example
  3. The ability to obtain ideas from Speed School students and utilize their time in building the equipment.

  PROJECT GOAL

  The goal of this project is to build a unit that demonstrates the dynamics of cyclonic motion. This is accomplished by using water to create a vortex within a plexiglass column. Further, this project needs to ensure the demonstration unit is visually appealing and easy to setup and dismantle.

  TEAM MEMBERS

  • Tyler Brudnicki
  • Russell Cavanagh
  • Brandon Howard
  • Edward Schultz
  • Lukas Slucher

• Design of a Dimethyl Ether Plant

  Team Name // The Dimethyl Engineers

  PROJECT DESCRIPTION
  Dimethyl ether (DME) has recently been receiving attention as a “clean” and economical alternative fuel for diesel engines. It is a viable fuel for heavy-duty applications while producing few greenhouse gas and NOx emissions. This project is meant to develop a flexible plant design to produce DME for sale in the ever-growing market.
  

  BENEFITS TO PROJECT CLIENT

  1. Understanding of the current and future market trends for DME

  2. Knowledge of the possible production methods and safety considerations

  3. Estimate of rough capital cost required to build a grassroots DME plant

  PROJECT GOAL

  The goal of this project is to investigate the design of a plant to produce dimethyl ether including analysis of DME market trends, possible process paths, safety, required equipment, and manufacturing costs.

  TEAM MEMBERS

  • Krishna Acharya
  • Dursun Akhmedov
  • Will Bundy
  • Zach Flora
  • Andrew Hicks

• Educational Models for Blind Students

  Team Name // Threat Level Midnight

  PROJECT DESCRIPTION
  The project is focused on creating educational models for blind students in order to help them grasp more visual concepts. The blind models project covers the K-12 grade levels providing multiple models including moon phases, layers of the earth, the plant cycle, and the structure of atoms. The models were created and 3D printed. For one of the models, a plan for mass production will be created with the goal of providing enough educational models for blind students across the USA.

  BENEFITS TO PROJECT CLIENT

  1. The project will provide multiple printable models which can be used for multiple educational topics.

  2. One of the models will have suggestions for mass production.

  3. Each student should be able to have their own models that they can use to better facilitate their learning.

  PROJECT GOAL

  The goal of the project is to create models for blind students that they can use to better understand visual concepts. The models will be designed then 3D printed. The final design will ultimately be used to create methods to mass produce the models in order to supply the models to schools around the country.

  TEAM MEMBERS

  • Michael Burkholder
  • Micah Skaggs
  • Lana Taylor
  • Emily Yadon

• Forever Chemicals

  Team Name // We've Got Chemistry

  PROJECT DESCRIPTION
  The project aims to manage and treat per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which is also known as forever chemicals. The proposed design involves adsorption of contaminants using granular activated carbon to an industrial wastewater flow. Captured PFAS is not known to have beneficial uses and the saturated GAC will be discarded appropriately.

  BENEFITS TO PROJECT CLIENT

  1. PFAS is harmful to human health and can lead to reproductive, developmental, and immunological health effects.

  2. Forever chemicals do not break down over time and will accumulate over time in the environment.

  3. Forever chemicals left untreated will contaminate clean water streams, adversely affecting human health and the environment.

  PROJECT GOAL

  The main purpose of the project is to treat industrial wastewater by reducing the PFAS concentration using granular activated carbon in a fixed-bed adsorber.

  TEAM MEMBERS

  • Hee Ju Cho
  • Nadege L’Esperance
  • Cassidy Smith
  • Meghan Snellings

• Sustainable Farming

  Team Name // More Moos

  PROJECT DESCRIPTION
  As part of FEW nexus, small dairies and flushing dairies are struggling for their energy needs, environmental compliance, and maintenance of their operation and animals. Concentrating or volume reduction technologies can be probably used to help local agriculture to function more economically sustainable. Volume reduction can be used for dairy manure for smaller dairies and flush dairies to use for anaerobic digestion as well as being used for post-digestion to concentrate digestate to not overload that farm’s land with nutrients and allow farmer to monetize the recovered nutrient.

  BENEFITS TO PROJECT CLIENT

  1. Farmers can earn a revenue from the energy generated

  2. Fertilizer can be utilized in the fields

  3. Cows can utilize compost in their living space to avoid injuries

  PROJECT GOAL

  Our goal is to design an appropriate system to accommodate small dairy farms to allow them to earn more savings and revenue. As a group, we researched multiple possible solutions to achieve our goal. What we believe to be the best option to help these small dairy farms was a communal anaerobic digester utilized by a multitude of small dairy farms in close distance. Small scale farming is known for extensive expenses with electricity and fertilizer, leaving many farmers struggling to make a profit. The goal for this project is to help local dairy farmers to function in a more economically sustainable process. To achieve this our team will focus upon concentrating the nutrients from manure by breaking them down with the use of an anaerobic digester.

  TEAM MEMBERS

  • Cassie Arboleda
  • Emma Clinning
  • Thomas Gnadinger
  • Abigail Sargent