2021 Senior Design Conference Project Abstracts Architectural Engineering AE1 - The Design of Kingsville Civic Center Team Members: Maria Garcia Torres, Richard Rowland, Roger Disney, Diana Briseño Can Kingsville become a great city to live in? Kingsville, Texas is a small town with a population of nearly 25,000 residents. This historic town is home to the famed King Ranch, Texas A&M University Kingsville, and the Naval Air Station (NAS). These three entities, along with US highway 77, make Kingsville a thoroughfare city. Like the students at the university, many of the residents in Kingsville are here for a few short years before moving on to a more permanent location or a larger city. The transient nature of the population has dramatically affected the economic and cultural landscape in Kingsville. We believe the city of Kingsville needs a cultural and civic center, strategically located, attracting residents of all socio-economic backgrounds, which will facilitate community involvement. Our proposed civic center includes two separate facilities to meet two great needs in Kingsville. The central building is designed to meet the great need for social development; and our education facility is designed to make continued education available to meet the need for economic development within the community. AE2 - Redesign Fire Station #3 - Corpus Christi Team Members: Jacob Tenison, Daquiri Nunez, Kimberly Delgado, Gerardo Rodriguez

Corpus Christi’s Fire Station 3, located on 1401 Morgan Ave, was built over 60 years ago. It is gradually becoming dilapidated and unfit for modern firefighting requirements. The team's objective is to redesign the station so that it is up to date with today’s codes and specs providing a safer and more comfortable working environment for the fire fighters. It has been determined that the construction of a new fire station would be more cost effective than having the current fire station undergo continual maintenance and renovation. The foundation has become inadequate and has started showing signs of failure and there are also many features of the fire station that need to be upsized and replaced. Today’s fire trucks are being built slightly larger than fire trucks in the past, therefore entrance and egress apparatus bay doors need to be upsized. Mechanical and electrical systems require constant maintenance and also need to be replaced. Our team has resolved these issues and has additionally provided more up to date design solutions appropriate for modern firefighting use which can assure that this fire station will operate at optimal efficiency and comfort. AE3 - New Texas A&M University - Kingsville Jernigan Library Team Members: Jonathan Gonzalez, Juan Ordonez, Virginia Costilla, Jose Gutierrez, Edward Garces

The Jernigan Library at Texas A&M University - Kingsville was built in 1968 as a two-story building. Currently, the library is out of date and many of our peers have mentioned that they have a hard time focusing or studying with the layout of the library. The objective of this project is to design the structural, architectural, mechanical, electrical/lighting system of the library by using more eco-friendly materials. One of the main objectives of this project is to provide more natural light and views for the students, staff and guests of the university. Many students have mentioned that the studying environment is too enclosed and dark. Offering multiple study locations and environments that are geared to optimize focus and retention of information would be strategically placed throughout the building and design. Another objective of the project would be to allow for more of a multi-functional facility. We would also like to design space in the library for events or conferences to be held. Also included in the design would be a gallery to show artwork and photography from current students, local artists or former alumni. Some advantages of our project is to make the library more eco-friendly,

energy efficient and multi-functional. By designing a new mechanical system and electrical/lighting system the cost of energy consumption will be significantly reduced.

Chemical Engineering CH1 - Adipic Acid from Cyclohexane Team Members: David England, Heston Hoyle, Jacob Morgan, Ulises Solano

The objective of our chemical process is to produce adipic acid from cyclohexane in a two-step oxidation process. Adipic acid is a dicarboxylic acid used primarily in the production of nylon-6,6, but may also be used as a food additive or plasticizers. Adipic acid is produced from two main reactions: the oxidation of cyclohexane in air to form a ketone-alcohol mixture (KA oil), and the oxidation of KA oil using nitric acid to produce the desired adipic acid product. The initial oxidation takes place in a series of CSTRs, each operating at a temperature of 167°C and 9.5 atm of pressure. The resulting KA oil is then distilled and fed into the second half of the process. The secondary oxidation takes place in a PFR operating adiabatically at a pressure just slightly below 1 atm (1 bar to allow for venting). This second oxidation is highly exothermic, so an excess of nitric acid is used to act as a heat sink. The resulting adipic acid is then crystallized and centrifuged to purify and separate it from the rest of the processing stream. The target production of our process is 220,000 metric tons per year of adipic acid. CH2 - Synthesis of Formalin from Methanol Team Members: Joshua Gallegos, Maegan Oleson, Kailey Fuchs, Kyle Kovarek

Our objective in this project is to produce an aqueous solution of 37% weight formaldehyde by reacting methanol with oxygen via the mixed oxide catalyst process. Formalin is used as a preservative to embalm bodies in mortuaries and medical labs. It also has its uses in the food industry as a preservative, as well as in common household chemical products such as medicines, cosmetics, and cleaning chemicals. Our annual target production rate is 85,000 tons of product. The heterogenous catalysis reaction follows Langmuir-Hinshelwood Hougan Watson kinetics and will happen inside a packed bed reactor at 2.41 bar and 325 °C utilizing a mixed metal-oxide catalyst. The oxide catalyst contains molybdenum and iron oxide in a 1:2 ratio. After the reactor, the formaldehyde will enter an absorber operated in counter current mode where the bottoms stream will be an aqueous formaldehyde solution. To achieve a satisfactory conversion rate, we will be feeding the process with methanol at a rate of 24,000 tons per year. Our conversion of methanol to formaldehyde is close to 100%. CH3 - Urea from Carbon Dioxide and Ammonia Team Members: Victoria Carrion, Karla De la Cruz, Kattie Norment, Mario Olguin, Rubelin Torres

Urea from Carbon Dioxide and Ammonia is a very common production method that is widely used around the world. The main use of urea is in fertilizers, plastics, and various medical drugs. Our senior design group was tasked with developing a conceptual manufacturing plant to produce urea in a cost-efficient and realistic manner. We had set goals in terms of production and purity. We aimed to operate a manufacturing plant 363 days out of the year to produce 453,750 tons per year of urea, and a purity target of 99%, which we were able to reach. Thus, by using various subjects and techniques taught in our previous and current courses, our group was able to develop an Aspen Plus model to meet the technical aspect of our targets without any errors. In addition, by using knowledge in engineering economics and process safety theories we were able to perform an engineering cost analysis and a process safety analysis of our overall process design.

CH4 - Production of Ethylene Oxide from Ethylene and Oxygen Team Members: Tuan Nguyen, Luis Escobar, Jose Lopez, Raul Fuentes Jr

The commercial production of t-butanol by the oxidation of isobutane in a two-step reaction process was designed utilizing Aspen. Isobutane and oxygen were fed into a RCSTR to produce water and isobutylene as reaction intermediates, followed by a second RCSTR to produce t-butanol and C4 alkane/alkene by-products. T-butanol was separated from by-products with a flash separator for higher purity and vapor separation. The target production rate is 1 million pounds per year, an operating factor of 91.78%, and a 30-day shut down. Kinetic parameters were determined through linear regression from Microsoft Excel and UNIQUAC method was used in Aspen. The total bare module cost for the process is $13,586,600 and $6,479,200 for utilities. Through a fifteen year evaluation, the commercial production of t-butanol from isobutane is financially feasible.

CH5 - Removal of Elemental Sulfur from Hydrogen Sulfide Team Members: Matthew Treesh, Jenna Phillips, Gabriela Flores, Hailey Farias

Our objective for this project is to remove elemental sulfur from a hydrogen sulfide tail gas line utilizing the Claus process. Hydrogen sulfide is a by-product of processing natural gas and refining crude oils. Working with the Claus process, which is a chemical process which allows gaseous hydrogen sulfide to produce liquid sulfur, we can recover 92 to 98% of sulfur in the hydrogen sulfide to satisfy environmental requirements. This sulfur recovery unit begins with oxidizing the hydrogen sulfide to form sulfur dioxide, then hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide react and produce elemental sulfur. After the sulfur is condensed, the remaining hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide go on to the next step, where the catalytic reactors take place and more of the sulfur is recovered. This catalytic step takes place twice to ensure the 92 to 98% recovery. On average 200 MMSCFD of hydrogen sulfide is worked, resulting in 173928.65 kg/year of sulfur per year from a claus plant. We plan on running the Claus plant with an operating factor of 0.89 to account for maintenance required throughout the year. CH6 - Production of Acetone from Dehydrogenation of Isopropyl Alcohol Team Members: Edgar Olivares, Nick Sanchez, Michael Martinez, Dalton Palmer

The objective of this senior design project is to create a chemical process to produce high purity acetone from the dehydrogenation reaction of isopropyl alcohol (IPA). Dehydrogenation reaction consists of the separation of hydrogen from a molecule, in this case isopropyl alcohol, yielding two products in the reaction, acetone and hydrogen. The feed is an aqueous solution consisting of 0.65 mole fraction IPA and 0.35 mole fraction water with a mass flow rate of 111 million kilogram per year. The reactor being used is a plug flow reactor working as a shell and tube heat exchanger being heated by a molten salt stream with inside conditions of 500˚C and 3.3 bar. The effluent of the reaction shows 99.99% convergence of the IPA. The final product stream coming out of the fractional distillation column shows a product with 99.95% purity and a mass flow rate of 91.92 million kilograms per year. CH7 - Styrene Production Process from Ethylbenzene Team Members: Giselle Martinez, Juan Hernandez, Kevin Carmona, Oscar Gonzalez

The process of dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene to produce styrene has been one of the most important processes in the world. Styrene is the largest thermoplastic, allowing the chemical product to be in such high demand. It is used in applications for the following major markets: packaging, consumer/institutional goods, electrical/electronic goods, building/construction, furniture, industrial/machinery, and transportation. Furthermore, Aspen HYSYS V11 was utilized for the design project to generate, optimize, and perform the production of styrene. The feed consists of fresh ethylbenzene mixed with recycled ethylbenzene, water, then it is all mixed with superheated steam. The reaction is carried out through the steam reactor containing a catalyst, iron oxide. Wastewater,

hydrogen, benzene, toluene, and other impurities are leaving the plant along with our final product, styrene. The purity average of styrene is 99.90%, with this in mind it was decided to surpass the average purity rate to compete with the current market. As a result, the end goal was a success, and the design reached a production rate of approximately 103,000 metric tons per year of styrene with a 99.99% purity after various trials. Discussions will be made about other aspects throughout the project such as: sizing, project economics, safety hazards, sustainability, waste, and environmental control. CH8 - Synthesis of Ethylene Glycol from Ethylene Oxide and Water Team Members: Ruben Sanchez, Sidney Lopez, Rafael Solis, Gabriel Presas

Ethylene glycol is produced by a hydrolysis process. Before the final reaction can occur two other reactions must be performed that will work in series, one will form ethylene oxide from ethylene and oxygen while the other will take the ethylene oxide and react it with carbon dioxide forming ethylene carbonate. Finally the hydrolysis of ethylene carbonate will produce ethylene glycol. After the final reaction occurs and the desired products are formed, we use a series of flash separators to separate the components. The end result of the process yields 99.998 percent pure ethylene glycol. Throughout the process there are recycle streams that return unused material to a position to where it can be used to promote efficiency.

Civil Engineering CE1 - Mitlaa Road in Kuwait Team Members: Fahad Alenezi, Mohammad Aldhufairi, Salman Haidar, Fatma Hussain, Mariam Sheer

Kuwait is one of the countries where there is a low precipitation. However, there were roadway damages in 2018 causing from a very high precipitation that required a drainage system. This is the reason why Mitlaa road is chosen to include a new structural drainage network, because its surrounding area is under development without an old infrastructures built under it. The cost of building new storm runoff structures will be estimated. CE2 - New King’s Clinic Team Members: Julie Adams, Cydney Rodriguez, Danny Rodriguez, Diego Valdez, Joshua Wyland

For our group project we have decided to demolish the existing abandon hospital located at Cesar and 14th street in Kingsville, Texas. Replace it with our own clinic that will be named King’s Clinic. There will be 2 Floors and a basement. The 2nd floor will consist of ophthalmology, physical therapy, dental, and birthing classes. The 1st floor will be for general practice and the basement is where there will be storage units, ultra-sounds, x rays, etc. Reasoning for this project, to provide better health services to the public and university health care system while taking away an abandon location to improve the appearance and environmental safety of Kingsville. CE3 - 1853 Movie & Entertainment Plaza Team Members: Paul Fullen, Alejandro Manzano, Jacob Perez, Trey Rice

The overall intention of this project is to construct the structure we have been observing and planning to the finest detail to be completed within a timely manner and within the projected budget. We want to bring entertainment and economic growth within the city of Kingsville by constructing a movie & entertainment center for citizens of all ages. The year 1853 is the year that the King Ranch was founded and we thought it would be a great suit for the name since there is a lot of history within the City of Kingsville and the King Ranch. We are determined and prepared to fulfill the duties of the engineers and to make sure we create the structure within the parameters and above all make sure it is safe for customers to enjoy and have a fantastic time!

CE4 - TAMUK Baseball Field Team Members: Marco Estrada, Alyssa Guerrero, Cassandra Medina, Helue Patino, Johnathan Ramirez

The Nolan Ryan Field has had an ongoing problem with the drainage of water, creating a hazard to the athletes and their safety. Our goal is to provide a safer, more efficient field for the athletes. This will be done by installing a new drainage system and replacing the natural grass with artificial grass. To achieve the best results we will analyze the geotechnical properties of the field and the drainage pipes; to come to the best conclusion of what is causing the lack of drainage. In addition to fixing the drainage, we will also be rebuilding the commentary box as it is outdated and we would like to make it more inviting and attractive. The dugouts will also be rebuilt, the originals have been an ongoing problem because there is no restroom for the players. This issue has the players leaving the dugout to walk to the public restrooms. With this being said, a new dugout will be built with a private restroom inside. This will help with player efficiency; with not having to leave the dugout and miss parts of the game. Lastly we will also replace the scoreboard with an updated one to improve the visibility. CE5 - TAMUK Daycare Center Team Members: Devon Tiemann, Humberto Gutierrez, Saad M. Almee, Eid Alazemi

Our group seeks to present a project which will benefit both the comfort and safety of the public in the Kleberg county area. Our team of engineers propose the demolition, design, and reconstruction of the increasingly unsafe and quickly deteriorating Marc Cisneros Center for Young Children. Group M5 will provide engineering services for the design for a new childcare facility named after civil rights leader Bayard Rustin. The design will be one which has the efficacy to meet the needs of the public, cost-effective, and above all else safe. CE6 - Tecolote Trail Project Team Members: David Laurel, Joseph Lopez, Esteban Palacios, Evan Randolph, Sierra Tagle

Our major goal in this project is to design a walking trail inside of a park in the city of Alice, Texas. The drainage pattern of the land will be analyzed, and we will discuss any changes that may need to be made to address the issue. We will also have to analyze if the ground needs any earthwork done. Within the boundaries of the walking trail a playground and workout station will be designed. Specific locations for the construction of a trail, playground, workout station, grilling area, and restrooms will be determined. The park, including restrooms will be wheelchair accessible. CE7 - Improvement of Armstrong Street Team Members: Mohammad Alazemi, Zayed Almartaa, Naser Almee, Othmaan Alsaed, Salman Alshammari, Leanna Cavazos

This project aims to evaluate N. Armstrong Street by conducting a visual survey to determine the existing problems, as well as the street quality. The survey indicates that the street has many problems, those being cracks, deterioration, inadequate drainage systems, and the lack of signs, illuminations, shoulders, and sidewalks.

Throughout the duration of the project, our team proceeded to demonstrate the effects of each issue that the street faces, which is followed by the potential exacerbation to cause hazards and accidents. Throughout the project, we were able to indicated recommended solutions for each street problem in order to improve N. Armstrong Street. The runoff calculation and hydraulic design were found which would lead to solving the inadequate drainage issue; a trapezoidal gutter was designed with the dimensions of 15 inches by 20 inches by 5 inches along the street to accommodate the specific discharge rate. Finally, the proposed street cross section was composed using AutoCAD, which exhibits

all street components. The finalized projection of cost for the renovation of N. Armstrong Street was a total of $716, 272.72. CE8 - Housing Project Team Members: Cesar Bejar, Claire Chernosky, Isiah Collins, Israel Garcia, Natalie Rodriguez, Yousef Salem

This project reviews a proposal for a duplex complex project that would take place in the city of Kingsville, Texas. The aim is to illustrate the grounds of why the project would benefit the city of Kingsville and mostly students looking to forward their education at the university of Texas A&M Kingsville as the location of the project is stationed close to campus. Nonetheless it would also benefit citizens of the city of Kingsville interested to move, the site takes place in a private street where they are provided with privacy as the residence acts as a small gated community. The establishment has zero environmental issues and its design includes a drainage system to prevent any water to harm the structure of the projects in any way. The proposal includes all-in material rate and a projection of labor cost. The design of the project benefits its residents with a comfortable and modern place to live at an affordable price. CE9 - The Rehabilitation and Improvement of South Sage Road Team Members: Fahad Alazemi, Salam Alhadiah, Abdulla Alazemi, Abdulla Alenezi, Khaled Alenezi

This study outlines the number of reasons associated with the pavement distresses and lack of maintenance of the South Sage Road, under the jurisdiction of City of Kingsville, Texas. A pavement condition survey is performed to evaluate and to assess existing flexible asphalt pavement. It is observed and highlighted that fatigue cracking, alligator cracking and potholes are major distresses on the existing pavement. During visual inspection it is noticed that these major distresses due to excessive and repeated traffic loading, inadequate drainage and road safety furniture and lack of road maintenance. By keeping in view, the existing and future traffic loadings and existing pavement condition, an overlay of mix asphalt (HMA), which is strongly interlinked with the repair of surface cracks is recommended with a thickness of 2.5 Inches over an existing pavement structure. Curb Gutter should be constructed on both sides of road for proper surface water drainage and Pipe Culverts placed at built-areas should be properly cleaned and maintained on regular basis. Sufficient road safety furniture such as pavement marking, traffic signs and street lights should be installed for safety and proper guidance of road users. CE10 - Rehabilitation Proposal for Santa Gertrudis Street Team Members: Abdulwahab Alghurbah, Abdullah Alkteety, Abdulraman Alhadiah, Mohammad Almedej, Mohamad Alenezi

The rapid urban and population growth leads to an increase in the number of vehicles in the rural or suburban areas. The rural streets are designed based on a cutting-edge engineering prediction based on climate, hydrology, topography, and future traffic loading, but, the rainfall anomaly due to climate changes and urbanization creates pavement distresses after certain time; this is why checking the drainage efficacy is necessary. The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of a portion of Santa Gertrudis Street. Therefore, the methodology started by field inception to categorize distress and evaluate the street condition. The second step was checking the drainage efficiency using rational method to estimate the runoff. The third step was Flexible pavement design based the 1993 AASHTO Guide. And the final step was cost estimation based on the proposed solutions. The data in this study was collected from Kingsville, Texas, city-data website, Google Earth, and field inspection.

To sum up, this study recommends upgrading the gutter and fixing the current inlets, and adopting a new Pavement Thickness Design as following: the Base is 3”, Sub-base is 6’’; and Surface is 2’’. Consequently, the project estimated cost, based on the suggested solutions is $1,073,013.26. CE11 - Rehabilitation Proposal for West Avenue A Street Team Members: Awadh Alrashidi, Salem Alozainah, Abdulaziz Alqasaba, Basel Althafiri

The City of Kingsville is putting many efforts to promote walking for the residential areas; therefore it works on improving the walking conditions in terms of mobility and safety. Thus, this study aims to assess the current condition of West Avenue A Street, as well as to propose solutions to improve road performance based on an assessment of the current road condition in term of walkability, existing pavement, and drainage condition, which will result in extending the life of the pavement in addition to improving passenger mobility. In this study, data were obtained from different sources, including field inspection, Google Earth, and Kingsville, Texas, city-data website. Furthermore, the methodology involved several steps; the first step is on-site inspection, followed by identification of the disaster and possible solutions, finally the estimation of the maintenance cost. The proposed rehabilitation plan involved the following actions based on the aforementioned problems: Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavers (PICP), Pavement marking & signing, lighting, as well as adding a walk and bike lanes, consequently, the total cost for this proposed plan is approximately $2,193,107. CE12 - Improvement of Kleberg Park Team Members: Mariana Tommasi Correa, Doc Loiselle, Kristina Gutierrez, Zane Charbula, Nicole Easley, Larissa Sanchez Gonzalez

The main purpose of the project is to develop improvements to Kleberg Park, in Kingsville, TX. The major aspects of it are to add a walking trail on the surroundings of the park, design parking lots for the different facilities, and re-design the layout of the fields to better accommodate the community needs. The soccer, baseball, and softball fields will be renovated, and new football fields, basketball, and beach volleyball courts will be implemented. The park will also be made accessible for people with disabilities, as per request of the community. Moreover, the group will be running drainage, foundation, geotechnical, and structural calculations to keep the park sustainable. CE13 - Boat Dealership Team Members: Christian Buruato, Adolfo Aguilar, Crystal Herrera, Alan Montemayor-Garza, Jose Ramirez, Juan Villatoro

Our team will begin designing a boat dealership in Kingsville Texas. We will need approximately five acres of land that is near Highway 77 that has good visibility and that is easily accessible to the public. We will design a drainage system that will benefit our property as well as neighboring lands to avoid conflict. This team will calculate the cost estimation to design and construct the boats facilities, offices, and parking lot. Kingsville is located between two areas where fishing is a great attraction so having the idea of a Boat Dealership will excel in Kingsville.

Computer Science CS1 - Space Launch Tracker: A Mobile Application Team Members: Chitrang Desai, Diego Reyes

Space launches are becoming more popular, however launch information resources are very limited. The current resources are relatively new, organization specific or inform the user once the launch is happening or after it has happened. This multi-platform mobile application will solve these problems through an intuitive user interface (UI) design that keeps the user informed with the latest

organization launches, while retaining native application performance. Flutter, a cross-platform development tool, facilitated the development of this multi-platform application with a single code base, for Android and iOS, while maintaining native performance. Three Firebase services, which is a mobile application development platform, were used; Firebase’s Authentication provided user account functionality, Cloud Firestore Database provided launch information storage, with real-time updates and Cloud Messaging provided push notification capabilities. Material Design, a design language, allowed for a simple yet informative and expressive UI that does not overwhelm the user. The combination of these technologies resulted in a responsive, easy to use application that informs the user about current space launches and keeps them updated with relative and up to date launch information. CS2 - Checkin: Animal Care App Team Members: Abraham Solis, Daniel Rodriguez, Genaro Cantu

Checkin: Animal Care App aims to increase the quality of life of pets by providing pet owners a hub that centralizes various pet care responsibilities. The app uses Google Cloud’s Firebase to power its back-end services, allowing users to see changes done to the database in real-time. Checkin presents a list of the user’s pets, updatable tasks, and a completed tasks log, all displayed on a dashboard. Another significant feature of Checkin consists of the ability to manage and track pet-care responsibilities collaboratively with friends or family via Groups. To promote usability for a broad user base, ease of use was prioritized in designing the app’s graphical interface. Checkin was built using the React Native framework, enabling for its release on both Android and iOS platforms while maintaining only one codebase. CS3 - Virtual Reality/Computer Vision for Occupational Therapy Team Members: Rafael Amaro, Jacob Carrillo, Tyler Hennig, Kora Lopez

The objective of this project is to alleviate occupational therapists from performing one of their routine evaluations on patients. This evaluation traditionally uses a goniometer to measure the patients’ range of motion for various body parts. The scope of this project includes utilizing the motion control and computer vision features of the Oculus Quest 2, along with HTC base stations and trackers, and Unity. Our team has created a virtual environment where the evaluation can be performed, with modifications for disabled patients. The project’s result grants patients the ability to perform the evaluation without constant medical supervision, allowing occupational therapists to oversee other responsibilities. CS4 - LMS Connect: An Ease of Life Discord Bot for Everyday Canvas Use Team Members: Nickolas Rodriguez, Adam Pena, Jeremiah Garcia, Alec Villarreal, Ricky Okwara

Today’s educational institutes have greatly grown their influence online to engage with their students. This trend will continue as distance learning becomes more necessary as we’ve seen during this pandemic. We want to help them connect. Learning Management System Connect or LMS Connect for short, is a collaboration tool that utilizes the popular communication software Discord to interface with a Learning Management System. The purpose of this product is to fill a role left vacant by many LMS services, with an ease-of-life tool that integrates with modern day products. LMS services such as Canvas and Blackboard rely on users to become accustomed to their tools and methods of collaboration rather than utilizing other specialty-made software many have been introduced to and already have in place such as Skype, Line Chat, Discord, etc… We, Team NAJAR, plan to solve this issue by integrating a bridge between Discord and Canvas with our own bot, LMS Connect. Using LMS Connect within the Discord environment allows students the ability to download posted homework, assignments, and lecture notes as well as receive notifications. Discord’s built in video calls, screen share, VoIP, instant messaging, and digital distribution allows for quick and easy group sessions. By connecting both of these

elements together, we see an opportunity to create an environment for students that keeps them engaged and encourages collaboration. CS5 - Nucky’s Progressive Web Application Team Members: Daniel Navarro, David Posada, Yliana Gonzalez

The purpose of this project is to design and maintain a progressive web application for the local business, Nucky’s Cocktail Bar. A progressive web application is a website that acts as a native application and provides functionality not available to normal websites. This application allows Nucky’s to engage directly with customers in the digital space as well as increase the advertisement and sales of the business. Our team has designed a cross-platform application that is supported on IOS, Android, and the Web and will include features such as mobile ordering, reward tracking, and event notifications. Customers can access the website — www.nuckyskingville.com — and use the application within their web browser or choose to download it directly to their device. Through the application, the user can log in or sign up via email, explore the menu options, and add items to the cart. Once the order is satisfactory, the user will enter their credit card information and place the order. An order confirmation will then be given with an estimated pick-up time. This application is built to increase the sales and productivity of Nucky’s Cocktail Bar and will be used immensely for years to come. CS6 - FindMyCart Team Members: Sergio Salazar, Fernando Varela, Manuel Navarro

Shopping at a big retail store can be a hassle when a desired item cannot be found, or it can get tiring going through the same aisle three times to get other items that weren’t grabbed the first two times. The main purpose of our mobile Android application – FindMyCart - is to calculate the shortest route and display the shortest path through a supermarket. This app will ensure that a customer will get to the wanted products faster and shop more efficiently. Current retail store applications label in which aisle an item is, but this information will have to be looked up for each item. FindMyCart works to help relieve some of these issues by allowing a customer to create a shopping cart with all the items he/she wishes to pick up. Once a customer's cart has been created, all items are sorted by aisle allowing them to grab all of their items from each aisle the first time around. It will also provide customers with a general location of the item to better guide them in finding it quickly. The main goal behind FindMyCart is to allow customers to quickly and efficiently get into a store, locate and pick up all of their items, and leave.

Electrical Engineering EE1 - Complete Face Mask with Bluetooth Capabilities Team Members: Devin Shrier, Xavier Hernandez, Jakob Guerrero

With the rise of the COVID 19 pandemic over the past year, it was obvious that reusable personal protective equipment (PPE) would be essential in the ongoing fight against all easily transmitted diseases. Knowing that viruses can be contracted through eyes-nose, hands-eyes, fecal-oral, and eyes-oral contact, a smart face mask that covered the whole face is the solution we decided to work on. This mask would incorporate three Sharp GP2Y0A02YK0F IR sensors to detect people to the sides and behind the user and alert them with dimming LED lights. To avoid potential communication issues, it will also be equipped with an electret condenser microphone and an A38K ½” Mylar Cone Full-range speaker in the mouth area to enhance the user’s voice. The microphone will also have the option of being toggled to a detachable earpiece speaker that will be connected to the Bluetooth on the Raspberry Pi Model 4B microcontroller that will power and control all electrical components on the mask.

EE2 - Solar-Powered Golf Cart Team Members: Carlos Gutierrez, Adam Foust, Michael Martinez

This senior project converts a 48-volt DC-powered golf cart into a solar-powered alternative. This decision was made to strengthen our knowledge in the renewable energy sector of electrical engineering as well as to gain an overall deeper understanding of important principles within the field. We will be using various software programs such as MATLAB for controller, power, and wiring design along with studying our solar grid under different levels of solar radiation and at different weather conditions, and AutoCAD models for clearer visualization and preplanning, both of which leading to the final conversion of the golf cart’s electrical system. The intended results are the complete conversion of the golf cart into a solar-powered golf cart, from software design to physical implementation. These types of results will be verified by analyzing how well the new system responds to various types of solar conditions, charge rate, and overall system efficiency. EE3 - Solar-Powered Charging Station Team Members: Christian Puente, David Barajas, James Inkster

This project is intended to explore and analyze potential renewable energy solutions for use on college campuses and universities by using solar energy to charge mobile devices for students and faculty. The first element that was designed was a custom adjustable stand on which the solar panels and electrical configuration could rest. The stand needed to accommodate four solar panels, one facing north, one south, one east, and one west. Since the angle of the sun varies depending on the time of year and the geographical location, the stand also needed to be adjustable for testing and gathering data in order to determine which angles were most efficient for a particular time and place. Once the stand was built, data was gathered from the solar panels for analysis. Further recommendations were then considered for any future iteration of such a project.

EE4 - Smart Dog Kennel Team Members: Joseph Mirabal, Mathew Hernandez, Matthew Vega, Zacharias Davis

The purpose of this project is to provide dog owners a simpler way of releasing their dog from its kennel and locking the dog back up. Using solar panels to charge a rechargeable battery that powers the system, the dog kennel can be automatically opened from a distance using a button clicker or from the keypad on the kennel. The clicker allows for the owner to be anywhere in their house and with the click of a button, able to release their dog from its cage without having to go to the cage and manually do it. The keypad provides a manual override in the event that the clicker fails. Once opened, the cage will remain open and automatically close after either the sensors that have been placed within the kennel sense the dog has returned, or the other button on the clicker has been pressed. With these tools, a dog owner will no longer have to use their time walking to a kennel to release their dog and can rather do it from the comfort of their couch or wherever else they may be within their home.

EE5 - Mobile Smart Toolbox Team Members: Albert Bear, Alberto Martinez, Erich Monjaras, Jesse Flores, Jacob Martinez

The Mobile Smart Toolbox’s purpose is to increase the efficiency of people. This will be accomplished by reducing the need of another set of hands. Now, instead of having to physically look through a toolbox or asking another person to look for the desired tool, the worker is now able to push an icon on a screen to retrieve the desired tool. The Mobile Smart Toolbox will then send an electrical signal that will cause a motor to spin and mechanically release the tool to be dropped into a receptacle where the worker will then retrieve the tool. After the tool is no longer needed, the worker could put the tool back into another receptacle that will return the tool to the proper location where it will wait until it is requested for use again. This process will reduce the probability of a tool being misplaced while

also promoting safety. Additionally, this will also reduce the number of tools that will be left lying around which could potentially cause someone harm or injury. EE6 - Smart Grid Technology Showcase Design Team Members: Travis Roell, Jerry Neal

The smart grid technology showcase design models a grid that uses renewable power and smart grid technologies. Many operations of smart grid technologies go unnoticed by the public and this demonstration aims to inform and model how the smart technologies operate. Renewable power, such as solar, is another technology that is not commonly understood. By creating an interactive model these technologies can be explored in different scenarios. Scenarios that are possible are changing the angle of incidence of the solar panel, controlling the placement of light, and increasing power demand on the load. The project is on a custom-built rolling table that holds all the parts of the system. This portable model hopefully increases further adoption of these efficient grid-stabilization technologies. EE7 - Smart Parking Lot Team Members: Paul Isibor, Ruben Casas, Victor Campos

The purpose of this project is to provide a solution to the inconvenience of finding a parking space. Most vehicle owners can relate to not having enough time to find a parking space and ending up being late to a meeting, event, etc. Our system would provide a solution to this perplexing circumstance that has been getting worse as the number of cars on the road continues to increase. This will be achieved by using sensors to tell where, and if, a parking space is available. As consumers/users approach the parking lot entrance they are made aware of the spaces available, if any, and our system will adjust in real time. Driving around a parking lot hoping to find a parking space is a waste of time and is clearly inefficient. People continue to do so believing there is no alternative, with our system there would be a functioning alternative to save people time in a parking lot.

Environmental Engineering EV1 - Banquete Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvement Project Team Members: Jodi Swaenepoel, Alberto Aguirre, Andrea Gonzales, Brett Perez

The Banquete Wastewater Treatment Plant is facing severe infiltration and inflow (I/I) issues in its sewer system. This is caused by the outdated, cracking pipes and lack of storage at the plant. As Banquete’s population grows, the outdated plant has experienced problems with their old machinery and violations as regulations update throughout the years. The plant treats 50,000 to 100,000 gallons per day (GPD), but during rain events the plant must treat roughly 300,000 GPD exceeding their capacity of 100,000 GPD. When the plant reaches capacity, it shuts down. This project focused on design alternatives to improve the wastewater treatment plant and its sewer line system performance. The team conducted a smoke test on different manholes throughout the city to detect the locations along the sewer lines where smoke came out, indicating either the sewer pipes would need to be replaced or the manholes need to be repaired to eliminate the I/I issue. The design work focused on the replacement or rehabilitate the sewer lines and creating a new retention pond to allow additional storage capacity and regulate the plant outflow to the receiving creek between wet and dry periods. A five-year two-phase capital improvement plan to Outline the design options and cost estimation for construction and maintenance is recommended for the city to consider.

Mechanical Engineering ME1 - New HVAC System for J.K. Northway Event Center Team Members: Cyle Hubbard, Melva Castillo, George Lazaro, Esteban Lopez, Philip Kolodziejczyk, Eduardo Pena

The purpose of this PowerPoint is to present and discuss the type of project performed by the senior engineering design team. A complete analysis of the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) System was implemented to determine the necessary improvements that were required to upgrade the existing HVAC system to meet current health and industry code requirements. The design methodology will be discussed, beginning with the design problem related to the existing conditions of the building envelope as it relates to the environment of the building including the resistance to air, heat, light and noise transfer. A comprehensive study and calculations were conducted by the senior engineering students on the JK Northway building structure with the goal to improve the energy efficiency of the facility and identify the most appropriate energy conservation measures and HVAC equipment. The study was completed by utilizing design guidelines set forth by ASHRAE while complying with local municipality approved code standards. The senior design team will illustrate how these techniques were utilized to improve the teams’ understanding of different airflows, duct designs, temperature and humidity distribution within the building envelope and HVAC systems. ME2 - Boiler Design for Process Steam Team Members: Talal Alshehri, Sidney Freeborn, Mariah Jimenez, Jose Gonzalez, Alec Lewis, Clark Underwood

Saturated steam created by a water-tube boiler may be used as an energy source for typical chemical processes as well as other industrial heating needs. Boilers provide the means to create steam energy from condensate by radiant, conductive, and convective heat transfer. The steam property requirements are essential for the particular chemical or industrial process. Our boiler design will be able to deliver a steam output of 400 boiler horsepower at 10 atm and 184°C, equivalent to 6-ton steam per hour capacity. Our design will focus on the furnace materials, configuration of steam riser tubes (mud drum, steam drum, etc.) to maximize efficiency. The optimal design will be confirmed with the following calculations: A mass and thermal analysis of the fluid flow through the boiler system and selection of appurtenances such as feedwater pump, burner, insulation, controls, etc. ME3 - Continuously Variable Transmission for Electric Valve Actuator (Masterflo Inc.) Team Members: Reymundo Chapa, Jeremiah Davila, Garrett Hill, Johan Martinez, Jeffrey Smith, William Smith

In the petrochemical industry, valves often require additional torque to open and close as they age. In collaboration with Master Flo Inc., Houston, Texas, we designed and prototyped a continuously variable transmission (CVT) for an electric valve actuator to remediate this problem. The actuator provided (by Master Flo Inc., courtesy Mr. Jason Wipf) for the CVT is a TorquePlus electric actuator. With a CVT, rather than a fixed geared system, the operator will be able to easily adjust the gear ratio without having to shut down the system to replace or adjust the gear pack. A big benefit of our CVT is that it allows the operator to adjust the torque and speed outputs as the power input changes. We considered several CVT arrangements and decided on a belt and pulley type. Our CVT has a maximum output torque of 910 in-lbs, a maximum output speed of 4.22 RPM,and has the same lifetime expectancy as the control valve. After deciding the CVT type, design calculations, finite element analyses, and optimization ensued. Each part was selected by size constraints and factor of safety (stress) calculations. After sizes were selected, SolidWorks models were made and a rapid prototype was 3D printed.

ME4 - Design and Fabrication of a Jet Turbine Team Members: Gunner Chapa, Anthony Alvarez, Dante Cantu, Juarez Medina, Heet Joshi, Jassim Alrashidi

Turbojet engines are the pinnacle of successful engineering design work; they have revolutionized air travel and made way for future aircraft advancement. We propose to design and fabricate a jet engine capable of 70 net pounds of thrust. Our project is based on the Brayton Thermodynamic Cycle; therefore, calculations and simulations will build upon that foundation. It states that turbojet/piston engines work by mixing compressed air with fuel creating combustion, which results in expanding gases doing useful work. Typical jet engines have a turbine section that drives a compressor section thereby creating the pressure ratio necessary for the efficient operation of any heat engine. However, in our system, we replace these two primary sections with an integral “turbocharger” (compressor and turbine in one system) from a diesel engine. Our focus will then be to design and optimize the combustion chamber, fuel delivery system, and other appurtenances. ME5 - Active Sweeping Wings Team Members: Caleb Nash, Josephine Portier, Cameron Melcher, Adolfo Martinez, Kevin Morin

This project seeks to build on the existing research done by TAMUK graduate MEEN student Ms. Velda Soydas [1] by developing an active sweeping wing that can sweep backwards during flight. The purpose of the sweep is to increase the effectiveness of the wing by decreasing the drag force present on the wing. Fixed swept wings increase the speed of aircraft but sacrifice lift in the process, necessitating the need for high liftoff speeds and fuel inefficiency. Actively sweeping the wings allows the aircraft to increase lift during liftoff and then increase speed during flight. This is done through two processes: the onset of the waves in front of the wings are delayed and so the critical Mach number is increased, and the surface area of the wing is decreased. This allows the aircraft to reap the benefits of the swept wings without the cons. This project covers the selection and modeling of a wing that is then submitted to flow simulations. A prototype will then be constructed to show the sweeping motion and the unique pivoting structure. ME6 - Origami Inspired Solar Array for a Large Spacecraft Team Members: David Balderas, Aaron Rocha, Ricardo Cuellar, Lesly Carreon, Mauricio Fernandez

The main objective of this project is to design and construct a working scaled prototype of an origami-inspired large solar array. The scope of this project is primarily based on the solar array deployment mechanism. The large solar array is expected to produce 150 kW which will be achieved through the array’s surface area of approximately 475 m^2. The array will be designed as a four-sided origami flasher which will be deployed using a motor-driven truss. In addition, the solar array will be designed to fit in the payload bay of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket; therefore, the team will ensure that the retracted array including the kinematic structure are sized accordingly. The scaled prototype will be mostly 3-D printed and used to test the deployment system's functionality. The components discussed in this report include the array’s solar panels, flexible membrane, kinematic structure, and all their respective components. ME7 - Optimizing Drilling Efficiency and Reducing Connection Times by Combining the Slips and Lower Tong Team Members: Moaath Alenezi, Raymond Borjon, Hayley Cook, Christian Grimes, Johnathon Harper, Samuel Longoria

The oilwell drilling process has evolved over a period of 100+ years. Even though the drilling efficiency has vastly improved over the years, more work in this regard can still be done. Because drilling

is such a costly venture, it has become imperative to improve efficiency and safety standards. We propose to design a device whereby efficiency and safety are both improved. We studied different aspects of the drilling process in depth and found that connecting drill pipe is an outdated process that manifests itself in grueling manual labor and as a primary factor in drilling down time. Furthermore, by studying existing robotics and the manual processes currently in the oilfield today, we propose to develop a cost effective and efficient process that will save rig time and therefore money. Specifically, we will be designing a singular device that will act as both the slips and the lower tongs. The tong/slips combination will be integrated into the rotary table with the intent to minimize drill pipe connection time. ME8 - Ferrofluid Heat Exchanger for CPU Cooling Team Members: Rodrigo Guerra, Ashjan Ghanem, Roberto Villanueva, Ahlam Ghanem

Modern integrated circuits like central processing units (CPUs) convert electrical energy into waste heat at a 1:1 ratio. A transistor junction of 5 nanometers is present in high end CPUs packing billions of transistors onto a single chip. These create large heat flux spikes that can damage integrated circuits and degrade them over the course of their operational lifetime. This project seeks to design a heat exchanger that employs the inherent advantages present in nanofluids. By combining a body of experimental research data on nanofluids, we conservatively approximate the operating parameters in a proof of concept. Using ferro-magnetic nanoparticles in a base fluid, we can electromagnetically pump our nanofluid improving reliability and cooling performance. An optimized prototype design based on ferrofluid magnetic susceptibility as a function of temperature, flow rate, heat transfer, and thermodynamic assumptions is drafted. We apply a factor of safety to provide additional operational assurances.

Natural Gas Engineering NG1 - How Drilling Directional Tools Help to Optimize Well Spacing in the Eagle Ford Shale Team Members: Jose Davila III, Steven Flores, Ernesto Perez, Leonel Sarmiento-Castro

When the first wells were drilled in the Eagle Ford area in 2008, optimal well spacing was not a major concern. Operators at this time were trying to understand the geology and reservoir characteristics of the rock. Especially focusing on the porosity, permeability and fracture characteristics. As the area became more highly sought after, geologists, geophysicists and reservoir engineers were in a race to quickly trying to understand core samples, seismic data and offset well log information. Well spacing design in unconventional plays such as the Eagle Ford mainly relies on two factors, completion design and reservoir deliverability. Wellbore communication can lead to lower performance of the hydraulic fracturing operation, lower recovery of hydrocarbons and cross flow contamination between wells. Finding the ideal and most efficient well spacing to produce these wells has been an ongoing process. Recent advancements in directional technology and completion designs have helped the ability to produce reservoirs and maximize the production rate per unit area. NG2 - Sizing of Horizontal Separators of Surface Facilities for Moderate Production Wells Team Members: Benson Akingboye, Albert Alaniz, Bernabe Ibarra, Richard Lopez

The activities of finding and producing petroleum can impact the environment we live immensely with greatest risk imposed by waste release in high concentrations that are not naturally found. The risk can be significantly reduced or eliminated through the implementation of proper waste management and a clear understanding of the complex issues facing the upstream petroleum industry. The safety aspect of surface facilities is of extreme importance. Removing hydrogen sulfide and stabilizing the oil for storage and transportation are crucial in maintaining a safe environment. The

surface production facilities focus on separation of oil, gas, and water phases and uses several types of separators to accomplish this requirement. This report will focus on the methodology, constraints, and standards of the horizontal separator along with well facility data, such as flowrate that will help determine the economic impacts and cost analysis. Further review will be investigated upon the limitations and design of the horizontal separator since the design is one of the most crucial aspects to continuous growth and success of the oil and gas industry. With engineering standards and data received from Enverus, calculations will help to design the most efficient horizontal separator for the facility. NG3 - Vapor Recovery System on a Crude Oil Tank Battery Team Members: Jose Hernandez Dominguez, Juan Ortiz, Carlos Rodarte, Marco Torres

In the petroleum industry, crude oil storage tanks are used to stabilize oil quality and flow between production wells and pipeline sites. As a result of change of pressure and temperature in the tanks, the light hydrocarbons will vaporize and occupy the space between the liquid and the roof of the tank. When these gases are released into the atmosphere by venting and flaring, they produce emissions of greenhouse gases and some unburned liquid hydrocarbon particles. The main goal of this project is to demonstrate the potential economic and environmental benefits of installing a vapor recovery unit (VRU). The installation of a VRU system on a crude oil storage tank battery will reduce venting and flaring significantly. Vapor recovery units are systems designed to collect about 95% of the Btu-rich vapors released from the storage tanks to sell it or use it on site as fuel. The design problem is performed manually with excel and with Aspen HYSYS software to compute the expected vapor volume to be recovered from the storage tanks.