uglab retreat 2008

7/28/2019 UGlab Retreat 2008

1/15

Sustainable Engineering as the Themefor Undergraduate Laboratories

in Chemical Engineering

Planning to update the undergraduate lab curriculumto use energy and environmental sustainabilityproblems as examples.

Goals are:

to enhance the laboratory experience for thestudents

to better prepare them to use the tools of theChemical Engineering discipline to addressaspects of major societal challenges.

To this effect, we will be upgrading equipment toenable adding and revising experiments and projects

for the classes.


2/15

Objectives of Undergraduate EngineeringLaboratories Identified by ABET

Instrumentation: Use appropriate instrumentation and/or software to measurephysical quantities

Models: Identify the strengths and limitations of theoretical models

Experiment: Devise and implement an experimental approach to characterize anengineering material, component, or system

Data Analysis: Demonstrate ability to collect, analyze, and interpret data

Design: Design, build, or assemble a product meeting specific requirements

Learn from Failure: Identify sources of failure and re-engineer effective solutions

Creativity: Demonstrate creative capability in problem solving

Psychomotor: Demonstrate competence in using appropriate engineering tools

Safety: Identify health, safety, and environmental issues related to technologicalprocesses and deal with them responsibly

Communication: Communicate effectively both orally and in writing

Teamwork: Work effectively in teams to meet deadlines and deliverables

Ethics in the Laboratory: Maintain high ethical standards and integrity

Sensory Awareness: Use human senses to gather information and make sound

engineering judgments


3/15

New Sustainability Objective

We believe that a new objective is needed:

Sustainability: Consider the environmental, economic, and social implications ofengineering decisions. Evaluate alternatives to create more sustainable productsand processes.

Why is this needed?

Sustainability extends beyond safety

Engineers work in a world of expensive energy and raw materials Technological decisions must be made considering broad impacts

Companies are increasingly considering triple bottom line: economics,environmental impact, and societal impact

Why teach this in the laboratory?

Experiential learning experiences have the longest lived impact

Laboratory experiments by nature are multidisciplinary

Why at University of Rochester?

We want to take the lead nationwide in sustainability education

We want to integrate our efforts with related efforts in sustainability across campus


4/15

Specific Teaching Goals

Focus on environmental sustainabilityconcepts in chemical processes: Renewable fuels

Renewable feedstocks

Waste minimization

Energy efficiency

Our efforts in teaching sustainability must

enhance, not supplant teaching the coreChemical Engineering discipline


5/15

Experiments Particularly TargetingSustainability

biodiesel synthesis (objectives: explorerenewable feedstocks while teaching reactionengineering)

methanogenesis (objectives: explore renewablefeedstocks while teaching reaction engineering)

fuel cell performance (learn how a fuel cellworks/relate to hydrogen production whileteaching reaction kinetics and thermodynamics)

electrochemical solar cell(objectives: evaluate arenewable energy technology, while teachingmaterials/processing engineering)


6/15


tubular catalytic reactor(objectives: evaluate ameans of mitigating pollutant emissions, whileteaching reactor engineering)

ethanol distillation (objectives: evaluate energyusage of distillation/relate to biofuels production,while teaching separations)

CO2 absorption (objectives: attempt to evaluatecost/benefit by relating to CO2 sequestrationwhile teaching separations and thermodynamics)

membrane separation (objectives: evaluatemembrane performance, while teachingseparations engineering)


7/15


pervaporation (objectives: evaluate thecost/environmental savings of pervaporationtechnologies, while teaching separationsengineering)

Geothermal pilot experiment(objectives: explorerenewable energy production while teaching heattransfer and mass transfer)


8/15


pervaporation (objectives: evaluate thecost/environmental savings of pervaporationtechnologies, while teaching separationsengineering)

Geothermal pilot experiment(objectives: explorerenewable energy production while teaching heattransfer and mass transfer)


9/15

Estimated Costs and UtilitiesRequired


10/15

Estimated Costs and UtilitiesRequired


11/15

Proposed New Floorplan forGavett 119


12/15

Gavett 119 Northwest Wall

Proposed location of new 38' bench with full sink.


13/15

Gavett 119 Southeast Wall

Proposed location of three new fume hoods.


14/15

Gavett 119 Central Area

Proposed location of three parallel 14' double benches.


15/15

Latest Gavett 119Renovation News

Recent meeting with Paul Spaulding who isworking on cost estimates...soon to receive?

Air handling will be a significantexpense

Project may possibly be done in stages Unfortunately, air handling is needed first

Difficult/impossible to find donors or grants for airhandling and utilities (The Tom Golisano AirHandler plaque?)

uglab retreat 2008

Documents