2003-2 spring newsletter - College of Engineering

CHEMICAL
ENGINEERING
NEWS
Vol. 3, Issue 1
Spring, 2003
Research into the Rheology of Complex Fluids at UT
has long been of interest to
industry and has a long
history of research.
Unfortunately, modeling these
materials is quite complicated
and models for these
materials have long been
inadequate to the task, forcing
engineers to resort to trialand-error design procedures.
Dr. David Keffer
Processing of complex fluids is
a huge problem in the polymer
industry. These materials
exhibit very different
properties from simple fluids,
like water, and turning raw
polymers into a finished
product is a difficult and timeconsuming problem. These
fluids experience huge stress
build-ups during flow, and this
affects their material properties
as they flow down a pipe and
are subsequently molded into a
useful product. Furthermore,
the orienting effects of their
processing histories greatly
influence the mechanical
properties of the end product.
Thus, understanding the flow
properties of these materials
Although it is tacitly
understood that polymer
solutions, melts and blends
exhibit a spectrum of
applied flow fields is expected.
An alternative class of models,
in either integral or differential
form, does incorporate multiple
relaxation modes, but it treats
the relaxation modes as
uncoupled; i.e., the various
modes have no effect on each
other. Qualitatively, not to
mention quantitatively, these
models show little
improvement over their singlemode counterparts.
continued on page 8
In this edition:
Department Head’s
Corner --------------------- 2
Curriculum New --------- 3
Departrment Update ----- 4
The Editor’s Page --------- 5
Alumni News ------------- 6
Dr. Brian Edwards
relaxation times in simple
experiments most models for
these materials quantify only
one, or at best two, relaxation
modes. Thus, the fact that
these models fail to describe
the rheological properties of
these materials in most
Contributors -------------- 7
Contributors -------------- 8
Pictures -------------------- 9
Personal Experience --- 10
Photos -------------------- 11
◗ ◗ ◗ Chemical Engineering News
Department Head’s Corner
by Dr. John Collier
Notes from the
Department Head
To Alumni and Friends,
Many of you are aware of the
budget problems in the State of
Tennessee, and the necessity of
a nine percent reduction in the
budget for the higher education
systems in the state for the next
academic year and a prorated
reduction for the remainder of
this academic year. Our provost
has pledged to protect the
academic areas as much as
possible, which of course is
appreciated. At this writing we
do not know what the effect will
be on the department. However,
we are continuing with exciting
developments in the department
and college. If you would like
one of us to visit you when we
may be at a conference in your
area, please, let us know and we
will keep a database and then let
you know when we could visit.
Fortunately, with our research
grants we will still be able to
travel some.
The Chemical Engineering
Department tied for the highest
pass rate on the Professional
Engineers Fundamentals Exam
(FE) in the college and had the
highest percentage of our
graduating seniors participating.
As a result, a $35,000 grant from
the Architectural Engineering
Professional
Society in
Tennessee, given to the college
in recognition of performance in
the FE exam, was awarded to
ChE. The award had to be used
for something proposed by the
department and approved by the
society, and it is being used to
develop a state of the art video
conferencing and web based
course facility in the department.
This facility that is compatible
with both video conferencing
protocols will complement our
current effort on web based
instruction and use of smart
boards in all of our engineering
classrooms.
The department, using technology
fees, funded and now has up and
running an eight node, 16processor Beowulf, expandable
cluster of computers that are under
the supervision of Drs. David
Keffer and Brian Edwards. The
intent and use are for our courses
and for both atomistic and
molecular modeling research. Dr.
Keffer has incorporated parallel
processing based atomistic
modeling to predict diffusivities,
etc., using this system into our
second semester core graduate
courses and for other calculations
in our junior level applied math
2
Dr. John R. Collier
course. He also gave a workshop
recently, using the system, on
parallel processing for some of the
researchers in ChE and those we
interact with at ORNL. The
hardware for this system will be
upgraded in the near future to be
more user friendly and efficient.
In order to encourage our students
to have international experiences
the department has added another
alternate senior unit operations
laboratory involvement. This is a
hands-on whiskey making class on
the island of Islay in Scotland.
Four chemical engineering
students will join me at the
Bruichladdich Distillery for this
two week course, June 2 through
13, and they are encouraged to
spend time in Europe before, after
or both. Two alumni have
graciously contributed specifically
to this course and I am paying my
own expenses and not taking pay
for offering the course, so that the
students can afford to go and
receive credit for it. This was
originally planned as a three credit
laboratory course for which the
faculty would give a series of
continued on page 5
Chemical Engineering News ◗ ◗ ◗
Curriculum News
Design Internship in Industrial Pollution Prevention (ChE 488)
Three design teams completed projects during Spring Semester 2003. The corporate sponsors were DuPont
and Eastman Chemicals. All design teams were involved in conceptual design investigations.
Spring projects were: (1) Selection of Vacuum Technology for Process Applications with industrial advisors,
John Poinsatte, Alison Hamby and Rita W. Heckrotte of the DuPont Chattanooga Plant; (2) Organic
Chemical Recovery from Aqueous Waste Streams, with industrial advisors, Beth Alderson and Wesley Moyer
of Eastman Chemical Company in Kingsport, Tennessee; (3 )Recovery of Boron from Wastewater, with
industrial advisor Gary Gist of DuPont’s Victoria Plant in Victoria, Texas. All projects culminated in a
presentation to the industrial sponsor and preparation of a reviewed final report. Academic advisors were
Professors Robert (Pete) Counce and John Holmes (emeritus). Samuel Morton III, a UT Ph.D. student in
ChE, served as academic advisor for the project with DuPont’s Chattanooga Plant.
Spring 2003 teams included 12 undergraduate students and one graduate student from Industrial Health and
Safety*. Liaison with DuPont is provided by Ronald A. Reimer of the Sabine River Laboratory and Rita W.
Heckrotte of the Chattanooga Plant. Liaison with Eastman Chemical Company is provided by Beth Alderson.
Project advisors and student team members are presented below.
Spons ors
DuPont
Chattanooga Plant
Eastman Chemical Co.
DuPont
Victoria Plant
Advis ors
Te am M e mbe rs
Indus trial
Acade mic
John Poinsatte
Alison Hamby
Rita W. Heckrotte
S.A. Morton III
Josh Booher
Christy Blevins
Elizabeth Peeler
Larry Spencer
Joy Watson
Beth Alderson
Wesley Moyer
R.M. Counce
J.M. Holmes
Jared Fern
Shawn Genung
Boris Hromis
Mark Luptak
Gary Gist
R.M. Counce
Brandon Viars*
Deniz O cak
Travis Gott
Thomas Peterson
3
◗ ◗ ◗ Chemical Engineering News
Department Update
News on Faculty, Staff and Students
GRADUATES
Summer 2002
B.S.
Nathaniel R. Fout
Steven R. Inabinet
Amanda N. Schramm
M.S.
Spring 2002
B.S.
Debra L. Veach
We wish to extend an apology
to Ms. Debra L. Veach for
omitting her name from the
Spring 2002 graduation list.
Alison N. Davis
Jiandong Zhou
David and Lynn Keffer welcomed Ruth Marie
to their family on November 11, 2002.
Ruth arrived at 2:11 pm weighing 5 pounds, 13
ounces and 19 inches long.
Fall 2002
B.S.
Nicole M. Cavalcanti
Derrick A. Fuller
Khoa Cam Hoang
Fredrick J. Hopf
Rodney L. Sims
Cristi J. Tate
Christopher K. Welder
Whitney R. Wilson
John A. Zimowski
M.S.
Bratendu Bagchi
Barbara M. Cortner
Mithun R. Kamat
Shenghong Qiu
Ning Xue
Ruth Marie Keffer
Ph.D.
Parag D. Patil
4
Chemical Engineering News ◗ ◗ ◗
Editor’s Page
by Dr. Pete Counce
Thanks to Professor John Prados
for this contribution on the history
of our department and Chemical
Engineering Education in Tennessee.
Chemical Engineering Education in Tennessee
by Dr. John W. Prados,P.E., Vice-President Emeritus and
University Professor
Part VI: Changes come to Chemical Engineering Programs at UT and
Vanderbilt
Previous articles may be found in past newsletters.
In the 1960s and ‘70s, significant changes took
place in both the Vanderbilt and The University of
Tennessee, Knoxville, chemical engineering
programs. In 1960 at Vanderbilt, Dr. Litkenhouse
resigned Department Head to direct the Spindletop
Research Center at the University of Kentucky. He
was replaced by Dr. W.D. Threadgill, who served as
Department chairman for the next 20 years, except
for a brief period in the early 1970s when the
Vanderbilt Engineering School temporarily
abolished its departmental structure. Dr. Threadgill
retired as Chairman in 1980 and was succeeded by
Dr. Karl B. Schnelle who served until 1989. Dr.
T.B. Godbold was acting chairman for 1988-1989.
Dr. Tomlinson Fort served for 1989-1996; he was
succeeded by the current chairman, Dr. M.D.
LeVan, who has served from 1997 to the present.
Dr. John Prados
Johnson, who remained Head of the department at
UT for 24 years. In 1957 the department’s name was
changed to “Chemical and Metallurgical
Engineering” and in 1977 to “Chemical,
Metallurgical, and Polymer Engineering.” Upon Dr.
Johnson’s retirement in 1984, the department was
split into a Department of Chemical Engineering and
a Department of Materials Science and Engineering,
with the latter housing the metallurgical and polymer
work. Dr. Joseph J. Perona assumed the headship of
Chemical Engineering at UT in 1984 and served
until 1990. Dr. John W. Prados filled the UT
Chemical Engineering Departmental headship in
succeeding years (1990-1993), Dr. Charles F. Moore
(1993-1999) and Dr. John R. Collier (1999 to
present).
In the year of Dr. Litkenhouse’s resignation, 1960,
Dr. Boarts of UT Chemical Engineering died
suddenly and was replaced by Dr. Homer F.
DEPT. HEAD
continued from page 2
other international chemical engineering credit
experiences for our students. Since I want my
colleagues’ expenses to be covered and for them to
receive pay for the offerings, we will need financial
support to accomplish this. If you would like to help
support this effort, either financially or by helping us
make appropriate contacts, we would appreciate it.
We would envision offering one international
experience each summer in some rotation. Of course,
we always appreciate advice, news, and if possible,
financial support from you.
background lectures near the end of the spring. One
of the students will be enrolled in that fashion, one
will be a graduate student enrolled in a special topics
course and the other two will be students who will
have just graduated and are enrolling in a special topics
course for one credit. You may learn more about the
course by either going to the ChE department home
page or directly to http://correa.engr.utk.edu/islay/; we
put a number of links on this course homepage that
you may enjoy exploring. I am encouraging my
colleagues in the department to consider developing
5
◗ ◗ ◗ Chemical Engineering News
Alumni News
You can now send us news electronically at [email protected]
MEMORIALS
ALUMNI UPDATES
Keith Henderson (BS/ChE ‘76),
is a chemical engineer with the U.
S. Department of Energy’s
Strategic Petroleum Reserve. He
is the developer of EquiVap, a
method of calculating emissions
from petroleum storage tanks.
This method was recently adopted
by the DOE for estimating
emissions from the 575 million
barrels of crude oil in the strategic
reserve.
Erie Medford (BS/ChE ‘86),
has been named corporate
director of engineering of RBX
Industries Inc. in Roanoke,
VA. He was previously RBX’s
engineering/maintenance
manager in Conover, NC.
Prior to joining RBX in 1999,
Medford held engineering/
management positions at Holt
Printing and Products, Knoica
Manufacturing, USA, and
Champion International
Corporation.
Zenas “Zeke” Stanfield (BS/ChE
‘44), was honored by the Independent Professional Seedsmen
Assoc. (IPSA) for his 40+ years
of contributions to the seed corn
industry. He was awarded the
2002 Recognition Award at the
annual meeting in January, 2002.
Educated as a chemical engineer
at The University of Tennessee,
he later became an engineer for
Funk Bros. Seed Co., soybean
grain processing operation. When
Funk Bros. closed the soybean
processing operations, Stanfield
transferred to Funk Bros. seed
business and oversaw the maintenance of their seed conditioning
facilities. Stanfield was instrumental in devloping controlled atmosphere storage for seed corn. In
the 1980s he started his consulting
business, Stanfield, Inc., to serve
the seed corn industry. He conducted research on the proper
humidity and temperature levels
for maintaining seed corn quality
in storage. His research has done
much to reduce kernel damage
during seed harvest. He has
published numerous technical
papers and holds two US patents
on his inventions.
Patty Wiegand (BS/ChE ‘92),
was inducted into the Tennessee
Lady Vols Hall of Fame. Six
members were taken into their
number on October 4, 2002, at the
University Club. Patty was a
seven-time, All-American in track
and field and led the 1990 crosscountry team to the SEC championship. Her time of 16:45.10 at
the ‘90 conference meet still
stands as the best 5K time in
league history.
6
Daniel “Dan” L. Paul (BS/Che
‘61) ,died May 10, 2002,
Collegedale, TN. He retired from
TVA in 1988 after more than 20
years. He had participated in
several marathons, including the
Boston Marathon.
Adolph A. Peterson, Jr. (BS/Che
‘61), died April 29, 2002, in Perry,
FL. He was a retired engneer.
John Alexander Wagner (BS/ChE
‘44), died on May 7, 2002. He was
a resident of Gainesville, FL.
Henry M. Dent (BS/ChE ‘43),
died on December 5, 2002, in
Knoxville, TN. He was the
founding president of the East
Tennessee National Kidney
Foundation. He worked for East
Tennessee Bottled Gas, Gray Knox
Marble Co., Drive-Rite Leasing
and Reeder Leasing. He was a
resident of Knoxville.
J. Victor Nichols (BS/ChE ‘50),
died on May 20, 2002. He was a
resident of Charleston, NC. He
began a 35 year career with
Westvaco Corp. as a line
supervisor and retired in 1992 as
mill manager. He held a patent for
a process for cooking pine
sawdust to make pulp. After
retirement he founded Golf Travel
Links, a company that planned and
conducted tours overseas.
◗◗◗
Chemical Engineering News ◗ ◗ ◗
Chemical Engineering
Contributors to Chemical Engineering
Thanks to the alumni, parents and friends whose generous support makes possible many of the activities described in this
newsletter. If you wish to support the Chemical Engineering Department or a particular program within the department,
be sure and designate this on your check or gift. Undesignated gifts go to support general university programs. The
following is a list of contributors to Chemical Engineering from January 1, 2002, to December 31, 2002.
Donald H. Allen
Sadie Jo Tatum
Ann B. Anderson
Nealie T. Anderson
Bernie L. Arnold
Christina E. Arnold
Dewayne P. Atchley
Russell E. Aven, PE
Delma B. Aven
Ayco Charitable Foundation
Joanne S. Bacon
Connie B. Begley
Terry K. Begley
Robert G. Bell
Eunice Herriman
Edel Beller
Suha A. Beller
Gary L. Belske
Susan L. Belske
Harsha Bhojraj
Nathalie Bhojraj
Bikesource
Joyce C. Bolt
Zack B. Bolt
Janine Bosanquet
Louis P. Bosanquet
David A. Boshers
Tammy L. Boshers
Daniel J. Bouch
Gregory E. Bradley
Marly P. Bradley
Mr.and Mrs. Duane Bruley
Thomas L. Brumfield
Sally B. Brumfield
Loraine H. Bundy
Elizabeth Bussart
Walter P. Bussart
Claude E. Buttram, Jr.
Lucille R. Buttram
Judy K. Cabbage
William A. Cabbage
Cache Corp.
Dennis W. Cady, II
Mary E. Cady
Caryl A. Caldwell
Key R. Caldwell
Judith Campbell
William D. Campbell
Su-Ming Chan
Ai-Feng Chan
N. Ruth Clark
Thomas H. Clark
Fred L. Collier, Jr.
Jacqueline G. Woods
Robert M. Counce
Sandra E. Counce
Carolyn Cowan
Royce G. Cowan
Kathleen J. Cox
Richard L. Cox
Peter T. Cummings
Elizabeth J. Cummings
Dow Chemical Co. Foundation
James J. Downs
Patricia Downs
Eastman Chemical Co.
Jean G. Eby
Robert S. Eby
Brian J. Edwards
E.I. Dupont De Nemours & Co.
Susan E. Eisenstadt
Kenneth M. Elliott
Virginia Elliott
ExxonMobil Foundation
Betty J. Fellers
John F. Fellers
George C. Frazier
Ulrike Frazier
James I. Freer
Becky Freer
Jeffery A. Gamble
Susan F. Gamble
J. Leonard Garland
Marsha Garland
Patricia W. Garland
Robert W. Garland
Ellen J. Glazerman
Harvey W. Kaufman
Anthony P. Gouge
James R. Hail, Jr.
Ida F. Hail
James L. Harlan, II
Donna C. Harlan
Everette K. Harris, Jr.
Sidney N. Hayes
Julia W. Hayes
James H. Haynes
Mary A. Haynes
Christine Hickam
William B. Hickam
Thomas M. Hobbs
Shek Chee Hong
Tze Wei Horne
Lawrence S. Hood
Patricia A. Houser
Peggy A. Huffine
Robert F. Huffine
George A. Huttick
Carl A. James, Jr.
Stephen R. Kennedy
Andrea L. Kidd
Scott D. Kidd
William F. Kilgore
Jill Kilgore
Mary A. Krempasky
Stephen F. Krempasky
Teresa C. Lange
Stephen J. Lange
Anne M. Larson
Richard N. Layman
Faye Layman
Philip A. Ledger
Lucinda Ledger
Thomas D. Logan
Bobby T. Logue
Carole Logue
Christopher P. Lu
Ransom H. Martin, Jr.
Sue Martin
Charles E. Maskal
Stacey L. McEwen
James P. McGirl
Barbara A. McGirl
Noah G. McMillan
Warren E. Medley
Andrea Midy
Pierre R. Midy
Brandy N. Miller
Carole A. Miller
Michael J. Miller
Stephen M. Miller
Amy A. Millslagle
Kevin J. Millslagle
Carolyn J. Mohundro
7
Edgar L. Mohundro
Dean T. Morgan
Ellen L. Morgan
John W. Mottern
Joyce Mottern
Richard A. Murdaugh
Shirley Murdaugh
Cheryl J. Nehls
John L. Nehls
Mary K. Nehls
Edward E. Oliver
Charles E. Outlaw
Dana E. Outlaw
Elizabeth Papageorge
James P. Papageorge
Robert L. Phillips
Sylvia Phillips
James B. Porter, Jr.
Debbie Porter
John W. Prados
Lynn B. Prados
Susan E. Rawlston
Winston B. Rawlston
Frank S. Riordan, Jr.
Rohm & Haas Co.
Anita K. Rogers
Thomas O. Rogers
Merry F. Rogers
Joseph F. Roman
Marie Roman
Joan P. Rose
Robert L. Rose
Gaston L. Scott
Linda J. Scott
Herbert M. Scull, Jr.
Roberta L. Scull
Amy E. Short
Kenneth F. Zieminski
Starling E. Shumate, II
Robert F. Simmons
Charles S. Singletary
Angela R. Singletary
Gene C. Smelser
Belinda K. Harshbarger
Jeffrey A. Smith
continued on page 8
◗ ◗ ◗ Chemical Engineering News
DONORS
continued from page 7
Pamela W. Smith
Brian M. Southern
Zenas A. Stanfield
Martha Stanfield
John H.E. Stelling, III
Douglas F. Stickle, Ph.D.
John M. Stone
Jill J. Taylor
Mark A. Templeton
Patricia C. Templeton
Lisa M. Thompson
Timothy L. Thompson
Troy C. Trotter
UOP
Michael D. Upshaw, Jr.
Carrie L. Upshaw
Claude S. Vance, Jr.
Edith L.Vance
Debra L. Veach
Edward Von Halle
Elizabeth Von Halle
Noel L. Wade
William E. Wade
Jay S. Walker
Denise A. Walker
Ben F. Watkins, Jr.
Jack S. Watson
Patricia Watson
Lesley S. White
k You
Than
Newsletter Staff
RHEOLOGY
continued from page 1
Recent research here at UTK,
conducted by Professors Edwards
and Keffer and graduate students
Bangwu Jiang and Prajakta
Kamerkar, has begun to alter
dramatically this problem. Using
methodology derived from
nonequilibrium thermodynamics,
a new model is being developed
that expresses the dynamics of the
complex fluid in terms of coupled
relaxation modes; i.e., the various
modes are allowed to interact with
each other. Results with this
model are impressive, especially
when taken relative to past models
for these materials.
This model has been applied to
three different types of complex
fluids so far by defining an
appropriate number of relaxation
modes. These materials are
polymer melts, polymer solutions
exhibiting shear thickening and
blends of thermoplastic and
liquid-crystalline polymers. In
each case, the model was shown
to provide both qualitative and
quantitative reproductions of
experimental data. Indeed, for the
long-outstanding problem of
polymer melt rheology, the model
can be used to predict
quantitatively experimental data
that has not yet been obtained. For
example, by applying the model to
experimental data taken in smallamplitude oscillatory flow and in
capillary viscometry, accurate
quantitative predictions of normal
stresses in shear flow and
elongational viscosity can be
predicted and then verified
experimentally. Such capabilities
of viscoelastic fluid models have
long been sought but never before
obtained. Hopefully, this research
will open a new era in the rheology
of polymer processing, one in
which the models used to describe
the materials actually do just that.
8
Dr. John R. Collier
Department Head
Dr. Fred E. Weber
Associate Department Head
Dr. John W. Prados
Editorial Advisory Board
Dr. Robert M. Counce
Editor
Susan Seymour
Graphic Designer
Contact Information:
Department of Chemcal Engineering
419 Dougherty Engineering Bldg.
Knoxville, TN 37996-2200
Telephone: (865) 974-2421
Fax: (865) 974-7076
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site:
http://www.che.utk.edu/che.html
This newsletter was produced at no cost to
the State of Tennessee. It was paid for by
unrestricted grants to the Department of
Chemical Engineering at The University of
Tennessee.
The University of Tennessee does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion,
national origin, age, handicap or veteran status
in provision of educational opportunities or employment opportunities and benefits.
UT does not discriminate on the basis of sex or
handicap in its educational programs and
activites pursuant to requirements of Title IX of
the Education amendments of 1972, Public Law
92-318; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973, Public 93-112; and the Americans
with Disabilites Act of 1990, Public Law 101336, respectively. This policy extends to both
employment by and admission to the university.
Inquiries concerning Title IX. Section 504, and
the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
should be directed to the Office of Affirmative
Action; 1818 Lake Avenue; The University of
Tennessee; Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-0144;
(865) 974-2498. Charges of violation of the
above policy also should be directed to the Office of Affirmative Action. Publication number:
E01-1320-002-03
Chemical Engineering News ◗ ◗ ◗
Kerri Martin and Gretchen Edwards (the “way better” halves of Paul Frymier and Brian Edwards) hosted a
baby shower for David and Lynn Keffer on October 31, 2002. The highlight of the event was watching David
and Lynn trying to diaper their respective dolls while blindfolded. New parents get no respect.
Humili
ation -
a
rice to
small p
pay for
gifts.
(son o
Gar
f Ker eth Frym
ri Ma
rtin a ier
nd Pa
ul
Frym
ier)
David and Lynn Keffer
(so
wards
s)
Carl Ed retchen Edward
G
n and
n of Bria
Instructions from the experienced?
9
◗ ◗ ◗ Chemical Engineering News
The following article was contributed by
Elizabeth Peeler, a Chemical Engineering
senior.
Elizabeth in the jumpseat
UT’s Mechanical, Aerospace, and
Biomedical Engineering (MABE)
Department and the Aerospace
Education and Research
Organization (AERO) sponsored
ten students to conduct
microgravity research aboard
NASA’s KC-135, the Weightless
Wonder V. The research was part
of NASA’s Reduced Gravity
Student Flight Opportunity
Program (RGSFOP) and included
two UT teams, MAMMOTH Flow
Revisited and HERCULES. The
faculty advisor was Dr. Viatcheslav
Naoumov. Chemical engineering
senior Elizabeth Peeler, an AERO
member and UT AIAA secretary,
was the ground crew and alternate
flight crew for HERCULES (Heat
Exchange Research Condensation
(Evaluation) by Utilizing a Liquidfog Experimental Setup). NASA
accepted the HERCULES proposal
last December, and the crew built
the test facility this spring as a
class. She worked with
mechanical engineering seniors
Dave Garth, Jeremy Morgan, and
Christina Spencer, and aerospace
engineering senior Jonathan
Hutchison.
HERCULES objectives
were (from proposal abstract):
• To accurately simulate
forced flow condensation
of a saturated vapor in
microgravity by using a
mixture of a heated water
and heated fog.
• To measure the change in
temperature of the liquid
and fog as they exit the
cooling section by
inserting thermocouples
into the flow.
• To investigate the
influence of the ratio of
water to fog.
The complete proposal, written
Fall 2002 by Garth, Morgan,
Spencer, and Hutchison, is
available on AERO’s website,
http://web.aeroutk.edu, under
“Research.” At press time, data
analysis was still in preliminary
stages.
Both teams spent a week
and a half in Houston, from March
26 to April 5 as Flight Group 2.
Other schools present were
University of Texas-Austin,
University of Texas-El Paso,
Auburn, Brown, Purdue, and New
Mexico State Universities,
Georgia Tech, and the University
of Michigan After registration,
the teams completed final preflight ground testing and prepared
for the test readiness review
(TRR) four days before
10
HERCULES was scheduled to fly.
The TRR was basically a complete,
thorough safety check of the test
facility. HERCULES succeeded.
During TRR prep, Elizabeth
and other crewmembers
participated in physiological
training and an altitude chamber
flight. Passing physiological
training and completing the
chamber flight were mandatory for
flyers and alternate flyers. All UT
crews passed.
Flight day 1, April 3, rolled
around and Elizabeth was ready.
Since she was the alternate,
Elizabeth had been called up as a
primary flyer. Her flight would be
bittersweet. She explained,
“Unfortunately, Dave’s wrist was
injured three days before the flight.
I was excited to fly, but not at a
fellow crewmember’s expense.”
She and Jeremy reviewed
procedures with Jonathan and
Christina before their pre-flight
briefing. Then, it was time for
takeoff! The pictures say it all. A
downlink to NASA’s entire
Houston complex allowed fellow
crewmembers to view their
experiments. The KC-135 flew
over the Gulf of Mexico. The trip
was the equivalent of going from
Houston to Brownsville, TX, and
back. Student accelerometers
from Karns Middle School were
taken aboard both UT experiments.
“This program is highly
recommended for any student who
wants to participate in microgravity
research. The best part of the
program has been sharing my
experiences with my teammates,
continued on page 11
Chemical Engineering News ◗ ◗ ◗
continured from page 10
both HERCLUES and MAMMOTH Flow, family, friends, professors, and 8th grade science classes at Karns
Middle School. The outreach component of our program helps us bring micro-g research to schoolchildren
who will be the inventors and explorers of tomorrow. My thanks go to Dr. Naoumov as well,” Elizabeth
continued.
“Both teams are grateful to our departments, and especially, Dr. Larry Taylor and the Tennessee Space
Grant Consortium, and all the others at UT who’ve contributed to this project. My nine classmates are now
close friends and some of the best people with whom I’ve had the privilege to work. I’m really glad to have
shared this whole experience with them. Dave is doing well after surgery on his wrist, and all crewmembers
are safely back in Knoxville.”
Elizabeth’s career interests include thermal systems, propulsion, advanced materials, and space exploration. She can be reached for comments at [email protected]. Other websites about the RGSFOP are http://
microgravityuniversity.jsc.nasa.gov and http://zerog.jsc.nasa.gov. Both teams visit school groups during the
fall and spring. If you or someone you know is interested in having them come to your school and share their
experiences, please email Elizabeth at the address above. AERO’s website has contact information as well.
All photographs by NASA RGO photographers, except bottom center.
Floating L to R: Elizabeth, Jeremy and “Smokey”
Elizabeth is loving it!!
Jeremy and Elizabeth prep the
experiment for Christina’s and
Jonathan’s flight (day 2).
It’s working!!
Liz and Jeremy observe flow regimes.
11
Chemical Engineering NEWS
• The University of Tennessee
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