Wednesday April 15, 2015, 3:00-4:00 p.m., WEB 2250
All are welcome to seminar by Professors Kevin Whitty and Eric Eddings, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Utah. The title is: “The Treemobile Project: Developing the World’s Fastest Wood-Burning Car.” The seminar will be from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday April 15, 2015 in WEB 2250. There will be light refreshments afterwards.
Abstract: There is growing interest today in developing automobiles that are more environmentally friendly than the standard gasoline- or diesel-powered car. Vehicles powered by electricity, hydrogen, bio-ethanol and bio-diesel are growing in popularity. Biomass (wood) is a sustainable, renewable resource that is widely available and is suitable to fuel an appropriately-configured vehicle.
Interestingly, during World War II, when available petroleum was directed towards the war effort, innovative do-it- yourselfers in several European countries modified their cars and tractors to run on wood using a process known as gasification. The art of “driving on wood” has largely been lost since then, but the University of Utah’s Department of Chemical Engineering has initiated a program to create a wood-fired automobile similar in overall function to the gasification-based cars of years past. During the 2014-15 school year, a team of three professors, two post-doctoral engineers and 12 undergraduate students has designed and built a system to turn wood into combustible gas that will be fed to the engine of a modified 1986 Chevy half-ton pickup. The “Treemobile” should be able to travel about 100 miles per charge of fuel. However, the ambition of the project is not to travel far, but fast. The official speed record for a wood-fired, gasification-based automobile is 73 miles per hour. The Treemobile team, with financial support from Washakie Renewable Energy and test drive support from Miller Motorsports Park, plans to beat that record later this year. This seminar explains the technology behind the project, the design of the gas generation system, its integration into the car, system tests, challenges encountered along the way and the future of the project.
Biographies:
Eric Eddings is a professor of chemical engineering, Associate Dean for Research in the College of Engineering and Associate Director of the Institute for Clean and Secure Energy. Much of his research focuses on bioenergy and he is co-founder of Amaron Energy, which develops technology for converting biomass into liquid biofuels. Prof. Eddings also has a passion for rebuilding and restoring cars.
Kevin Whitty is an associate professor of chemical engineering with over 20 years’ experience in thermochemical conversion of fossil and renewable fuels to electricity, heat and transportation fuels. He is leader of the International Energy Agency’s task on biomass gasification and lead’s the university’s gasification research lab.