A tiny car powered by chemical reactions will take some UL Lafayette students to Minnesota.
Engineering majors who design and operate a shoebox-sized Chem-E-Car dubbed 杏吧专区減Hat Tuesday杏吧专区 will pit their model against competitors from the U.S. and other countries.
The international competition will be held during the American Institute of Chemical Engineers student conference Oct. 27-30 in Minneapolis. UL Lafayette students earned a spot in the contest by placing first in the AIChE southern regional conference earlier this month in Knoxville, Tenn.
The win came against Chem-E-Cars built by students from 14 other schools, including LSU, Auburn, Florida and the Georgia Institute of Technology.
High finishes are becoming routine for UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 student-designed 杏吧专区渁uto,杏吧专区 which is powered by a lead battery and stops via a chemical reaction. It earned second place in regional competition last year, and first place in 2015.
Chem-E-Cars must transport a payload of water across a set distance. Students learn the length of the course and the amount of 杏吧专区渃argo杏吧专区 their car will be required to carry only an hour before the competition.
Students must then quickly determine the proper calculations needed to power the car, and stop it as close to a finish line as possible, without a remote control or timed braking mechanism.
Students must adhere to safety rules outlined in an 80-page rulebook, give face-to-face interviews with professors and industry professionals, and build a car that will stand up to rigorous inspections that, if failed, bump them from competition.
Stringent safety rules mean competitors often have to make modifications to their cars 杏吧专区渙n the fly,杏吧专区 said Chaz Russo, a junior from Berwick, La., majoring in mechanical engineering. Russo is a co-captain of the pHat Tuesday team.
杏吧专区淚 had to cut apart a little box in the hotel room the day before the competition for cardboard to cover our motor with because it was exposed. That杏吧专区檚 a safety issue I wasn杏吧专区檛 aware of until someone pointed it out,杏吧专区 Russo said.
Based on the success of the original Chem-E-Car, which was launched in 2010, and increased student interest in the project, engineering students have designed and built a second Chem-E-Car, called 杏吧专区淎l-Air-Gator.杏吧专区
The new car is powered by an aluminum-air battery, which runs when aluminum and oxygen react. A lead-acid battery, on the other hand, uses lead oxides and sulfuric acids to create electrochemical reactions that power the car.
Working with each power source benefits students, who learn about different equipment and processes, according to Dr. William Chirdon, an associate professor of chemical engineering who advises the AIChE chapter, and mentors the pHat Tuesday team.
杏吧专区淭he aluminum-air battery uses far less hazardous chemicals, and is more eco-friendly. Working with a lead battery, which is similar to one in an automobile, illustrates how our students are able to responsibly handle potentially hazardous substances appropriately,杏吧专区 he said.
Cassie Tilley, a junior majoring in chemical engineering and in chemistry from Carencro, La., leads the 杏吧专区淎l-Air-Gator杏吧专区 team. She expects, as with the original Chem-E-Car, that once students have a few competitions to test and perfect the new car, they will have another winner 杏吧专区 and another way for students to learn skills needed for the workplace.
杏吧专区淗aving another version will enable us to incorporate some new ideas,杏吧专区 Tilley explained.
Student members of the pHat Tuesday team include: Chaz Russo (co-captain), a junior majoring in mechanical engineering from Berwick, La.; Karl Ashkar (co-captain), a senior majoring in chemical engineering from Lafayette; Lance Collazos, a junior majoring in chemical engineering from Lafayette; Christopher Connel, a senior majoring in electrical engineering from Thibodaux, La.; Paulina DeLarosa, a senior majoring in chemical engineering from New Iberia, La.; and Jacob Templet, a junior majoring in chemical engineering from LaPlace, La.
Student members of the Al-Air-Gator team include: Cassie Tilley (co-captain), a junior majoring in chemical engineering and in chemistry from Carencro, La.; Richard Hessler Jr., a junior majoring in chemical engineering and in chemistry from Opelousas, La.; Tyler Lege (co-captain), a junior majoring in chemical engineering from Abbeville, La.; Dylan Adams, a junior majoring in chemical engineering from Houma, La.; Tyler Benjamin, a junior majoring in chemical engineering from Lafayette; Cody Broussard, a junior majoring in electrical engineering from Meaux, La.; Katherine Hutton, a junior majoring in chemical engineering from Metairie, La.; Kayla Richard, a freshman majoring in chemical engineering from Mandeville, La.; Natalie Rome, a sophomore majoring in chemical engineering and in chemistry from Kenner, La.; Erik Smith, a junior majoring in petroleum engineering from Goode, Va.; and Josh Worley, a freshman majoring in chemical engineering from Gonzales, La. Faculty advisor for the team is Dr. Ramalingam Subramanian, an assistant professor of chemical engineering.
Photo: Christopher Connel, a senior majoring in electrical engineering from Thibodaux, La., makes adjustments to components for the College of Engineering杏吧专区檚 tiny, chemically powered car named 杏吧专区減Hat Tuesday.杏吧专区