[Rhodes22-list] Winter Semester, 2004 @ SVSU - The Nerdy Adventure Continues!

[Steve]

Roger
All that nitrogen, sounds like you could make some
fertilizer with that stuff.
Steve


--- Roger Pihlaja <cen09402 at centurytel.net> wrote:
> Bill,
> 
> It's not just a matter of cost effectively
> "disposing" of the residual mash.
> At the moment, the only major use for this material
> is as animal feed and
> small amounts are sold as a protein supplement for
> humans in health food
> stores.  The animal feed market is already saturated
> and there are plans
> underway to double alcohol fuel production in the
> next couple of years.
> When that happens, there won't be enough livestock
> on the planet to consume
> that much DDG!  But, on a dry basis DDG has more
> energy/lb in it than wood!
> The major problem will be that DDG has a large
> protein content.  Proteins
> contain organic nitrogen as part of their molecular
> structure.  Unless this
> organically bound nitrogen is combusted under
> specific conditions,
> combustion of proteins tends to give off a lot of
> NOx emissions.  Thus, the
> DDG combustor design is going to have be very
> special, with a reducing
> (oxygen starved) inlet section followed by an
> oxydizing (oxygen rich)
> afterburner section.  I believe my design will be
> generally useful for
> recovering energy from a large number of
> biologically derived waste
> materials, such as sugar beet pulp, cotton waste,
> waste wood, sawdust, etc.
> 
> I expect there will be a lot of prior art in this
> area, which is why so much
> of the research project is devoted to literature,
> patent, and vender
> searching.
> 
> Roger Pihlaja
> S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bill Effros" <bill at effros.com>
> To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list"
> <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Sent: Saturday, November 29, 2003 10:02 AM
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Winter Semester,2004 @
> SVSU - The Nerdy
> Adventure Continues!
> 
> 
> > Roger,
> >
> > As I understand your project, you are trying to
> develop a cost effective
> method for disposal of "mash" after extracting
> alcohol from corn.  It seems
> to me there should be ample funding available from
> non-traditional sources
> who have been trying to solve this problem ever
> since liquor tax statutes
> were enacted.
> >
> > Maybe there is someone on the list who could help
> you "network" with these
> individuals.
> >
> > In the meantime, there are many books available on
> the topic.  Here is
> one:
> >
> > Chesapeake Rum Runners of the Roaring Twenties
> Eric Mills $26.00 CORN RUM
> >
> > Bill Effros
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Roger Pihlaja
> > To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
> > Sent: Friday, November 28, 2003 11:15 AM
> > Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Winter Semester,2004 @
> SVSU - The Nerdy Adventure
> Continues!
> >
> >
> > Hi Everybody,
> >
> > Well, as you can tell by the subject title, this
> post is not about
> sailing.  If anyone is bothered by the idea that I
> would use this forum to
> tell my sailing friends about what is going on in my
> life; then, simply hit
> delete now and move on rather than do more
> complaining about modifying the
> list's charter.
> >
> > I finally have my class schedule in place for the
> Winter Semester, 2004 at
> Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU).  My classes
> are going to be:
> >
> > ME380 (3 credit hours)  Manufacturing Processes &
> Systems  (Mon & Wed
> 11:30 AM - 12:50 PM)
> >
> > ME451 (3 credit hours)  Machine Design  (Tue &
> Thur 10:00 AM - 11:20 AM)
> >
> > ME480 (3 credit hours)  Senior Design I  (Tue &
> Thur 9:00 AM - 9:50 AM +
> Thur 1:00 PM - 3:50 PM)
> >
> > ME497 (3 credit hours)  Sr. Research Project,
> Sponsor: Dr. Christopher
> Schilling + The Michigan Corn Grower's Association,
> >               Research Project Title: "Biowaste
> Energy Recovery", Expect
> To Publish A Paper In A Peer Reviewed Journal,
> >               Days & Times At My Convenience As
> Long As Total => 9
> hours/week
> >
> > MSTP531 (3 credit hours)  Entrepreneurship
> Seminar, (Wed 4:00 PM - 6:50
> PM)
> >
> > This is a much easier class schedule than the 17
> credit hours I'm
> currently struggling with.  There are no lab classes
> like the two I have
> this semester.  Although labs are only 1 credit hour
> apiece, they meet for 3
> hours/week and require a lot of preparation +
> writing lengthy technical
> reports.  The time and effort required for these
> labs is all out of
> proportion to 1 credit hour.  In effect, my class
> load this semester is like
> taking 21 credit hours of nonlab classes, which is
> really heavy.  Next
> semester's daily schedule will also be much easier
> than my current class
> schedule from a time spent on campus point of view. 
> I currently have
> classes until 10:00 PM, three nights/week followed
> by a 45+ minute drive
> home.  Next semester, my latest class will get out
> at 6:50 PM on Wednesdays.
> The rest of the week, I will be finished with my
> classes by late afternoon.
> >
> > ME380, ME451, & ME480 are all on the normal
> mechanical engineering
> schedule of required classes.  However, the other
> two classes had to be
> petitioned in for credit in my major.  You see, I
> have a plan; both for
> graduation as well as what I might potentially do
> after getting my BSME
> degree.
> >
> > Note ME497, the Sr. Research Project.  My research
> sponsor, Dr. Schilling,
> teaches the "Principles of Engineering Materials"
> class that I am currently
> taking.  Dr. Schilling and I have become pretty good
> friends over the
> semester.  Dr. Schilling is into research into new
> biologically-derived
> polymers and recovery of energy from biological
> waste materials.  A lot of
> his work is externally funded by the Michigan Corn
> Grower's Association.  I
> leveraged my expertise in chemical engineering and
> process development into
> an idea for recovery of energy from the waste
> material that is left over
> after corn is fermented to make alcohol.  This
> bio-sludge is currently dried
> at great expense and then sold at a loss as an
> animal feed called
> Distiller's Dry Grain (DDG).  It turns out that DDG
> has a lot of energy in
> it and may be more valuable as an alternative fuel
> to help offset the energy
> requirements of the alcohol process.  The research
> project next semester
> will involve a detailed process design, mass and
> energy balance modeling,
> economic modeling, vender, literature and patent
> searches.  Dr. Schilling
> and I expect to coauthor and publish a paper by the
> end of the semester.
> So, that will look pretty good on the old resume
> even if nothing else comes
> of this project.  Most of the work will be in the
> library and on the
> computer.  As long as I put in at least 9 hours/week
> on this project and
> keep Dr. Schilling informed of my progress &/or any
> problems, I can pretty
> much come and go as I please.
> >
> > Note MSTP531, the Entrepreneurship Seminar.  This
> is a graduate school
> level class that is open by invitation only.  I had
> to go thru an interview
> with the professor, Dr. Thomas Kullgren, in order to
> get an invitation to
> take the class.  One of the prerequirements for this
> interview was the
> preparation of an idea for a new start-up business
> that will become the
> basis for the study in the class.  My business plan
> was to form an
> engineering consulting and construction company that
> would custom engineer
> systems like the energy recovery from biowaste
> process described above,
> purchase off-the-shelf pieces/parts from other
> venders, perhaps design and
> build a few special pieces/parts in house, assemble
> and sell these systems
> as package, turn-key solutions to industry.  The
> literature, patent, and
> vender searches I will be doing in my ME497 Sr.
> Research Project will
> fundamentally support the work going in this class. 
> By the end of the
> Winter, 2004 Semester, I should have a pretty good
> idea whether this plan is
> a potentially viable start-up business or not. 
> Whether this particular plan
> is a good one or not, I will still be better off for
> having gone thru the
> decision making process as part of this
> entrepreneurship seminar.
> >
> > Note ME480, Senior Design I.  This class is
> considered the "Capstone
> Design Class" of the entire mechanical engineering
> program at SVSU.  In this
> class, the students are divided into teams that are
> supposed to come up with
> an idea for some mechanical gadget that is not
> currently on the market and
> do a detailed engineering design.  In ME481, Senior
> Design II, which I will
> be taking in the summer, the same teams have to
> build a working prototype of
> their device.  The idea behind these two classes is
> that senior students are
> supposed to demonstrate their mastery of all the
> tools and expertise which
> they will need as professional mechanical engineers.
>  I've already found a
> partner for the Senior Design series.  Her name is
> Christa and she's a
> transfer student from Kettering University in Flint.
> MI.  Christa is in a
> couple of my classes this semester and also plans to
> graduate in August,
> 2004.  The biggest challenge in the Senior Design
> series is coming up with a
> project to work on.  In past semesters, some of the
> projects have been
> gadgets to make life easier for handicapped people. 
> Dr. Brooks Byam teaches
> the ME480 - 481 series and is also the faculty
> advisor to the SVSU Formula
> Car Racing Team.  A lot of the previous projects
> have been associated with
> designing and building components for the race car. 
> These projects are OK,
> but Biowaste Energy Recovery is much more
> interesting to both Christa and I.
> I've spoken to Dr. Byam about my idea for a process
> to recover energy from
> biowaste.  We've agreed the entire process would be
> too big a project for
> this class.  However, the process as I've envisioned
> it, will require some
> sort of final dryer to get the last of the moisture
> out of the biowaste just
> prior to burning the biowaste to produce energy. 
> Our project will be to do
> the engineering design of this dryer.  The
> literature, vender, and patent
> searches plus mass and energy balance modeling from
> my ME497 Sr. Research
> Project will fundamentally support this effort.  If
> all goes well, in ME481
> Senior Design II, this next summer, Christa and I
> will build and operate a
> working scale-model prototype dryer that will
> generate scalable drying
> kinetics data for these biowaste materials.  So,
> I've even managed to adapt
> one of the required courses in my major to serve my
> own needs and agenda.
> Actually, the dryer should be a wonderful Senior
> Design project.  After all,
> it's a machine with moving parts that have to
> process a difficult to handle
> semi-solid sludge.  There will be heat transfer
> issues, material handling
> issues, materials of construction issues, possibly
> corrosion and high
> temperature operation issues - in other words, a
> real challenge and a great
> project!  Dr. Byam also appreciated the fact that
> Christa and I will be
> coming into his class with our project already
> scoped out as opposed to the
> majority of senior students that struggle with this
> issue for most of the
> semester.
> >
> > So, there you have the nucleus of my end-game
> plan.  9 out of 15 credit
> hours in the Winter 2004 Semester will be associated
> with my plan to
> potentially form a new business.  As you might
> imagine, the SVSU faculty are
> excited about the idea that one of their students
> might create a new
> start-up business based upon work done in their
> classes.  They are all
> behind me 200%!  I don't know where all this is
> going to end up by next
> August.  But, it won't be boring!
> >
> > Roger Pihlaja
> > S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > __________________________________________________
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> >
> >
> > __________________________________________________
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> >
> >
> >
> 
> 
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