Dimensions 2008-2009

Creating effective

solutions that will

enhance the quality

of life for everyone

across the globe.

2008-09 Annual Research Report

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Welcome to the 2009 publication of Dimensions, our annual report that highlights our people’s success stories and their outstanding research in the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering (BCoE) at Mississippi State University (MSU). In this report, we focus on research conducted by both our faculty and students, and the difference they are making in the areas of the environment and energy. Here at Mississippi State, the research that is being accomplished within engineering makes a good case for maroon to be the new green.

You will read how engineering education always comes first with our students and at the BCoE we encourage and support all our students to participate in hands-on research. An interdisciplinary team, which consists of more than 120 members from more than 60 towns in nine states and five countries, has its eye on the prize and is competing in EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge. Take a look at the innovative approach these future engineers are employing to take on the challenge of sustainability within the country’s automotive industry.

Throughout this issue, you will learn how MSU faculty members are getting involved at all levels to find new ways to be more efficient and sustainable. From energy issues that affect us in our homes, like the heating and cooling research being conducted by Dr. Rogelio Luck, to the use of energy that takes us on the road. Research by Drs. Sundar Krishnan and Kalyan Srinivasan is looking at making more efficient parts within a vehicle to reduce fuel use and emissions, while Drs. Rafael Hernandez and Todd French are looking to create biofuel from readily available biomass. MSU’s engineers and researchers go beyond just focusing on reduction in energy used and the creation of alternative fuel sources. For example, Dr. Sandra Eksioglu, is looking at how to transport both automobiles and the fuel that runs them safely and efficiently.

Bagley College of Engineering researchers are working in innovative, interdisciplinary teams to engineer new solutions for our nation’s energy and environmental needs. These relationships formed across colleges and within industry build teams that create opportunities for more successful understanding of the challenges our world faces and more effective solutions that will enhance the quality of life for everyone.

Best regards,

Sarah A. RajalaDean of the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering

Table of Contents

College Profile ........................................... 2

Research Stories .................................... 4-13

Research uses weather to forecast energy future .....................4

Student design overcomes fuel pump nightmares ..................6

Renewable fuel that supports a carbon neutral cycle ..............8

Transporting companies into the future ...............................10

Clearing the air ...................................................................12

Research Centers and Laboratories .......... 14

Research Sponsors ................................... 16

BCoE Leadership .................................... 18

CreditsArt DirectionHeather M. Rowe

EditorKay F. Jones

WritersDiane L. Godwin

Susan H. LassetterHeather M. Rowe

www.bagley.msstate.edu2 Dimensions 2008-09

BAGLEY CoLLEGE oF ENGINEERING PRoFILE

UNDERGRADUATE MAJORSFall 2009 Enrollment ................. 2,252ASE = Aerospace Engineering .......... 193BE = Biological Engineering ............ 239ChE = Chemical Engineering .......... 247CE = Civil Engineering ................... 356 CPE = Computer Engineering ......... 151CS = Computer Science .................. 149EE = Electrical Engineering ............. 207IE = Industrial Engineering ............. 156ME = Mechanical Engineering ......... 493SE = Software Engineering ................ 51UENG = Engineering Undeclared ..... 10

GRADUATE MAJORSFall 2009 Enrollment .....................583ASE = Aerospace Engineering ............. 18BE = Biological Engineering ................. 7BME = Biomedical Engineering .......... 17ChE = Chemical Engineering ............. 14CE = Civil Engineering ...................... 47CME = Computational Engineering ... 18CPE = Computer Engineering ............ 23CS = Computer Science ..................... 68EE = Electrical Engineering .............. 105ENGR = Engineering ....................... 217IE = Industrial Engineering ................ 32ME = Mechanical Engineering ............ 17

ME3%

ASE3%

BE1% BME

3%CE8% ChE

2% CME3%

CPE4%

CS12%

EE18%

ENGR37%

IE5%

UENG<1%

ASE9% BE

11%

CE16%

SE2%

ME22%

IE7%

EE9% ChE

11%

CPE7%

CS7%

Bagley College of Engineering

STUDENTSFall 2009 Enrollment .............................. 2,835Undergraduate Women .................................373Undergraduate Men ....................................,879Master’s Women ............................................. 51Master’s Men ................................................204Doctoral Women............................................ 66Doctoral Men ...............................................262

DEGREES AWARDEDAcademic Year 2008-2009 ..........................451B.S. ..............................................................327M.S. .............................................................103Ph.D.............................................................. 21

EThNICITY ENROllMENTWhite ......................................................... 75%African-American ........................................ 10%Asian or Pacific Islander................................. 2%Hispanic ....................................................... 1%International ............................................... 10%other ........................................................... 3%

FACUlTYTenured ......................................................... 72Tenure Track .................................................. 29Research Faculty (non-tenure track) ................ 39Fellows of Professional Societies ...................... 23Endowed Chairs and Professorships ................ 27

RESEARCh FOCUS AREASEngineering for:• Environment & Energy• Healthier Lives• Safety & Security• Scientific Discovery• Mississippi and Economic Development

DEGREE PROGRAMS

Aerospace Engineering (BS, MS)Biological Engineering (BS, MS)Biomedical Engineering (MS, PhD)Chemical Engineering (BS, MS)Civil Engineering (BS, MS)Computer Science (BS, MS, PhD)Computer Engineering (BS, MS, PhD)Computational Engineering (MS, PhD)Electrical Engineering (BS, MS, PhD)Engineering (PhD)

•Aerospace Engineering•Applied Physics•Biological Engineering•Chemical Engineering•Civil Engineering•Industrial Engineering•Mechanical Engineering

Industrial Engineering (BS, MS)Master of EngineeringMechanical Engineering (BS, MS)Software Engineering (BS)

CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS

Automotive EngineeringComputational BiologyEnergyEntrepreneurshipGeospatial and Remote SensingInformation AssuranceManufacturingMaterialsSix SigmaSoftware Engineering

ENGINEERING RESEARCh EXPENDITURES

*National Science Foundation Engineering Expenditure Rankings are based on data reported two years previously.

2006 2007 2008

44th

41st

34th$60M

$50M

$40M

$30M

$20M

Dimensions 3

RESEARCH USES WEATHER To FoRECAST ENERGY FUTUREBy: Susan Lassetter

“We are using weather information to predict how a building will react,” explained Dr. Rogelio Luck, a professor of mechanical engineering. “By looking 30 minutes into the future, our computer program will determine how much energy the building will need to maintain the desired temperature. Using the CHP system, it will then make the optimal decision about power usage and generation.”

4 Dimensions 2008-09

Bagley College of Engineering Dimensions 5

Between heat waves and cold fronts, Mother Nature’s whims often send home energy consumption skyrocketing as the outside temperature may fluctuate 20 degrees on any given day. While these changes currently kick heating and cooling systems into overdrive, in the future it might be those same variations that help reduce overall consumption.

Working with Mississippi State’s Micro-Cooling, Heating and Power (CHP) demonstration site, Bagley College of Engineering researchers are using weather forecasts to optimize building energy systems.

“We are using weather information to predict how a building will react,” explained Dr. Rogelio Luck, a professor of mechanical engineering. “By looking 30 minutes into the future, our computer program will determine how much energy the building will need to maintain the desired temperature. Using the CHP system, it will then make the optimal decision about power usage and generation.”

Like a regular generator, CHP uses an engine to provide all of the power needed to run any electrical equipment, but where most generators are not set to exploit the heat generated from the engine, these systems harness the exhaust to provide the energy to heat and cool the building. Luck explained that these optimized systems make it economically feasible to power a building using an engine.

“Regular generators only run at 30 percent efficiency, which is not very good considering the cost of gas, but by using these CHP cogeneration systems we can achieve 70-80 percent efficiency, which means for every dollar you spend on power, you are getting a lot more utility, which is the main advantage,” Luck said.

He added, “The second advantage is reliability. Even during an electrical outage, a CHP building can maintain power. For example, during Hurricane Katrina, Baptist Memorial Hospital in Jackson used CHP to keep electricity flowing. So, there are systems out there being used, but I am working to further optimize them and increase their efficiency.”

Luck’s work is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. His research using weather data is unique because it not only uses weather forecasts to establish a comfortable indoor environment, but also to predict how hard the heating and cooling systems will have to work to maintain that comfort level. Factoring in the current cost of electricity and natural gas, the program will then choose the source of your building power.

“It’s called supervisory control. our program will not control the temperature of the building, but, rather, tell the equipment when and how to run by figuring out the best ratio of gas and electricity,” Luck said. “Using the forecast information we prepared, the system can decide when to burn gas, when to buy electricity and even when to sell extra energy back to the power company.”

The system will be automatic. Individuals will still set their thermostats to the desired temperature; instead of always using electricity to achieve results, the program will make the most economically friendly energy decision for the situation. For those individuals more concerned with the green of the trees than the green in their wallets, Luck explained that the same principles can be used to set the CHP to make the most eco-conscious choice, as well. However, CHP systems are already much more environmentally friendly than traditional power systems.

He said that from the energy inside the coal to what arrives in a building, the total efficiency is only between 33-51 percent. Generally, only 32 percent of the energy produced at a plant is transmitted and up to 8 percent of that can be lost in the power lines.

“We are connected to a lot of grids, so that in some cases the power might be transmitted from Maine to Mississippi,” Luck said. “That electricity has to flow through the power lines all the way to us, but if we can reduce the amount of electricity we need from the power company, that means electricity is not wasted and the plant doesn’t have to produce as much, which as a result, lowers its carbon emissions.”

Cooling, heating and power systems can even be a source of income for some. The systems sometimes produces more energy than necessary. The excess can be stored in a battery or, where state regulations allow, sold back to the power grid.

“When you have a lot of different buildings selling power back to the grid it’s called distributed generation,” Luck explained. “Now everyone is helping produce electricity for someone who may have a deficit at that moment. From a global perspective we want to use our resources more wisely and that’s what this project will help us do.”

For more information, visit the Micro CHP Web site, http://microchp.msstate.edu or contact Luck by e-mail at [email protected].

www.bagley.msstate.edu

STUDENT DESIGN ovERCoMESFUEL PUMP NIGHTMARESBy: Susan Lassetter

“Seventy-seven percent of Americans drive 40 miles or less to work each day so that number was our goal for an all-electric vehicle driving range,” explained Ryan Williams, the team’s mechanical group leader and a senior in mechanical engineering. “Basically, people in this category will never have to turn their engine on and, by recharging their battery overnight on a standard household outlet, they will be ready to go all-electric again the next day.”



Imagine driving back and forth to work all week without ever checking your fuel gauge or stopping to fill up at the pump. It seems like a fantasy worthy of a SyFy Channel movie of the week, but as part of the international EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge, students in the Bagley College of Engineering are working to make your automotive dreams come true.

Sponsored by General Motors (GM) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE), the EcoCAR challenge asks teams to re-engineer a sport utility vehicle to optimize its fuel economy and reduce emissions while maintaining performance and consumer appeal.

“Seventy-seven percent of Americans drive 40 miles or less to work each day so that number was our goal for an all-electric vehicle driving range,” explained Ryan Williams, the team’s mechanical group leader and a senior in mechanical engineering. “Basically, people in this category will never have to turn their engine on and, by recharging their battery overnight on a standard household outlet, they will be ready to go all-electric again the next day.”

The team selected a plug-in range extending vehicle architecture prior to the competition’s first year, which concluded in June 2009. With this all-electric range, Williams explained that this architecture will earn more than 100 miles per gallon fuel economy as shown by the team’s hardware-in-the-loop and other computer simulations performed during year one.

These facts were demonstrated at the 2008-09 year-ending competition in Canada where the Bulldog team earned third-place honors among the 17 competitively selected North American university teams. Mississippi State EcoCAR also won first place in the mechanical systems presentation and second in the outstanding outreach subcategories, as well as special recognition for creative promotion of EcoCAR. Team members believe that their unique presentation of these required simulations helped earn the judges’ attention.

“other teams had built simulators, but we were the only ones who had taken part of a stock vehicle and created an actual driving simulator, complete with a full-sized steering column, steering wheel and animated display,” explained Michael Barr, powertrain group leader.

An october press conference allowed the team to demonstrate its ingenuity for local media who were allowed to experience the simulator and be part of the unveiling of the recently arrived GM donated vehicle. This marked the beginning of the second year of the EcoCAR challenge. The team will have until May 2010 to implement its design and make sure their vehicle is running properly.

“We are ready to start working and can’t wait to get our hands dirty, but we aren’t just going to rip out all of the stock

vehicle’s components and start putting new parts in,” said Barr, a graduate student in mechanical engineering. “We are going to work in stages to make sure everything is durable and works correctly.”

This year’s culminating event has two parts that will take place in Arizona and California, giving the team until May 2010 to prepare for both presentation and road test rounds of competition. However, the Mississippi State team is working on a stricter, self-imposed schedule.

“We want to have our vehicle running on front and rear axles by December,” Williams said. “Spring semester we will focus on controls refinement to optimize the way our vehicle works. We don’t want consumers to know that they are driving a hybrid vehicle. The goal is to make it feel and perform just like a regular automobile.”

To help the team reach these goals, the students will rely on the tools and software donated by various competition sponsors, including the Massachusetts based MathWorks Inc., which recently hosted a training seminar in Boston. Nearly all of MSU’s team leaders were able to attend and gain experience using the software which will help them optimize and test the vehicle components.

“Everyone on the team is excited because as students, we are working with the same emerging technologies that professional engineers are using in the automotive industry,” Barr said. “It’s exciting for us and with teamwork and continued enthusiasm we know we will continue to see improvement.”

Williams added that the team has a few “creative tricks” in store as a follow-up to last year’s advanced driving simulator. The team hopes this Bulldog ingenuity will help to build on last year’s competition success at the conclusion of year two and carry them into the final year of EcoCAR, which calls on teams to have a fully refined, production-ready vehicle.

Undoubtedly, the EcoCAR team feels the pressure to live up to MSU’s previous automotive design team. The Bulldogs won the overall title for the previous GM and DoE design competition, ChallengeX. Many of those graduating team members turned their experience following the competition’s industry standard design and testing protocol into successful careers in the auto industry, something current team members hope to repeat.

“Not only are our students gaining experience and knowledge to benefit their own careers, but they are designing technologies that will better the car industry for all of us,” explained team outreach coordinator Elizabeth Butler.

For more information about MSU’s EcoCAR team, visit its Web site at www.ecocar.msstate.edu.

RENEWABLE FUEL THAT SUPPoRTS A CARBoN NEUTRAL CYCLEBy: Diane L. Godwin

“We’re developing a natural process that uses Mother Nature’s resources. These microorganisms will grow fat with oil when adding an inexpensive carbohydrate concoction,” said Hernandez. “The benefits include clean drinking water, fuel that will lessen our carbon footprint and will decrease the waste added to landfills.”



They’ve lived beneath the earth for millions of years and have enhanced the quality of life for generations. Fossil hydrocarbons are mined for making traditional fuels to power engines that release carbon dioxide (Co2) into the atmosphere. Experts assert that these emissions create global change by increasing the earth’s overall temperatures, called a greenhouse gas effect. It occurs because the Earth’s environment doesn’t have enough rain forests and vegetation to feed on the added Co2 that is released. To help reduce the amount of Co2 emitted, engineers invented catalytic converter technology for vehicles. Environmental scientists affirm that there’s been significant improvement, but claim more needs to be done.

Two chemical engineering faculty members, Drs. Rafael Hernandez and Todd French have invented a process that can provide the world with clean energy just by tapping into the world’s abundant supply of wastewater. They’ve discovered microorganisms, naturally found in wastewater, grow fat with bio-oil. The discovery means they can provide clean energy by making biocrude from the bio-oil the microorganisms produce, creating a carbon neutral environment because the microorganisms depend on Co2 to grow larger. The process could resolve some controversial issues affecting today’s society by creating energy that’s safe for the environment and by producing a fuel that will help America become less dependent on foreign oil.

open a tiny test tube filled with oil extracted from the microorganisms and, naturally, one would be apprehensive about inhaling a deep breath or even holding the small vial. However, the smell and consistency of this wastewater microorganism byproduct is opposite of what one would expect. In fact, the experience is close to opening a tub of butter. The rich, yellow color, along with the creamy consistency, looks and even smells like, well, butter. Dr. Alexei Iretski, a native of St. Petersburg, Russia, and an expert in improving the conversion processes of catalysts, is working with Hernandez and French to convert this creamy, butter-like substance into a biofuel. It is part of the first phase of a General Atomics (GA) and U.S. Air Force $1.2 million contract to convert and commercialize the microorganism fat into an alternative fuel that is every bit as efficient as gasoline.

“We’re developing a natural process that uses Mother Nature’s resources. These microorganisms will grow fat with oil when adding an inexpensive carbohydrate concoction,” said Hernandez. “The benefits include clean drinking water, fuel that will lessen our carbon footprint and will decrease the waste added to landfills.”

General Atomics, an innovative research and development company that transforms and evolves technologies from

the laboratory to the marketplace, is managing the first phase of the three-phase commercialization process. They’re working with Mississippi State and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, on a yearlong process that involves research, initial full-scale facility design, project management, and logistical planning. The partnership gives French and Hernandez access to more than three million square feet of engineering laboratories and state-of-the-art technology, not to mention connections with General Atomics and the Air Force’s own experts.

“We can generate with municipal wastewater treatment plants about seven billion gallons–not million–billion gallons of biocrude a year,” said French. “Cities such as Tuscaloosa, Ala., treats 30 million gallons of wastewater daily. Chicago has one facility that receives two billion gallons a day and could potentially produce 400 million gallons of biocrude annually. This is a modest estimation of the potential impact we can make using this technology.”

The Air Force Research Laboratory is relying on long-range vision and planning when providing the financial backing for the project. The Air Force hopes the eventual payoff of financing the research and development will be in the form of lower fuel costs for aircraft operations.

Bobby Diltz is the technical lead for the Air Force Research Laboratory Deployed Energy Systems Group at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. “An added advantage of this partnership is that the Air Force has bases located across the country equipped with wastewater treatment facilities, providing the basic infrastructure, with little modification, to test and grow the microorganisms that produce the oil that makes the fuel,” said Diltz. “Plus, it could drive down the cost of our operations by hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

Kevin Downey, project manager at General Atomics, said that for the past four years GA has been conducting cutting-edge research aimed at the production of biofuels.

“The advantage is that you’re leveraging the existing infrastructure, taking advantage of the microbes that are already present, adding algae to help clean the wastewater, providing a cleaner water for discharge, and producing fuels for sale that are safe for the environment. It is a win-win situation.”

For more information about the microorganism renewable fuel project, please contact Drs. French or Hernandez at [email protected] or [email protected].

www.bagley.msstate.edu

TRANSPoRTING CoMPANIES INTo THE FUTUREBy: Heather M. Rowe

“It’s not just distance that affects transportation. It’s not as simple as placing a factory between your raw materials and your customers,” Eksioglu said. “These models take into account more than distance. They also consider transportation volume and cost structure.”



Location, location, location—this age-old company mantra may only be partly correct. According to the Bagley College of Engineering’s Dr. Sandra Eksioglu, it should also stress production, inventory and distribution.

An assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering, Eksioglu creates models—not the catwalk variety—but, rather, mathematical models that help businesses make more informed decisions when choosing facility locations or transportation alternatives for a product’s supply chain.

These mathematical models take into consideration multiple production and distribution related variables so that engineers like Eksioglu can offer timely and cost effective suggestions for locations and transportation choices. She has experience with building models to manage the distribution of automobiles from assembly plants, and with designing the in-bound supply chain for furniture companies. Her most recent work deals with the logistics and supply chain management of biomass, a product with fewer concrete variables.

“The types of biomass feedstocks I consider in my models are plant-based materials, such as forest residues, corn, corn stover, etc. As with other agricultural products, their production is seasonal and subject to weather conditions, plant disease and insect populations,” Eksioglu explained. “There is a lot of randomness involved, and we have created models to simulate that randomness to produce more realistic suggestions for our clients.”

For instance, Eksioglu explained that if she has a client who is interested in building an ethanol refinery in Mississippi, one would logically think that it would be best to place this plant in the Mississippi Delta area, the northwest section of the state, where producing the necessary corn would be more likely. However, another factor she stressed is the need for the refinery to be placed where it could readily receive raw materials, such as corn, from other sources to compensate for the times when production is low in Mississippi.

“It’s not just distance that affects transportation. It’s not as simple as placing a factory between your raw materials and your customers,” Eksioglu said. “These models take into account more than distance. They also consider transportation volume and cost structure.”

A mathematical model for this situation may show that a more strategic location would be to place it in the northwest region of the state, but also close to the Mississippi River. This would provide access to more economical river transportation, such as barges, for

when corn needs to be shipped in from the Midwest. Creating mathematical models that look at multiple variables allow Eksioglu to suggest solutions based on facts and simulated probabilities, which could equal large monetary savings and more efficient systems for a company.

Previous experience building models for agricultural products, such as corn and biomass from forests, has allowed Eksioglu to work with researchers from across the university, including forestry, agriculture and the chemical engineering department, where two researchers who are creating bio-oil called upon her expertise to help them throw biomass into the mix as well.

Biomass, such as forest residuals can be broken down in to simple sugars, which Drs. French Hernandez and Rafael Hernandez can use in their bio-oil production. Their bio-oil is made from small microorganisms found naturally in the water at wastewater treatment facilities. The researchers have discovered these microorganisms become even fatter with oil when fed sugars from biomass.

one would naturally think that the most sensible thing to do would be to pick a water treatment facility near a diesel refinery, but another factor to consider now is being located near another source of biomass.

“My graduate students and I are working on designing supply chain models for their facility that now uses sugars from biomass,” Eksioglu said. “What we are looking into is a model that will simulate information on the collection of this biomass from forest residuals, produce sugar, and then deliver the sugar to the wastewater treatment facility. once it becomes the bio-oil that they want to produce, it then needs to go to a diesel refinery for further processing to become green diesel before being distributed further for the consumer to use.”

The models’ suggestions will result in further preparing French and Hernandez’s research to move into the next phases of commercialization. These mathematical models are peeks into the future for a business or company, giving them the ability to predict their future success. Without them, companies could risk millions of dollars through trial and error on a product or location.

For more information about these business changing mathematical models being created at MSU, visit the industrial and systems department Web site at www.ise.msstate.edu, or e-mail Eksioglu at [email protected].

CLEARING THE AIR

By: Diane L. Godwin

“our research is not just fuel-centric or solely focused on engine design or even trying to adapt current engines to run efficiently with renewable fuels; that is the traditional approach. We’re working on futuristic solutions,” said Krishnan.



It would be difficult for many to imagine a coach asking an olympic sprinter to run his or her best time with congestion caused by a cold. However, that analogy becomes true and applicable to the way vehicle engines are designed and driven every day. Drs. Sundar Krishnan and Kalyan Srinivasan, assistant professors in mechanical engineering and researchers at the Advanced Combustion Engines Laboratory at the Bagley College of Engineering’s Center for Advanced vehicular Systems (CAvS), are designing novel engine combustion strategies for the vehicles of the future that will achieve higher fuel economy and are safer for the environment.

“The biggest problem with most current gasoline engines is the throttle in the intake manifold. It’s like one of us having a heavy cold and being asked to sprint up a flight of stairs,” explained Srinivasan. “The throttle blocks the engine’s breathing efficiency, making it have to work harder and, therefore, it burns more fuel.”

The two researchers are creating innovative engine combustion concepts that move away from traditional, spark-ignited gasoline engines to a more optimized engine design that incorporates novel low temperature combustion (LTC) technology. The advantage of this technology is that it can be tailored for fuels made from biomass—forest and agricultural harvest byproducts—to enable highly efficient engines to meet performance requirements while reducing harmful exhaust emissions, thus creating cleaner air that ultimately energizes everything and everyone.

“our research is not just fuel-centric or solely focused on engine design or even trying to adapt current engines to run efficiently with renewable fuels; that is the traditional approach,” said Krishnan. “We’re working on futuristic solutions of how to co-design new engine combustion strategies and biomass-derived fuels so they complement rather than work against each other.”

Mississippi State is one of only a handful of universities in the nation that is adapting renewable fuels for advanced combustion concepts. This “bottom-up” approach has a high probability of positively reinvigorating the auto industry, economy and, at the same time, protecting the environment.

“Traditional engine technologies are not optimized for renewable fuels. Consequently, alternative fuels, such as E85, a gasoline and ethanol blend, are not giving vehicles the same fuel economy and range as gasoline and diesel,” said Krishnan. “However they can meet EPA regulations by emitting lower emissions that are safer for our environment.”

Krishnan and Srinivasan’s work is possible because they collaborate with a unique alliance of experts from different academic areas who work together at the Sustainable Energy Research Center to create renewable alternative fuels from Mississippi’s natural resources.

“They’ll give us biomass-derived fuels to perform our low-temperature engine combustion experiments. We’ll characterize the fuel in its ability to produce power and to ensure high efficiency and very low emissions,” Srinivasan explained. “Based on our feedback, they’ll tweak the fuel to meet engine requirements and we’ll meet them in the middle by tailoring the engine combustion strategy.”

The two researchers are working on an umbrella of LTC concepts that are capable of handling different fuels, meaning they can design engines that efficiently work with many fuels. Their work holds enough promise that a truck engine manufacturer has donated one of their heavy-duty engines in support of Srinivasan and Krishnan’s LTC research to further refine the concept that they hope will break into the commercial market in the future.

“The traditional engine technology uses catalytic converters to clean the exhaust before it is emitted into the atmosphere. The catalytic converter is expensive to manufacture, difficult to adapt to diesel engines, and it cuts down on the vehicle’s fuel economy,” said Krishnan. “That’s why engine manufactures are interested in our research. We can help them design and produce engines that will have a higher fuel economy, save them money and meet EPA regulations with cleaner exhaust emissions.”

“one of the most important things that we need to understand as a society is our responsibility to protect the environment. When you burn fossil-based, hydrocarbon fuels, its exhaust will emit additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere,” said Srinivasan. “This research helps solve several issues. We’re designing engines and renewable fuels that will help lessen America’s dependence on foreign oil and obtain higher fuel economy. Plus, they will emit lower pollutant emissions that ensure minimal environmental impact and lower net Co2 emissions because the fuel will be obtained from renewable resources. In fact, we can progress toward a carbon-neutral energy economy by combining the two technologies to optimally work together.”

For more information about the LTC research project, contact Drs. Srinivasan or Krishnan at [email protected] or [email protected].


Center for AdvAnCed vehiCulAr SyStemS

http://www.cavs.msstate.eduRoger L. King662.325.5431

Center for AdvAnCed vehiCulAr SyStemS extenSion

http://www.cavse.msstate.eduClay T. Walden601-407-2700

*Center for ComputAtionAl SCienCeS

http://www.ccs.msstate.edu/Ratnasingham Shivaji662.325.8278

Center for Computer SeCurity reSeArCh

http://www.security.cse.msstate.edu/Ray B. vaughn662.325.7450

ConStruCtion mAteriAlS reSeArCh Center

http://www.cee.msstate.edu/constructionmatresearch.htmlThomas D. White662.325.3050

*GeoSyStemS reSeArCh inStitute

http://www.gri.msstate.eduRobert J. Moorhead662.325.9573

*hiGh performAnCe ComputinG CollAborAtory

http://www.hpc.msstate.eduLori Mann Bruce662.325.2270

hiGh voltAGe lAborAtory

http://www.ece.msstate.edu/hvl/index.htmlStanislaw Grzybowski662.325.2148

induStriAl ASSeSSment Center

http://www.me.msstate.edu/IAC/iac.htmlB. Keith Hodge662.325.7315

induStriAl outreACh ServiCe

http://ios.msstate.edu/Joe Jordan662.325.0513

inStitute for CleAn enerGy teChnoloGy

http://www.icet.msstate.eduWilliam D. Batchelor662.325.3282

RESEARCH CENTERS AND LABoRAToRIES


*inStitute for diGitAl bioloGy

http://www.idb.msstate.edu/Susan M. Bridges662.325.7505

*inStitute for neuroCoGnitive SCienCe And teChnoloGy

http://www.inst.msstate.edu/662.325.8739

miCroSyStemS prototypinG lAborAtory

http://www.ece.msstate.edu/research/mpl/Robert B. Reese662.325.3154

miSSiSSippi trAnSportAtion reSeArCh Center

http://www.cee.msstate.edu/transpor-tresearch.htmlThomas D. White662.325.3050

nAtionAl Center for intermodAl trAnSportAtion

www.ise.msstate.edu/ncitRoyce o. Bowden662.325.7623

*northern Gulf inStitute

http://www.northerngulfinstitute.org/Michael J. Carron662.325.9573

rASpet fliGht reSeArCh lAborAtory

http://www.ae.msstate.edu/rfrlPhilip D. Bridges662.325.3274

SoutheASt Chp AppliCAtionS Center

http://microchp.msstate.eduPedro Mago662.3235.6602

SoutheASt reGion forenSiCS trAininG Center

http://www.security.cse.msstate.edu/ftc/Rayford B. vaughn, Jr.662.325.8997

*SuStAinAble enerGy reSeArCh Center

http://www.serc.msstate.eduWilliam D. Batchelor662.325.7938

*Centers managed outside of the Bagley College of Engineering


Alcoa, Inc.Algaecake Technologies Corp.Amcom ExpressAmerican Chemistry CouncilAmerican Trucking AssociationApplied Resources, Inc.Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration FoundationArmy Engineer Research & Development CenterATA EngineeringAtlas Manufacturing Company, Inc.Bad Boy EnterprisesBAE SystemsBarSIC Semiconductors, LLCBattelleBell Helicopter Textron, Inc.Blue origin, LLCBoeing CompanyBP AmericaBureau of Plant IndustryCAE Solutions Corp.Camgian Microsystems Corp.Centers for Disease Control & PreventionCFD Research CorporationCitigroup FoundationCitigroup FoundationClemson UniversityCMC Electronics, Inc.Compact Container SystemsDEPSCoRDiversified Tech. Inc.Drexel UniversityDyneticsEDAptive Computing, Inc.Entergy Services, Inc.Eurasian Water Milfoil Task Force, MontanaEWA Government Systems, Inc.Federal Aviation Administration

Florida State UniversityForest Products LabGeneral AtomicsGeneral Dynamics Electronic SystemsGeneral Motors Res. & Dev. CenterGeorge Mason UniversityGeorgia Pacific Color-Box CorporationGeorgia TechGreenShift Corp.High Performance Computing CenterIdaho National Engineering LaboratoryInsituform Technologies, Inc.Jackson Public School DistrictJackson State UniversityKeystone Synergistic EnterprisesKitware, Inc.Lawrence Technological InstituteManufacturing Extension Partnership of MSMiltec CorporationMississippi Research ConsortiumMississippi Technology AllianceMS Department of Environmental QualityMS Department of TransportationMS Dept. of Marine ResourcesMS Development AuthorityMS EthanolMS Institutes of Higher LearningMS Space Grant ConsortiumMS/AL Sea Grant ConsortiumNational Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNational Center for Intermodal Transport.National Geospatial Intelligence AgencyNational Institute of HealthNational oceanic & Atmospheric Admin.National Science FoundationNational Security AgencyNaval oceanographic office

RESEARCH SPoNSoRS AND PARTNERS


Naval Research Lab.Navistar DefensenCode InternationalNEES Consortium,Inc.Northrop Grumman Mission SystemsNorthrop Grumman Ship SystemsNSF CAREERoak Ridge National Laboratory ocean Systems Engineering Groupoffice of Naval Researchoptomec, Inc.Pacific Northwestern National LabParaTools, Inc.Parsons EngineeringPearl River valley Water Supply DistrictPhysical optics CorporationPickering, Inc.Polytechnical UniversityPratt & Whitney Fatigue & Fracture MechanicsPratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc.San Diego Gas and Electric CompanySemiSouth Laboratories, L.L.C.Sentel CorporationSolar Group, Inc.Southern States Energy BoardSPARTA, Inc.St. Johns River Water Management DistrictStreamline Numerics, Inc.Techno Core Co., Ltd.Tennessee valley AuthorityTetra Research CorporationThe Calvert CompanyThoratec CorporationU.S. Air Force office of Science ResearchU.S. Army Aviation & Missile CommandU.S. Army Corp of EngineersU.S. Army Space & Missile Defense Command

U.S. Army Tank Automotive & Armaments Command U.S. Civilian Res. & Dev. FoundationU.S. Department of ArmyU.S. Department of Army Construction Engr. Research LabU.S. Department of Army Corp of EngineersU.S. Department of Army Research LaboratoryU.S. Department of DefenseU.S. Department of Defense Education ActivityU.S. Department of EnergyU.S. Department of Homeland SecurityU.S. Department of JusticeU.S. Department of TransportationU.S. Dept. of AgricultureU.S. Environmental Protection AgencyU.S. Geological SurveyU.S. Small Business AdministrationUltralife Batteries, Inc.United Phosphorus, Inc.University of DenverUniversity of MarylandUniversity of MississippiUniversity of MS Medical CenterUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillUniversity of PittsburghUniversity of Southern MississippiUniversity of Texas at AustinUniversity of Texas Health Science Ctr. at HoustonUQM Technologies, Inc.USDA CSREESWade Services, Inc.Waltonen Eng. Inc.Windtronix, Inc.Woods Hole oceanographic Institute


Dean and Earnest W. and Mary Ann Deavenport Jr. ChairSarah A. Rajala

Associate Dean for Academics and AdministrationDonna S. Reese

Associate Dean for Research and Graduate StudiesLori Mann Bruce

Assistant Dean of Diversity and Student DevelopmentTommy J. Stevenson

K-12 outreach DirectorN. Eric Heislet

Undergraduate CoordinatorRobert A. Green

Manager of Graduate and Distance Education ProgramsRita A. Burrell

Director and Jack HatcherEntrepreneurship ChairGerald C. Nelson

Technical Communications CoordinatorJohn W. Brocato

Publications CoordinatorHeather M. Rowe

Director of DevelopmentW. Bennett Evans

Assistant Director of DevelopmentBrett B. Aldridge

Business ManagerCarol J. Martin

Aerospace EngineeringPasquale Cinnella, [email protected]

Agricultural and Biological EngineeringWilliam D. [email protected]

Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical EngineeringBill B. Elmore, [email protected]

Civil and Environmental EngineeringDennis D. [email protected]

Computer Science and EngineeringRayford B. vaughn, [email protected]

Electrical and Computer EngineeringNicolas H. [email protected]

Industrial and Systems EngineeringRoyce o. [email protected]

Mechanical EngineeringSteven R. Daniewicz, [email protected]

BAGLEY CoLLEGE oF ENGINEERING LEADERSHIP

At Mississippi State’s Bagley College of Engineering, we take our environmental responsibilities very seriously. As illustrated in this issue of Dimensions, our research creates sustainable solutions for the challenges facing our state, region and world. In that spirit, this publication was printed on 100 percent post-consumer fibers which were produced using 100 percent renewable energy.

This publication is a true reflection of our commitment to sustainability and we ask that you keep that mission alive. Please enjoy our annual research report, but when you are finished, pass it to another engineer or become our partner in the move to sustainability by recycling.

MSU is an equal opportunity institution.

P.o. Box 9544Mississippi State, MS 39762

NON-PROFITU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDMiss. State, MSPERMIT NO. 81

Documents

Dimensions 2008-2009