2024年6月18日
A multidisciplinary team of 韦德体育app官网 students made a splash at the 2024 海洋能源大学竞赛, tying for third place among 20 schools nationwide. 由联合国赞助.S. 能源部, the annual event challenges students to design, develop and present innovations that harness the power of water.
OU team members with the poster they presented at this year's 海洋能源大学竞赛, 左起: Lance 马科维茨, Matthew Brauer, Mike Zheng, Gerard Griest and Saber Khanmohammadi. |
OU students designed a filtration system that uses the ocean's thermal gradient to desalinate seawater. Thermal gradient refers to the temperature difference between warmer waters near the ocean's surface and cooler waters at deeper depths. The system functions by allowing water vapor produced via the thermal gradient to pass through a membrane, separating clean water from salts and other impurities.
The team identified American Samoa (a group of islands in the South Pacific) as having an optimal thermal gradient for the filtration system and conferred with local officials to assess the territory’s energy needs.
“当我们联系他们时, they were focused on solar and wind (energy),” said OU’s team leader Matthew Brauer. “But their location is ideal for ocean thermal, and its key advantage is that the thermal gradient is available 24/7, 不像太阳能和风能.”
The students presented their results before a judging panel of industry professionals. |
The competition featured four required challenges: market analysis, 技术设计, prototype testing and community engagement. OU undergraduate students Matthew Brauer (bioengineering), Mike Zheng(机械工程), Gerard Griest (electrical and computer engineering) and Lance 马科维茨 (general management and Spanish language and literature) were each responsible for different aspects of the project. Saber Khanmohammadi博士.D. student in mechanical engineering, served as a graduate advisor.
“One of the things I liked best about our project is that it brought together students from many different majors, each using their skills to contribute,乔纳森·麦森纽夫说, associate professor of mechanical engineering and the team’s faculty advisor. “他们设计了这个系统, 在理论上进行了评估, built and tested a prototype in the lab, looked at the economics of it to see if it made business sense and reached out to people in American Samoa to see if it would meet their needs.”
OU captured third place out of the 20 schools that competed this year. |
马科维茨, who developed a business plan to demonstrate the economic feasibility of the desalination system, said the competition opened his eyes to rewarding careers in the field of renewable energy.
“The competition showed that working in renewable energy provides the fulfillment that I’m seeking,他说, adding that “many renewable energy companies work with clients in Spanish-speaking countries, which makes these opportunities a great fit.”
The team also got help from Ava Kobus, a biomedical engineering major with a studio art minor, who volunteered to upgrade the team’s final presentation materials. In addition, Sanjana Yagnambhatt, a recent Ph.D. graduate specializing in renewable energy conversion for power generation, performed a cost analysis affirming the project’s viability.
“She was not an official member of the team, but her help with the cost analysis was instrumental,马科维茨说. “Her analysis indicated that our system had the potential to produce water at a price point competitive with current water prices in American Samoa.”
The team presented their results during the Pacific Ocean Energy Trust’s Ocean Renewable Energy Conference in Portland, 俄勒冈州, where they also networked with representatives from the marine energy industry. Their strong performance earned them a top-three finish and an invitation to compete in next year’s 海洋能源大学竞赛.
I'm very pleased with the team and their accomplishments,” said Maisonneuve. “They made tremendous progress this semester and were rewarded with one of the top spots. We're hoping we can build off this success and do even better next year.”