CHE 415 Spring 2003

Welcome to web information on ChE 415, Senior Projects for Oregon State University.

As a component of their required Senior Capstone Courses, all Seniors in ChE at OSU are required to work on a small (3-4 member) team and develop a Chemical Engineering related project. Multidisciplinary projects are encouraged, as long as the work the ChE students are to accomplish includes ChE technology. Projects that relate to local, state, and national needs are encouraged.

If you have questions about this program, feel free to consult Dr. David Hackleman, Linus Pauling Chair in ChE at Oregon State University.

1. Investigation into the manufacture of BioDiesel through the use of supercritical fluid conditions.

The objective is to develop a process that will dramatically reduce the time for the biodiesel chemical reaction and simplify the separation. The mid-term presentaiton is here, and the final here.

2. Exploring Fuel Cell utilization to generate electricity from collected landfill gas.

A local land fill (Coffin Butte) is considering adding electro-generation capacity and would like to use a fuel cell. The gas composition from the landfill contains materials that would poison the membranes. The mid-term presentation is here and the final here.

3. Chemical Mechanical Polishing study

A research group wishes to utilize CMP and needs to install and characterize a system recently acquired. The mid-term presentation is here. The final is missing.

4. A Polymeric Optical Waveguide for Integrated Circuit Technology

Optically transparent transistors are in development at OSU. These devices could utilize polymeric waveguides, if they can be created by gradient index of refraction polymers coated on the material. The mid-term presentation is missing, the final here.

5. Chemical Vapor Deposition of Silicon Nitride and Cleaning processes.

The cleaning process is known to dramatically affect the deposition rate. This experiment is to learn some of the parameters that control deposition. The mid term presentation is here, the final here.

6. Use of Recycled Polymers for Impact Absorbing devices

Auto bumpers, personal protection devices, and projectile deflectors currently use very expensive engineered materials. Some of these applications might be suitable for recycled polymers instead. The mid term presentation is missing, the final here.

7. Analysis of Soy Sauce Fermentation

Soy sauce requires a very long fermentation cycle there may be opportunity for process acceleration, but does the Sauce retain its characteristic taste and other qualities? The mid term presentation is here, the final here.

8. Plasma etching polymers for superhydrophobic surface generation

Can one manufacture a superhydrophobic surface in a polymer through the use of plasma etching? If so, it might be useful in biomaterials applications. The mid term presentation is here, the final here.