MTU'S CHEM-E-CAR TAKES 5th PLACE IN 2002 NATIONAL CAR COMPETITION

The student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers at Michigan Tech recently competed in the 2002 3rd annual Chem-E-Car competition held as part of an annual chemical engineering conference in Indianapolis.

Chem-E-Cars are shoebox sized vehicles that must use a chemical reaction for propulsion and travel a specific distance while carrying a load of water. On Nov. 3, 6 MTU students (Lyle Lash, Jeremiah White, Kevin Lamkin, Ken Ceterski, Osifo AkAkhuemonkhan, and Lemayian Kimojino) competed against 35 other universities. The cars were required to travel 93 feet, and each school had two trials.

Michigan Tech's Chem-E-Car 5 was powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, donated by the U.S. Army Tank Automotive and Armaments Command, sponsor for the Alternative Fuels and Fuel Cell Enterprise.

Power from the fuel cell was controlled by a starch iodine clock  reaction. At a precise moment, the color of the starch iodine solution turned from clear to a dark blue. A light sensor detected this change and the car rolled to a stop 32 inches away from the target, good enough for first place at the time.

Four other cars were able to beat MTU's performance, most notably the University of Kentucky, Paducah, whose car finished less than 1 inch from the target for first place. For further information about the Chem-E-Car or alternative fuels enterprise, contact Prof. Jason Keith at jmkeith@mtu.edu.

This page was last updated on 06/03/03 11:38:59 PM

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