Heat Transfer, Combustion Commons^™

Peltier-Based Hydration Accumulation Terminal (P.H.A.T.), Jenner Mucher, Ethan Pace, Renee Robolledo, Sabrina Luo, Taehoon Lee, Tarsem Pal

Mechanical Engineering

The objective of this project is to design an innovative potable water dispenser capable of safely delivering hot, ambient, and chilled water on demand for human lander missions. The system will support astronauts’ hydration and food rehydration needs while minimizing mass, power, maintenance, and contamination risks in microgravity and partial-gravity environments. Current spacecraft dispensers, such as the International Space Station (ISS) system, provide only heated water and have limited temperature control, cleaning accessibility, and microbial resilience. Building on NASA heritage designs and lessons learned from the ISS Potable Water Dispenser, this project advances a lighter, simpler, and more energy-efficient concept …

Thermosiphon Lab Experiment, Ella C. Perry, Zach Barry, Madison K. Felton, Lane A. Hunter

Mechanical Engineering

The Cal Poly Mechanical Engineering Department aims to develop a new lab centered on a thermosiphon solar system. This lab will introduce the operating principles of thermosiphons while integrating concepts from heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and thermodynamics. A thermosiphon functions by heating water using thermal energy. The lab will examine the efficiency of this energy transfer. The final lab will be tailored to enhance student learning while ensuring ease of use for the Mechanical Engineering Department.

Process Improvement For Thermal Barrier Coating Masking Applications, Katherine Meezan, Aiden Senn, Saksham Giri, Katelyn Perez

Mechanical Engineering

Solar Turbines, a gas turbine manufacturer, needs a more efficient method to prevent the application of a thermal barrier coating (TBC) to select areas of their combustion liners during manufacturing. Currently, the process is labor, material, and time intensive: reusable masking tools should increase the efficiency of the TBC process.

This project is sponsored in full by Solar Turbines, and is under the guidance and administration of three Solar Turbines engineers: Chris Noone, Rick Rogers, and Carson Roff. The project is mentored by Cal Poly senior design Coach, Rick Lasko. This project will be completed by a team of four …

Stakblocks, Micah Satoshi Inoshita, Ava Rose Doerschlag, Cody J. Ellis, Zach M. Lawton, Fernando M. Nalin, Nicholas Humphrey, Aiden Reed Anderson, Sara Maya Suratkal

Mechanical Engineering

Researchers developing sustainable building materials from agricultural waste need a faster way to prototype and evaluate small-scale samples under controlled temperature and pressure before scaling to production. Sponsored by Professor Pete Schwartz of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, whose work focuses on sustainable technology for developing communities, this project aims to create a prototype testing device for researchers studying agricultural-waste bricks, with the University of Malawi as a potential future testing partner. The final product is intended to inform improved future designs rather than serve as a production-ready device, ultimately supporting the development of affordable, sustainable building materials for communities …

Design And Development Of A Resonance Ignition System Using Gaseous Propellants, Benjamin J. Hoefer

Master's Theses

This work presents the development and experimental evaluation of a resonance igniter (RI) operating with premixed gaseous propellants. Resonance ignition is a non-electrical ignition concept in which an underexpanded jet impinges on a closed-end Hartmann–Sprenger tube (HST), generating cyclic compression and expansion waves that rapidly heat gas near the tube endwall. A modular experimental system was designed and built to investigate resonance ignition using methane–air and methane–oxygen mixtures. The system includes a supplemental configuration that may probe for mixture conditions favorable to ignition, informing RI testing. Pressure and temperature measurements were used to characterize pressure control, mixture pressure ratio (MPR), …

Portable Ice Cube Maker, Ayden Ziegler, Emiliano Hansen, Wyatt Engdahl, Dane Hansen

Mechanical Engineering

This Final Design Report outlines the senior design project undertaken by a team of mechanical engineering students at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, for the development of a portable backpacking ice cube maker. The project aims to design, build, and test a lightweight, compact device that produces ice cubes for backpackers in remote outdoor environments. The goal is to create a functional prototype that is durable, user-friendly, and suitable for backcountry use. This document details background research, project objectives, and project plan, and current design status.

Experimental Study Of Gas-Dynamic Heating In Hartmann-Sprenger Tubes For Rocket Engine Ignition, Jacob T. Huff

Master's Theses

Ignition systems for chemical rocket engines typically rely on hypergolic propellants or auxiliary electrical hardware to supply the energy required to initiate combustion. The resonance igniter is a simple and robust alternative to these conventional methods, capable of inducing autoignition of non-hypergolic propellants without an external ignition source. At the core of this concept is the Hartmann-Sprenger Tube (HST), a device in which a high-velocity jet of gas impinges on a resonance cavity. This interaction establishes self-sustaining gas oscillations within the cavity that heat the propellants to their autoignition temperature. To facilitate the development of a functional resonance igniter at …

Brush Seal Cycling Test Rig, Angelo J. Reis, Neil M. Bedagkar, Max A. Soury, Eoin K. Lenham

Mechanical Engineering

To prevent backflow from the high pressure compressor stages of their gas turbines to lower pressure regions, Solar Turbines utilizes brush seals along their driveshafts. Due to manufacturing limitations, no shaft is perfectly symmetric about its rotating axis, leading to orbiting that creates asymmetric friction on the shaft through rubbing. With this biased application of friction comes a hotspot on one side of the shaft, causing bowing of the shaft and cascading into an amplified vibrational response. Our goal is to gather data on this phenomenon and offer a potential solution.

Air To Water Capture In Support Of Un Sustainable Development Goals, Jordan Macconnell, Michael Tiscareño, Ari Dennis, Baxter Mercy

Mechanical Engineering

This senior project explored the use of thermoelectric cooling for atmospheric water capture. The system was designed to cool aluminum condensing surfaces below the dew point using Peltier modules, with forced convection heat sinks on the hot side. The purpose of this system was to gather reliable amounts of water for various water-scarce areas around the world to help meet the UN's sixth Sustainable Development Goal.

The final design of this project consisted of a 1.5 x 1.5 x 2 foot frame made of acrylic panels and insulation. Within the frame, the thermoelectric system was constructed using Peltier modules with …

Cryogenic Fuel Delivery System, Carter Josef, Reilly Humphreys, Joseph O'Connor, Nick Spreen

Mechanical Engineering

This project presents the design and validation of a cryogenic fuel delivery system aimed at enabling sustainable aviation through hydrogen fuel vaporization. Developed by a team of senior mechanical engineering students at Cal Poly and sponsored by Boeing, the system utilizes atmospheric air to vaporize liquid nitrogen, used as a stand-in for hydrogen, via forced convection heat exchangers, eliminating the need for engine-supplied heat and reducing parasitic loads. A feedback loop and turbine component are integrated to regulate pressure and recover energy, respectively. A benchtop prototype was built and tested to evaluate system performance, with results closely aligning with analytical …

Combustion Liner Optimization, William Weeks, Daniel Reed, Isaac Trull

Mechanical Engineering

Solar Turbines provides gas power generation solutions, focusing on gas turbine engines and compressors. The Gas Turbine Products Engineering (GTPE) team at Solar Turbines needs a way to efficiently and cost-effectively maintain the combustion liner of the Taurus model gas turbine at or below the cold-side temperature target. The current system involves a manufacturing process with ergonomic concerns and uncertain cooling effectiveness.

To address this, our team proposed a new combustion liner system featuring impingement cooling. We provided Solar Turbines with heat transfer models of both the existing and proposed designs, demonstrating improved cooling performance. Additionally, a prototype of the …

Multimodal Self-Folding Of Shape Memory Polymer Using Laser Induced Graphene, Liam Harrison Drew

Master's Theses

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) can undergo programmed shape transformations when heated above their glass transition temperature (T_g), enabling actuation through stimuli such as infrared (IR) radiation and Joule heating. These materials are promising for deployable systems and soft robotics due to their lightweight structure and elimination of traditional mechanical components. While IR-based actuation is simple and low-cost, it lacks precision in uncontrolled environments. Joule heating offers improved control but is often limited by conductive ink properties such as thickness, stiffness, or poor adhesion. This work introduces a novel method for multimodal SMP actuation using laser-induced graphene (LIG) transferred …

Design, Test, And Comparison Of A Photovoltaic Thermal Hybrid Solar Collector Utilizing A Thermosiphon, And Theory And Analysis Of Related Predictive Computer Model, Lance Brown

Master's Theses

Design, construction and testing of a photovoltaic thermal collector, or PVT, was completed to determine efficiency improvements of this system compared to a conventional solar panel and to find the thermal energy gained through hot water storage. Flow, driven by density changes from solar radiation, creates a thermosiphon, moving water without the use of a pump and ultimately drawing heat away from the solar panel. This is done to create a more efficient solar panel as well as decreasing potential damage due to high temperatures. Evaluation of electrical efficiency, thermal efficiency and flowrate allow for comparison between other PVT systems. …

Piston Crown Design, Kurt L. Lippmann, Liam T. Janssen, Alex Rangel, Larry J. Davis

Mechanical Engineering

This project investigates the effects of dimpling a piston crown, and its impact on engine combustion dynamics. Through computational methods, the effects of piston crown dimpling on flow characteristics were evaluated. Theoretical results were verified with experimental methods. Experimental methods included characterization of exhaust gas content, engine horsepower and torque, and exhaust opacity.

Focused Led Sintering, Dylan Defazio, Nilav Maulik, Branden Majors, Michael Fontillas

Mechanical Engineering

This report provides a detailed overview of the final design of our light-emitting diode (LED) focusing system. Our system incorporates a converging lens and a specially designed "glass funnel," which acts as a thick fiber optic that narrows the light to a fine point through internal reflection. The glass components of our system are precisely housed in a part made using advanced computer-numeric controlled (CNC) Mill and CNC Lathe manufacturing processes. This ensures high precision and durability of the overall system. Our LED focusing system is designed with a 60-watt stage light. The decision to use a glass funnel as …

Sizing Wind Tunnel Heater For High Enthalpy Conditions, Justin M. Slavick

Master's Theses

This paper determines the feasibility of adding a heater to an existing blowdown supersonic wind tunnel to unlock new high-enthalpy test applications, considering cost and power requirements at a variety of different states. This process includes both modeling the current range of test section properties in Cal Poly's blowdown wind tunnel and determining the new range of properties that a heat exchanger could induce. These results are verified with a computational fluid dynamics study. Additionally, sublimation and ablation properties of materials are explored to create appropriate models to study atmospheric re-entry once the heat exchanger is implemented.

It is found …

Exhaust Manifold Pressure As Engine Tuning Parameter, Kieran Truth Cunningham, Adam Sullivan Mathews, Connor Richard Smullen

Mechanical Engineering

In this project, the exhaust manifold absolute pressure (EMAP) of a 1986 Toyota Corolla was analyzed across a variety of load cases and was compared with the mass air flow (MAF) of the intake, simultaneously. Correlations were found in the trends of EMAP and MAF sensor readings that may prove helpful in tuning engines that have difficulty in accommodating a MAF sensor. These correlations were found in areas of the powerband where aftermarket tuned engines typically have poor airflow sensing. An equation was developed to spoof MAF input using EMAP and other engine operating parameters.

Cooled Liquid Rocket Thrust Chamber, Benjamin Gibson, Kealan Frederick Harris, Ryan Frank Schackel, Bjorn Thorsen

Mechanical Engineering

Cooling may affect the thrust output of a small-scale rocket. Little research is published about small-scale rocket performance. We hypothesize the thrust produced varies as the amount of cooling varies. To facilitate assessing this hypothesis, we have designed and built a liquid rocket engine rated for at approximately 25 lb_f of thrust. Our objective was to build in parallel with Cal Poly Space Systems, who built a rocket engine with similar specifications except without cooling. Our challenge is to integrate film cooling, so that the effects of cooling may be compared to Cal Poly Space System’s engine which has …

Flexible Water Cooling, Joshua Terlaje, Andrew Lin, Nicholas Morales, Tanner Parrott

Mechanical Engineering

The goal of this project is to develop and deploy a water-cooling system to reduce the danger of heat exhaustion among communities of farmworkers. Currently, it is difficult to keep chilled water available throughout the workday when using portable water coolers. The idea uses a refrigeration system to chill the water supply by using the power take-off (PTO) on farm equipment and a corresponding generator to get around this restriction.

The project places a strong premium on keeping the chilled water supply at a maximum temperature of 59°F to ensure compliance with the California Department of Industrial Relations' requirements. Each …

Statistical Uncertainty Of The Ignition Time, Burning Rate, And Extinction Characteristics Of Engineered Timber Products, Jacob David

Master's Theses

The characterization of flammability parameters such as time to ignition, mass loss rate (MLR), and extinction criteria is critical for understanding ignition and burning behavior of timber products. These parameters, often determined with bench scale experiments, have previously been presented in literature. However, standard test methods generally use relatively low trial quantities (e.g., n=3) which can potentially cause large variation in reported values. This study investigates the influence of trial quantity on observed statistical variation in key flammability metrics for timber products (e.g., ignition time, peak MLR, MLR at extinction). Using a conical heater, 100 repeat trials were conducted …

Portable Drinking Water Cooler And Dispenser, Gustavo Hernandez-Lerena, Erik Torres, Caleb Francis Parham, Terry Leung

Mechanical Engineering

This document serves as the comprehensive report for the testing and building for the Portable Water-Cooling System by team AquaCool. Team AquaCool is comprised of four mechanical engineers with a passion to help the agricultural industry in their efforts to keep the health of the workers at their peak. The four engineers who partook in helping the farm workers are as follows: Caleb F. Parham, Erik Torres, Gustavo Hernandez-Lerena, and Terry Leung. To reduce the risk of heatstroke and other unwanted effects from the harsh working conditions during summer, a small and portable system was built to help in the …

Hypoxic Incubation Chamber, Simone Lisette Helfrich, Makenzie Nicole Jones

Biomedical Engineering: Graduate Reports and Projects

This paper describes the design, manufacturing, and testing of a novel controllable hypoxic incubator with fully functional oxygen gas control and temperature control in a humid environment. On the current market, a majority of the few hypoxic incubators use pre-mixed gas that does not offer precise control over gas concentration. The objective for this project was to create a chamber that allows the user to set the O2 concentration to varying set points of % O2 while maintaining the chamber at a constant body temperature, CO2 level, humidity, and sterility. To start the project, multiple concepts were developed for the …

Hypoxic Incubation Chamber, Simone Lisette Helfrich, Makenzie Nicole Jones

Master's Theses

This paper describes the design, manufacturing, and testing of a novel controllable hypoxic incubator with fully functional oxygen gas control and temperature control in a humid environment. On the current market, a majority of the few hypoxic incubators use pre-mixed gas that does not offer precise control over gas concentration. The objective for this project was to create a chamber that allows the user to set the O2 concentration to varying set points of % O2 while maintaining the chamber at a constant body temperature, CO2 level, humidity, and sterility. To start the project, multiple concepts were developed for the …

Solid Thermal Storage As An Energy Storage Device In Insulated Solar Electric Cookers: Thermal Modeling And Experiment, Michael Antonio Fernandez

Physics

The use of solid thermal storage (STS) as an energy storage device in insulated solar electric cookers (ISEC) was explored using a thermal simulation before retrofitting an existing cooker without energy storage and testing it under several conditions. STS sizing, material selection, and geometry were examined from both theoretical and practical perspectives and re-examined following experimental results. Characterization of the system’s thermal interfaces and methods to improve their thermal conductivities were investigated resulting in several performance enhancements to the system.

Mmteg Heatsink Design, Peyton Nienaber, Kadin Feldis, Alec Savoye, Jack Waeschle

Mechanical Engineering

In this document, Cal Poly Senior Design Team F16 presents a summary of its work developing a suitable heatsink for Gas Technology Institute’s Methane Mitigation Thermoelectric Generator. After several months of iterating between experimental testing and simulated heat transfer, a suitable prototype was selected for use in further refining simulation parameters. This was called the structural prototype and it allowed Team F16 to confirm several remaining unknowns relating to component thermal conductivity. All documentation of this process can be found in Preliminary, Critical, and Interim Design Review documents (PDR, CDR, IDR), included in this report. Having a realistic model …

Insulated Solar Electric Cooker With Phase Change Materials, Weijun Zhao, Jake Lung, Owen Chu, Sarah Melzer

Mechanical Engineering

This Senior Project Report documents the development and design process of the Insulated Solar Electric Cooker with a Phase Change Material (ISEC w/ PCM). In this project, we developed a PCM assembly that can be integrated into an existing ISEC system which utilizes two 100 W solar panels. This report details the use of a nitrate salt solution of 60% NaNO3 and 40% KNO3 and demonstrates its potential as a viable form of thermal storage solution for cooking. We found that only 1kg of PCM is able to retain its heat for around 5 hours after power removal and believe …

Optimized Tip Cooling Using Am Process, Alberto H. Gamez, Lourdes Sarmiento Martinez, Andrew Van Bogelen

Mechanical Engineering

This Final Design Review (FDR) reports on the senior design project undertaken by our team of mechanical engineering seniors at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. This project seeks to use the additive manufacturing process to improve the existing design of a Taurus 60 gas turbine injector tip. The current injector tip is owned by Solar Turbines, a designer and manufacturer of gas turbines for electric generation, propulsion, as well as natural resource transportation. The challenge at hand is to design a new injector tip that will be reliable for at least 60,000 hours and provide ease of replacement, …

Thermal Vacuum Chamber Modification, Testing, And Analysis, Jared C. Lehmann

Master's Theses

This work discusses the modification and analysis of the Blue Thermal Vacuum Chamber (TVAC) located at the Space Environments Lab at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. The modified design has a cylindrical test section and can accommodate 6U Cubesats or larger for educational or research purposes. The sizing process for the modified shroud cooling system and modular heating plates is discussed. The modified cooling system uses existing nitrogen plumbing into the chamber and control systems with a new copper shroud. The modified heating system uses modular heater plates, which utilize the existing three heater strips. The modified system …

Tensile Testing Environmental Chamber – Structural, Michael Ingel, Erik Soldenwagner, Austin Marshall, Lauren Schirle

Mechanical Engineering

Environmental chambers for tensile testing machines are used to study how a multitude of materials behave in extreme temperatures. These chambers provide the necessary information to innovate cutting edge technology for materials in fields such as aerospace. These chambers are often heavy and expensive requiring a significant amount of time and money just in the installation process alone. This report will serve to outline and define the design and fabrication of an environmental chamber, conducted by a team of four senior mechanical engineering students at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. The goals of the project include a low-weight …

Consumer-Ready Insulated Solar Electric Cooker, Simon Ford, Sachin Gokhale, Brendan Lynn, Richard Nguyen

Mechanical Engineering

An insulated solar electric cooker, or ISEC, converts solar energy into electricity to cook food, boil water, provide heat or even help charge batteries. In this project, the focus is an ISEC with a phase change material (PCM) that helps store heat when the solar energy input is minimal, such as after the sun has set. Although a successful ISEC already exists that utilizes PCM, this product can be improved in many ways. The specific revisions investigated in this report are the improvement of the thermal efficiency with the implementation of a vacuum-sealed outer pot, the reduction of the overall …