Chem-E-Car Downunder

Authors

  • Martin Rhodes Monash University

Abstract

The Chem-E-Car competition has been run for undergraduates by the AIChE for the past three years with finals at the AIChe Annual Meetings.  The idea is that teams of undergraduate students design and build a small car powered by a chemical reaction.  The objective is for the car to travel a certain distance and then stop.  The distance to be traveled and the weight to be carried by the car are not announced until the day of the competition.  The emphasis is on control of a chemical reaction, with a keen eye on safety and the environmental impact of the design. The winner is the car which stops nearest to the required distance.  As well as designing and building the car, each team must make a poster which describes the car’s operation and include a safety and environmental assessment.

Author Biography

Martin Rhodes, Monash University

Martin Rhodes is Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He has a keen interest in chemical engineering education and specializes in particle technology, a subject on which he has written an undergraduate textbook. His research interests include fluidization, gas particle flows, interparticle forces, and particle mixing.

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Published

2002-09-01

Issue

Vol. 36 No. 4 (2002): Fall 2002

Section

Manuscripts