Trevor Terrill, a doctoral student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University, was recently awarded a 2015 Outstanding IAC Student Award by the National Industrial Assessment Centers. The program, which receives its funding through the United States Department of Energy, recognized Terrill for his research study titled, “A Novel Method for Non-Intrusive Measurement of Compressed Air Leakage Flow Rates.” The result of the research was the creation of a device that can be used for faster more accurate leak rate detection in a manufacturer’s air compression system.
The IAC award is presented to an individual student for outstanding accomplishments in promoting the practices, principles and procedures of energy engineering.
Dr. Bryan Rasmussen, assistant director at the Energy Systems Laboratory (ESL), and an assistant professor in the mechanical engineering department supervised the research conducted by Terrill and undergraduate students.
“Texas A&M’s Industrial Assessment Center has served almost 700 clients since its inception,” Rasmussen said. “In almost 600 of those we have found leaks in compressed air systems. Those leaks could cost the manufacture anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 a year. Having a device that can detect leaks better, saves companies money faster.”
Terrill and Rasmussen were also jointly awarded the Excellence in Applied Energy Engineering Research Award, for the study. Texas A&M’s industrial Assessment Center gives students real world experience in working to resolve industrial manufactures energy consumption issues. Students in the program gain skills and knowledge that teaches them how to effectively communicate with both plant managers as well as plant workers.
“You’re working with the equipment and you get exposure to a lot of different engineering systems used in today’s manufacturing plants,” Terrill said. “Being a part of Texas A&M’s IAC has been a great learning experience and being recognized for my research has been a great honor and achievement for myself as well as the mechanical engineering department as whole.”