Research Projects

ME Research Projects

Project Description Faculty Advisor Funding
Inexpensive and non-toxic grid-scale energy storage To allow for larger penetration of renewable power such as wind and solar, the strain of their intermittent output on the electrical grid must be alleviated through the use of energy storage. Flow batteries are an ideal battery architecture for large-scale energy storage, and vanadium redox flow batteries are the leading flow battery chemistry; however, they require the use of corrosive and toxic acids. In this project, we are developing neutral-pH aqueous flow batteries for grid-scale energy storage that are both inexpensive and non-toxic.  John Bachman Possible
Modeling Metal Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) Processes We use various computational tools and models to simulate Selective Laser Melting of metallic alloys. We also look into how solidification microstructure evolves during the process. This project is partially funded by NASA. Mohsen Eshraghi Possible
Targeted design of combustion experimental conditions Many combustion experiments, such as flow reactor measurements, are performed at conditions without justification. In this project, we will use computational tools to find conditions where experiments will yield the most useful information on reaction rates. Experiments will likely be performed under these conditions by collaborators at other institutions, and then we will extract reaction rates from the measurements. Jeff Santner Possible
Energy-free flight for aerial robots using dynamic soaring Inspired by birds making use of thermal updraft and/or shear wind to flight, this project studies similar engineering solutions for aerial robots.  He Shen Possible
Improve the performance of humanoid robots This project allows students to continue advancing robotics technology by using the current generation of a humanoid robot, "Melo," developed by our group. He Shen No
Educational Robotics Kits and Curriculum Design The project focus on developing the next generation of "white box" education robotics kits for STEM education; meanwhile, the robotic platforms will be used for us to study how robots learn new skills through machine learning. He Shen Possible
High-performance wind turbine control system Wind energy is hard to predict, this project studies how learning and predictive control methods will make these engineering systems smarter and more efficient.   He Shen No
Analysis and control toward energy-efficient buildings Various sub-topics Arturo Pacheco-Vega Possible
Fractional-order-based mathematical modeling of complex thermal energy systems Various sub-topics Arturo Pacheco-Vega Possible
Heat transfer enhancement in micro-channels Various sub-topics Arturo Pacheco-Vega Possible
Analysis, optimization, and control of fuel cells Various sub-topics Arturo Pacheco-Vega Possible
Development of cleaning-plastic heat-based technologies Various sub-topics Arturo Pacheco-Vega Possible
Modeling of natural convection loops Various sub-topics Arturo Pacheco-Vega Possible
Application of intelligent systems in thermal engineering Various sub-topics Arturo Pacheco-Vega Possible

 

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Mayra Alonzo, Coordinator
[email protected] | E&T, A-205 | Tel (323) 343-4490 | Fax (323) 343-5004
5151 State University Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90032