HI Sponsors Series of Penn State University Capstone Projects With Members
PARSIPPANY, NJ – The Hydraulic Institute (HI), along with member companies KCF Technologies, Engineered Software, Flowserve and NIDEC, sponsored a series of Penn State University Capstone Projects that challenged college engineering students to field solutions on complex pump engineering projects. According to the university, the mission of Capstone Design Projects is to bring the real world into the classroom by providing engineering students with practical hands-on experience.
Working in collaboration with sponsors, as well as Penn State technicians and the University Area Joint Authority (UAJA), student groups addressed pump system efficiency issues using Internet-based sensor technologies and simulation modeling software. Two student teams sought engineering solutions to one of the biggest challenges in the industrial world: reducing pump inefficiencies that account for up to 20 to 40 percent of wasted electrical energy in both industrial and building services. A third team designed and built a pump test loop that was so well done the sponsoring company intends to continue its use.