////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Student Design Competition Profile: Chem-E-Car Competition
Next-Gen Engineers
DigitalEngineering247.com /// August 2019 DE| Technology for Optimal Engineering Design (^47)
Since then, the Chem-E-Car Com-
petition has grown to engage nearly 200
teams—or over 1,000 Chemical En-
gineering Students—around the world
at over a dozen regional competitions
held annually. The top qualifying teams
from each region compete every year at
AIChE’s Annual Student Conference.
To learn more about this competition,
we spoke to Sarah Ewing, a senior mem-
bership associate with AIChE.
Digital Engineering:What is the
intent of the competition?
Sarah Ewing: The purpose of
AIChE’s Chem-E-Car Competition is
to provide chemical engineering under-
graduate students with an opportunity to
apply their knowledge by designing and
constructing a car powered by a chemi-
cal energy source that will safely carry a
specified load over a given distance and
stop. This competition also increases
awareness of the chemical engineering
discipline and safety principles.
DE: Can you tell us about some of the
designs that are part of the event?
Ewing: Each Chem-E-Car team
must design a power source as well as a
stopping mechanism in order to control
the distance traveled. The chemical reac-
tions that are used to power and stop the
vehicle are up to the students. Some com-
monly used power sources include elec-
trochemical batteries (lead acid, galvanic
cell, aluminum air or hydrogen fuel cell)
or thermoelectric generators.
The most popular stopping mecha-
nism for the Chem-E-Car Competition
is the Iodine Clock Reaction, which
involves mixing a form of iodine, redox
reagent and starch. When these initially
colorless solutions are mixed, they will
eventually turn to a dark blue. This color-
changing reaction will block light coming
into a light sensor, which cuts the power
to the motor and signals the car to stop.
One hour prior to the competition
start time, Chem-E-Car teams are given
a target distance, which ranges from 15 to
30 meters and a “water weight” that must
be carried on the vehicle, which can range
from 0 to 500 milliliters. This is when the
real challenge begins, because each team
must properly calibrate their stopping
mechanism in order for the car to stop as
close to the target distance as possible.
DE: Anything else you’d like to tell us
about the event?
Ewing: AIChE is very proud of its
Chem-E-Car Competition Safety Pro-
gram, which was developed to ensure the
safe preparation and operation of vehicles
during all phases of the competition,
including construction, testing and the
competition. The safety program also
instills the importance of process safety
principles to future generations of chemi-
cal engineers. Each Chem-E-Car team
must prepare an Engineering Design
Package (EDP) and pass an in-person
safety audit before they are permitted to
compete in the event. This safety audit
provides students with valuable real-
world process safety experience before
they enter the workforce.DE
Jim Romeo is a freelance writer based in
Chesapeake, VA.
Constructing Cars Powered by Chemical Energy
BY JIM ROMEO
T
HE AMERICANINSTITUTE
of Chemical Engineers
(AIChE) sponsors an annual
Chem-E-Car Competition to
promote learning and professional
development for chemical engineering
undergraduates. Scott Fogler at the
University of Michigan founded the
competition in 1999 with the help of the
AIChE Student Chapters Committee.MORE ➜aiche.org/community/students/
chem-e-carThe Chem-E-Car Competition challenges students to de-
sign a vehicle’s power and stopping mechanism via chemi-
cal reaction. Image courtesy of AIChE.Advertiser Index
ANSYS ........................................................C2
COMSOL .....................................................C4
COMSOL Conference .................................. 29
DE New Website House Ad .........................C3
DE Upcoming Vendor Hot Seat Webcast ....... 3
Dell/NVIDIA ................................................... 7
Lenovo ......................................................... 9
Livermore Software Technology Corp. .......... 1
Okino Computer Graphics Inc. .................... 19DE_0819_Next_Gen_Engineers.indd 47 7/11/19 11:02 AM