The team travelled down under with the following line-up: tutor Konrad Gładyszewski MSc (Eng.), and Agnieszka Bedka, Kamil Brocki, Jakub Kuberski, Filip Mikołajczyk, Kinga Mikołajczyk, Paulina Pędziwiatr, Piotr Przerywacz, Justyna Wojtasik and Dawid Zawadzki.

Chemcar powered by Peltier cells:
A simple vehicle utilising the Seebeck effect. The voltage generator comprises three containers – two filled with water and ice, on the sides, and the central one containing a chemical reaction. The Peltier cells are located between them. The agitators and the dosing system are installed above the cells. The vehicle also has a big ice bath for the iodine clock which is used for condensing post-reaction gases.

 

Operating principle: The vehicle has a catalyst – potassium dichromate. Decomposing hydrogen peroxide produces large amounts of heat which are used for the generation of electric energy by the cells powering the electric motor.

 

Stopping mechanism: an iodine clock; a sudden colour change is detected by a photoresistor which passes a signal to a transmitter, causing a circuit to open and the engine to stop.

Report from the competition:
The International Chemical and Process Engineering Conference Chem-E-Car 2016, entitled Chemical Engineering – Regeneration, Recovery and Reinvention, was held in Adelaide, Australia, from 25th to 28th September. A Chem-E-Car competition was held during the conference, and participants had to construct a model vehicle powered and steered by a chemical reaction. Obviously, the SSA Oktan and their Chemcar were present. The competition took place on the conference hall terrace, which posed an additional difficulty due to changing temperatures and the uneven surface. The first stage included a poster session during which the team had to present the method of construction of the vehicle, its features, innovative solutions, and safety devices before the jury. The second stage was the passage. The quality of the competition was on a very high level – teams from Iran, Malaysia, Indonesia and New Zealand used handmade cells which allowed them to achieve incredibly accurate passages.

 

The Oktan Team took 2nd place in the poster session and 6th in passages. We developed many contacts, met a lot of interesting people, and also learned a lot.

During our stay in Australia we experienced a number adventures, but also some disasters such as – for example – a hurricane in Adelaide, a mudslide in the rainforest, and a snowstorm in the mountains. We had an opportunity to see kangaroos, wombats and koalas in their natural habitat, and also to taste the local cuisine.

The organisers of the event, other competitors, and the Australians themselves greeted us warmly, and for this we are very grateful.