2013–2014 UNIVERSITY CATALOG - Florida Institute of Technology

Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology
Hydrogen technology is the application of engineering principles to
the analysis, design and development of hydrogen-based systems,
components and vehicles. Hydrogen has the potential of providing a
clean, renewable alternate to fossil fuels, satisfying a critical need of
the United States and world energy sectors and economies. The current
focus on hydrogen as an alternative fuel has brought increased
attention to the fuel cell, the electrochemical device of choice for
recovering and using the energy carried by the gas. This in turn has
generated a renewed interest in electrochemical engineering, the
branch of engineering dealing with the analysis of electrochemical
phenomena and their application in devices and processes such as
batteries, fuel cells, sensors, electrodeposition, corrosion and chemical
synthesis and separation. This specialization provides students with
a strong background in hydrogen technology including an in-depth
study of the fuel cell and electrochemical engineering principles,
thus preparing them to serve the challenging demands of a growing
hydrogen economy.
The minimum requirements include those outlined above and 12
credit hours (four courses) as outlined below:
Required Courses
CHE 5240 Electrochemical Engineering
CHE 5250 Hydrogen Technology
MAE 5330 Principles of Fuel Cells
One course from the following:
CHE 5230 Separation Processes
CHE 5567 Nanotechnology
Chemical Engineering, Ph.D. ___________________
Major Code: 9033 Degree Awarded: Doctor of Philosophy
Age Restriction: N Admission Status: graduate
Delivery Mode/s: classroom only Location/s: main campus
Admission Materials: 3 letters of
recommendation, résumé, objectives, GRE
The doctoral program is primarily for students who wish to develop
independent research or problem-solving and critical thinking abilities.
Research areas must be related to the faculty’s interests.
Admission Requirements
General admission requirements and the application process are presented
in the Academic Overview section.
Admission to the doctoral program normally requires the completion
of a master’s degree in chemical engineering. However, students
enrolled in the Florida Tech master’s program may apply to be admitted
directly to the doctoral program after completing 18 credit hours with
a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or more, if there is evidence
of the ability to pursue problems independently.
Doctoral applicants must demonstrate outstanding scholastic achievements
and aptitude, provide letters of recommendation from previous
professors, including the M.S. thesis advisor and provide results
of a recent GRE test including both the General Test and Subject
Test in Engineering.
Degree Requirements
The doctor of philosophy degree is recognition of one’s independent
creative ability to research, delineate and solve novel, significant scientific
and/or engineering problems. Results of such work must be
publishable in refereed journals. Coursework is also included in support
of these objectives.
Each student is expected to complete an approved program of study,
pass both oral and written examinations, propose and complete an
original research project, and write and defend a dissertation on the
research work.
The Ph.D. in chemical engineering requires a minimum of 72 credit
hours (42 credit hours after the completion of a master’s degree),
including at least 18 credit hours of formal coursework in chemical
engineering (six after the master’s degree) and six credit hours in mathematics,
and satisfaction of the general doctoral degree requirements
presented in the Academic Overview section. The written examination
covers chemical engineering and related mathematical, physical and
chemical sciences. The oral examination includes the presentation
of a research proposition developed independently by the student to
demonstrate ability to create and develop a research idea. The written
and oral examinations are normally taken before the end of the
fourth academic semester, counted from the semester of admission
to the doctoral program. The dissertation may be theoretical, computational,
experimental or a combination of the three in any of the
areas of specialization shown for the master’s degree.
RESEARCH
Current research activities are within the scope of the areas of specialization
previously stated.
Environmental engineering: Projects include removal of trace organic
contaminants from water using reverse osmosis and design of systems
for controlling contaminants in spacecraft atmospheres. Most projects
focus on development of renewable resources, especially alternative
sources of energy.
Materials synthesis, characterization, and failure prevention:
Projects include self-assembly or aggregation of nanomaterials; synthesis
and modeling of transport properties of porous media, particularly
biological scaffolding; electrochemical and fluorescence-based
sensing using modified gold nanoparticles; combined cyclic fatigue
and cryogenic embrittlement under controlled atmospheres; fabrication
and testing of polymer-based and silicon-based solar cells and
testing of hydrogen sensors.
Transport and separation processes: Current projects include development
of computer simulation algorithms for estimating transport,
reaction and nuclear magnetic resonance parameters of porous, composite
and biological media, and modeling transport and reaction in
polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. Other recent projects have
investigated membrane separation of gases, extraction of lipids from
microalgae and the use of supercritical fluids for extraction of citrus oils.
Computer-aided modeling, processing and control: Research is
ongoing in the area of adaptive control for both single loop and multivariable
applications. Other topics of research interest include using
neural networks in areas of model development in which traditional
models are constrained, and process design and simulation of renewable
energy conversion systems.
2013–2014 Degree Programs—College of Engineering 107