Science Unwrapped 11-8-13

Right now we are in the middle of setting up for the after activity at Science Unwrapped held in the Eccles Science Learning Center here on campus!  The event is free and open to all!  The theme is air quality in Cache Valley.  Come see how we at USUBFP are working to reduce emissions from right here in our own valley.  We will have activities for the kids as well as a few posters and video of the car.  We look forward to seeing you!

Welcome to all those of you visiting for the first time!!  Stay tuned for a VERY EXCITING year coming up!!

I'm not sure if we posted this link or not so we will share it! 

http://www.algaeindustrymagazine.com/usu-students-run-dragster-with-algal-fuel/

Happy Halloween everyone!  Keep yourselves safe as you enjoy your holiday!  Also make sure and drop by to visit us after Science Unwrapped in the ESLC at USU starting at 7pm on Nov 8!  Some of our biofuels students will be doing part of the after activity where we will be sharing our research and have some of our fuels with us to be able to show you!  Come learn more about what we are doing to help clean up Cache Valley's air from right here in Logan!

Please check out this video done about us! A huge thank you to Apogee Instruments for putting this together for us! Lets make it go viral! PLEASE SHARE!! 

http://youtu.be/MPnE4qTsVVc

WORLD OF SPEED EVENT OFFICIALLY CANCELLED

We regret to inform everyone that due to weather the USFRA had to cancel the meet this morning.  The salt giveth and the salt taketh away!  We really want to thank everyone who helped us get ready to go to the event.  Mother Nature decided otherwise this time.  A big thank you to all the USFRA members who have been out working to try to make the event happen.  As always they are fantastic people and we just can't thank them enough.  www.saltflats.com

We now have a username for facebook to make us easier to find.

Check us out at facebook.com/USUBiorenewableFuelsProject

Thank you for all the interest and excitement!! My phone and emails have been non-stop! I promise I will continue to respond to everyone! Again thank you everyone for the overwhelming and positive response! Also I apologize for it taking a little bit of time to respond to each inquiry, I am doing my best to stay on top of this so please be patient if it takes me a little bit to get back to you! Thank you again everyone!

Another awesome article written about the team!
http://www.cachevalleydaily.com/news/local/article_0d459dca-0c13-11e3-b6e5-0019bb30f31a.html

Thanks for visiting with us and putting this together Kelsey Keller!  She is also the one who did this piece about us last year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdJtBiLUJjs

Hey Everyone!

Sorry it's been a little bit since the last time we had time to update the blog. Getting ready for the event was hectic and with me getting hurt it really slowed us down.  We have also been swamped busy since we got back as the media has been excited about what USU has been doing.  We were hoping it would be an exciting story and it has.  The event turned out fantastic with us qualifying for the record (72.569 mph on the existing 72.102 mph record) and then besting that time running B50 (50% algae biodiesel 50% petroleum diesel) and running the fastest the car has been to date with a speed of 73.977 mph!  Without help from the Jack Rogers team and Sue and Steve Christophersen (http://www.christophersenracing.uncle-earls.com/) we wouldn't have been able to get our setup flogged out and setup to be able to set a record here at the World of Speed event in September.  Sue and Steve had to leave the morning after her runs making it so that we couldn't set the record at this event.  Super grateful for their willingness to help and for being fun to be around!  Utah Chassis and Machine helped us out by letting us borrow their pickup as well as helping us get the car setup to fit Sue in the car while we were out there.  Many thanks to them!

The new transmission worked excellently and did exactly what the engineering students were hoping their changes would do.  Awesome to see the exhaust black smoking all the way down the course!  Also cool was to see that with B50 algae biodiesel that the exhaust cleaned up to a gray color!

We are still putting together photos and we will be uploading them here in the next few days!  A big thanks again to Terry D Call Photography for helping us out with the entry fee and a lot of physical help after I got hurt.  He also towed our "No Dollar Hauler" down to the salt and also back home with the car on it.  Check out his blog at http://terrydcall.wordpress.com/

At the bottom here I will add a few of the photos Terry took for us. 

Here is from the SCTA website showing the first run out this year! This is the pass I made before Sue took over for us!

 Here is our other three runs from the SCTA website. After the pass I made we found out we were a little off for the gearing so we made a couple changes and we also put Sue in the car since I had hurt my hand. She's a natural and it all figured out and down pat in no time at all! We would also really like to thank the Jack Rogers team for allowing us to borrow a couple sets tires/wheels of different sizes that helped us get our setup flogged out and run fast enough to qualify for a record!!! The first run was with a shorter set of tires and got us closer but a little to far the other way. The next was with a midsize tire and we had her run through in a different final gear and it was good enough to best the current record and qualify us. The last run is the same setup as pass number 2 but with 50% algae biodiesel in the tank (B50)! The last pass is our fastest to date! Super grateful for everyone involved in helping us get the setup worked out and to debut our algae biodiesel at SpeedWeek!! It helped us keep a lot of promises!!!!

 Check out some of these links to us racing out there at SpeedWeek 2013!
http://www.usu.edu/ust/index.cfm?article=52583
http://www.utahrides.com/articles/view/82/Bonneville_Speed_Week_2013%2C_a_City_on_the_Salt
http://www.utahbusiness.com/articles/view/usu_team_sets_record_with_algae_fueled_racer

 Steve really enjoyed pushing the car for the takeoff even though the car didn't need a push.  He had a big old grin and told us he liked doing just because he could and nobody else out there had a car that easy to push!  On the last pass Sue spun the tires for a good 2 feet and flipped a good bit of salt at him.  It was pretty fun!

 

Been a lot that has happened this event!!!  Check out our Facebook page for some of the info! Been very busy especially with me getting injured. We did qualify for the record today AND ran faster on B50 with our algae biodiesel today with a backup driver in the car. When we get back I will update the blog here much more fully!

We added new photos from the Cruise-In taken by Terry D Call Photography to our facebook page. Check 'em out!  Utah State University Biorenewable Fuels Project on facebook!

Last year at the World Finals event we met the Jack Rogers team as we pitted next to them.  They were awesome and helped us out with tools etc. and even another set of tires/wheels that we tried when we were working on gearing last year.  This season we will be pitting with them starting with the SpeedWeek event!  They will be fielding multiple cars and we will be helping them out where they need and we are grateful to them for getting a hold of us this year and inviting us to join them!  Just look for their beautiful 18 wheeler and our USU trailer parked along side! 

Come see us at the salt!




Check out the Jack Rogers 757 Camaro at the link below!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx20WFKFnvE

SPEEDWEEK IN ONE WEEK!!!!!!!!!

Hey Followers!!!!!!

Sorry it's been a little bit since we have added more here!  We have been digging in deep to get the car and everything needed for the car ready so we can get ourselves out to SpeedWeek to set another record! ;) 

As I write the vacuum distillation is happening on our algal biodiesel so that it is pristine, perfect, beautiful, ready to rock, etc. etc.!!  We should be in the 1.35L ballpark for algal biodiesel ready to go to Bonneville!! 
 

We have also been bust our hides to get a transport trailer done as last year was miserable flat towing the car especially with it being so wet last year.  We ended up being able to get the trailer done for pennies!  It has a winch that lifts the trailer so the car will load easily and the same winch also loads the car on for us!  This year is going to be 1000x nicer!  We will also be able to use the battery on the trailer to start the streamliner as we do not run a battery on board the car rather than having to use the pickup anymore.

Last week we were down at Utah Chassis and Machine working on the streamliner getting things finished up and ready to pass technical inspection and be ready to run down the salt!  We were able to get the firewall back in the car and modified to work with the changes over this past winter.  The flywheel shield has also been modified and is remounted in the car.  We also were able to get the throttle and manual fuel shut off finished for the car.  Still a little bit left to do to get the clutch handle etc working smoothly and nicely and we also have to make some modifications to the fire system to get it back in place.  Still some work to do but we will get back down to SLC and get it finished up so we can see you all ON THE SALT!

We also really want to thank Sunrise Designs for all their help in getting our vinyl done and in our hands!  They have been awesome to us and have taken care of everything we have needed!!  Please check them out if you are needing vinyl done!  We will get the vinyl put on the car next week and we will be ready to rock!

Just one month now!  We are trying to scurry and finish everything up so we are ready in time.  The fuel looks like it should be ready to go and the car was delivered back down to Utah Chassis to finish the updates needed to pass tech after the upgrades since last season.  Can't wait to be back on the salt! Looking forward to this seasons A-Salt (assault) on the salt!

4th of July Cache Valley Cruise-In

Thanks to the Cache Valley Cruising Association we were given a spot to take the car to the Cache Valley Cruise-In this last week.  We had a lot of great conversations and it was fun to meet a lot of new people.  Thanks to all those who stopped by and also those who helped out!  Right now we are just 32 days away from SpeedWeek and still have some work to finish up on the car.  Racing is just around the corner now!  Make sure to mark SpeedWeek and World of Speed on your calendars and come hang out with us!

Looks like we got the video working on here now.

World of Speed Sponsor!

We are pleased to announce we are officially going to be attending the World of Speed event held by the USFRA in September!  Apogee Instruments has paid our entry fee to attend the event!  We are extremely grateful for their support and help!  Without their help we had no way of attending the event.  Make sure you check them out for your instrumentation needs! Especially environmental instrumentation!  Thank you Apogee!

 

http://www.apogeeinstruments.com/

Cruise-In

Next week will be at the Cruise-In (July 4-6th) so stop by and visit with us!!  We are making great strides in getting everything ready for the upcoming events.  Apogee Instruments has been awesome and have stepped in and have footed the bill for our posters etc for the Cruise-In event!  They have been awesome to have on board and we are grateful for their continued sponsorship! 

SpeedWeek is also bearing down on us rapidly and we are trying to pull everything together to get ready for a week on the salt!  We are looking forward to running the car again and seeing what improvements we can see in top speed based on the changes we have made since last season including engine and transmission updates!  Again we would really like to thank Terry D Call Photography for sponsoring our entry to the SpeedWeek event!  We are looking forward to the shots he is able to capture throughout the week! 

More exciting announcements coming in the near future so make sure to keep checking in with us!

Updates! The future of the Streamliner and a visit from BATC and automotive teachers throughout Utah.

Time for some more updates!  Last week USU met with Utah Chassis and Machine to determine the future of the Aggie A-Salt Streamliner.  Recently USU ran out of funding to be able to continue the program that has been supporting the streamliner and things were starting to look bleak.  Thanks to Dave Mott of Utah Chassis and Machine who has been a co-owner and is the chassis builder of this car we now will be able to keep the program going.  USU will now be supporting Utah Chassis with design/build projects for the car as opposed to leading on the project.  This arrangement has made it so that we will be able to consistently have a car to be able to test and prove our biofuels in each year at the Bonneville Salt Flats.  This photo is from Monday when the car got loaded up and was delivered to Utah Chassis to finish updates to get the car ready to race at SpeedWeek!   We would really like to thank Terry D Call Photography for making it possible to attend SpeedWeek by covering our entry fee for us! The race is just less than two months away so make sure to mark your calendars and come see us!!  Also come check us out July 4-6th at the Cache Valley Cruise-In!  We have a main booth right next to the giveaway car so come check us out and get photos with the Streamliner and the team!

On Monday this week we got a visit from automotive teachers from throughout the state of Utah with the group from BATC.  It was a great and fun opportunity to show off the car, our dyno setup, and our algal biodiesel creation program.  Thanks for coming and visiting you guys!

We are revamping our social media!  There have been some changes and we are going to change our social media to adapt to those changes.  We have updated our facebook page which can be found at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Utah-State-University-Biorenewable-Fuels-Project/127301590768365 or you can go there by clicking on the top picture on the main page of this blog.

Our new twitter handle is @USUBFP

If you were following us on facebook or twitter those changes will have already been reflected in your accounts and you are still following us so not to worry!

Our new URL for this blog as you can see is http://USUBFP.blogspot.com and our old address (http://USULSP.blogspot.com) is no longer valid.

Spread the word and keep following us as we move forward!  We have exciting things to announce over the next few months so keep checking back in!

We will be at the Cache Valley Cruise-In July 4-6th so stop by and check us out!!

We regret to inform everyone that the USU Aggie A-Salt Streamliner will NOT be attending SpeedWeek. 

SpeedWeek Announcement!!!!

Thanks to 

Terry D Call Custom Photography 

and their generous donation to cover our entry fee the team will compete at one of the most prestigious racing events in the world!!!

Bonneville SpeedWeek will take place August 9-16th 

We met Terry last year at the World of Speed event and he got some great shots for us and will now be our official photographer.  Look for his photos of the event sometime in late August!!

We would like to thank all of our sponsors!

We have recently had a few sponsors that we haven't recognized including

Wolford V-Twin Repair and Service

and

ATK

New Measurement and Data Logging Sponsors!

The USU Land Speed Project is proud to announce a new partnership with: 

Campbell Scientific 

and

Apogee Instruments

Both companies are here in Logan and will be our source for instrumentation and data logging for the car starting with this season!  We are excited to work with them from past experience and for the experience and knowledge they bring to the table.

Please check these guys out for all of your measurement and data logging needs, you will be glad you did.

Come Check Out The Car!!

The Streamliner will be at multiple events to showcase what USU has been able to do as well as to find sponsorships to help the program continue for years to come!

The Cache Valley Radio Group has invited the Aggie A-Salt to be a part of the display at the Cache Home & Garden Show March 29th-30th.  Make sure to come check us out and support all of the local businesses!  We will be inside the Eccles Ice Arena setup in the Garden booth!

http://cachevalleyhomeandgardenshow.com/index.html

The USFRA has invited us to be a part of their booth at the UVU Auto Expo at Thanksgiving Point May 17th-18th.  Come check us out and support the local Utah sanctioning body for Salt Flats racing!!

http://www.uvu.edu/autoexpo/

The car will also be on display at the Cache Valley Cruise-In July 4,5 & 6!  Come enjoy awesome cars,  fun and celebrate the 4th of July weekend with the USU Aggie A-Salt team!

http://www.cachevalleycruisein.net/

Video: New Trans first test Also a blog mention of us!

Thanks to John Gunnell at Gunner's Great Garage for mentioning us today!
http://www.gunnersgreatgarage.com/2013/03/11/colege-lesson/#comment-5962


Also here is a video of the new trans being run in for the first time!!!!

Check out Robert Willis, Alex McCurdy, and my (Mike Morgan) interviews with Joanna Schroeder from Domestic Fuel while we were at the NBB conference.  As a heads up the records are somewhat quiet.
 
http://domesticfuel.com/2013/02/15/next-gen-biodiesel-scientists-from-lab-to-dragster/

A Few More Updates

Recently we remedied the only noted issue on last years tech inspection by purchasing new wheels.  These brand new Weld wheels look excellent!  Thanks to Les Schwab in Providence, Utah we were able to get the tires dismounted and then mounted and balanced on the new wheels as a small sponsorship!  Thanks for the help Les Schwab!  Go and check these guys out!  They have been great to work with anytime we have needed something!  Since the new semester started we have had a third senior design team as part of the project.  They are working on building a transport trailer for the streamliner.  The team has been awesome to work with and they have some great ideas!  This will be unique as they would have their build semester in the fall, that wouldn't work for us being able to use the transport trailer on the salt flats during this racing season.  As such the team will finalize their designs in the next few weeks and actually begin construction this semester.  Those that can help in the summer on the transporter will and those who can't will help get the parts and pieces ready so that they can be assembled over the summer.  The designs are coming along and should be pretty cool.