Rene Zepeda

Hot-Surface ignition for directly injected natural gas.

Supervisors: Steven Rogak and Patrick Kirchen2

I am an MASc  student in Mechanical Engineering. Before this, I received my bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Western Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESO), Guadalajara, Mexico, in 2014. My main areas of interest are thermodynamics and energy efficiency.

During my undergraduate studies, I developed a steam generator to for small-scale lab experiments, such as hydrodistillation processes, spray drying processes and steam jackets. In the summer of 2014, I participated in the Mitacs Globalink project titled “Rolling resistance of wheelchairs, a detailed analysis” focused on increasing the mechanical efficiency of the manual wheelchair by reducing the rolling resistance friction force of the front caster wheels. The project took place at the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) centre of the UBC Faculty of Medicine and VCH Research Institute.  Before joining EAL in 2015, I worked in the semiconductor industry as a thermal engineer.

Run4_Fen_T

Estimated air temperature through FEN

My current research project involves the analysis of the combustion of natural gas inside a research engine ignited by a hot-surface, as well as the analysis of the exhaust gas emissions coming out of the engine by a fast exhaust nephelometer, a novel device developed in our group by current students.

Distinctions:

Top of the BEng Mechanical engineering class 2010-2014, ITESO.

Awards:

Mitacs Globalink Graduate Fellowship 2015

Publications:

Sawatzky B, Zepeda R, Chan F. The effect of caster wheel diameter and mass distribution on drag forces in manual wheelchairs. J Rehabil Res Dev. [Accepted, publication coming soon].