ALCOA Aluminum Sustainability Project
EDSGN-100 Bevin Eteinne
Sahil Desai
Julie Scheffler
Abdullah Almotawa
Verdant Chaudhary
Abstract:
According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary sustainability is defined as involving
methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources. With this definition in
mind, the I-Galaxy team realizes that this definition covers an immense amount of subjects and
issues. Energy consumption is an international issue as there are shortages of energy for people
in impoverished areas as well as the fact that every year it contributes to a rise in harmful
carbon dioxide levels. Thus the I-Galaxy team defines sustainability as a method that can use,
conserve, and create energy without depleting available resources or harming the natural
environment. We have taken this definition and applied it to Penn State to develop a device
that can help cut down on energy usage in a sustainable manner.
Introduction:
Energy sustainability has the primary focus of engineers all around the world. As the
environmentally harmful consequences of non-renewable energy sources and wasteful energy
consumption become more apparent in our daily lives, sustainable energy systems have quickly
risen to power. According to the United States Energy Information Administration, 13.2% of all
energy consumption in the United States was produced by renewable energy sources.
According to the graph, as renewable energy systems and sustainability projects increase in
number, overall carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere shrink which helps to slow down the
immense amount of damage humans do to the environment. This has been the goal for the Igalaxy team for the past semester. We realize the importance of not only producing alternative
energy systems but also changing habits to reduce overall energy consumption. The more
people begin to change habits and figure out how to consume less energy, the less carbon
dioxide we pump into the atmosphere. As a team we reviewed and studied where the most of
amount of energy is consumed by the average American.
As it can be seen from the pie chart above, we figured that space heating is generally
the main source of energy consumption, so we set out to try and reduce that overall number.
Through multiple concepts, we eventually developed our solar aluminum heater. This solar
aluminum heater is constructed of aluminum cans, wood, insulation, and a fanning system used
to circulate the warm air. It can be easily implemented in pre-existing systems by utilizing
simple connections to air condition vents. In addition to that, multiple units can be adjusted
and placed on rooftops of most buildings to allow for maximum solar absorption and minimal
interference. The I-Galaxy team predicts that the solar heater can heat up air to about 109ᵒ F
when the outside temperature is about 30ᵒ F. In addition, the solar heater will circulate air that
is already in the building to prevent wasting too much time heating a new batch of air from
outside. The I-Galaxy’s solar heater has the power to reduce the large amount of energy put
into heating entire buildings. Though it may not be fully able to replace current heating
systems, it can definitely be used to reduce the amount of energy we spend on heating up
rooms. Also, since the design using aluminum cans, there is no need to waste more energy in
melting aluminum cans and turning into pure aluminum again. This goes to the I-Galaxy’s
mission to prevent wasteful energy consumption. It is also simple in design and can quickly be
produced by skilled and unskilled workers. Add all these basic details together, and the Solar
Aluminum Heater becomes a highly sustainable and effective method to reduce overall energy
consumption.
Specifications
51.5 inches
73.5 inches
7 inches
56.25 inches
These current dimensions and numbers are extremely tentative. They may change as we
hope to construct our own prototype and try to optimize these variables as much as possible.
However, for now these specifications provide sufficient amount of energy according to our
research.
Rationale:
As it was clearly mentioned early on, the main motive for the I-Galaxy team is to reduce
energy consumption as much as possible. We went with the aluminum can heater because it is
exceptionally applicable to this mission. Since we had narrowed down heating as our target
industry we knew right away this would be the ultimate product. From preliminary research
about aluminum can heaters, we can estimate that a single unit of our aluminum can heaters
can produce about 7000-12000 BTU. This is a significant amount of energy harvested
completely for free. In addition to that, it is generally forgotten that aluminum recycling also
consumes a very high amount of energy to melt and purify. Thus by using aluminum cans in its
natural state, there is no need to waste energy in the recycling process and it a free source of
material that can be used. With these two critical features apparent, we knew this would be
optimal for Penn State and energy sustainability. One of the tougher aspects to this project was
also the implementation of these aluminum heater in buildings throughout state college. We
discovered since most air condition units at state college are on the roofs of the buildings, we
could simply use pre-existing ventilation systems to circulate our warm air. Through simple
modifications we can easily connect our aluminum heaters to the air condition vents circulate
the warm air. Part of this system will include an automatized delivery system. In this system, a
thermometer will activate a fan every time air in the heating units reaches a certain
temperature. Once again, with the use of preexisting ventilation systems we move hot air into
the building and suck in the cooler air that is located inside the building.
With a fully efficient implementation plan and energy sustainability system, we know
that the aluminum can heater can bring a new element to the aluminum market, heating. It is
very clear how expansive the aluminum industry. It covers everything from appliances to
planes. It is an essential part of everyone’s life as we interact with it almost every day. By
expanding its industry to also include solar heating, a whole new market has the ability to open
as well as the clear sense of sustainability that ALCOA is trying to extend out to its investors.
Assessment:
Pennsylvania State University has two power plants that supply power and heating to
campus with the help of electricity bought off the grid. The West Campus Steam plant uses 5
coal-fired boilers to produce steam and the East Campus Steam Plant has two natural gas/oil
boilers. These boilers supply steam to campus through 17 miles of pipes running through
tunnels under campus and is used in buildings for a range of operations: from use in labs to
heating buildings. The cost of producing this steam accumulates the largest cost in running
buildings on campus. Taking a look at one building for one month reveals the costliness. For
instance, Hammond Building, the home of the College of Engineering, is a 158,273 square foot
building. In January 2012, the building used 1,414.01 kilo pounds of steam and 2,954 kWh of
electricity, costing $28,718.54 and $272.60 respectively for a total of $28,991.14. If all of the
steam was used for heating the building, the equivalent amount is 1.414 billion BTU of heat
using the fact that 1 pound of steam gives off 1,000 BTU when it condenses to water.
One single Aluminum solar can heater can produce between 7,000 and 12,000 BTU per
hour. (This information is predicted based on results collected from testing done by individuals
who have built residential aluminum can solar heaters.) The heat from one unit produces heat
equivalent to 2,061.5-3,534 pounds of steam per month – taking into consideration that the
average amount of daylight in January 2012 was 9.5 hours and that there are 31 days in the
month of January. From those number and others given above, it can be deduced that one solar
heater will save $40-$70 a month given that steam cost around $20 per kilo pounds to produce.
Now while that may not seem much, consider the face that the roof of Hammond building is
roughly 26,000 square feet. If there were to be 200 units placed on the roof, it would result in
saving between $8,000 and $12,000 per month in winter months when steam is most often
used. The cost of building such a unit is roughly $100, given that all materials except the
aluminum cans are bought new. However, many materials such as glass can be salvaged or cost
less when bought in bulk. So while for the first month and a half of use the money saved
through steam production cost will be used to pay for the building of such units, every month
after that and the following winters money will be saved on steam production and heating
costs. In addition, the boiler that produce steam currently run on coal (but are being converted
to natural gas). When the amount of steam required is reduced, the amount of coal is reduced
and therefore so are the emission released by the burning of coal.
Implementation:
The number one reason that the aluminum can heater is a great investment is the
simplicity that goes behind implementing it. The implementation plans have been fully thought
out and begins with the initial phase, evaluation. In order to better optimize the aluminum can
heater, we need to build a prototype. With this prototype we can test additional features to
optimize performance and better gauge the efficiency of the heater by testing it in a myriad of
likely situations. For example, one idea is to use reflective aluminum panels to reflect more
sunlight at the aluminum heater. In addition, we must see how the aluminum heater can hold
up in cooler and cloudier weather. By testing these variables with a prototype we can create an
even more efficient and powerful design. In addition to design testing, we also want to evaluate
different buildings and their respective ventilation system. By doing this we can calculate the
necessary fan power to circulate the air and try to choose a single building to implement the
first system of aluminum heaters. We also want to study the ventilation blueprints to see how
we can safely attach our heaters to vents and determine some target areas to circulate air to
and from. After the evaluation stage, the I-galaxy team will begin to collaborate designs and
ideas with different on-campus eco groups to try and gather supplies and build a labor force. By
partnering with large eco groups on campus, we can easily construct aluminum heaters and
find ways to garner store bought materials such as the plexy glass, wood, insulation, aluminum
cans, and heat resistant paint. During this time period we will construct the initial amount of
aluminum heaters. After this collaboration phase, we will work closely with Penn State
resources to implement this system in a single building and then monitor the results.
Depending on these results we will expand the program to encompass more buildings. The
following is a graphic to clearly lay out our plan:
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1/13/2014 - 2/24/2014
2/25/2014 - 4/1/2014
4/2/2014 - 5/12/2014
Evaluation Phase
Collaboration Phase
Implementation Phase
Prototype construction
Design Analysis
Ventilation/building analysis
Prototype Testing

Eco/sustainability
organizations search
Idea exchange
Material gathering/
construction

Connect heaters to
ventilation ducts in one
building
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 Monitor results

 Decide whether to expand
program
By our estimates, we could implement this cost saving device in our first building before next
summer with the proper support from the university.
Alternative Concepts:
The concept generation process of the project required the most amount of effort. With
a lack of tangible parameters, it was very tough to find a specified project with a solid purpose.
The I-galaxy team covered a plethora of other plans which would have influenced different
aspects of college life. However, every one of those plans stuck the main ideal behind I-Galaxy,
energy sustainability. For example, we thought of using aluminum’s reflective properties to try
and spread light to cover more area and reduce the amount of light usage. However, we
discovered this be infeasible and hard to implement due to different lighting sources and
limited amounts of light actually being spread. In addition, we also thought of outdoor solar
and wind energy charging station for college students. This charging stations would use
aluminum components to allow students to charge products when outside. However, this plan
had failed as well as it was not ergonomic and highly costly. We figured that no student would
leave their phone unattended at an outdoor charging station or wait the length of time it would
take for phone to charge. For these reasons, we knew the aluminum can heater was perfect. It
covered every goal and problem we set out to fix. In addition to that, it was extremely feasible
and very economically efficient is saving money for a cheap price.
Conclusion:
Energy sustainability is a crucial topic that engineers around the world are only beginning to
research. In the past decade people around the world have made large jumps in sustainable
energy projects using water, wind, solar, and even geothermal as sources for energy. As one of
the largest aluminum companies in the world, it is imperative to begin exploring ways that
aluminum can be involved with and utilized by such a growing industry. Unlike most other
projects, the Aluminum Solar Heater directly uses aluminums natural properties to try and save
energy. It is the aluminum cans that heat up and capture the sunlight, not any other material.
In addition to this, the Aluminum Solar Heater clearly has the power to be extremely profitable
with the amount of energy it can save. It simple and convenient design can also make it
deployable in most places. According to our research this solar heater can produce about 700012000 BTU which can heat up an entire room. With more funding we can optimize this number
by building our own prototype and testing different features. For example, one of the ideas the
I-Galaxy team wishes to test is adding reflectors to reflect more light to the aluminum cans. The
Aluminum Solar Heater has more than enough potential to reduce a large amount of our
heating. It can drastically lower cost with little to no effort and can be easily implemented
within most heating and cooling systems. With the proper funding, it can also help to reduce
Penn State’s energy costs and be the foundation of a new revolutionary product.