ASU engineering professor working on contract for Korean power plant software
by November 24, 2015 12:49 pm 455 views
Dr. Kwangkook (David) Jeong, associate professor of mechanical engineering, works with a student in an ASU lab.
An Arkansas State University engineering professor has begun work on the largest research award in the 100-year plus history of the university. The nearly $1.2 million project will help a South Korean company reduce air pollution from power plants, university officials said Tuesday (Nov. 24).
Dr. Kwangkook (David) Jeong, associate professor of mechanical engineering, is leading the research group that is starting work on two projects under the contract with Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co., Ltd.
“The project goal is to develop software utilities that will help Doosan reduce pollution from fossil-fuel power plants and enhance plant performance.” Jeong said. “Working over the next four years, our research group will develop computer modeling programs that will be used to predict and manage how fly ash behaves in power plants that burn pulverized coal to generate electricity.”
The group, including two post-doctoral researchers and eight graduate students, will be recruited during the project period to accomplish deliverables and objectives. They expect their research data to help Doosan analyze combustion systems and develop management software for use by power plant engineers and operators. Doosan Heavy Industries is one of the largest global heavy industrial companies that produces power utility and water desalination facilities.
“The College of Engineering is pleased to announce the finalization of the agreement between Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction Co., LTD., a major Korean corporation, and Arkansas State University,” Dean Dr. Paul Mixon, said. “The approximately $1.2 million research contract is the largest single research award in the history of the college.”
In a video posted Tuesday on the project, Jeong said the project will help students by combining both research and education. He said he traveled to a conference in South Korea and the company was impressed with his presentation. (See the video at the end of this story.)
Jeong, who joined the ASU faculty in 2010, completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Korea and his doctoral degree in mechanical engineering at Lehigh University. He is a registered professional engineer in Arkansas. His professional interests include engineering design and development for full-scale fuel and energy systems using computational and experimental techniques on thermal transport, turbulence, multiphase flow, and reaction kinetics. For 15 years before coming to A-State, he was a senior member of technical staff in the power industry.
In addition to teaching courses in advanced fluid mechanics, advanced heat and mass transfer, fluid and thermal energy systems, HVAC, and engineering thermodynamics, he has completed numerous research and industrial projects for various clients, including the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.