Daily Pioneer News

Left to right: Fred Wester, 1999 UWP mechanical engineering graduate; Toby Kutrieb, Turbine Technologies; Kurt Rolle, chair of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering; and Jeff Hoerning, UWP professor of mechanical engineering at the UW-Fox Valley collaborative.

PLATTEVILLE - As the University of Wisconsin-Platteville's collaborative engineering program at the UW-Fox Valley campus continues to grow, a new electrical power generator will give students there new opportunities for hands-on learning.

UWP educators dedicated a Turbine Technologies Rankine CyclerTM Steam Turbine laboratory unit during a visit to the UW-Fox Valley campus Tuesday, May 25.

Kurt Rolle, chair of the UWP Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, said the turbine will help students bridge the gap from theoretical classroom instruction to real-world application.

"This fits right in with our hands-on approach," Rolle said. "We could do a virtual one of these real easy, but it would still only be virtual. Would you rather drive your car or sit in your office and virtually do it?"

With the lab unit, students will be able to run a number of experiments related to power generation and real-world thermodynamic principles. The size of a small office desk, the portable system replicates all major components of a full-scale power plant.

"It's a model of a traditional, full-size electric power generation system," Rolle said.

The purchase of the steam turbine is the product of the combined efforts of Rolle and a UWP alumnus, Perry Kuznar. A 1982 graduate of UWP's mechanical engineering program, Kuznar now serves as marketing director for Turbine Technologies, a Chetek-based company.

"The choice to go with the product from Turbine Technologies was a simple one," Rolle said. "No one else in the country makes something like this."

An engineering laboratory equipment manufacturer, Turbine Technologies also builds jet engine propulsion labs and see-through centrifugal flow systems.

"It was such a pleasure to work with my old heat transfer professor, after all these years, to accomplish this placement at UW-Fox Valley," Kuznar said. "Dr. Rolle's commitment to a quality educational experience really shows through. He understands that rapidly expanding global energy needs will demand an ever increasing number of engineers with advanced knowledge and skills."

The purchase of a laboratory unit by a Wisconsin university is a special event for Turbine Technologies employees.

"Even though we have these units in universities all over the world, this is the first school in the state to take advantage of our Wisconsin-based equipment," Kuznar said.

To mark the occasion, the company flew UWP officials to the Turbine Technologies plant for a tour and demonstration of their product line. The group then traveled to the UW-Fox Valley campus for a dedication program and a training session for the department staff.

At the UW-Fox Valley collaborative, students can receive a fully accredited bachelor's of science degree from UWP. The program moved into a brand new building in December 2003, replete with four engineering classrooms and laboratories.

Program advisor Jill Gordee said fluid dynamics and thermal fluid design courses will benefit from the steam turbine system, an integral part of their budding laboratory. In only its third year, the UWP mechanical engineering program at UW-Fox Valley is poised for expansion.

"We continue to attract area students and business people to our program," Gordee said. "This year we project to have more than 120 students. We continually grow each year."