Dr. Arthur Bergles of Rensselear Polytechnic Institute will speak on "Energy and Water Nexus: Critical for the 21st Century." Refreshments will be served.

Abstract:

The dimensions of US and world energy consumption will be summarized. While there are serious concerns about the environmental impact of the enormous energy usage, and eventual shortage of non-renewable energy resources, additional data suggest that shortages of fresh water are already upon us. Since large amounts of water are used in mining of energy resources and energy conversion, this leads to competition for water and frequent pollution of the water used for mining and power production. The territory of mechanical engineers in this energy - water nexus will be outlined, and various proposals to mitigate the water distribution problem will be described. Techniques to allow use of lower-quality water in power plants will be considered. The seminar will conclude with a proposal to reduce the water flow rate required to cool power plant condensers.

Biography:

Arthur E. Bergles received his S.B. and S.M. (1958) and Ph.D. (1962) in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He held teaching and administrative positions at MIT, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is now Clark and Crossan Professor of Engineering Emeritus at RPI, Glenn L. Martin Institute Professor of Engineering at the University of Maryland, and Senior Lecturer at MIT. Active in numerous professional societies, he is a Fellow of 7 societies. He was the 1990-91 President of ASME. He is a member of NAE and has been elected to 3 foreign academies of science/engineering. He has received many other awards from the US and foreign countries, including 2 honorary professorships, and 3 honorary doctorates. He has published over 400 papers and given nearly 400 seminars.