Using Undergraduate Engineering Students to Develop Practical Methods for Reducing Energy Costs at a Grain Receiving, Storage, and Transfer Facility Based on an Energy Study in the State of Michigan

Documentation, Review, and Assessment of a State of Michigan-funded Engineering Undergraduate Summer Internship for the Development and Implementation of an Energy Usage Planning Tool for a Large Grain Elevator and Grain Storage Facility

“…(1,2) The MAC facilities in Marlette, Michigan storage facilities has a rail spur that allows out-bound transfer of stored grain directly into rail cars that can then be transported by rail train for distribution to its final destination. Grain delivery by truck/trailer is also common.…”

“…These previous efforts have been well documented and presented at earlier ASEE conferences. (1,2) The previously funded work indicated there was a real need for a useful computational tool for use by MAC personnel that could assist them in grain routing and process decision making that could yield reliable energy usage estimations. The DTE Energy funded project did not, however, provide any funding for the development of such a computational tool.…”