We are the official Chem-E-Car team of the National Technical University of Athens.
Participating students (from left to right):
- Chatzitheodorou Odysseas
- Konstantinou Nikos
- Vigkos Kyriakos
- Kakkanas George
- Karachaliou Eleni
- Katsarou Konstantina
- Papadopoulos Spyros
- Chatzopoulos Nikos
Team coordinators:
- Papathanasiou Thanasis, Professor
- Schinas Petros, Laboratory Teaching Staff
The Chem-E-Car Competiton® is organised annually by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers which engages college students in designing and constructing a car powered by a chemical energy source, that will safely run a specific given distance and stop.
The competition, which involves multiple regional competitions and a final competition at the Annual Student conference, increases awareness of the chemical engineering discipline among the public, industry leaders, educators, and other students.
The ATHENA team so far has competed at the pan-Hellenic Chem-E-Car competition, 2024
and got 1st and 2nd places using two cars.
You can watch the recording of the event on the follow
link:
1st place car
The first place car, named Bring More Watts Iodine (BMWI), was created by the students Chatzopoulos Nikos, Konstantinou Nikos, Kakkanas George and Vigkos Kyriakos.
The vehicle's power source consists of up to five (5) magnesium-copper electrochemical/galvanic cells connected in series. This batter generates electricity through the following redox reaction:
Mg + Cu2+→ Cu + Mg2+
Each battery cell contains a magnesim anode and a copper cathode. Two electrolytes, MgCl2 and CuCl2, participate in the reaction.
The vehicle's stopping mechanism is based on the commonly used iodine clock reaction. A solenoid valve is used to add the reducting solution in the reactor and the solution's color change is detected by a camera. The video feed is processed in real-time by the car's central controller which is a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, that detects the color change and sends a signal to stop the vehicle.
The chasis was built using the Actobotics platform and a wooden plate was used as the floor. The motor chosen is a 25mm, 200rpm and 4.5kg·cm DC motor that moves the front axel using two custom-made 3D printed gears for a transimssion ratio of 1:1
2nd place car
The second place car, named All Of Us Depend on Iodine (AOUDI), was created by the students Katsarou Konstantina, Papadopoulos Spyros, Karachaliou Eleni and Chatzitheodorou Odysseas.
The vehicle's power source consists of up to 20 MnO2 electrochemical/galvanic cells connected in series. This batter generates electricity through the following redox reaction:
Zn + 2MnO2 + H2O → Mn2O3 + Zn(OH)2
Each battery cell contains a zinc anode and a copper cathode, and the cathode paste consists of grease graphite and maganeese dioxide. The electrolyte is a KOH aquatic solution.
The vehicle's stopping mechanism utilizses the iodine clock reaction. A solenoid valve is employed to introduce the reducting solution into the reactor, a laster detects the resultant color change in the solution and signals to cut the motor's power supply. The vehicle's final stopping time is determined by the concentration of the oxidizer used in the reaction.
The chasis was built using aluminium frames. The battery produces electricity which is delivered to a 60rpm motor (12V) attached to a pulley and movement is transferred with a timing belt to the rear axle.
