I was born and brought up in Karachi, Pakistan, spending every alternate summer with my maternal grandparents in Bombay, India. Dreams of flying led to a Bachelors in Aerospace Engineering in the US. PAF Risalpur, the only aeronautical engineering college in Pakistan, did not admit women at that point in time. After my first aerospace course, being a commercial pilot did not seem half as thrilling as designing planes, or space vehicles. I even dreamt of becoming an astronaut for some time. In the post 9/11 world, however, it was hard for a Pakistani to get a job in the Aerospace field, so I dabbled for a couple of years in wind energy. After a break of some years, I am finally getting my Masters in Switzerland (No, I am not doing Hotel Management, thank you!!). I am specializing primarily in aircraft engines and gas turbines, with a lesser focus on renewables. To pay for expenses, I do some energy policy work for a professor on the side.
how about doing research on engines and turbines that can run and out perform on natural gas, biofuels and waste products???
Keep up the work and don’t let anyone discourage you.
in Omaha, Nebraska
John
Hey John,
A lot of work is already going on on the topics you mentioned. Gas turbines, in land based applications, usually run on natural gas, hence the name ‘gas turbine.’ A lot of work is currently being done on using syngas, which is H2 and CO, as a fuel for gas turbines. Syngas can be produced by gasifying coal, biomass and other waste products, and would then be used with gas turbines in an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC). I was also lucky enough to do some experimental work with syngas combustion.
Nida