AZeotropy 2017

Chem-E-Car - Problem Statement

Deadline for Abstract Submission: 24th January 2017

Introduction
Energy has become an important factor in the development of the world. From basic
residential uses to the production of energy itself, we require energy. This extensive demand
for energy has increased the burden on conventional energy sources which can be easily
extracted. Hence the major focus of the present generation is to look out for alternative forms
of energy. Harnessing the chemical energy in compounds through reactions proves out to be
one such source of energy.
Though chemical reactions act as a good alternative form of energy, there are harsh
consequences and challenges associated with their use, one of them being controlling the
reaction. An uncontrolled chemical reaction can lead to huge disasters. Hence there is a
growing need to control the extent of chemical reactions, harness their energy and use them
effectively.

Problem Statement

 Objective
The aim of the competition is to provide students with an opportunity, in a team oriented
hands-on design and construction of a small chemically powered car. It tests the ability of the
participants to safely control and harness the energy of a chemical reaction by initiating the
car and allowing it to traverse a fixed distance carrying a certain load.

 General Rules
 Each team consists of maximum four members of which at least two members
should be majoring in Chemical Engineering. Multiple teams from the same
institution are allowed, provided their abstracts and models are not the same.
 Teams must strictly adhere to the given deadlines, failing to do so will lead to heavy
penalisation in points or disqualification.
 The final date for abstract submission is 24th January 2017. Modified abstracts
could be submitted again, but the final abstract submitted before 24th January 2017
will be considered. Your Chem-E-Car model should be built based on the final
abstract submitted.
  The decision of the judges or event coordinators would be considered final and no
further arguments will be entertained.

 Structure of the Competition

1. Stage 1: Abstract Submission Round

Mandatory for further selection
Each team needs to send a mail containing a brief abstract (pdf format) about their
Chem- E-Car model by the Subject < Chem-E-Car - Team ID> by (24/1/2017)
11:59pm to nikhil@azeotropy.com in pdf format only. The abstract must contain the
following information.
The abstract must contain:
 Team Members and their AZeo numbers.
 Schematic of the model along with its dimensions.
 Cost of chemicals required and the procedure to setup your model.
 Elucidation of the chemical reaction or power source employed.
 The innovative ideas, design and unique features of your model.
 Environmental and safety measures considered while developing your model.
 The abstract must include the amount and cost of all chemicals required for the
construction of your bot. The cost of chemicals should be taken from
www.azeotropy.com/pdfs/chemicals_cost.pdf at the time of abstract submissions.
Note: Abstract must specify cost of chemicals included, which should not exceed
INR 10,000
Selection for the Performing and Viva rounds will be based on final abstract submission.
Deadline for submission of abstracts is 24th January 2017. You can send your abstract
multiple times, but latest submission by 24th January will be considered.
Note: Any changes incorporated in your model which have not been mentioned in your
abstract would lead to penalty points.

2. Stage 2: Performing Round

Selected teams from Stage 1 will be invited to IIT Bombay for the event day presentation and
run of their model.
i. Model Details
 Dimensions of the Car
All components of the car must fit into a box of dimensions no larger than 40 cm x 30
cm x 30 cm. The car may be disassembled to meet this requirement. If the judges are
uncertain whether the car will fit inside the box when dissembled, they may request
the team to demonstrate the same.
Note: Only payload (most probably water) will be provided to you. Transportation of
chemicals to the competition venue is strictly the responsibility of the team. You are
also responsible for arranging disposal of chemical wastes generated by your model.
Facility for disposal will be provided at the competition site.
 Functioning of the Car
The main objective of the competition is to demonstrate your ability to control a
chemical reaction. The only source of propulsion of the car is a chemical reaction.
(Some examples of Chemical Reactions include the use of pressurized air - creating
oxygen through chemical reaction and allowing it to build up the pressure, or
application of electrochemical reaction - using electricity generated by dissolution of
metals/non-metals in acids/bases). The vehicle must be powered by a chemical
reaction and must be stopped by a quantifiable change, and direct control, of the
concentration of a chemical species. This chemical reactant species must be a solid,
liquid, or vapour. Use of commercial batteries or commercial engines is strictly
prohibited in your car’s system. (Your car shall be eliminated in abstract screening
itself). Ideally, the car should stop after reaching the end of track and should not have
deflected from its initial straight path.

ii. Event Day Run Details

Each Team will be given one trial run to test their model. In the trial run, the model would
be checked whether it emits harmful chemicals (concentrated acid, poisonous gases, etc.),
your team would be eliminated if chemicals are hazardous and harmful for the surroundings.
Your team will be disqualified if the judge deems the model unsafe for run on the given
venue. Only one opportunity would be provided to each team for trial run.
 Payload
The car is expected to carry a specified payload (most probably water) of 0-500
grams. The car must have a chamber for the container in which load will be placed.
One of the organiser from team AZeotropy will measure the payload and it would be
given to you to pour it into your container. The required payload will be informed a
day prior to the start of competition.
 Trial Runs and Resets
An hour would be provided for all teams to conduct trial runs before beginning of the
competition. One reset is permissible (penalty would be imposed) if the car goes out
of bounds/track layout and does not pass through the rough patch. Again if the car
goes out of track, then the better of the two measurements taken will be considered.
 Initiating the Car
Maximum three members of the team are allowed to initiate their car. Two minutes
would be provided for setup of your model. Once the car crosses the starting line,
team members cannot touch their bot i.e. no chemicals can be added. Any type of
contact with the car thereafter will lead to disqualification and/or heavy penalisation.
Pushing the vehicle or a mechanical starting device is not allowed (it will lead to
penalty). If your car is initiated and not moving (i.e. till it has not crossed starting
line), you can retouch the bot if you are within your time limit of 2 minutes.
 Track Details
The track is trapezoidal with the dimensions as shown above and includes 3
rammers/speedbreakers of 0.5 – 1 cm height and a rough patch. The exact distance
to be traversed would be conveyed to each team two hours prior to the start of the
performing round.

 Course Layout
The foremost point of car’s initial and final position will be noted down to calculate
the distance traversed by the car. The distance of middle-foremost point from the
middle line will be measured to calculate deviation of the car. Final distance will be
measured from the finish line. The distance will always be measured from the finish
 line to the front point on the car. A vehicle that goes outside the course will have its
distance measured to where it went out of bounds and accordingly a penalty will be
imposed.
 Duration of the Run
The maximum time limit for a run is 4 minutes. If the car is still moving at the end of
4 minutes, the position obtained at the end of 4 minutes will be considered as its final
position and time of travel as 4 minutes. If the car remains stationary after its
initiation for a time of one minute, your team will be eliminated OR position will be
noted down and time of run will be calculated as 4 minutes.
 Trump
You can bet on the final position of the car and/or its deviation from the middle line
just before your car run. If you get it wrong, there are harsh consequences! The bonus
points awarded and the penalty imposed are given below, here ‘r’ is the range
(distance from the finish line) in ‘cm’ and‘d’ is its distance from middle line in ‘cm’.
Points Awarded Points Deducted
Final Position 50/r 25/r
Deviation 20/d 10/d

3. Stage 3: Presentation/Viva Round

The winners of the competition will be decided based on the results from Stage 2 and Stage 3.
The teams will be asked to give a brief overview (lasting 4 minutes) about their model to the
judges, followed by viva-voce form the judges.. The Teams will be questioned, and based on
their understanding and the performance of the model they will be graded. Teams are
required to bring a copy of their submitted abstract (which they may refer while giving the
overview).

 Judging Criteria
The criteria for judging will be as following:
1. Stage 1: Abstract Screening (Weightage 20%)
2. Stage 2: Event Day Performing Round (Weightage 60%)
3. Stage 3: Presentation/Viva Round (Weightage 20%)

The judging for all rounds will be done by the judges of the competition who shall also
decide upon disqualification and penalisation in cases of breaching of rules.
The Judging Criteria may be subject to changes. The judges and Team AZeotropy shall hold
the authority to do the same

 Precautions and Safety Measures

Each team must use appropriate safety measures and equipment in the chemical preparation
area to prevent chemical exposures, spills and miss-identification of chemicals.
The following rules must be followed:
1. All containers with chemicals, including bottles, beakers, syringes and plastic bags
must be properly labelled. This includes containers holding reactants, intermediates,
products or mixtures. The label must include the identity of the chemical(s) and the
Chem-E-Car team ID in legible English. It is the responsibility of the team to carry
additional labels if needed.
2. All teams must possess the required personal protective equipment depending on
the possible hazards that could be encountered. These equipments may include lab
coats, safety glasses, gloves, face shields, and hearing protection.
3. If the judge deems the car as unsafe, the team will be disqualified. Hence, every team
should try to follow the given characteristics:
i. Open or improperly secured container - All containers on the car containing
chemicals must be securely attached to the car to prevent the container from
tipping over during the competition. The lid to this container must be securely
attached to the container and must be capable of preventing escape of the
chemical during any phase of the competition, including any accident involving
tipping over of the car.
ii. Pressure related restriction - Pressurized vessels and car components represent
a significant explosion hazard due to the substantial energy contained in it.
Student teams must demonstrate through appropriate pressure measurements
that the pressures during normal operations do not exceed equipment
specifications. The following restrictions apply to cars operating under pressure:
 Maximum operating pressure - This is the highest pressure within the
vessel during normal operation. For initial design purposes, the maximum
operating pressure can be estimatedfrom the stoichiometry — but the
actual pressure must still be measured once the car is operational.
 Pressure requirement - If the pressure of your car is greater than 1 psig,
then your car should have the following: pressure gauge, emergency relief
device (must be in proper location), pressure certification, proper
management system to prevent over or mischarging.
 iii. Chemical containment hazard
This applies to any solvent, diluents, reactants, intermediate species or product
that is present on your car during operation. Suitable measures must be taken
while handling chemicals in the car preparation area to prevent human exposure
iv. Electrical hazard
Wiring and exposed electrical components must be electrically insulated or
covered to prevent the possibility of electrical shock or ignition of any component
of a car.

 Certification Policy
 All finalists will be awarded a Certificate of Participation.
 Top three winners will be awarded with cash prizes and Certificates of Merit.
 The ‘Best Model Design’ will also be awarded (other than top 3 winners) with
Certificates and a cash prize. (Please note that all above cash prizes are awarded to
team as a whole)

Queries
For any queries regarding the Problem Statement or Registrations the participants can
contact:

Nikhil P Miskin
nikhil@azeotropy.com
+91-7738741231

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