Itza Beltran, '17

Itza Beltran, '17

Cohort

2017

Biography

Itza Beltran was born and raised in Bucaramanga, Colombia and moved to the United States at the age of 12. She transferred to the University of Central Florida from Valencia College in the Fall of 2014 where she is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. She is passionate about the creation and implementation of new "Green" technologies. She recently started working at the Center for Advanced Turbines and Energy Research under the supervision of Dr . Jayanta Kapat. She plans to obtain her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and continue doing research in clean-renewable forms of energy.

Faculty Mentor

Jayanta Kapat, Ph.D

Undergraduate Major

Mechanical Engineering

Future Plans

Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering

Research

Gas turbines- Internal Duct Cooling Project

Conducted at University of Central Florida as part of the Camp-Yes National Science Foundation funded research project

Mentor: Jayanta Kapat, Ph.D., PE, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE), University of Central Florida

Abstract: To achieve higher power output and greater thermal efficiency, advanced gas turbines operate at very high inlet temperatures. The metallic blades of the turbine are greatly affected by this operating temperatures as it exceeds the melting temperature of the blades' material. In order to ensure durability and reliability of the turbine components different cooling techniques are incorporated to improve the performance of the engine. Internal Duct Cooling is one of such cooling techniques in which the compressed air ejected from the compressor circulates in multi-pass flow channels inside the blade structure. This project examines how to design and develop an optimized channel that maximizes the amount of heat removed while simultaneously minimizing the pressure loss.

Summer Research

Uniformity of Skin Temperature Distributions in Ultra- Thin Thermal Ground Planes Compared to Copper Heat Spreaders

Conducted at The University of Colorado Boulder as part of the SMART Summer Research Program and the McNair Scholars Program

Mentor: Dr. Ronggui Yang, Assistant Professor –Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Colorado Boulder.

Abstract: Advances in technology have created a demand for better thermal management solutions. Higher performance in increasing smaller spaces is a major constrain in the design of new systems. One way to address this issue is by using a heat pipe ultra-thin thermal ground plate (TGP). TGP's are devices that have higher thermal conductivities than conventional solid heat spreaders and can be easily integrated into small electronic devices. This study examines the uniformity of the TGP's skin temperature distributions compared to a copper heat spreader with the same dimensions. Our objective is to be able to fabricate and design TGPs which have higher thermal conductivity than copper and can achieve more uniform skin temperature distributions of the devices.

Graduate School

University of Colorado at Boulder (Ph.D.)

Disciplines

Engineering | Mechanical Engineering

Itza Beltran, '17


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