Department of Mechanical Engineering

Professor

Iowa State University
Mechanical Engineering
2028 Black Engineering Bldg.
Ames, Iowa 50011
(515) 294‑9691
mpateiastate.edu

EDUCATION

Ph.D.         Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, 1982
M.S.           Mechanical Engineering, University of Arkansas, 1978
B.S.            Naval Engineering, United States Naval Academy, 1970 

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

Director, Center for Building Energy Research, Iowa State University, 2000-2005, 2007-present
Associate Director, Center for Building Energy Research, Iowa State University, 2005-2007
Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, 1990‑present
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, 1987‑1990
Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University, 1982‑1987 

DIRECTOR FOR CENTER OF BUILDING ENERGY RESEARCH (CBER)

Director and Co-founder of the Center for Building Energy Research -  A major university center focusing on all aspects of building energy issues with participation from colleges throughout ISU, including Engineering, Architecture, Agriculture, Business.  Responsible for more than a million dollars of projects by CBER affiliates.

INDUSTRIAL AND OTHER NON‑ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

Engineer, Advanced Reactor Systems Department, General Electric Co., Sunnyvale, CA, 1981‑1982
Analyzed two‑phase thermal hydraulic transients in power plants.  Modeled steam systems, spray cooling in steam drums and steam turbine startup.

Nuclear Submarine Officer, U.S. Navy, 1970‑1975
Supervised and coordinated the operation, testing and maintenance of steam power plants, nuclear reactor plants, refrigeration units, distilling plants, oxygen generators, atmospheric burners and scrubbers, air compressors, hydraulic equipment and various other mechanical systems aboard a nuclear powered submarine.

RESEARCH AREAS OF INTEREST

My areas of energy expertise are broad and I am open to pursuing research in new energy areas, however, my research experiences to date have focused on:

• alternative energy---nuclear energy, photovoltaics, passive and active solar, wind systems, geothermal, biomass
• energy conservation and efficiency---HVAC systems and components, compressed air systems, industrial processes, instrumentation
• green building technology and sustainability---building envelopes, net-zero energy buildings, building energy computer models
• heat transfer and heat exchangers---nano-particle refrigerant mixtures, capillary-tube two-phase flow, enhanced tubes and heat transfer, evaporators and condensers
• thermal processes and refrigeration properties---transport properties, thermal properties, solubility/viscosity of refrigerant/oil mixtures

HONORS AND AWARDS

• ME Professor of the Year Award, 2007
• ISU’s Louis Thompson Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award (Highest teaching award offered at ISU), University, 2006
• Superior Engineering College Teacher Award 2005
• Engineer's Week Outstanding Professor Award 2004
• Outstanding Professor Award, Engineering Leadership Council 2004
• Outstanding Faculty Member at Greek Week Recognition (2002, 2003, 2004)
• ME Professor of the Year Award 2003
• Best ASHRAE Technical Paper Award 1996
• Best ASHRAE Symposium Paper Award 1996
• Engineering College Outstanding Young Researcher Award, August 1992 

COURSE DEVELOPMENT

ME 423 - Creativity and Imagination for Engineering and Design

Introduced new technical elective course in Spring 2007 that uses creative arts, brain theory and psychology to promote and teach creativity and imagination for applications to problem solving, invention and design. (steady enrollment of 50 to 70 students).

ME 433 – Alternative Energy Conversion

Introduced new technical elective course in Fall 2002 that covers fundamentals, design and analysis of non-fossil type energy conversion techniques including fuel cells, wind power generation, nuclear fission and fusion, hydroelectric, tidal and wave energy conversion, geothermal, bioenergy, etc. (Steady enrollment of 100 students).

ME 443 – Compressed Air Systems

Introduced new technical elective course in Spring 2002 that covers fundamentals, design and analysis of compressed air systems and components such as compressors, heat exchangers, dryers, filters, receivers, regulators, etc.  (Steady enrollment of 60 to 80 students).

RESEARCH SUMMARY

1.  Research Funding Activity

A measure of my research activities during my career as a university professor is funding.  My total funding level since 1982 has been in excess of four million dollars from 78 separate research projects representing 20 different funding sources.

Over the years, I have been the PI or Co-PI on nine different ASHRAE funded projects, including two existing ASHRAE research projects in the areas of food spoilage in refrigerators and vibration/noise of fan and ducts assemblies.  It should also be noted that AHRAE funded projects are highly competitive in that each call-for-proposals typically receives 7 to 15 proposal bids.  All of these ASHRAE research projects have had significant oversight in that the research is closely monitored by an Oversight Committee of four to six engineers from industry who then further report to a larger technical committee that eventually determines by vote whether the research PI has satisfactorily accomplished the research activity proposed in the proposal.

In addition to ASHRAE projects with their significant involvement by industry, many of my other funded projects have been directly funded by industry, including DuPont, Wolverine, Copeland, and others.  In addition to funding from industry, I have had numerous federal government grants, funded by the EPA and the DOE, and state government grants, funded by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Iowa Energy Center.

2.  Graduate Student Activity

My research projects have supported a large number of graduate students.  Specifically, I have either been or presently am the major professor for 75 graduate students, including 50 M.S. students and 25 Ph.D. students. Many of my former graduate students have themselves continued on to become leaders in education as faculty members at other universities.  For example, six of my former graduate students are now tenured Professors at other universities, with all of them being significantly involved with teaching and research activities in the energy area.  In addition to these six professors, several other former students worked and taught at universities for a number of years before pursuing follow-up careers elsewhere in engineering management.

3.  Publication Activity

The research work performed to date in over 78 funded projects has been published in 122 refereed articles, with 76 of them being archival refereed journal papers and 47 of them being refereed conference proceedings.  A number of additional journal articles (up to 10) are either in review or in the process of being written.  Other publications over the years have been book chapters and project reports.  In the case of ASHRAE funded projects, the research results have been used to update technical information in the ASHRAE Handbooks.

4.  Research Laboratory Facilities

I have designed and supervised the construction and assembly of numerous experimental facilities.  Many of these research and test facilities are still in operation at ISU.  Examples of these research facilities and test setups are In-tube Refrigerant Heat Transfer Test Rig, Refrigerant Solubility and Miscibility Test Facility, Capillary Tube-Suction Line Heat Exchanger Test Bed, Shell-side Tube-Bundle Condensation and Evaporator Test Facility, HVAC Air Flow Loop, Fan Noise Test Facility, Temperature and Humidity Controlled Produce-spoilage Test Chamber, and others.

CAMPUS CO-COORDINATOR FOR NUCLEAR ENGINEERING MINOR

As the Campus Co-Coordinator, I led the effort at ISU to create an undergraduate Nuclear Engineering Minor in response to a significant increase in interest in the field of engineering by both students and those organizations that are responding to the expansion on the nuclear industry.  My nuclear education includes taking a multitude of B.S. and M.S. courses in Nuclear Engineering at the US Naval Academy and at the University of Arkansas, where my M.S. Thesis was on reactor power plant safety instrumentation.  My nuclear work experience includes graduating from the Naval Nuclear Power and Nuclear Reactor School, and then supervising the operation of nuclear power plants on submarines for 4 years.  I also worked for General Electric’s Advanced Reactor Systems Department where I designed Breeder Reactor Systems.  In the past, I also held a joint appointment in the ISU Nuclear Engineering Department.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers)

Chair of ASME K-19 Committee (June 2007-present), Environmental Heat Transfer, Heat Transfer Division (HTD).  Responsible for organizing multiple symposium sessions at future ASME meetings

Chair and organizer for symposium session on "Low Temperature Application Heat Exchangers" 1989 ASME Winter Annual Meeting, San Francisco

Co‑Chair and organizer for symposium session on "Heat Pipes and Heat Pipe Heat Exchangers," 25th National Heat Transfer Conference, Houston, Texas, July 24‑27, 1988

Past member of ASME Committee K‑10, Heat Transfer Equipment

ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air‑Conditioning Engineers)

Active member of the Technical Committee TC 7.9 Residential Refrigerators and Household Freezers. Secretary and Program Chair for committee

Served on Program Committee 1998 to 2000 and 1989-1992.  Responsible for organizing the program at the National ASHRAE meetings twice a year)

Co‑Chair and co‑organizer for 14 different symposia sessions at ASHRAE Annual Meetings since 1986

RECENT UNIVERSITY ACTIVITIES

University Committees

Member, University Graduate Curriculum Committee, August 2006-August 2007

Member, Graduate Council, August 2004-August 2007

College Committees

Member, Engineering College Curriculum Committee, August 2004-Present

Department Committees

Chair, ME Academic Standards and Assessment Committee, August 2006-Present

ME Honors and Awards Coordinator, August 2007-present

Member, ME Program Improvement Coordinating Committee, August 2005-Present

Chair, ME Department Laboratory Committee, 2005-2006

Member, ME Faculty Search Committee, August 2005-August 2007

Member, Promotion and Tenure Committee, 2003-August 2007

RECENT ARCHIVAL JOURNAL ARTICLES

1. Kading, J., Mann, A., Pate, M. B., “Qualification of Fan Generated Duct Rumble Noise:  Part 1: Test Facility (RP 1219)”, accepted for publication in ASHRAE Transactions, 2008.
2. Kading, J., Mann, A., Pate, M. B., “Qualification of Fan Generated Duct Rumble Noise:  Part 2: Results (RP 1219)”, accepted for publication in ASHRAE Transactions, 2008.
3. Joshi, S. N., M. B. Pate, R. M. Nelson, “Performance Evaluation of Duct-Mounted Relative Humidity Transmitters-Part I, Aging Test Effects, submitted to ASHRAE Transactions (under review).
4. Joshi, S. N., M. B. Pate, R. M. Nelson, “Performance Evaluation of Duct-Mounted Relative Humidity Transmitters-Part II,  Stress Tests, submitted to ASHRAE Transactions (under review).
5. Groen, M., Battaglia, F., and Pate, M. B., “Radiation Effects on Thermocouples in Industrial Processes:  Part II. Thermocouple Error Analysis”, Journal of Heat Transfer, (to be submitted).
6. Groen, M., Battaglia, F., and Pate, M. B., “Radiation Effects on Thermocouples in Industrial Processes:  Part I. Heat Transfer Model”, Journal of Heat Transfer, (to be submitted).
7. Warren, R., Pate, M. B., “Energy Efficiency Study of Conditioning Inlet Air to a Two-Stage Reciprocating Air Compressor”, ASHRAE Transactions, (to be submitted).
8. Joshi, S. N., M. B. Pate, R. M. Nelson, J. H. House, and C. J. Klaassen, "An Experimental Evaluation of the Time Response of a Duct-Mounted Relative Humidity Sensors ",  ASHRAE Transactions, January 2007, Vol 113 (1).
9. Joshi, S. N., M. B. Pate, R. M. Nelson, J. H. House, and C. J. Klaassen, "An Experimental Evaluation of Duct-Mounted Relative Humidity Sensors: Part 3 – Repeatability, Hysteresis and Linearity Results",  ASHRAE Transactions, June 2005, Vol 111 (2), pp 177-184.
10. Joshi, S. N., M. B. Pate, R. M. Nelson, J. H. House, and C. J. Klaassen, "An Experimental Evaluation of Duct-Mounted Relative Humidity Sensors: Part 2 – Accuracy Results", ASHRAE Transactions, June 2005, Vol 111 (2), pp167-176.
11. Joshi, S. N., M. B. Pate, R. M. Nelson, J. H. House, and C. J. Klaassen, "An Experimental Evaluation of Duct-Mounted Relative Humidity Sensors: Part 1 – Test and Evaluation Procedures", ASHRAE Transactions, February 2005, Vol 111 (1), pp165-175.
12. Wade Heubsch, M.B. Pate, “A comparative study of shell-side condensation on integral-fin tubes with R-114 and R-236ea,” ASHRAE Transactions, Jan 2004, Vol 110 (1), pp 40-52.

FORMER STUDENTS IN EDUCATION

Former graduate students who have gone on to become leaders in education as tenured Professors at other universities are:

• Professor Steve Eckels - Kansas State University
• Professor Lyn Schlager - University of Wisconsin, Platteville
• Professor Steve Crown - University of Texas, Pan American
• Professor Nolan Van Gaalen - Dordt College
• Professor Robert Bittle - Texas Christian University
• Professor Wade Huebsch - University of West Virginia