ACEP Researchers to Visit Kodiak

ACEP team members Brita Mjos, Nathan Green, Chris Pike and George Roe will join counterparts from Boise State University and University of Idaho to perform 1-day efficiency audits at three seafood processing plants on Kodiak Island during the week of August 4.  Torie Baker (Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program) and Rebecca Garrett (Alaska Energy Authority) will participate in the visits, as well.  The group will be using tools and techniques available from the Industrial Assessment Centers (IACs) program established by the US Department of Energy's Advanced Manufacturing Office, and managed by Rutgers University.  The process focuses on examining potential operational savings resulting from energy efficiency enhancements, waste minimization and pollution prevention, and overall productivity improvement.  IAC assessments are conducted by trained student/faculty teams and are available at no cost to manufacturing organizations meeting criteria established by the DOE. 

There are 24 different IAC sites distributed geographically across the contiguous United States, and 32 participating universities.  The assessment teams usually operate within a 150-mile radius of the site hosting their center.  Most visits are to manufacturing facilities in the lower-48, but historically assessments have been done at some locations in Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Alaska (1999, as part of an Oregon/Washington/Alaska seafood processor study).  As one of the Industrial Assessment Centers closest to Alaska, BSU received concurrence from DOE to explore application of the program in Alaska, in conjunction with an Alaska-based institution of learning. 

Preliminary evaluation indicates that the IAC program can offer significant value to Alaska’s manufacturing base, as an effective complement/supplement to the state’s existing energy efficiency programs.  The IAC program may also provide a useful context for providing practical hands-on skills and real-world industrial practice awareness to engineers preparing to enter the work force.  

Please contact UAF research faculty member George Roe (gmroe@alaska.edu, 206-454-9189) for further information.

Photo: Kodiak Harbor, Courtesy of http://kodiak-seafoods.com/about.html.