1997-98
NEW MEXICO
HIGH SCHOOL
SUPERCOMPUTING CHALLENGE

TEAM ABSTRACT

Team Number:

055

School Name:

Espanola Valley High School

Area of Science:

Chemical Engineering

Project Title:

Methane Clathrates

One of the leading environmental problems facing our world today is chemical pollution. The major contributor to this chemical pollution is auto emissions. Our project is to determine whether or not we can prevent further auto pollution through the use of clean burning fuel, such as methane clathrates. First of all we will determine how clathrates are formed below the ocean floor. The recent discovery of an armoring effect of clathrates over ice leads us to ask if this affects the formation of clathrates.

Now we want to know if clathrates can be used and mass produced as a clean burning fuel. But would this use help to clean our atmosphere, preserve our ozone, and save our environment? We hope to discover the answer to these questions taking into consideration cost, other hazards, efficiency, and any other environmental questions. We are looking at this from a global and environmental perspective.

We will be writing a program to solve these problems, and hopefully derive an answer to these questions. This will assist us in analyzing our results, and determining if our project is successful.

Team Members:

• Elberta Seybold
• Antoinette Martinez
• Carolina Salazar
• Marquita Romero
• Monica Salazar

Sponsoring Teacher(s):

• Richard Rickenburg
• Matthew Casados

Project Advisor(s):