This Week in Engineering

Engineering.com

This Week in Engineering explores the latest innovations and tech trends in engineering from academia, government, and industry. We cover topics in energy, transportation, aerospace, manufacturing, infrastructure, and much more.

New episodes uploaded weekly.

You can also watch these podcasts as videos on engineering.com TV: https://www.engineering.com/viewAll?category=this-week-in-engineering

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168 episodes
Updated Oct 22, 2024

Episodes168

Newest first

Apr 5, 2023 · 3 min
Computational Lithography to Enable Faster AI Development
As applications for artificial intelligence are developing rapidly, the need for ever higher computational power to train massive datasets for AI puts a premium on chipmaking technology. Conventional photolithography is increasingly difficult as gate density increases on modern semiconductors, and single digit nanometer devices are more time-consuming and difficult to fabricate. Nvidia has developed a software package in collaboration with ASML, Synopsys and TSMC which is designed to run with Nvidia graphics processor units in a system that promises to eventually produce an order of magnitude faster wafer production. 2 nm devices are under study, which may represent the physics limit to PLC development with photolithography technology. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Mar 29, 2023 · 5 min
Turkish Aerospace: High Tech and Growing
The Turkish aircraft industry is on a roll. With the excellent performance of Bayraktar TB-2 drones in Ukraine, and the development of the larger, more capable Akinci twin engine high-altitude drone, Turkish military aviation is moving into systems that are comparable in performance to industry heavyweights from America, China and Russia. The new TF-X program will take Turkish aerospace to the next level, with the production of the first stealthy, fifth-generation air superiority fighter from a non-superpower. And it’s not just the airframes. The Turkish industries are capable of supplying a wide variety of munitions, sensors and critically, advanced active electronically scanned array radars. Stealth fighters are very expensive for smaller nations, but if the Turkish program can deliver fifth-generation fighters at something approximating fourth-generation prices, the global market will be enormous. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Mar 23, 2023 · 4 min
Can Heat Pumps Save the Environment?
Carnot cycle refrigeration by mechanical compressors has been around for over a century, and it’s a mature technology. Since World War II, it has been used to heat and cool structures, but with increased urgency in reducing fossil fuel use, heat pumps are under renewed scrutiny as a low-emission climate control solution. Moving heat with this technology is significantly more energy efficient than electrical resistance heating but is more expensive than natural gas boilers for space heat applications. A wholesale switch to heat pump technology will require government subsidies, carbon taxes, direct regulation or some combination of the three unless some new, lower-cost way to compress the working fluid is discovered. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Mar 14, 2023 · 5 min
East Palestine Derailment: It’s in the Bearings
The recent derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio, resulting in a toxic chemical spill was a rare but not unknown event on America’s railroads. Like every other wheeled vehicle in commercial service, rolling stock relies on anti-friction bearings. And like all ball and roller bearings, heat is the major cause of failure. For safety-critical applications in railways, thermography is used to check passing rolling stock for hot bearings, setting an alarm to alert the engineer about the problem. Modern systems can determine the exact car where a hot bearing is located, but predicting catastrophic failure is very difficult. More technology is needed to prevent a repeat of this disaster. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Mar 7, 2023 · 4 min
Dow, X-Energy to Install Industrial Nuclear Plant
60 years ago, nuclear energy was touted as a power source that would deliver electricity at prices “too cheap to meter.” Experience with large-scale nuclear generation to date has shown that large commercial nuclear power plants do not produce electricity cheaply; however, the new imperative to reduce carbon dioxide emissions has given nuclear new incentive to develop. New, fourth-generation reactors are significantly safer, and cheaper to build and operate when compared to current designs. The new reactors are smaller, and their operating economics open the possibility for private power users to adopt the technology for industrial use, producing electricity and process heat. Dow and X-energy Reactor Company recently announced that the company will deploy one of X-energy’s small modular reactors at Dow’s Gulf Coast chemical plant complex. The reactor will provide electric power and process heat for steam. If successful, the initiative will not only reduced Dow’s carbon footprint, but also set the stage for widespread commercial cogeneration outside of power utilities. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Mar 2, 2023 · 4 min
Ukraine War: Artillery Shortages Affect Both Sides
Since World War II, modern combat doctrine worldwide has emphasized wars of speed, maneuvers and mobility. Since the pioneering German blitzkriegs of 1939 and 1940, the notion of static battle lines, seen in the First World War, has been widely regarded as obsolete. Surprisingly, the current war in Ukraine has developed in a manner that looks very similar to the trench warfare of World War I. A century ago, that war saw very high volumes of artillery fire—so much so that artillery shortages were a clinical problem in 1916. And today, as then, Ukrainian and Russian forces are looking for sources worldwide to maintain the very high rates of artillery fire common in this war phase. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Feb 22, 2023 · 3 min
Why Do So Many Buildings Fall During Earthquakes?
The recent earthquake near the Turkish-Syrian border has killed, at the time of writing, over 41,000 individuals and has collapsed over 6,000 buildings in Turkey alone. Turkey is a known region for serious seismic events and has endured significant earthquakes. Turkish building codes from 2007, heavily revised in 2018, specify earthquake-resistant construction, and the city of Istanbul completed a $500 million project in 2015 to prepare that large city for a seismic event. While multiple and unconfirmed reports show that lax construction techniques and corruption resulted in many substandard buildings, the region contains many old, before-code structures. The Turkish civil engineering sector is highly advanced and capable, so it seems unlikely that fault for this disaster will be found in the design process. Tighter enforcement of building codes plus enhanced disaster preparedness systems, as have been implemented in Istanbul, are logical paths forward in the aftermath of this disaster. Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Feb 14, 2023 · 3 min
Retrofitting Coal Power Plants With Small Nuclear Reactors
Nuclear energy is enjoying a resurgence. Some nations are deferring the retirement of reactors and other countries are developing new generation fission designs that are safer and more cost-effective than current technology. By retrofitting existing coal-fired power plants, new small modular reactors, or SMRs, are at the forefront of this development. Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Feb 7, 2023 · 4 min
Copper, the Critical Material for Transportation Electrification
Lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare-earth elements have been studied extensively, as have the supply bottlenecks and predicted production shortages that have driven battery prices higher in electric vehicles. Rarely discussed, however, is a critical input for not only electric vehicle batteries but also for the entire electricity infrastructure: copper. According to a new report by S&P Global, supply shortages of the world’s most crucial metallic conductor may seriously hamper the net zero emissions target of 2050. Can the world produce enough copper to meet demand? Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Jan 31, 2023 · 4 min
West vs East Faceoff: The Abrams and Leopard 2 vs Russian Tanks
Tanks have been a game-changing technology in warfare for a century, and Ukraine was the site of major tank battles in World War II. In the current Russia Ukraine war, both sides have used Soviet-era tanks, with the most numerous being updated versions of the T-72. But as the war drags on, more modern equipment is making its way to the conflict, notably the Russian T-90 main battle tank. Currently, European NATO nations and the Biden Administration have authorized the transfer of advanced Western main battle tanks, the German Leopard 2 and the U.S. M1 Abrams. It appears that a technological showdown is shaping up between NATO and Russia in tanks and the results will likely influence tank design for years. Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, Manufacturing the Future, and the Engineering Roundtable.
Jan 25, 2023 · 4 min
Will Airlines Adopt Sustainable Fuels?
In the drive to create a zero-carbon economy by the middle of the century, multiple engineering solutions for replacing fossil fuels are in development. Power generation through wind, solar, nuclear, geothermal and other carbon-free technologies are on the rise. But transportation, particularly air transportation, is a much more difficult problem to solve with alternates. Aviation is driven primarily by jet fuel, essentially kerosene, a simple fossil fuel easily made from crude oil by vacuum distillation and catalytic cracking. When burned at high temperatures in efficient engines, it has all the hallmarks of a great fuel: easy to handle, energy dense, cheap and safe. The production of CO2, however, is inevitable in any combustion process. In jet engines, there is no way to sequester that carbon dioxide stream, as there can be in ground-based power systems. Sustainable aviation fuel promises to remove 80 percent of fossil-fuel-created greenhouse gases by formulating jet fuel from non-petroleum base stocks. Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.
Jan 18, 2023 · 3 min
Sony & Honda’s Joint Venture and Other CES 2023 Updates
The 2023 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show had its share of innovations, and many are far outside the strict realm of consumer electronics. Sony and Honda announced a major venture to produce electric cars that are as much entertainment platforms as personal transportation under the Afeela brand, and John Deere wins awards for self-driving tractors and develops a novel electric excavator batteries from Austrian-based manufacturer Kriesel. Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.
Jan 11, 2023 · 3 min
The Last Boeing 747 Rolls Out
The last of 1,574 Boeing 747s has left the company’s Everett, Washington plant, and will be delivered to Atlas Air early next year. That airframe wraps up a remarkable 54 year production program, with the 747 joining the Airbus A380 as the end of four engine wide-body airliner programs. 50 years ago, “Jumbo Jets” were seen as the solution to lower seat mile costs, enabling an entirely new industry, low-cost air travel. However, the relentless drive for lower seat mile costs, combined with high fuel prices, coincided with a change in the airline industry from hub and spoke operations to point-to-point travel using smaller airplanes. 747s will remain in service as a cargo aircraft for some years, but its days as a passenger carrier are numbered. Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.
Jan 4, 2023 · 3 min
Hot Engineering Trends for 2023
2022 was a busy year engineering, with important firsts recorded in space exploration, commercial aviation and energy. What’s in store for 2023? Engineering.com expects that the far-reaching impact of the war in Ukraine, combined with political pressure to de-carbonize will result in acceleration in the shift away from fossil fuels. But in the interim, ultra pipeline and LNG gas supply chains will be developed quickly. Electric vehicles will dominate the ground transportation space again, and with the supply chain crunch easing, EV production rates will ramp significantly in 2023. The delivery of the Tesla semi will shift some attention toward commercial vehicles, with adoption constrained by availability of battery materials and charging infrastructure. Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.
Dec 21, 2022 · 3 min
Tesla Launches the Semi
In 2017, Elon Musk presented a prototype of a battery electric Class 8 highway tractor, predicting that electrification will fundamentally change the American trucking industry. Trucking in America is a 700-billion-dollar annual industry, and with 4 million Class 8 vehicles registered on American roads, the fleet is considerable. While electrification looks promising, current lithium-ion battery technology suggests that 500 to 600 miles is the reasonable range that can be expected from a battery electric highway tractor. For long-haul with a single driver, this range corresponds roughly to the allowable hours of service mandated by U.S. Federal regulations, suggesting that short and medium distance intercity transportation with electric heavy trucks is feasible with current technology. With the first units now in the hands of PepsiCo, it will be possible to get real-world data on Tesla Semi performance. Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.
Dec 13, 2022 · 3 min
Are Helicopters Dead?
Bell Helicopter has won a major contract to supply the Pentagon with a new, multirole and speedy light attack aircraft. It’s a tiltrotor, and it defeated a competing coaxial compound helicopter from a Lockheed/Boeing consortium. Tilt rotors aren’t new, with V-22 Osprey variants operating in U.S. military service for years, but detractors of that program have pointed to high early accident rates and maintainability issues as evidence that tiltrotors can’t replace pure helicopters for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) assault and light cargo applications. The new Textron Bell V-280 Valor is a smaller and lighter aircraft than the Osprey, and with modern technology, promises to address the shortcomings of the older platform. If it delivers reliability and safety in service, it will allow fixed wing speeds with helicopter-like vertical lift capability, a game changer for military aviation—and perhaps urban civilian aeronautics, too. Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.
Nov 29, 2022 · 4 min
Two Important Developments in Nuclear Energy
Nuclear energy for electricity generation has been the standard application for civilian nuclear power since the industry began seven decades ago. Heat produces steam, which spins a turbine—technology which uses readily available processes developed in coal, oil and gas burning power plants for over a century. Space and process heat, however, are major energy demands for cities and in industry, and a demonstration nuclear district heat plant has powered up in Dalian City, China. In the United States, a development program for scalable, truck-transportable small modular reactors may have encountered a restraining force more powerful than physics: inflation. Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.
Nov 22, 2022 · 4 min
Artemis 1 Launch Success Vindicates Legacy Hardware Approach
With the successful launch of Artemis 1, NASA is back in the crewed space exploration business, with the largest rocket successfully launched anywhere. The combined 8,000,000 pounds of thrust at launch exceeds the power of the Saturn V launch vehicle that carried a dozen astronauts to the moon. The new system uses developments of legacy Space Shuttle engines and solid rocket boosters, with a booster structure derived from the Space Shuttle external tank. Development of advanced hardware from proven components was controversial, with some NASA critics stating that the approach would prove as expensive and lengthy as clean sheet designs, but with a successful launch, the new Space Launch System appears set to be NASA’s heavy lift launch vehicle for the foreseeable future. Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.
Nov 15, 2022 · 3 min
Boeing CEO: No New Airliners This Decade
The commercial aircraft business is a brutal one. The cost to develop and certify a new airframe is enormous, and any major technological advance carries risk that can be existential for the developing company. Boeing famously gambled the company on the 747 and was rewarded for success with a production program that has run for half a century. Today, costs are even higher, but in the critical midsize commercial airliner market, Boeing has recently announced that the firm will not be developing a new airplane to replace passenger versions of the 767 and 757 this decade. Some analysts feel that this will give Airbus a distinct advantage. Boeing feels that engine technology is not ready to support the development of a new airliner in this class and will continue to offer development versions of the 737 and 787 for the mid-size market. It’s a controversial decision. Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.
Nov 9, 2022 · 4 min
It’s On! The Bezos-Musk Rocket Engine Battle Begins
In the race to truly commercialize orbital space launch, the guidance problem has largely been solved. Light and heavy lift orbit is relatively routine, but the cost of lifting every ounce to even low earth orbit is still an inhibiting factor in widespread exploitation of near-Earth space. Several companies are working to reduce these costs, notably Elon Musk's SpaceX. But there are competitors, including Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. A critical factor in reducing launch costs is the development of a new generation of high-performance rocket engines. Blue Origin's new BE-4 closed cycle engine has been delivered for use on United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket. Blue Origin intends to use the engines on their own launch systems as well. With two major heavy lift launch companies operating in the American market, competitive pressures to launch reliably at ever-lower costs are mounting. Want to watch this podcast as a video? This Week in Engineering is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as End of the Line, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.