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ChemE  Faculty William C. Hecker Resume
 

Brief Resume

WILLIAM C. HECKER

CURRENT POSITIONS

    Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University
    Associate Head of Catalysis Laboratory, Brigham Young University
    Head of Char Oxidation Group, Advanced Combustion Engineering Research Center

GENERAL BACKGROUND

    Dr. Hecker has been at Brigham Young University since 1982. Previously he worked for 2 years at Chevron Research Corporation in catalyst development, 1.5 years at Dow Chemical Company in coal/char desulfurization and char pyrolysis, and summers at Occidental Research, Exxon Chemical Company, and Columbia Gas Systems Service Corporation. He spent a 6 month sabbatical leave in Australia in 1992. He has served as Counselor to the BYU chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) since 1983 and received the national award as the Outstanding Counselor in 1986. In 1985 he received an award as the Outstanding Teacher in the Chemical Engineering Department at BYU. He is Secretary-Treasurer and one of 6 founders of the Western States Catalysis Club and is a member of The Combustion Institute and the Rocky Mountain Fuel Society.

EDUCATION

    B.S., Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, 1974
    M.S., Chemical Engineering, Brigham Young University, 1975
    Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 1982

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

    Summer Engineer, Columbia Gas Systems Service Corporation, Columbus, Ohio, 1968, 1969, 1972

    Process Engineer, EXXON Chemical Company, Baton Route, Louisiana, summer 1973

    Chemical Engineer, Hydrocarbons and Energy Research Department, Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Michigan, April 1975 to September 1976

    Research Engineer, Occidental Research Company, LaVerne, California, summer 1977

    Research Engineer, Process Research Department, Chevron Research Company, Richmond, California, July 1980 to July 1982

    Visiting Researcher, University of Newcastle and Macquarie University, Australia, 1992

    Assistant and Associate Professor, Brigham Young University, 1982-present

RESEARCH INTERESTS

    Heterogeneous catalysis, chemical kinetics, coal char oxidation, nitric oxide reduction, automobile emissions control, infrared spectroscopy of surfaces
RESEARCH PHILOSOPHY

    I seek to gain fundamental kinetic and mechanistic information about chemically reactive systems and catalysts by measuring reaction rates and surface properties. This information can then be used to develop predictive models which can be used to design and improve chemical processes. Currently, my students are measuring coal char oxidation rates at both high and low temperatures for chars produced under a variety of conditions. They have also developed a model for char oxidation which accounts for pore structural and kinetic variations in the char as it burns. I have studied the catalytic reduction of NOx for the past 15 years over a variety of catalysts (including oxide and zeolite-supported rhodium, rhodium-bimetallics, palladium, etc.) using different reducing agents (CO, H2, CH4, char). Infrared spectroscopy is used to study reactions in situ and gain information regarding catalyst surfaces and adsorbates. We have also developed a quantitative technique which uses CO as an infrared surface probe (CISP) to determine the active surface area and surface properties of heterogeneous catalysts.
GRANTS AND CONTRACT EXPERIENCE

    Dr. Hecker has served as principal investigator for the past eight years in the NSF sponsored Advanced Combustion Engineering Research Center. He and his students are measuring char oxidation kinetics at both high and low temperatures to correlate them with various physical and chemical properties in attempting to understand and model the char oxidation process. He has also done extensive work using infrared spectroscopy and automated flow reactor systems, which he and his students developed, to study the catalytic reduction of nitric oxide over rhodium, rhodium bimetallics (Mo, Ce, Nb), and zeolite catalysts. He has recently been co-investigator on a grant from Westinghouse Nuclear to develop and test catalysts for removal of NOx and NH3 from off-gas streams. He and members of the BYU Catalysis Laboratory have completed a study for Shell Development to study the selective catalytic reduction of NOx using zeolite catalysts. He has also served as principal investigator on 3 contracts from Corning Glass to study ceramic monoliths as catalyst supports for the oxidation of ammonia.
MOST SIGNIFICANT RECENT PUBLICATIONS

    K. Puduppakkam, M.W. Beckstead, and W.C. Hecker, "Combustion Modeling of Butanetriol Trinitrate with Detailed Kinetics." Paper AIAA-2005-3770, 41st AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference, Tucson, AZ, July 2005.

    D. Zeng, M. Clark, T. Gunderson, W.C. Hecker, and T.H. Fletcher, "Swelling Properties and Intrinsic Reactivities of Coal Chars Produced at Elevated Pressures and High Heating Rates," Proceedings of the Combustion Institute , 30, 2213-2221 (2005).

    W.C. Hecker, P.M. Madsen, M.R. Sherman, J.W. Allen, R.J. Sawaya, and T.H. Fletcher, "High Pressure Intrinsic Oxidation Kinetics of Two Coal Chars," Energy and Fuels 17 (2), 427-432 (March 2003).

    R.E. Terry, J.N. Harb, W.C. Hecker, and W.V Wilding, "Definition of Student Competencies and Development of an Educational Plan to Assess Student Mastery Level," International Journal of Engineering Education 18 (No. 2), 225-235 (2002).

    P.M. Madsen, T.H. Fletcher, and W.C. Hecker, "High Pressure Intrinsic Char Oxidation Kinetics of a Lignite Char," ACS Preprint, Div. Fuel Chem. 46 (No. 1), 318-320 (April 2001).

    J. Hong, W.C. Hecker, and T.H. Fletcher, "Modeling High Pressure Char Oxidation Using Langmuir Kinetics with An Effectiveness Factor," Proceedings of the Combustion Institute , Volume 28, pp. 2215-2223 (2000).

    E.B. Washburn, M.W. Beckstead, W.C. Hecker, J. Howe and C. Waroquet,  "Modeling Condensed Phase Kinetics and Physical Properties in Nitramines: Effects on Burning Rate Temperature Sensitivity." 37th JANNAF Combustion Meeting CPIA-PUB-701-VOL-1 (2000): 309-318.

    J. Hong, W.C. Hecker, and T.H. Fletcher, "Improving the Accuracy of Predicting Effective-ness Factors for m-th Order and Langmuir Rate Equations in Spherical Coordinates," Energy & Fuels 14 ( 3 ), 663-670 (May 2000).

    R.J. Sawaya, J.W. Allen, W.C. Hecker, T.H. Fletcher, and L.D. Smoot, "Kinetics of High Pressure Char Oxidation," ACS Preprint, Div. Fuel Chem. 44 (No. 4), 1016-1019 (Aug 1999).

    Feng Guo and W.C. Hecker, "Kinetics of NO Reduction by Char: Effects of Coal Rank," Twenty-Seventh Symposium (International) on Combustion, The Combustion Institute, Pittsburgh, pp.3085-3092 (1998).

    Feng Guo and W.C. Hecker, "Effects of CaO and Burnout on the Kinetics of NO Reduction by Beulah Zap Char," Twenty-Sixth Symposium (International) on Combustion, The Combustion Institute, Pittsburgh, pp.2251-7 (1996).

    W.C. Reade, K.W. Morris, and W.C. Hecker, "Modeling the Effects of Burnout on High-Temperature Char Oxidation." Coal Science and Technology 24, Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, pp. 639, 1995.

    F. Guo and W.C. Hecker, "Kinetics of NO Reduction with Beulah Zap Char: The Effect of CaO," Paper #95- F9, WSS/CI, Stanford, Oct.1995.

    W.C. Reade, K.W. Morris, and W.C. Hecker, "Modeling the Effects of Burnout on High-Temperature Char Oxidation." Coal Science and Technology 24, Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, pp. 639, l995.

    F. Guo and W.C. Hecker, "Kinetics of NO Reduction with Beulah Zap Char: The Effect of CaO," Paper #95- F9, WSS/CI, Stanford, Oct.1995.

    R.F. Cope, C.B. Arrington, and W.C. Hecker, "Effect of CaO Surface Area on Intrinsic Char Oxidation Rates for Beulah Zap Chars," Energy & Fuels 8 (5), 1095 (Sept/Oct 1994).

    C.H. Bartholomew and W.C. Hecker, "Catalytic- Reactor Design: Keep the Catalyst in Mind from the Beginning," invited feature report in Chem.Engin. , pp. 70, June 1994.

    R.F. Cope, C.R. Monson, G.J. Germane, and W.C. Hecker, "Improved Diameter, Velocity, and Temp. Measurements for Char Particles in Drop Tube Reactors." Energy & Fuels 8(4), 925 (July/Aug 1994).

    P. B. Rasband and W. C. Hecker, "Catalyst Characterization Using Quantitative FTIR: CO on Supported Rh." J. Catalysis 139 (No. 2), (1993).

    W.C. Hecker, K.M. McDonald, W. Reade, M. Swenson, and R.F. Cope, "Effects of Burnout on Char Oxidation Kinetics," 24th Symposium (International) on Combustion, The Combustion Institute, Pittsburgh, 1225 (1992).

    W.C. Hecker, M.D. Wardinsky, P.G. Clemmer, and P.B Rasband, "Molybdena, Ceria, and Niobia Addition to Supported Rh Catalysts: Effects on NO Reduction by CO," Progress in Catalysis, Elsevier, Amsterdam, Studies in Surf. Sci. Catal. 73, 211 (l992).

    K. M. McDonald, W. D. Hyde, and W. C. Hecker, "Low Temperature Char Oxidation Kinetics: Effect of Preparation Method." Fuel 71, 319 (1992).

    M.D. Wardinsky and W. C. Hecker, "The Effect of Molybdenum Addition to Rh/SiO2 Catalysts: Appearance of a Second Rhodium-Dicarbonyl Species," J. of Phys. Chem. 92 (No. 9), 2602 (l988).

    W. C. Hecker and R. B. Breneman, "The Effect of Weight Loading and Reduction Temperature on Rh/Silica Catalysts for NO Reduction by CO," Catalysis and Automotive Pollution Control, Elsevier, Amsterdam, Studies in Surf. Sci. Catal. 30, 257 (l987).