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Kevin T. Saka, P.E.
1805 N. Sedgwick Street
Chicago, IL 60614 USA
Cell#: 312-933-7658
Email: kevin_saka@yahoo.com
SUMMARY
Accomplished research/design engineer in the areas of HVAC, Combustion, Emissions Controls, Heat Transfer, and Building Energy Analysis. Extensive experience with many different heating and cooling cycles for a variety of applications. The near-term objective is to provide an organization with continued excellence in the design, build, maintenance, and evaluation of thermal engineering systems. My career path has been much more than just having another job, it has been a series of exciting and unparalleled adventures.
EXPERIENCE
Mars Desert Research Station / [Pisces-1 Expedition]
Hanksville, Utah
February 2005 - March 2006
Research Engineer / Crew#34 & Crew#35
- Crew#34 & 35 team member responsible for assembly of new life-support subsystems for the Mars Desert Habitat.
- Design, Construction, and Installation of a Thermal Conditioning System for the Habitat Power System.
- Responsible for establishing design criteria for unique Airflow/Air-Distribution Systems and new specialty HVAC Systems for the Habitat to operate continuously and compatibly with an exterior atmosphere of CO2.
Special Projects in Engineering / Buck Rogers Voyage 25
Chicago, Illinois
August 2004 - Present
Senior Development Engineer
Currently responsible for three exciting development projects that pioneer new technologies and are focused at solving some selected problems within the public domain. The program mission is to develop patented hardware that will contribute to improving the quality of life on earth, as these programs provide a vision of the future.
Gas Technology Institute / [Distributed Energy & Hydrogen Systems Group]
Des Plaines, Illinois
November 2001 - September 2004
Sr. HVAC Research Engineer [Nov-2003 thru Sept-2004]
Major Accomplishments Include:
- Provided new applications in the area of packaged cooling modules as an integral part of Co-Generation Systems and PEM Fuel Cell Systems, utilizing micro-channel heat transfer technologies.
- Project Manager for new program in NOx and CO emissions reductions using exhaust gas recirculation technologies applied to natural gas driven reciprocating engines, responsible for work scope, schedule, and budget.
- Also provided complete mechanical design for the construction of a new control center building.
Texas A&M University / [Department of Mechanical Engineering]
College Station, Texas
September 1999 - August 2001
Graduate Assistant
Worked at the Energy Systems Laboratory assigned to monitor and evaluate HVAC performance of institutional buildings with specialized air distribution strategies. Tasks included providing reports for energy usage, indoor air quality assessments, and installing instrumentation. Also provided design improvements/ recommendations and corrective actions as needed. Responsible for developing the proposal for on onsite Cogeneration Power Plant for St. Joseph's Hospital located in Bryan, TX. Duties included evaluating energy usage and distribution, utility bill analysis, heating and cooling load determinations, and specialized airflow requirements. Also provided financial analysis which included return on investment and generated monthly income from converting to "Alternative Energy". Daily tasks include sizing & pricing of gas-fired turbines, gas-fired chillers, and HRSGs. Also estimated over-sizing of plant with the option to sell power back to the local utility. All computations included a sensitivity analysis in regards to variations in utility rate escalations and inflation rates.
General Motors Research Laboratories / [Vehicle Dynamics & Analysis Lab]
Warren, Michigan
October 1998 - September 1999
HVAC Research Engineer
Major Accomplishments Include:
- Developed systems with CO2, CO2 mixtures, and Hydrocarbons and evaluated the performance and viability of alternative refrigerants for automotive applications.
- Provided a database management system for A/C systems development in alternative fluids.
- Utilized advanced thermodynamic software for evaluations of many different types of heating and cooling cycles, and the construction of new software code for experimental applications.
- Transformed software models into new built-up experimental hardware and prototype systems.
- Extensive knowledge in the area of cooling cycles and multiphase-multicomponent thermodynamics.
- Project results were published in a 1999 SAE Conference Paper.
DaimlerChrysler Motors / Truck Climate Center
Detroit, Michigan
March 1998 - October 1998
HVAC Systems Development Engineer
- 2002 DR-Truck development; responsibilities included wind-tunnel testing.
- Wind-tunnel based development with various production-level hardware.
- Other cooling performance evaluations at 100 mph tunnel air speeds.
Ford Climate Control Operations / [Visteon Automotive Systems]
Dearborn, Michigan
January 1997 - March 1998
HVAC Laboratory Engineer
Worked in a team environment to set-up test development programs for integrated system durability testing of: Refrigeration, Air-Handling, and Front-End Cooling-Module Subsystems for 1999 and 2000 model year programs. Worked on a research project team with other Ford Laboratories and outside consultants to pioneer new and improved ways of accelerating the process of "Thermal/Durability Aging" of automotive climate control hardware. Major project involved evaluating alternative fluids such as CO2 blends for refrigerant applications in production level hardware.
University of Illinois at Chicago / [Department of Chemical Engineering]
Chicago, Illinois
September 1992 - January 1996
Graduate Student
Graduate Student in the area of Thermodynamics & Heat Transfer.
Andrew Stevens Services, LTD
Troy, Michigan
May 1989 - September 1992
Product Design Engineer
Ford Motor Body Engineering Operations
Allied-Signal - Bendix Safety Restraints Group
JJIAC-Chrysler Motors
ACADEMIC ASSIGNMENTS
Triton College / [Department of Mechanical Engineering]
River Grove, Illinois
January 2002 - August 2005
Adjunct Professor
Worked as an instructor for undergraduate courses in Thermodynamics, Physics, and Engineering CAD. Emphasis was a macroscopic first course in thermodynamics, mechanical-based physics, and the the utilzation of AutoCAD to produce 2-dimensional engineering drawings, respectively.
DePaul University / [Department of Mathematical Sciences]
Chicago, Illinois
September 2002 - August 2005
Adjunct Professor
Worked as an instructor for undergraduate courses in Mathematics. This assignments emphasizes communication, presentation, and leadership skills on a continusous basis.
EDUCATION
Texas A&M University, MS Mechanical Engineering, August 2001
College Station, Texas
University of Illinois, MS Chemical Engineering, December 1995
Chicago, Illinois
Purdue University, BS Civil Engineering, May 1989
West Lafayette, Indiana
Professional Memberships:
ASHRAE, AIChE, ASME, SAE, MARS Society
Publications:
1999 SAE Conference Paper: An Assessment of Alternative Refrigerants for Automotive Applications based on Environmental Impact
http://www.sae.org/altrefrigerant/presentations/sumantran.pdf
Certifications / Licenses:
Professional Engineer's License - State of Illinois [exp. Nov-30-2005]
SKILLS
Hardware
IBM PCs, Laptops, Sun Sparc Workstations, Daktronics Data/AQ Systems, National Instruments Data/AQ Systems, Fluke Portable Data Buckets
Operating Systems
MS-Windows, Unix/X-Windows, Linux, Solaris, DOS
Languages & DB
C/C++, Fortran77, HTML, EES
Applications
AutoCAD, Visio-Technical, LabView, Building Energy Analyzer, DreamweaverMX, EES-Refprop
OTHER COOL STUFFS
It would be nice to one day travel into the future on a new Rocket-Ship to a place called Tomorrowland.
.......... The best engineers on planet earth don't get old, .......... instead they become Warriors.
- Soldier of Technology
Alcatraz Island, USA
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