Veloxymic Chem-E-Car Team’s Achievement in the 15th Malaysia Chem-E-Car Competition 2023
After achieving success at the national level in mid-2023 at the Indonesia Chemical Reaction Car Competition (ICRCC) organized by the Department of Chemical Engineering, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), the Veloxymic Chem-E-Car Team from Institut Teknologi Nasional Bandung once again achieved a significant accomplishment in an international chemical reaction car competition.
On November 4 and 5, 2023, the Veloxymic team participated in “The 15th Malaysia Chem-E-Car Competition” organized by The Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) at Universiti Teknologi Mara, Malaysia. In this competition, the Veloxymic team secured the eighth position in the Car Performance category.
According to representatives of the team, Prisheella Olivia Wagianto and Ahmad Nurfauzi from the Chemical Engineering major, class of 2021, the preparation process took approximately two months. For the competing car prototype, the Veloxymic team deployed the electric car “Abiseka II,” which operates on the principle of pressurized gas and uses a piston.
“Pressurized gas is generated from the reaction between H2O2 and the Na2CrO4 catalyst. The reaction occurs in the reactor, producing pressurized gas, which then enters the mechanical components connected to the piston. The resulting reaction causes the car to move,” explained Olivia during the interview.
The regulations for this competition differed from the ones in 2019. This year, the use of a pressure regulator was not allowed, requiring the Veloxymic team to find alternatives to ensure the optimal performance of the car prototype. Ahmad revealed that Veloxymic cars typically utilize a pressure regulator due to its significant impact.
“In the end, we conducted further research and discussions among team members. We also consulted with our supervising professors and alumni to find an alternative to replace the pressure regulator,” said Ahmad.
According to them, there was a unique special mission in this year’s competition. The competing cars had to move a ball towards a goal or knock down as many bowling pins as possible. This required careful planning to ensure that the car could be operated according to the intended target.
For this competition, the Veloxymic team consisted of four members under the supervision of Mr. Jono Suhartono, Ph.D., and Ms. Vibianti Dwi Pratiwi, M.T., as the academic advisors. Besides Itenas Bandung, dozens of other universities from Indonesia and abroad participated in “The 15th Malaysia Chem-E-Car Competition.” Some of these universities included ITS, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Universitas Brawijaya, Universitas Diponegoro, Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Universitas Negeri Sebelas Maret, and Universitas Syiah Kuala from Indonesia. From abroad, participants included Universiti Teknologi Mara, University of Nottingham Malaysia, UTAR, Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Universiti Malaya, Manipal International University, Heriot Watt University, Taylor’s University, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.
This achievement adds to the series of successes achieved by the Veloxymic team, the Chemical Engineering major, and Itenas Bandung as a whole. Olivia and Ahmad also hope to achieve even better rankings in future competitions with the knowledge gained from previous championships.
“We realize that competitions, both international and national, require thorough preparation. So, we hope that after this competition, we can achieve even better awards and secure the first-place position in the next competition,” they concluded.