College of Engineering

Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering

History

Over the past 40 years, the HPCL at the Penn State, founded by Professor Kenneth K. Kuo and now directed by Professor Richard A. Yetter, has been advanced from a single test cell to a world-class university laboratory for combustion and propulsion research. Numerous equipment and facilities have been acquired through various projects funded by government agencies and industrial companies. In total, there has been nearly $44 million of external research funding. In addition to the special equipment and facilities acquired/built by the funded research projects with certain matching general funds from Penn State, the HPCL has received equipment donations from Princeton University, Georgia Tech, General Dynamics, United Technologies, U.S. Army Research Lab, etc. The estimated value of these donations has exceed $3.6 million.