Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) markets the number one single serve coffee brewing system in the U.S. and would like to help bring cold brew coffee to home coffee brewers around the world. Students on the Keurig team will design and build a prototype cold brew coffee machine.
Abstract:
Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages. According to Statista, over 166 million 60 kg bags of coffee were consumed in 2020/2021. In the coffee market, cold brew coffee is one of the biggest trends in coffee drinking today. Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) markets the number one single serve coffee brewing system in the U.S. and would like to help bring cold brew coffee to home coffee brewers around the world. The challenges in home brewing cold brew coffee include getting the water to the correct temperature, the time it takes to make a good cold brew, and making this all happen on the consumer’s countertop. Students on the Keurig Dr Pepper team will design and develop a prototype coffee maker for the consumer at home market that consistently and with minimal variation brews cold brew coffee. The team will use thermofluids, control theory, material science, analytical chemistry skills, and more to deliver the functionality of precisely cooled water, to mix coffee concentrate with water, and to utilize nitrogen gas to produce a pleasing foamy top. Students will be working in a simulated R&D and product development environment using various industry standard practices to achieve these goals. Students will have the ability to taste their creations along the way and become experts in the fast growing field of cold brew coffee.
Impact:
The development of a consumer cold brew coffee system would provide convenience and consumer satisfaction in a growing market and continue to put Keurig on the top of the home coffee brewing market.
Full Project Details
Mechanical Design (2 -3 students)
Specific Skills: Mechanical Design; Techniques for fast prototyping, 3D printing and machining. System integration. Experimental Testing and Evaluation.
EE experience (e.g., EECS 314 or equivalent) would be particularly valuable.
Likely Majors: ME, Any
Heat Transfer and Fluid Design (2-3 students)
Specific Skills: Applied heat transfer and fluid dynamics. Heat exchanger design. Fluid mixing, nozzle design, foam stability Please specify relevant courses completed with grades in your personal statement.
Likely Majors: ME, ChE, AERO, MSE, Engineering Physics
EE System Design (1 – 2 students)
Specific Skills: Power management, Algorithm development, closed loop controls Labview toolbox, Arduino, or Raspberry Pi experience a plus. Motor control and sensor input (thermocouples etc.) experience a plus.
Likely Majors: EE, CE, CS, ME with EE coursework, Any with relevant experience
Sponsor Mentors
Nick Borsari
Nick is a mechanical engineer at Keurig Dr Pepper in the Brew Engine group. He currently works to enhance the brew experience and offer new brew types for the consumer. Prior to joining Keurig Dr Pepper in July 2021, Mr. Borsari worked at Triton Systems, as a mechanical engineer in their Sustainment group. While working at Triton Mr. Borsari worked on a variety of Phase I and Phase II SBIRs including a DHA and Air Force Phase I where he led the project as Principal Investigator. Mr. Borsari holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering, both from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Jason Tavoletti
Jason Tavoletti is a mechanical engineer who has worked at Keurig Dr Pepper for 5 years. He currently works in the Brew Engine group, designing thermo-fluid systems for innovative new coffee makers. Jason has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Villanova University and is currently working towards an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University
Faculty Mentor
Grant Kruger
Dr. Kruger is an Associate Research Scientist in both Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Michigan. He is passionate about finding novel engineering solutions to problems faced by care providers and believes in translating these solutions into broader practice. He has a diverse research background with publications covering areas from Intelligent Manufacturing Systems to Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Kruger’s current research focuses on Biomedical Informatics approaches (robotics, ultrasound, physiologic monitoring, software and firmware development, hardware design, algorithms, signal, image and video processing and novel prototype manufacturing) based on Computational Intelligence technologies.
Course Substitutions: Honors, ChE Elective, CE MDE, EE MDE, IOE Grad Cognate, ISD Systems 503, MECHENG 490, MECHENG 590, SI Elective, SI Grad Cognate
Citizenship Requirements: This project is open to all students on campus.
IP/NDA: Students will sign IP/NDA document(s) that are unique to Keurig Dr Pepper.
In Person/Remote Participation Options:
Work will take place on campus in Ann Arbor, MI.
Students on this team must be able to be physically present on campus in Ann Arbor to work on physical prototypes as local safety protocols allow.
Internship/Summer Project Activities: Students will be guaranteed an interview for a 2022 internship. The interviews will take place in January/February 2022.