DRI / DIRECTORY / RICK PURCELL
Rick Purcell Profile Photo
Rick Purcell
Volunteer - Affiliate Associate Research Scientist

Professional Interests

A Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Nevada, Mr. Purcell provides mechanical engineering support to all five of DRI’s research centers. This includes design, materials selection, heat transfer analysis, stress analysis, testing and programming. He is responsible for the selection of sensors, actuators, controls, optics, and fabrication techniques. Other duties involve maintaining and operating the DRI Computer-Aided Design System, a professional engineering drawing package being included with each design. Field support has included installing airborne instruments on several different research aircraft. Many of the research instruments he has designed, including ground-based and airborne applications, have been involved in field programs in the United States and foreign countries.

Mr. Purcell has successfully acted as Principal Investigator on instrument development efforts, meeting program goals on time and within budget. He designed and fabricated a Snow/Rain Collector Sampler for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to be used for the chemical analysis of precipitation, and recently finished the design and fabrication of a prototype High Altitude Ice Crystal Replicator for use on a NASA ER-2 research aircraft. This instrument recently completed its initial flight tests in Germany. In another project, Mr. Purcell is Co-Principal Investigator on projects to develop a device for measuring the acidity of aerosols, and an acoustic resonance spectrometer comparator.

At Hexcel Sports Division he designed and implemented equipment, processes and material improvements relative to the quality and reduced production costs of sophisticated bonded honeycomb/composite snow skis. At the China Lake Naval Weapons Center, Mr. Purcell was responsible for structural and thermal analysis of high-temperature tactical missile components, including wings, seeker domes, thermal protection systems, and rocket/ramjet nozzles, utilizing SAAS, ASAAS, NASTRAN and SAP IV.

Education

Degree Institution Area
M.S.M.E University of Nevada, Reno Mechanical Engineering
B.S.M.E University of Nevada, Reno Mechanical Engineering

Keywords

design, engineer, cad, test, fabricate

 

Publications
2019
Petersen, R. C., Hallar, A. G., McCubbin, I. B., Ogren, J. A., Andrews, E., Lowenthal, D. H., Gorder, R., Purcell, R. G., Sleeth, D., Novosselov, I. (2019). Numerical, Wind-Tunnel, and Atmospheric Evaluation of a Turbulent Ground-Based Inlet Sampling System, Aerosol Sci. Technol., 53 (6), 712-727, 10.1080/02786826.2019.1602718

2014
Hoekman, S.K., Leland, A., Robbins, C. M., Purcell, R. G., Zielinska, B. K., Felix, L., Irvin, J. (2014). Process Development Unit (PDU) for Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC) of Lignocellulosic Biomass, Waste and Biomass Valorization, 5 (4), 669-678

2011
Rasmussen, R. M., Hallett, J., Purcell, R. G., Landolt, S. D., Cole, J. (2011). The Hotplate Precipitation Gauge, J Atmos Oceanic Technol, 28, 148-164, doi: 10.1175/2010JTECHA1375.1

2010
Hoekman, S.K., Leland, A., Robbins, C. M., Purcell, R. G. (2010). CO2 Recycling by Reaction with Renewably-Generated Hydrogen, Intl J Greenhouse Gas Control, 4, 44-50, doi:10.1016/j.ijggc.2009:09.012

Rasmussen, R. M., Hallett, J., Purcell, R. G., Landolt, S. D., Cole, J. (2010). The Hotplate Snow Gauge, J A O Tech, 28 (2), 148-164

2009
Hoekman, S.K., Leland, A., Robbins, C. M., Purcell, R. G. (2009). CO2 Recycling by Reaction with Renewably-Generated Hydrogen, Intl. J. Greenhouse Gas Control, 4, 44-50

2002
Teague, S. V., Sagebiel, J. A., Purcell, R. G., Rogers, C. F., Lowenthal, D. H., Zielinska, B. K. (2002). A PM2.5 inlet impactor designed for a high flow application, Aerosol Sci. Technol., 36 , 1029-1032

1997
Fujita, E. M., Watson, J. G., Zielinska, B. K., McDonald, J., Sheetz, L. H., Purcell, R. G., Sagebiel, J., Rogers, C. F. (1997). Northern Front Range Air Quality Study winter 1996/97 field study plan measurement and characterization of particulate emissions from residential wood combustion and meat cooking
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10473289.1997.10464421

1993
Chow, J. C., Watson, J. G., Pritchett, L. C., Pierson, W., Frazier, C., Purcell, R. G. (1993). The DRI Thermal/Optical Reflectance carbon analysis system: Description, evaluation and applications in U.S. air quality studies, Atmospheric Environment, 27A (8), 1185-1201
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02786829308959588

1991
Pritchett, L. C., Purcell, R. G., Chow, J. C., Watson, J. G. (1991). DRI Model 4000X Thermal/Optical Carbon Analyzer, Owner’s Manual

Pritchett, L. C., Purcell, R. G., Chow, J. C., Watson, J. G. (1991). DRI Model 4000X Thermal/Optical Carbon Analyzer, Maintenance and Troubleshooting Manual

Conference Proceedings
2012
Novosselov, I., Gorder, R., Ogren, J., McCubbin, I. B., Lowenthal, D. H., Purcell, R. G. (2012). CFD Analysis of Ground-based Inlets for Atmospheric Aerosol Sampling. American Association for Aerosol Research (AAAR) 31st Annual: Minneapolis, MN, October 8, 2012

1991
Egami, R. T., Gertler, A. W., Chow, J. C., Watson, J. G., Purcell, R. G., Bowen, J. L. (1991). A medium-volume sampler for use in source apportionment studies. Proceedings, 84th Annual Meeting of the Air & Waste Management Association, Paper 91-55.1.