Conference Session

Sustainable Education and the Environment

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Omer Onar, Illinois Institute of Technology; Alireza Khaligh, Illinois Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

interest inengineering community as well as the engineering education community to develop more energyharvesting applications and new curriculums for renewable energy and energy harvesting topics.Table I summarizes the contents of the offered Energy Harvesting course at IIT. Table I. Syllabus of the course. Week Topic #1 Introduction to Energy Harvesting #2 Solar Energy Harvesting: Characteristics of Photovoltaic (PV) Systems, PV Models and Equivalent Circuits, Sun Tracking Systems, Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) Techniques, Power Electronic Interfaces for PV Systems, Sizing the PV Panel

Conference Session

Sustainable Education and the Environment

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Roger Beardsley, Central Washington University; Stephen Morton, Central Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

this goal, universities are leading the way in determining practical ways toreduce the GHG effects, and along the way are training future professionals who may implementthese changes in industry and society.The ACUPCC commitment consists of three basic parts: 1) Develop an action plan to bring the campus to climate neutrality, 2) Immediately initiate two or more actions toward that goal while developing the plan, 3) Make the action plan, GHG inventory document, and progress reports publicly available, including reporting to the American Association for Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)2.In order to mark the progress toward campus climate-neutrality it is crucial to develop andregularly update the GHG

Conference Session

Sustainable-energy Education: Lessons Learned

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Bass, Oregon Institute of Technology; Thomas White, Oregon Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

planners and policy makers. Graduates of the programwill be able to pursue a wide range of career opportunities, not only within the emerging fields ofrenewable energy, but within more traditional areas of energy engineering as well.1 Without amechanism for obtaining professional licensure, these graduates would either not be able toadvance in their careers or they would not find employment in these fields to begin with. Oursurvey of the renewable energy industry cluster in the Pacific Northwest convinced us that anengineering degree, the BSREE degree, was the only suitable option for our students.Industry Cluster AnalysisRenewable energy resources are attracting considerable investment as concerns surrounding thestability of energy supply

Conference Session

Sustainable-energy Education: Lessons Learned

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Linfeng Zhang, University of Bridgeport; Xingguo Xiong, University of Bridgeport; Junling Hu, University of Bridgeport

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

levelcourse, Alternative Energy Technology. This course is related to chemistry, electronics, andmechanics and the graduate students are with different engineering background. The challengesin the teaching are addressed and the possible solutions are given in this paper. Moreover, theteaching experience in this course is helpful for the licensure application for a new M.S.program, Sustainable Energy Engineering (SEE) in the school of Engineering at UB.1. IntroductionThe world energy demand keeps increasing in recent years due to the rapidly rising livingstandards and expanding populations. However, the non-renewable energy resource, fossil fuels,is running out and the crude oil supply from Middle East is unstable1. Thus, the price of

Conference Session

Learning about Power Systems and Power Consumption

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carl Spezia, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

. These factors are: 1.) Open communication between PES engineering and engineering faculty, 2.) Mutual respect for the respective missions of PES and engineering faculty, 3.) Previous PES engineering staff experience in engineering design as students, 4.) PES engineering staff who are engineering college alumni, 5.) PES engineering staff desire to mentor and teach future engineers.Items 1 and 2 must be present for any partnership to develop. One party must start a dialog forany relationship to begin. In this case, engineering faculty used a prior industrial relationshipwith a member of PES to start the dialog. The opening conversation made both parties aware ofpotential benefits and opportunities for

Conference Session

Sustainable-energy Education: Lessons Learned

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sharon deMonsabert, George Mason University; Jeremy Jessup, George Mason University; Lenna Storm, George Mason University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

tothe development of certain types of cancer8. The significant decrease in most emissions whencompared to conventional diesel can be seen in Table 1: Page 14.532.3 (National Biodiesel Board, 2008)Biodiesel is also biodegradable which means it can decay as a result of natural agents such asbacteria8. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) biodieseldecomposes approximately four times faster than conventional diesel2. Secondly, biodiesel issafer than conventional diesel because it is non-toxic and less combustible. Biodiesel has ahigher

Conference Session

Curricular Developments in Energy Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Max Rabiee, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

cooperation of Duke Energy and others in the field, the College of Applied Science hasalready started providing a path for the next generation of utility industry professionals [1].Our efforts have been recognized by segments of Duke Energy already and there is more work todo.CAS currently has the following energy related programs: Ü Associate Degree in Electrical Engineering Technology with a Power Systems Focus Ü Certificate Program in Stationary Engineering Ü Certificate Program in Power Systems Technology Ü Journeyman Electrician Certificate Program Ü Master Electrician Certificate Program Ü Plant Maintenance Craftsmanship Program

Conference Session

Learning about Power Systems and Power Consumption

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kala Meah, York College of Pennsylvania; Wayne Blanding, York College of Pennsylvania

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

. Page 14.805.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 1 T Introducing High Voltage Direct Current Transmission into an Undergraduate Power Systems Course Kala Meah,, and Wayne Blanding Electrical and Computer Engineering York College of Pennsylvania, York, PA, USAAbstractHigh voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission systems have shown steady growth in capacityaddition for the past three to four decades. More than 100,000 MW of HVDC transmissioncapacity is

Conference Session

Curricular Developments in Energy Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Craig Somerton, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

engineering from UCLA. Page 14.109.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 A Solar Heated Worm Compost BinIntroductionLandfills continue to grow in this county, with 20-25% of the trash coming from food or yardwaste [1]. For several years, Woodcreek Elementary School has collected their cafeteria foodwaste and used a worm-based compost system to turn the food waste into fertilizer. Due to thisprocess, there has been a significant reduction in garbage collection at the school. However,during the winter months, the worms become very inactive and composting comes to a halt. Inpartnership with a non-profit community

Conference Session

Computer Applications in Energy Conversion

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Liping Guo, Northern Illinois University; Paul Curtis, Northern Illinois University; Andrew Barendregt, Northern Illinois University; Anthony Surillo, Northern Illinois University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

of power thatthey can actually produce. A solar tracker will track the sun throughout the day and adjustthe angle of the solar panel to make the sun normal to the solar panels at all times. Theorientation of the solar panels may increase the efficiency of the conversion system from20% up to 50%. [1-3]. The sun tracking solar power system is a mechatronic system thatintegrates electrical and mechanical systems, and computer hardware and software.SYSTEM GENERAL DESCRIPTIONThe initial requirements for this project were as follows: „ 5 watt to 10 watt solar panel „ Design structure to support 15 lbs „ Design enclosure to protect electrical equipment

Conference Session

Energy Curriculum Advancements

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Zietlow, Bradley University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

courses in heat transfer and optimization as well as air conditioning and refrigerationdesign courses. However, any textbook problem can be adapted to accommodate the deductivestrategy by removing the specified inputs for the problem. Page 11.389.2Literature ReviewThe McMaster Problem Solving Program (Woods, et. al., 4/97)1 found the most effective way toteach problem solving skills to students is to use a workshop approach. The key components tothe workshop are an introduction, pre-test, application, and immediate feedback. Students arethen asked to reflect on what they learned in a journal. In the McMaster program they had fourdifferent

Conference Session

Energy Curriculum Advancements

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Craig Somerton, Michigan State University; Andre Benard, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

alternative energy discipline, it became clear that the best strategywould be to cover many alternative energy sources. Furthermore, it was decided to broaden thenotion of alternative energy so as to only exclude energy systems based on coal or petroleum.With this background, the following definition of alterative energy was developed: Alternative energy is an energy that is not currently being fully utilized by human beings, but may replace conventional energy sources.At this point in time a proposal was developed for consideration by the mechanical engineeringundergraduate curriculum committee. It is provided as Attachment 1 and includes a coursedescription, course goals, and detailed course learning

Conference Session

Energy Laboratory Development

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Henry Foust, Nicholls State University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

mechatronics and its role in this research? Mechatronics is theapplication of electrical and computer principles to mechanical systems [1]. Oneexample is the application of sensor, actuator, and micro-controllers to automotiveengines. Mechatronics can be used in alternative energy conversions in respect tosensor selection, actuators, control methods, and the implementation of optimizationschemes where a system approach develops the dynamic models and constraints onthe optimization. Another component of the research is that the mechatronics laboratory worksin conjunction with a material science laboratory for a summer undergraduate re-search experience. The governing idea is to take the students through the processof writing a publishable research

Conference Session

Energy Resources, Efficiency, and Conservation

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Riddell, Rowan University; Peter Mark Jansson; Kevin Dahm, Rowan University; Harriett Benavidez, Rowan University; Julie Haynes, Rowan University; Dan Schowalter, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

goals.IntroductionEngineering Clinics are a hallmark of the Rowan University College of Engineering.1-2Each semester, Engineering students take a project-based clinic class that is developedthrough applications drawn from various engineering disciplines and industry. Thepurpose of the clinic courses is to prepare students for engineering practice in ways thattraditional blackboard and textbook classes cannot. Solving open-ended problems,multidisciplinary teamwork and communication skills, as well as professionalism andethics are emphasized throughout the clinics. As students progress throughout the Rowancurriculum, the clinic projects become decidedly more “real-world.”The main goals of the Sophomore Engineering clinics are to develop communication anddesign skills

Conference Session

Energy Laboratory Development

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Reisel, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Kevin Renken, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

Page 11.475.2course, Fluid Mechanics Laboratory (ME 323), so that additional time could be spent on theexperimental aspects of Fluid Mechanics. The Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer coursesremained without any significant experimental component. While a primarily lecture-basedinstruction is sufficient for the education of some students, it has been found that many studentsprefer learning through a hands-on or visual approach.1-3The authors wanted to bring an experimental component into the Thermodynamics and HeatTransfer courses in order to shore up this potential weakness. It was noted that many studentsstruggled with understanding the basic concepts of the courses when they are only presented inan abstract fashion through lectures without any

Conference Session

Trends in Energy Conversion and Conservation

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ryan Healey, Northeastern University; Francis Di Bella, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

depletion. Fuel costs of $3.00 per gallon ormore may soon be the norm and not the temporary consequences of nature; the cost ofpetroleum in Europe is already over $4.00 per gallon.A United Nations Committee on Third World developing nations has determined that amajor requirement but also a major obstacle for developing nations, is the need for moreefficient and innovative energy and power generation and delivery.1 It is clear that the1 United Nations report on the 2001 Millennium Project (http://millennium-project.org) found that the Page 11.37.2leading response to the question: “What challenges can science pursue whose resolution

Conference Session

Energy Curriculum Advancements

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen Williams, Milwaukee School of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

connect to a comprehensible devicethat is practically applied in interesting new consumer products.Brushless DC Motor KitFigures 1 and 2 show an unassembled kit and an assembled Brushless DC Motor. Experiencewith 62 students building their kits showed that 100% were successful in making their motoroperate. The kit is relatively straightforward to assemble. It is based on a low-cost designoriginally developed by Stan Pozmantir8 which uses simple switching controlled by various rotor Page 11.291.3position sensors. The parts kit includes all of the parts listed in Table 1.Figure 1 – Unassembled brushless DC motor kit

Conference Session

Energy Learning through Simulation and Analysis

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ilya Grinberg, Buffalo State College; Herbert L. Hess P.E., University of Idaho in Moscow; Frank Pietryga, University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

technology students closer in terms of learning both aspects of this importanttechnique.In this paper, an assessment of learning is reported where these classes of load flow tools areused in laboratories for engineering instruction and for engineering technology instruction.Methodologies are presented for teaching load flow from both perspectives: from a basicprogramming perspective and from a holistic perspective using a high level software simulationpackage. The results are assessed and recommendations for improvement are presented.Programming perspectiveA five-bus electric power system presents a significant programming problem without becomeexcessively burdensome. In the work at hand, the power system diagrammed in Figure 1 waspresented to

Conference Session

Energy Learning through Simulation and Analysis

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert McMasters, Virginia Military Institute; Michael Sexton, Virginia Military Institute

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

run in a Windowsenvironment. The DOS program “verif.exe” uses a very efficient calculation method called“time partitioning” [1] which allows temperature solutions to be computed very quickly. Thismethod involves the sum of two solutions for computing temperature. A “long time” solutioninvolving eigenvalues and series terms is added to a “short time” solution, which arises from the Page 11.809.2Laplace transform or semi-infinite approximation. This method usually allows convergence ofthe series solution with only a few terms, giving accuracies of 8 significant digits or more.Typical solutions of steady state conduction of infinite series form

Conference Session

Design Projects in Wind and Solar Energy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Billy Hill, Rowan University; Ryan McDevitt, Rowan University; Peter Mark Jansson

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

during periods of more severeweather in the area. This work was continued until only about six inches of the anchor remainedabove ground, finally placing the anchor approximately 4.5 feet into the ground. Four of theseanchors were installed forming the shape of a diamond around the base of the tower. A diagramof one of these anchors is shown below as Figure 1. Figure 1: Diagram of anchor completely screwed into the groundThe next step was to assemble the base plate of the tower this was done by simply bolting thetwo sides to the bottom portion of the base plate. Once assembled, the long foot of the base platewas driven into the ground and the grounding rod was also driven through the base plate into theground, this is to prevent

Conference Session

Design Projects in Wind and Solar Energy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steven Hazel, Rowan University; Peter Mark Jansson

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

relationship linking the twois based on your location and on the time of year. This angle will change as the Sun passesthrough its equinox from solstice to solstice. The variation from June to December is +/-23.45°from equinox (see figure 1). During equinox, if a PV panel is tilted at your local area’s latitudethe sunlight will be normal to the module and strike the collector perpendicular to its face (seefigure 2). This scenario will not hold for the rest of the year, nevertheless, it provides the optimalangle for daily average throughout the year. However, this does not factor in climate. Forexample, with NJ latitude of 40° one would assume that this would be the best angle for apotential system. In actuality, NJ receives more cloud cover during the

Conference Session

Energy Laboratory Development

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Patrick Tebbe, Minnesota State University-Mankato

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

apparatus under study (Figure 1) was designed and manufactured in 2003 aspart of an ASHRAE funded Senior Design Project. The system uses a typical vapor compression Page 11.461.2cycle with R-134a as the refrigerant. For the compressor, a Seltec TM-08 unit was used. Thiscompressor is commonly used in automotive applications. It is powered by a 3 hp three-phaseelectric motor that is operated by a frequency controller. Trunion bearings support the motor,which is connected to a load cell for measuring the torque applied to the compressor. Heatrejection is accomplished through a coaxial condenser manufactured by Edwards Engineering.Cold water from the

Conference Session

Energy Resources, Efficiency, and Conservation

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark Schumack, University of Detroit Mercy

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

in my energy systems class, a technical elective taken by mechanical engineering students.The course is basically an applied thermodynamics class, covering conventional andunconventional power and refrigeration systems. Over the course of two class periods, I derivedthe equation resulting in the “Hubbert curve,” and then had students use it to model theproduction rates of various fossil fuels, predicting the years of peak production rate anddepletion.The exponential modelThe exponential model assumes that the instantaneous rate of production is proportional to thecumulative production, Q: dQ ? aQ (1

Conference Session

Energy Laboratory Development

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Philip Gerhart, University of Evansville; Andrew Gerhart, Lawrence Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

(hereinafter called the “RC”), is a tabletop steam-electric power plant that looks andbehaves similarly to a real steam turbine power plant (see Figure 1). It also has the advantage ofrelatively low-cost. About the size of an office desk, the plant contains three of the four majorcomponents of a modern, full-scale, fossil fuel fired electric generating station: boiler, turbine,and condenser. Using only propane and water, the plant will actually generate electricity. Notethat the RC does not operate in a true cycle (there is no pump); it is a once-through unit (seeFigure 2). Nonetheless, many of the key issues regarding steam power generation are illustratedby the device.The RC is outfitted with sensors to measure key properties. The data is displayed

Conference Session

Energy Curriculum Advancements

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Blekhman, Grand Valley State University; Ali Mohammadzadeh, Grand Valley State University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

which directly converts chemical energy into electrical power.Continuous operation as long as fuel is supplied could also be added to the definition with a fewexceptions to distinguish from batteries. This definition nicely contrasts to combustion whichemploys the following path to electricity: chemical energy›heat›mechanicalwork›conversion to power. The main component of a fuel cell is its membrane/electrolytecombination. The electrolyte defines the ion used in the reaction, appropriate operatingtemperatures, choice of catalyst, and the name of the fuel cell. The operating temperature alsodefines if internal fuel reforming can be adapted. A summary of these properties can be found inTable A-1. Everything else is built around these

Conference Session

Trends in Energy Conversion and Conservation

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Radian Belu, Wayne State University; Alexandru Belu, Wayne State University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

degree in Software Engineering from The University of Wastern Ontario, London, Canada. His research interests include software enegineering, web design, and computer algebra systems. Page 11.462.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2006 Development of a Web-Based Learning and Instruction Support System for Renewable Energy Sources/Hybrid Power Systems Courses.1. Introduction:This paper details the ongoing effort focused on the development and implementation of aWeb-based learning and instructional support system and materials for a sequence of twocourses in the newly

Conference Session

Energy Curriculum Advancements

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Glenn Ellis, Smith College; Sarah Wodin-Schwartz, Smith College; Israel Koren, University of Massachusetts-Amherst; Baaba Andam, Smith College; C. Mani Krishna, University of Massachusetts-Amherst; C. Andras Moritz, University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

) provides an introduction to computerarchitecture and hardware design with an emphasis on computer design techniques from ahardware perspective. The class is taken at the sophomore level: it consisted of 122 students (4women).The Computer Architecture class (ECE 568/668) offered at UMass is designed for juniors,seniors, and graduate students and includes advanced material about the structure of digitalcomputers. Topics include: the organization of sub-systems such as the memory and I/O; theinterplay between hardware and software in a computer system; the von Neumann architectureand its modern competitors. The class enrollment was 46 students (7 women, 19 undergraduates)for Fall 2004 and 32 students (5 women, 13 undergraduates) for Fall 2005.Table 1

Conference Session

Using Real-World Examples

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael G Mauk P.E., Drexel University; Richard Chiou, Drexel University; Ieva Narkeviciute, Stanford University; Gabriel K. Head, University of Pennsylvania

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

become contaminated with bacteria and other unwanted organisms. Other issuesinclude optimal orientation toward the sun, clogging, optimal algae density, flow rates,modulation of sunlight (on and off cycling for solar exposure), gas (oxygen and CO2)concentration and ease of degassing, micronutrients, and light intensity as function of depth inliquid. Clearly, there are many parameters to optimize in algae culture. Bioreactor systems canbe better optimized than growing algae in ponds. Further, the algae culture system can becombined with photovoltaic cells for electricity generation. Conventionally, 1 hectacre ofalgae culture (e.g., in ponds) can produce about 2700 liters of biodiesel per year. Research toimprove algae yields is ongoing. A figure

Conference Session

Sustainability and Hands-On Activities

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Anne Valdes, University of Florida; Carlene Elizabeth Cuadra, University of Florida ; Fazil T. Najafi, University of Florida; Nick M. Safai, Salt Lake Community College

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

warming.Causes of Global Warming Climate change is the direct result of human progression. Population increase has led tothe need for more materials, mass production, and more food in order to sustain the growingnumber of people present. To fully understand what is happening to Earth, it is necessary to lookback at the source of the problem. Since the start of the 20th century, human population has skyrocketed. The worldpopulation growth rate for around 800 years prior to this time was rather stagnant, averagingonly about 0.1% growth a year.18 In the 20th century alone, the human population roughlyquadrupled.3 At the start of the 19th century, human population exceeded 1 billion for the firsttime in history.3 It took only 120 years after

Conference Session

Energy Conservation

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Glenn T. Wrate P.E., Northern Michigan University; Joe Routhier, Northern Michigan University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

institutions are facing (and havefaced) similar problems [1], [2], [3]. Two alternatives were investigated: 1) replace with similareducational-type equipment [4], or 2) reconfigure the lab with industrial-type equipment [5]. Acost comparison of these two alternatives is given in Table 1. It was found that the industrial-type equipment was $911.05 less per bench than the educational-type equipment. These valueswere based on the initial quotes, and with additional educational discounts directly from FlukeCorporation the final cost was $5,947.30 per bench.In addition to costing significantly less, the industrial-type equipment also has a number ofadditional features not available on the educational-type equipment. The educational-typeequipment was an