AC 2009-306: A SOLAR-HEATED WORM COMPOST BINCraig Somerton, Michigan State University Craig W. Somerton is an Associate Professor and Associate Chair of the Undergraduate Program for Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University. He teaches in the area of thermal engineering including thermodynamics, heat transfer, and thermal design. He also teaches the capstone design course for the department. Dr. Somerton has research interests in computer design of thermal systems, transport phenomena in porous media, and application of continuous quality improvement principles to engineering education. He received his B.S. in 1976, his M.S. in 1979, and his Ph.D. in 1982, all in
thus the students are given the opportunity to familiarize themselves with theoperation of software packages that most likely they will use after they join the workforce. Asubstantial portion of the classroom projects in engineering technology curriculum that requirethe use of advanced software tools has been increased in many higher institutions for bothundergraduate and graduate levels.Emerging virtual applications may enhance understanding both theoretical and appliedexperiences of engineering technology students by supporting laboratory experiments. Easy5,AMESim are some of the well known system modeling, analyzing, and simulation software toolsthat offer solutions to many problems in mechanical, hydraulics, pneumatics, electrical
, materials and technology, managementskills, and energy. Without the large amounts of energy consumed by the production system, themodern economy, and the high standard of living it provides, cannot be sustained. One of themajor sources of energy for the economy is electricity. Therefore, its production, transmissionand distribution constitute a critical infrastructure of a modern economy. Taking New York Stateas an example, energy delivered in the form of electricity accounts for approximately 24% ofenergy consumed, not counting the transportation sector3. Note that transportation sectoraccounts for 35% of total energy use. With electricity being the most versatile form of energy,developing the technical talent to address the issues of its
, o Determine the existing power capacity of wind turbine generators for a number of countries, the estimated cost of deployment, and possible incentives for wider wind turbine implementations, o Propose an innovative wind turbine energy system for the year-2050. 2. Briefly explain the theoretical wind turbine operation and associated mathematical model. 3. Develop a Matlab code to implement the wind characteristics shown in Fig. 3 of the handout. (You need to bring the code to the lab for implementation purposes) 4. Study and explain the block diagrams in Figs. 2 and 4 of the lab handout. 5. Elaborate on the effects of a Proportional-Integral (PI) controller during the
AC 2007-791: LABORATORY-SCALE STEAM POWER PLANT STUDY —RANKINE CYCLER™ COMPREHENSIVE EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSISAndrew Gerhart, Lawrence Technological University Andrew Gerhart is an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Lawrence Technological University. He is actively involved in ASEE, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Engineering Society of Detroit. He serves as Faculty Advisor for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Student Chapter at LTU and is the Thermal-Fluids Laboratory Coordinator. He serves on the ASME PTC committee on Air-Cooled Condensers.Philip Gerhart, University of Evansville Philip Gerhart is the Dean of the College of Engineering and
received her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Northern Iowa. Page 14.889.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 MSETI-AREA: Math-Science-Engineering Technology in Iowa on Applied Renewable Energy AreasAbstractThe Math-Science-Engineering Technology in Iowa on Applied Renewable Energy Areas(MSETI - AREA) project aimed to provide area middle school teachers with an appliedmathematics and science curriculum package based on Photo-Voltaic (PV), wind power, andhydrogen fuel-cell fundamentals. The
an introductory the introduction of physicalmodeling in an electrical machinery course using Simulink and the SimPowerSystems software.The paper provides a brief overview of the software with basic examples, and discusses facultyconsiderations for integrating the software in a class or laboratory. The integration of simulationis a work in progress, and the paper outlines initial outcomes assessment and future plans.IntroductionEngineering professionals in education and industry are concerned about enhancing theeffectiveness and productivity of the design process through the use of simulation software. Thehigh cost of engineering development activities in industry has fostered an interest in model-based design approaches that use computer
laboratory for each individualcourse is designed to reinforce basic concepts but have no larger purpose in the curriculum suchas logically connecting to the laboratory work completed in earlier or in future courses; thelaboratory exercises are completed by the students in different laboratory courses withoutrealizing that the concepts learned are all contributing to the development of truly integratedsystems, as the ones used in industry. In the integrated laboratory settings the students aredeveloping deeper understanding of the engineering subjects, the interconnections betweenvarious electrical engineering topics or areas, giving them an overall understanding of a systemfunctionalities, features and characteristics. Our development aims to
mostly off-grid, eco-friendly, eco-designed, being able to provide significant reductions in natural resourceconsumption and energy costs, more flexible installations, and a significant leap forward tobecoming energy independent. The project was developed also under the guidance of therelevant departments of our Philadelphia Streets Department. The system aimed at retrofittingthe existing street lighting poles and working in conjunction with current LED technology that isto be implemented to reduce the electricity demand. Students used an integrated approach of twovertical axis turbines (Darrieus and Savonius) and a PV panel, building a fully functionalprototype, amenable to wireless monitoring and further improvements for increased
efficiency can be taught in manydisciplines, including, but not limited to: design, engineering, manufacturing, technology, andmanagement1-14. Either we are focusing here on the issues related to development of the energymanagement or industrial energy course, will also outline how sustainability and energymanagement might be integrated into the curriculum from perspectives of courses and students’research and projects. At the course level, examples of how to integrate the concepts andapplications of sustainability into existing material will be discussed. The current situation andthe demand for a sustainable and efficient use of energy knowledge are more and more requiredand expected by employers. Sustainable development is a contemporary issue for
Co., Visa Lighting Corp., and West Bend Co. for providing equipment andsupplies for the experiments. Finally, the students who worked on the projects deserve much ofthe credit for this project's success: Ms. Colleen Bell, Ms. Christina Wisler, Mr. Austin Schmitt,Mr. Zach Ouradnik, Mr. Todd Murray, Mr. Chad Housner, and Mr. Erik Bauer.Bibliography Page 11.475.111. H.A. Aglan and S.F. Ali, "Hands-on Experiences: An Integral Part of Engineering Curriculum Reform," J. Eng. Education, 85, 327-330, 1996.2. R.M. Felder, "Reaching the Second Tier - Learning and Teaching Styles in College Science Education," J. Coll. Sci. Teaching, 22
seven year review and assessment of Lawrence Technological University’s Alternative Energy Engineering Program initially funded through grants from the State of MichiganAbstractLawrence Technological University applied for and received two funding grants from the Stateof Michigan in 2003 and 2004 to develop curriculum and to establish courses in the field ofAlternative Energy Engineering. Lawrence Tech in 2003 was one of five schools in Michigan toreceive these initial funds. This paper reviews the decision making process originally used toestablish the curriculum, the engineering courses developed through these grants, theestablishment of an Alternative Energy Engineering laboratory, and the subsequent evolution ofthe
School Teachers in a Hispanic Serving InstitutionAbstractIn recent years, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi entered into a partnership with theNuclear Power Institute or NPI to attract students into careers in nuclear power and science. Thepartnership naturally involved both student recruitment and curriculum development efforts. As apart of this recruitment effort, a summer workshop was designed and implemented to train,prepare for research, and educate local area high school teachers for the careers in engineering,engineering technology and the nuclear power industry. First, an outreach effort to local areapublic, private high and junior high schools was organized to advertise and promote theworkshop. After a considerable
Cruz, CA. 6. C. Bacon, D. Mulvaney, T. Ball, E. M. DuPuis, S. Gliessman, R. Lipschutz, and A. Shakouri, “The creation of an integrated sustainability curriculum and student praxis projects.” International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 12(2), 193208, 2011. 7. E. M. Dupuis and T. Ball. “How Not What : Teaching Sustainability as Process.” Sustainability: Science, Practice & Policy 9 (1): 64–75, 2013. 8. B. Yalvac, H. Smith, J. Troy, and P. Hirsch, “Promoting Advanced Writing Skills in an UpperLevel Page 23.537.16 Engineering Class” Journal Of Engineering Education, 96
EducationThermodynamics (ME680) during their fourth or fifth years. Like their peer institutions, RIT hasthe desire and requirement to improve curriculum structure, integration, and assessment. ME413 and 680 form a progression in course work into the study of Thermodynamics and,therefore, the courses are carefully integrated. This integration is achieved through a courseassessment process conducted by the faculty leads from both courses.The goal of Thermodynamics is to provide studentswith practical and relevant engineering science Table 1. Summary of Topics Exploredbackground in thermodynamics. The course also in Thermodynamics (ME 413)provides the groundwork for subsequent courses in Topical Areas
12.1205.2IntroductionThis paper describes how a systematic effort is being carried out at the University of Missouri-Columbia, to promote student awareness of best practices in energy efficiency, reusable energy,waste reduction and productivity improvements. In particular, it illustrates how the activities of anewly established Missouri Industrial Assessment Center (U.S. Department of Energy, IACProgram) in the College of Engineering can be logically integrated with both graduate andundergraduate engineering education in this regard.Missouri Industrial Assessment CenterWith the backing of the U.S. Department of Energy, and in partnership with the Missouri StateDepartment of Natural Resources (MoDNR), the State Department of Economic Development,the University of
Paper ID #25648Visualizing Power-Quality Phenomena in a Hands-On Electric Power Sys-tems LaboratoryMr. Thomas Vernon Cook, University of Pittsburgh I am a Electrical Engineering Masters student in the Electric Power program at the University of Pitts- burgh. I spent the last year helping to develop a hands on learning environment and curriculum for engineering students of all disciplines. My current research is in power electronic conversion for small spacecraft applications.Dr. Robert J. Kerestes, University of Pittsburgh Robert Kerestes, PhD, is an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the
AC 2012-3376: UTPA SOLAR SYSTEM EFFICIENCYMr. Leonel Aguilera, University of Texas, Pan American Leonel Aguilera earned his his B.S degree in electrical engineering from the Technology Institute of Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico in 2006. He is currently a M.S. in electrical engineering student at the Univer- sity of Texas, Pan American, in Edinburg, Texas. He is an active researcher with interests in networking and renewable energy.Dr. Jaime Ramos P.E., University of Texas, Pan American Jaime Ramos, Assistant Professor, has been at The University of Texas Pan American since 2005, in the Department of Electrical Engineering. His research activities are directed towards the integration of renewable energy sources to
faculty used theirallocated development time to develop labs and curriculum for these program changes. At ourinstitution, we get one quarter of release time every two years so no additional funding wasrequired. About six months of curriculum development time were required to implement theprogram changes, with an estimated cost of approximately $50,000. Specialized lab equipmentand supplies for the renewable energy course (detailed in Table 4) cost $11,100. Thus, the totalcost for the program revision was about $61,100 of which only $11,100 had to be funded.Table 4 Lab suppliesItem Cost per unit $ Number of units Total cost $solar panel 5 15 75light
associated with big power systems, Power World6is also used in lectures. The interface of this software is not as high quality as that of PSCAD butit offers a different view and a classical approach to the power flow problem.3.2 Transmission Line StudyCalculations of transmission line parameters have always been an integral part of a senior levelcourse in power systems. Studies include topics in modeling of short, medium and long lines,calculations of voltage regulation, real and reactive power losses, design aspects of overheadlines and cost analysis. Not all of these topics are covered in detail in our program due to timeconstraints. Modeling however is discussed at least for low and medium length lines.One of the problems presented as a
Van Hoof C (2009). Harvesting Energy from the Motion of Human Limbs: The Design and Analysis of an Impact-Based Piezoelectric Generator. Smart Materials and Structures. 18 035001.[12] Rocha J G, Goncalves L M, Rocha P F and Silva M P (2010). Energy Harvesting from Piezoelectric Materials Fully Integrated in Footwear. 57 813-9. Page 26.599.13[13] Pozzi M and Zhu M (2011). Plucked Piezoelectric Bimorphs for Knee-Joint Energy Harvesting: Modelling and Experimental Validation. Smart Mater. & Structs. 20 055007.[14] Marzencki, M. (2005). Vibration energy scavenging. European Commission research Project VIBES
systeminteractions, and instrumentation/interface using wired/wireless sensors and networks14-15. Thisproposed wind testbed will foster an excellent learning experience for the undergraduate andgraduate students. The Electrical Engineering Technology (EET) program at UNI is Iowa’s firstand only state institution offering a BS degree in the EET area. Almost 40 % of our incomingstudents are transferred from Iowa community colleges with AAS degrees in the EET and similarareas. The program was recently reviewed for an ABET-TAC accreditation and the findingsfrom the ABET visiting team are very promising. One of the reported observations for theprogram was students’ exposure to hands-on renewable energy curriculum and applications inwind power areas16. The
Display in Engineering Lobby – 1st floor Page 12.122.4 Figure 1. Locations of the seven PV assemblies and display.A disadvantage of a horizontal array is that the power output will be slightly reduced whencompared to an array that is tilted at the optimum angle. That said, amorphous silicontechnology is less sensitive to tilt angle than crystalline photovoltaic technology. United SolarOvonic cites data1 showing that horizontal amorphous arrays delivered a time-integrated power(energy) that was comparable to that of the competing tilted crystalline glass-framed modules(the same study also demonstrated that amorphous arrays delivered more
Page 25.464.10 Installation of Turbine Fig. 6 Curriculum Modules for Designing Wind TurbineWhile the basic learning modules were the same as above, the approach used was challengebased11,12. As an example students were challenged to come up with an energy solution in anisolated campground. While the discussions were open and students were encouraged to come upwith other ideas like solar, the discussions were channeled towards wind energy by emphasizingcomplexity of material issues and logistics/demography of Colonias. Since students wereresponsible for manufacturing their own turbines, training on safety issues was a big part of theoverall training. Complexity of the aerodynamic behavior of the turbine
activities which provide opportunities for students to engage in experiments that willreinforce the material covered. The safety of the unit was confirmed after several tests indifferent conditions on campus.1. IntroductionWe live in an age of environmental awareness, and alternative energy education is present inmost of our daily conversations in engineering, technology, and science education. Renewableenergy today provides about 9% of the world’s energy and 8 to 10% of the U.S. needs [1].However, in many parts of the world these percentages are increasing significantly. Based oncurrent data on global warming, as well as the current U.S. dependence on overseas oil, there isan interest and urgency in utilizing alternative energy sources. In order to
System’s, “green”initiative. This program is geared towards helping reform educational infrastructure bypromoting multidisciplinary activities and content in the areas of bioenergy and bioproducts.Such an interdisciplinary perspective enhances interactions of investigators, K-16 teachers andfaculty, and pre-service teachers across disciplinary boundaries to provide insight to some of theintractable problems related to the environment. During the one-week institute on Bioenergy andBioproducts for STEAM teachers and faculty held at UMES in the summer of 2012, varioushands-on activities along with bioenergy and bioproducts-related curriculum developmentmaterials were presented to the ten educators. The educators represented middle and high schoolmath
systems.Smart grid is the platform that is the primary driver in providing more reliable and cost-efficientelectrical power while conserving energy resources in today's new digital era. Moreover, theSmart Grid is a way to address an aging energy infrastructure that needs to be upgraded orreplaced. It is also a way to address energy efficiency by increasing consumer awareness aboutthe connection between electricity use and the environment. The concept of Smart Grid is basedon the integration of the electric grid, communication network and data acquisition technologiesto monitor and control the generation, distribution, storage and consumption of electrical power.The workforce demand in the electrical power industry is also evolving. In order to be
enhancementprogram involved tracking students’ academic success, and identifying their weaknesses in aneffort to offer remedies and tutoring support as needed. Students were also encouraged toparticipate in guest speaker presentations related to power, besides the nuclear and poweremphasis courses they were to take as part of the scholarship requirements. The enhancementprogram involved workforce development through exposure of student to nuclear fields innuclear power, science, and health physics.IV. Outreach and Recruiting ActivitiesNWDSE Program is expected to play an integral part in TAMUCC’s recruitment activities forthe expansion of the national nuclear-related workforce. Members of TAMUCC School ofEngineering and Computing Sciences (formerly
are well established but for a commodity like energy, widespreadadoption depends on delivering lower costs and matching loads both in time and location.These are extremely difficult performance goals for but the rewards for success are highwith a global market waiting eagerly.The rationale for making space to cover the path to technology maturity in an alreadyovercrowded curriculum is that it defines many future engineering jobs. The solar cells,batteries and fuel cells can be manufactured today but can they beat the internationalcompetition to deliver the tough commodity performance metrics? High-level roadmapsfor alternative energies have been formulated 1 but the goals remain stubbornly distant 2.That emphasizes the need to recruit and
the University of Rochester Center for Photo-Induced Charge Transfer. Since 2003, Dr. Walz has taught chemistry and engineering at Madi- son Area Technical College, where he also serves as the director of the Center for Renewable Energy Advanced Technological Education (CREATE). Dr. Walz is also an adjunct professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Wiscon- sin. He has served as teacher for the UW Delta Center for Integrating Research, Teaching and Learning, and has mentored several graduate students who completed teaching internships while creating new in- structional materials for renewable energy and chemical education. Dr. Walz is also an instructor with the Wisconsin K-12 Energy