: Page 23.844.2Fig.1 Block diagram showing various components of a solar photovoltaic systemThe laboratory activities are to correspond to each or a combination of the topics and to beculminated by the design and testing of a stand-alone/grid connected PV system. Laboratoryactivities will include simulation, modeling, and experimentation using commercial size panels.The PV voltage of the panels mounted on building rooftop has been fed directly to thelaboratory. This will provide a realistic learning experience and facilitate experimentation undervarying insolation and weather conditions.3. COURSE MODULE DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIESA comprehensive research on the published books and materials was undertaken to examine thecurrent state of available
a useful amount of energy. Figure 1 shows a hybrid thermal and electrical diagram of athermoelectric device. Figure 2 shows a photograph of the actual TEG used by the students.4 Figure 1. Thermal / electric energy flow diagram of TEG device (Ferrotec) Figure 2. TEG used by students. (Actual size is 1.2” x 1.3” x 0.14”) (Marlow) Page 24.73.3The goals for each year’s team were set high enough to encourage them to work hard, but yetlow enough not to discourage them from trying. Because the students were first-semesterfreshmen, they were entering the project relying on experience obtained prior to college. Somestudents have a good
semester.The first assignment required the structural analysis students to calculate the major loads actingon the Tech Center. Given the blue prints for the building, they were expected to calculate thewind and snow loads expected in this location as well as the dead load of the structure itself. In asubsequent assignment the students were tasked with determining the distribution of forcesthrough the roof system and columns of the Tech Center due to these existing loads. For this taskthey were allowed to use the structural analysis software package, RISA. Figure 1 shows theforce distribution in a typical frame of the building as modelled by one of the structural analysisstudents.Figure 1. Axial forces (above with values in kips) and moments (below
, interesting assignments, and applying the material to the real world make a courseengaging.” (1) Another study found that student participation in laboratory or demonstrationexercises in conjunction with a lecture produces a more positive learning outcome. (2)Application and demonstration are two key tools of an educator and will be explained further inthis paper so students will be able to comprehend the abstract ideas of irreversibility and Carnotefficiency. This paper ties the theoretical Carnot efficiency to the applications to which it isrelated.One of the more challenging concepts for students is the irreversibility of heat transfer through afinite temperature difference. It is easier to understand the irreversibility of other processes suchas
Page 23.279.2 Biodiesel Processor and a KioskAs the renewable energy program grew, another budget allocation funded the purchase of anoff-grid solar photovoltaic system, a solar thermal system, and a 1 kW wind turbine. Furtherequipment purchases were funded through the acquisition of grants and appropriations. Thelaboratory now has equipment to test the biodiesel fuel produced which is used in thegrounds equipment to mow the grass and sweep the snow. To support the residential energyefficiency courses, there are blower doors, duct blasters, combustion analyzers, thermalimaging equipment and insulation blowing equipment. The renewable energy courses arefurther supported with a 1.4 kW additional solar photovoltaic
an energy system, a method is needed that incorporates the role of both initialcapital costs and ongoing operating costs. One of the tools commonly used and accepted byindustry is known as Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE)3-5. LCOE is a useful metric used tocompare an owner’s life-cycle cost by converting all costs into a single cost of electricity rate,usually expressed in cents or dollars per kilowatt-hour of electricity4. The levelized cost per unitof energy output provides a way to combine all cost factors into a cost-per-unit measure that iscomparable between technologies3. It can be defined as3 Eq. (1)where total annual cost = annualized capital
usesover the course of a year. The project was piloted by Prof. Lau in spring semester 2010, and infall semester 2010, two other faculty used it, followed by spring 2011 when two additionalfaculty utilized the project. The experiences and practices from these semesters was reported atthe 2012 ASEE meeting in San Antonio.1 Page 23.448.2The project is intended to take seven to eight weeks to complete. It is also designed to utilizeteam-based active learning in the classroom. Most importantly, it serves as a rich context forlearning and applying engineering design principles and selected analytical concepts, mostnotably conservation of energy and
. Page 23.481.21.0 IntroductionIn the last couple of years, significant effort has been devoted at the University of MarylandEastern Shore (UMES) to develop a broad-based multidisciplinary framework encompassing theSTEAM disciplines to promote education and research in bio-energy and bio-products.Significant support from United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) through theAgriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) and 1890 Capacity Building Programs (CBG)have not only helped initiate and sustain the efforts but also have set the stage for involving 1890land grant colleges such as to play a positive role in realizing the vision outlined in the 2012National Bio-economy Blueprint of President Obama [1]. Today's television commercials
minority,in the engineering education pipeline.In addition to fostering the students’ interests in STEM fields, this paper uses Bloom’sTaxonomy to assess the knowledge and comprehension levels of the participants of theworkshop. More specifically, the main objectives of this study are 1. To evaluate the students’ knowledge and perceptions related to electric vehicles. 2. To translate graduate research in clear and simple terms to the participants and assess their learning during the workshop.The design of this study centers on the cognitive domain of bloom’s taxonomy, specifically,focusing on the knowledge and comprehension levels. The educational material was deliveredthrough lecture, and a demonstration of the working of the battery
curriculum.1. IntroductionPresently, 82% energy used in the world is produced from fossil based fuel. Over 80% of the energy usedin USA originates in coal, oil or natural gas [2]. Environmental concern, global warming, finite reserveand cost of fossil fuel have changed the nature of products sought by consumers. Demand for energyefficient products, from a simple hand held gadgets to a complex transportation system, have brought theissue of energy efficiency at the fore front of all engineering practices. Industries are also looking forwardto reduce overall energy consumption, minimize environmental impact and maximize sustainability ofproducts and processes. Governments and legislative bodies are moving forward to mandate necessarychanges in
2020.5Regionally, three of the large employers of power engineers, Portland General Electric (PGE),PacifiCorp and the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), project short-term, 2015-2020,retirement percentages on the order of 60% or greater (Table 1). 6, 7 In addition, technological,regulatory and political changes are resulting in increased investment in power systems planningand capital investment, further driving the demand for power engineers.Table 1 Eligible and projected retirements of engineers in 2015 and 2020 at the two local investor owned utilitiesand BPA; data collected by the Oregon and SW Washington Energy Consortium, of which PGE, PacifiCorp and BPAare members. Current Eligible for Projected to
graduates in the department of engineering and technology at WCU,developing an emphasis in electric power engineering plays a vital role in educating the nextgeneration of the region’s power industry workforce.To that end, an undergraduate curriculum development effort was planned and is projected totrain, prepare for research, and educate the students enrolled in the Department of Engineeringand Technology for careers in the power industry. The curriculum includes three fundamentalpower engineering courses: 1. Power Systems 2. Power Electronics 3. Electrical Machines and DrivesThis paper describes in detail the first pilot implementation of the Power Systems coursecomponent entitled “Modern Power Systems Analysis” for Electrical and
potential applications.IntroductionDevices that scavenge energy from the ambient surrounding environment have become a populartopic for research. For some applications, energy scavenging eliminates the need for batteries orincrease the time between battery replacements. One ambient energy source found in ourenvironment is a temperature change (thermoelectric-Seebeck) effect. This form of ambientenergy is found in buildings, machines, bridges, staircases, furnaces, indoor and outdoortemperature differences, and the human body. The use of TEGs based on thermoelectric effects(or Seebeck, Peltier, Thomson effect) is made possible by direct conversion of temperaturedifferences to electrical power [1-6]. The Seebeck effect occurs when a temperature
, syngas produced by the gasifieryielded a hotter flame than did direct wood chip combustion because the gasifier’s fuelconsumption rate was higher and neither system adiabatically contained the flames.IntroductionAccording to DeWaters and Powers [1] and to Condoor [2] lack of energy-related knowledgeamong American students and the general public is endemic. As the world transitions toward arenewable energy future, familiarity with energy and sustainability concepts will becomeincreasingly important. For example the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 505,000engineering positions across all disciplines opening by 2016, a 10.6% increase over 2006 levels
interaction with an industry partner.1. Background and Problem DefinitionAgricultural residues are those vegetative materials produced around the world that are not usefulfor their food or other value. One such material produced in the region is grape pomace. Grapepomace is the residual fruit solids remaining after pressing plus the expended filter paper left fromthe vacuum filtration process used to extract the juice from the press. In rare cases, the pomace canbe used as fodder or fertilizer, but in most cases, it is discarded as a waste and must be truckedfrom the fruit processing plant back to the fields where it decomposes, yielding little benefit to thefarmer since it typically contains few nutrients. As one of the nation’s grape harvesting
States were down 2.8%, thebiggest annual drop since the 1980s [1]. The Smart Grid enables grid operators to see further into thesystem and allows them the flexibility to better manage the intermittency of RES. This in turn surmountsa significant barrier, enabling wind and solar to be deployed rapidly – and in larger percentages to havea green Smart Grid.Going Green through the use of RES and make the planet sustainable and by so doing improve the airquality and environment. US government has required that by the year 2030 that 20% of the electricalenergy generated in the U S will be from RES. There are many different types of RES such ashydroelectric, biomass, wind, solar, wave, tidal and geothermal. The key to the usage of renewableresources is
efficiency race.1. Introduction History of human powered transportation goes back as far as 3500 BC when wheels wereused to pull carts in ancient civilizations. Advent of steam engine and internal combustion enginein the 17th century propelled development of modern transportation system on the wheels. Page 25.704.2Availability of inexpensive source of energy gave rise to mass transportation system in thefollowing centuries. In recent years, rise of energy cost, awareness on depleting fossil fuelreserve, and concern for environment has generated awareness in developing more eco-friendlyand sustainable technology in transportation across the globe
c American Society for Engineering Education, 2012 1 IIT Campus as a Sustainability Living Laboratory for Student Education and Research Abstract As one of its key initiatives, WISER has developed a collaborative program with IIT academic colleges and the Office of Campus Energy and Sustainability (OCES) to achieve its mission of making IIT the most sustainable urban campus in our nation and utilizing the IIT campus as a living laboratory for education and research for both graduate and undergraduate students. At IIT campus, we are committed to significantly
. Thebuilding has an open four-story atrium, but no temperature stratification was detected from thebottom to the top of this open space, indicating that the HVAC system was operating asdesigned. Page 25.767.6One of the thermal images that were taken of the building is shown in Figure 1. The image islooking up toward the skylight at the top of the atrium. Cold regions can be seen at the windowframes, but vertical cold lines can also be seen in the walls. These are the locations of the metalstuds that represent a lower insulation to the cold outdoors.Figure 1: Thermal image of the interior wall and skylight of the atrium of the Business andEngineering
materials forming the p-n junction. In silicon or germanium diodes, theelectrons and holes recombine by a non-radiative transition which produces no optical emission,because these are indirect band gap materials. Figure 1 shows parts of LED [1]. Page 25.771.2 Figure 1. Parts of an LED [1]The materials used for the LED have a direct band gap with energies corresponding to near-infrared, visible, or near-ultraviolet light. LED development began with infrared and red devicesmade with gallium arsenide. Advances in materials science have made possible the production ofdevices with ever-shorter wavelengths, producing
five original or modified classroom activities that have been used in th7 grade pre-algebra. Activities, their engineering connection, the curriculum connection, andimpact on students’ understanding of engineering will be presented. In the final portions of thepaper, pre- and post-survey data will be presented to show the impact that the IMPACT LAprogram and these activities had on the students.1. Introduction K-12 classrooms typically focus on developing student’s math, reading, and writingskills, while subjects such as engineering are neglected. Without basic knowledge of engineeringand design concepts, high school graduates are less likely to pursue careers in technical fields.Furthermore, many students lose interest in math because
various alternative energy technologies. The concluding assignmentfor the course has asked students to prepare a one page white paper recommending theimplementation of an alternative energy technology and make a one minute presentation usingone overhead. The intended audience is the Secretary of Energy. Recently, there has beensignificant interest in appropriate technology as seen in the increased activity of EngineersWithout Borders [1] on college campuses and the establishment of Engineering for Change(E4C) [2]. Appropriate technology is technology for energy, water, and health that departs fromthe conventional western technology and is focused on the appropriate use of a developingcountry’s resources, so as to not disrupt its culture and
into four classes according to Boehm9: non-function, functional, satisfactory,and optimal design. Several in-class activities for the students are given to reinforce theconcept of design and provide critical thinking skills. A sample activity for student is tocompare an old single-blade razor with the new and modern five-blade razor shown inFigure 1. The students are to identify the changes between the two razors consideringmaterials, manufacturing process, aesthetic, etc., and provide some reasons for thesechanges. Figure 1 Engineering comparison of two razors Page 25.822.4The last part of the lecture introduces students to the
easy access to students of both institutions, as well as to other participants of theconsortium.Such equipment was purchased in fall of 2011 and commissioned within several weeks. Itconsists of the following subsystems. - Conventional Generation Systems - Transmission Systems - Distribution Systems - Complex loads - Renewable Generation Systems - Energy Management Systems - Protection & Control Systems Page 25.956.3 Figure 1. Laboratory layoutGeneration System ComponentsGeneration component includes 300W and 1kW synchronous generators and means of manualand automatic
advanced cycles; air-conditioning processes of humid air; ReheatRankine cycle including means to improve its efficiency; Otto and Diesel cycles; Brayton withintercooling, reheating and regeneration; property diagrams, p-v, T-v, T-p, T-s, h-s, p-h, andPsychrometric chart . The course schedule is shown in Table 1 and is divided into ten weeks;each quarter typically contains ten weeks. Each week has 200 minutes of lectures, contents ofwhich are shown in the second column. Seven labs are offered, in weeks 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 10.Labs 1-4 require only 60 minutes per team; labs 5 and 6 require 90 minutes; Lab 7 is a two-and-ahalf hour tour of HVAC systems used to air-condition medical research laboratories at FredHutchinson Cancer Research Center
major was inplace. From the university standpoint, it was widely agreed that environmental issues, fromclimate change to land and water usage, to alternative energy, represent critical challenges forsociety [1]. Thus, NIU Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability, and Energy –the ESE Institute – was developed. In addition, the University administration made fundingavailable for development, hiring faculty members and supporting students. The academicprograms developed through the ESE Institute are cross-disciplinary, with the overall goal toaddress societal and scientific needs for a greater understanding of environmental issues [2].Recognizing the complexity of environmental issues, a holistic approach was taken whichconnects
structure of analternative energy course as part of this effort to embed renewable energy into our curriculum arealso presented. The motivation for the course is outlined and a detailed description of the topicscovered in the course is also given. The course and the projects are also part of the efforts of toestablish a renewable energy and sustainability program at our university. The usefulness of thisapproach will be evaluated and feedback from other educators will be highly appreciated.1. Introduction, Background and Motivation RationaleSociety is increasingly calling for professionals across government, industry, business and civilsociety to be able to problem-solve issues related to climate change and sustainable developmentas part of their
objectives, with emphasis added tothe action verbs are:After successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Describe the components of a fuel cell and explain the purpose of each one. 2. Apply appropriate principles (e.g., Conservation of Energy, Conservation of Mass, etc.) to fuel cells to derive relevant model equations. 3. Develop and debug a nonlinear dynamic fuel cell simulation model in Matlab Simulink. 4. Explain and analyze dynamic fuel cell behavior. 5. Conduct repeatable fuel cell experiments and analyze experimental data to characterize fuel cell operation and performance. 6. Critically analyze the potential for fuel cells to improve efficiency and reduce pollution by assimilating social
basic design process with competing constraints for local(Minnesota) use and use in Ghana, as well as the final design and construction, will be discussed.This includes the testing of a 40 foot tall chimney in Minnesota that was able to generate a 22degree Fahrenheit temperature difference during winter months. However, the paper will focuson the student learning experiences during the project.1. BackgroundWith some exceptions electricity is available to less than one quarter of the population in Africancountries “with supply being limited almost entirely to urban areas” 1. The majority of thiselectricity is supplied by non-renewable and environmentally polluting sources such as coal andnatural gas2. Rural locations can also be limited by a
field.1) IntroductionThe recruitment, enrollment and retention of students are major areas of attention for collegesand universities across the country. This is especially true for academic programs in the sciencesand engineering. In addition, major efforts in Science, Technology, Engineering, andMathematics (STEM) education programs have now been on-going for several years to helpassure an adequate supply of future engineering and technical talent.1, 2 Many universities andtheir and their respective colleges have, over the years, developed summer camp programs forstudents from all ages of the K-12 spectrum to help meet these goals of recruitment andenrollment. This is especially true for colleges of engineering and the departments within