ChemE 442 - Renewable Energy

Course Description

Credits: 4.  Introduction to renewable energy. Principles and practices: solar, wind, water, and biomass energy conversion. Offered: jointly with ME 442 and ENVIR 442; W.

Designation

Prerequisites

Either MATH 112, MATH 124, or Q SCI 291; either CHEM 120, CHEM 142, PHYS 115, or PHYS 122.

Textbook

Renewable Energy Resources, 2nd Ed., J.W. Twidell and A.D. Weir, Taylor and Francis, 2006.

Web lecture notes by Philip C. Malte: https://courses.washington.edu/enenv442

Course Objectives

1. List the main types of renewable energy conversion, and state their pros and cons with respect to environmental impact and sustainable energy practice.
2. Understand the main features and components of each of the main types of renewable energy conversion – i.e., understand the overall systems.
   
3. Understand the principles of the main types of renewable energy conversion.
   
4. Demonstrate an understanding of energy conversion.
   
5. Demonstrate an understanding of (first law) energy efficiency, and state the approximate energy efficiencies of the main renewable energy conversion systems.
   
6. Demonstrate an ability to perform “back-of-the-envelope” estimates of solar energy flux, given the location and time.
   
7. Demonstrate an ability to perform “back of the envelope” calculations of the performance of renewable energy systems.
   
8. Demonstrate an ability to think forward and to reasonably estimate trends in energy use and technology changes, especially with respect to renewable energy, over the next 10 to 50 years.

• Sustainable Energy Practice
  • Definitions.
  • Energy use and its impact on the environment.
  • Role of renewable energy in reducing environmental impact.
• Renewable Energy
  • Solar constant, solar flux at the earth’s surface, beam and diffuse solar flux, and solar beam angles.
  • Direct methods of using solar energy, including solar-thermal, solar-thermal-electric, solar   photovoltaic, and passive solar heating and lighting.
  • Indirect methods of using solar energy, including wind turbines, hydro-electric, tidal, wave, and biomass.   Different manifestations of biomass utilization are discussed, including combustion, gasification, pyrolysis, and biofuels (ethanol from fermentation, methane from digesters, and biodiesel).

Four 1-hr lectures each week, including laboratory demonstrations from time-to-time.  Winter quarter.

Engineering

(a) an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering

(e) an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems

(j)    A knowledge of contemporary issues related to safety and the environment.