Low Carbon Power Technology - Micro-credential

Why should I take this Micro-credential?

Our modern society is highly dependent upon electricity for communications, computing, manufacture, transport, homes and services. Electricity generation must deliver a reliable energy supply with minimal toxic or greenhouse gas emissions. Conventional electric power stations have contributed significantly to global carbon emissions in the past and there is a need to rapidly move away from coal and other fossil fuels. Achieving this requires diversification of energy sources, more efficient energy conversion and large-scale energy storage. This course will establish the foundational physical principles that enable the extraction of useful work / energy from various sources (thermal, fluid, chemical, nuclear etc.), and present the current state of the art in power generation machinery. The important methods of power generation will each be examined, with foundational analysis, in the context of significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

What will I learn?

Students will learn to analyse energy cycles for the important configurations of steam plants and gas turbines, including analysis of component performance including pumps, compressors, turbines, heat exchangers and combustors. Students will learn about and analyse advanced natural gas turbine power plants including cogeneration plants, trigeneration plants, hybrid GT Fuel cell plants and combined heat and power. Students will learn about technology relevant to waste-to-energy and renewable energies including gasification, anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis, cogeneration gas turbines, biomass combustors. The main types hydraulic turbines and pumps will be presented and analysed in the context of hydroelectric power generation and pumped hydro storage. Other methods of large-scale energy will be presented, including thermal storage, compressed air and gas, batteries and electrolysis. Students will learn the importance of effective storage as part of decarbonising energy and will analyse these systems to determine the overall round-trip efficiency of energy storage to judge their viability. Nuclear energy production will be presented, covering the history of nuclear, underlying physics, basic components, reactor types, neutron moderation, heat transfer and coolant system design. Students will learn to evaluate the different power generation technologies in the context of efficiency, cost, flexibility.

What will I do?

Students will participate in lecture classes that are delivered in a hybrid online and face-to-face format.

Students will be encouraged to actively participate and contribute during classes. Students will undertake significant elements of independent assignment work, making use of published technical literature and other on-line resources. Students will tackle tutorial problems to reinforce theory and concepts explained in class. Students will develop computational models of energy systems and use those to study efficiency, cost and carbon emissions of different configurations.

How will this be delivered?

This 10 ECTS module comprises 44 hours lectures (hybrid synchronous online and face-to-face) and 22 hours tutorials (combination of face-to-face and online as appropriate). Students will undertake a significant amount of independent learning that is structured around a series of continuous assessments and assignments. which include the design and analytical modelling of energy power plants and combined systems.

How will this be assessed?

Students will be assessed through a series of structured assignments which include a technology report, class tests, computational models of complete energy systems and optimisation of component/machine designs.