SUSTAINABLE COMBUSTION CHEMISTRY
Channel 1
Fabio Zaza
Lecturers' profile
Program - Frequency - Exams
Course program
PART I: FUNDAMENTALS
Thermodynamics
Chemical thermodynamics
Chemical kinetics
PART II: CLASSICAL COMBUSTION
Thermal and chemical combustion
Mechanism
Ignition
Propagation
Stability
Detonation and Deflagration
The flame of the candle
Other types of flame
PART III: SUSTAINABLE COMBUSTION
Combustion of biomass and biofuels
Comparison between fossil fuels and biofuels
Chemical processes: Gasification
Biochemical processes: Anaerobic digester
Catalytic combustion
Catalytic reaction
Catalysts
Applications: car exhaust clean up; sustainable gas turbines
Electrochemical combustion (fuel cells)
Fundamentals: Electrical conductors; Electrochemical thermodynamics
Low temperature fuel cells: AFC, PAFC, PEFC, DMFC, DCFC, MFC
High temperature fuel cells: MCFC, SOFC
Efficiency of a fuel cell
Hydrogen production
Hydrogen storage
Nuclear combustion (Fusion and Fission)
Nuclear thermodynamics
Theoretical models
decays
Fission
Fusion
Management of radioactive waste
Controlled combustion
Chemical sensors: auxiliary technologies for the control of sustainable processes and environmental monitoring
Fundamentals and classification of chemical sensors
Applications
Resistive chemical sensors
PART IV: ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY
Interaction between light and matter
Chemistry in the clean atmosphere
Chemistry in the polluted atmosphere
Effect on humans
Climate effect
PART V: LABORATORY
CEA for studying chemical equilibrium
CANTERA for studying chemical kinetics
Physical phenomena of a candle
PART VI: HOMEWORK ACTIVITY
Report and Power Point Presentation of homework activity
Prerequisites
Students of the course do not need prerequisites since the fundamentals of thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, transport of matter and chemistry necessary for understanding the course will be taught in the classroom.
Books
FIRST REFERENCE BOOK:
“Combustion”, I.Glassman and R.A.Yetter
OTHERS REFERENCE BOOKS:
“Fuel Cell Handbook”, J.H.Hirschenhofer, D.B.Stauffer, R.R.Engleman and M.G. Klett
“Modern Nuclear Chemistry”, W.D.Loveland, D.J.Morrisey and G.T.Seaborg
“Introduction to Catalytic Combustion”, R.E.Hayes and S.T.Kolaczkowski
“Chemical sensing with solid state devices”, M.J.Madou and S.R.Morrison
“Environmental Chemistry”, C.Baird and M.Cann
“Physical Chemistry”, P.Atkins
Frequency
Attendance is strongly recommended to fully understand the program topics.
Exam mode
The exam includes a homework activity and a written exam.
The experimental homework activity aims to promote a better understanding of the topics covered in the course and to give the knowledge for using CANTERA software. Instead of the experimental homework activity, the students can do a non-experimental homework activity, that is a bibliographic research focused in selected topics. At the ending of the course, every students have to provide a final report in Word and show his homework activity with a PowerPoint presentation.
The written exam consists of three open-ended questions in 45 minutes
Students who pass the written exam and have not done the homework activity, will have to do a short oral exam.
Lesson mode
The course will be carried out face-to-face and attendance is strongly recommended in order to fully understand the topics of the program.
Fabio Zaza
Lecturers' profile
Program - Frequency - Exams
Course program
PART I: FUNDAMENTALS
Thermodynamics
Chemical thermodynamics
Chemical kinetics
PART II: CLASSICAL COMBUSTION
Thermal and chemical combustion
Mechanism
Ignition
Propagation
Stability
Detonation and Deflagration
The flame of the candle
Other types of flame
PART III: SUSTAINABLE COMBUSTION
Combustion of biomass and biofuels
Comparison between fossil fuels and biofuels
Chemical processes: Gasification
Biochemical processes: Anaerobic digester
Catalytic combustion
Catalytic reaction
Catalysts
Applications: car exhaust clean up; sustainable gas turbines
Electrochemical combustion (fuel cells)
Fundamentals: Electrical conductors; Electrochemical thermodynamics
Low temperature fuel cells: AFC, PAFC, PEFC, DMFC, DCFC, MFC
High temperature fuel cells: MCFC, SOFC
Efficiency of a fuel cell
Hydrogen production
Hydrogen storage
Nuclear combustion (Fusion and Fission)
Nuclear thermodynamics
Theoretical models
decays
Fission
Fusion
Management of radioactive waste
Controlled combustion
Chemical sensors: auxiliary technologies for the control of sustainable processes and environmental monitoring
Fundamentals and classification of chemical sensors
Applications
Resistive chemical sensors
PART IV: ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY
Interaction between light and matter
Chemistry in the clean atmosphere
Chemistry in the polluted atmosphere
Effect on humans
Climate effect
PART V: LABORATORY
CEA for studying chemical equilibrium
CANTERA for studying chemical kinetics
Physical phenomena of a candle
PART VI: HOMEWORK ACTIVITY
Report and Power Point Presentation of homework activity
Prerequisites
Students of the course do not need prerequisites since the fundamentals of thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, transport of matter and chemistry necessary for understanding the course will be taught in the classroom.
Books
FIRST REFERENCE BOOK:
“Combustion”, I.Glassman and R.A.Yetter
OTHERS REFERENCE BOOKS:
“Fuel Cell Handbook”, J.H.Hirschenhofer, D.B.Stauffer, R.R.Engleman and M.G. Klett
“Modern Nuclear Chemistry”, W.D.Loveland, D.J.Morrisey and G.T.Seaborg
“Introduction to Catalytic Combustion”, R.E.Hayes and S.T.Kolaczkowski
“Chemical sensing with solid state devices”, M.J.Madou and S.R.Morrison
“Environmental Chemistry”, C.Baird and M.Cann
“Physical Chemistry”, P.Atkins
Frequency
Attendance is strongly recommended to fully understand the program topics.
Exam mode
The exam includes a homework activity and a written exam.
The experimental homework activity aims to promote a better understanding of the topics covered in the course and to give the knowledge for using CANTERA software. Instead of the experimental homework activity, the students can do a non-experimental homework activity, that is a bibliographic research focused in selected topics. At the ending of the course, every students have to provide a final report in Word and show his homework activity with a PowerPoint presentation.
The written exam consists of three open-ended questions in 45 minutes
Students who pass the written exam and have not done the homework activity, will have to do a short oral exam.
Lesson mode
The course will be carried out face-to-face and attendance is strongly recommended in order to fully understand the topics of the program.
- Lesson code1055637
- Academic year2025/2026
- CourseEnergy Engineering
- CurriculumEnergy Engineering in lingua inglese
- Year1st year
- Semester2nd semester
- SSDCHIM/07
- CFU6