Energy Engineering

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

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.

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

Attendance is strongly recommended to fully understand the program topics.

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.

The course will be carried out face-to-face and attendance is strongly recommended in order to fully understand the topics of the program.