Bachelor of Engineering (Energy Systems): Year 4

This module is an introduction to energy systems in buildings. The course describes the inter-relationships between building physics, human occupant behaviour and energy systems required in the provision and maintenance of thermal, visual and acoustic comfort. Optimum states of comfort are defined including the necessary physical measurement infrastructure. Systematic procedures for the analysis of thermal comfort metrics and design principles of sustainable and smart buildings including conventional and renewable energy systems are presented. Project and project management characteristics; Project stakeholders; Management and organisational concepts; Project life-cycle and its characteristics; Project financing, mechanisms for project financing and measures of project profitability; Project planning; Project delivery/procurement systems; Organisation structure diagrams; Networks, planning, scheduling and resource allocation; Computer based network analysis; Estimating; Project monitoring and control; Project changes, claims and disputes; Classification and distribution of costs; Quality. The aim of the course is to develop an understanding of the background to computation methods that are used in energy engineering, including techniques such as Finite Element Analysis and Boundary Element Method. Application of these numerical modelling techniques to Engineering problems will be considered. Review of conduction and radiation heat transfer. Review of thermodynamics. Convection heat transfer – physical mechanisms, development and use of empirical correlations. Review of the Rankine cycle and modifications (regeneration and reheat). Review of air standard cycles. Heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration. Renewable energy technologies. Case study for integrated application of thermodynamics and heat transfer tools in design/analysis of complex energy technology (e.g. gas turbine engine, hybrid electric vehicle). Design/analysis project: each student will carry out a detailed analysis or design on a chosen energy technology, following the model of the above case study. Laboratory assignments: internal combustion engine, experiment in convection heat transfer, CFD computation of convective heat transfer. This module considers the concept of a smart grid and the infrastructure and technology required to achieve a smart grid. This course will cover advanced topics in Energy that are not already covered in other modules. These could include biofuels, fuel cells, power plant operation and efficiency. Energy storage systems, nuclear energy, combustion and emissions. Social and environmental aspects of energy. Each student must complete a project in the area of Energy Systems Engineering in an area relation to the option that they have chosen. Semester 1AC-DC Conversion, phase controlled rectification. DC-DC Conversion; switch mode and quasi-resonant power supplies. Power factor correction; active and passive. Magnetic circuit design. Thermal design.

Semester 2DC-AC Conversion, PWM, bridge and resonant inverters. Forced and natural commutation, snubber circuits. Three phase rectifiers, DC and AC motor drives. Modelling of power convertors, Power semiconductor devices. Sources of energy, renewable energy systems. Three-phase transformers. Transmission lines. Power and load flow. Symmetrical components and unsymmetrical faults. System protection. Synchronous generators, transient analysis and stability. Line Coding Properties, AMI, HDB3, 4B3T, Source Coding examples, Shannon-Fano Codes, Huffman Codes, Channel Coding, Hamming, CRC, Convolutional Codes, Interleaving, OSI 7 Layer Model, Physical Layer, Data Link Layer Protocols, Circuit Switched Data Networks, Packet Switched Data Networks, Connection Oriented and Connectionless Services, ATM, IP, TCP/UDP, Local Area Networking, CSMA Bus Networks, Token Ring Networks, LAN Inter/Intra-Connection, New Module Code Required for Summer Exam Discrete-time systems, time-domain analysis. Transform-domain analysis, the z-Transform. Frequency-domain analysis, the Fourier Transform. Digital filter structures and implementation. Practical issues in spectral analysis. Nature of Human Error, Studies of Human Error, Human Reliability in Risk Assessment (HRA), The Human Reliability Risk Assessment (HRA) process; task analysis, human-error analysis, human-error quantification, impact assessment, assessing and reducing the human error risk. Quality Assurance (QA). Human error data validation. Latent errors and system disasters. Future directions in HRA. Failure modes, brittle fracture, ductile fracture, Griffiths theory of brittle fracture, linear elastic fracture mechanics, crack growth in fatigue loading, fracture transition temperatures, viscoelasticity, creep loading, stress relaxation, recovery, dynamic behaviour, storage and loss modulii, Boltzmann superposition principle, fatigue of polymers, fracture of polymers, rheology of polymer melts, rheometry, capillary and rotational viscometers, non-140 Newtonian fluid flow, drag flow, pressure-driven flow, melt elasticity, analysis of extrusion and die flow, die-swell, introduction to composite materials, fibres, polymer matrices, micromechanics, rule of mixtures, composites manufacturing processes, anisotropic elasticity, laminated plate theory. Fluid dynamics of turbomachinery. Classification, system characteristics, dimensionless parameters and scaling laws, energy and angular momentum aspects, incompressible flow turbomachines (pumps, fans, turbines), compressible flow turbomachines (compressors, turbines). Analogue controller design: phase lead & phase lag compensation Basics of digital control. Representation of digital control systems in s-plane and z-plane. Interpretation of pole-zero maps in z-plane. Frequency-folding effects. Digital design by emulation. Introduction to state space matrix representation. 1. Concrete: Design of earth retaining walls. Suspended floors: constructional options. Two-way action in slabs. Loads on supporting beams. Design of continuous beams and slender columns. Analysis and design of multi-storey reinforced concrete framed buildings. Resistance to horizontal loading. Foundations, including pile caps. Robustness. Buildability. Reinforcement detailing. Computer-aided analysis and drafting. Illustrated case histories.

2. Steel: Design of laterally supported beams. Timoshenko and Goodier buckling formulae. Practical types of lateral and torsional restraint. Design of compound beams and struts. Design of plate girders including shear resistance of webs. Members with axial loads and moments, tie beams and beam columns. First yield and full collapse design criteria. Column stacks in simple construction. Beam and column splices. Baseplates. Design of multi-storey buildings in simple construction incorporating the above elements. Preparations of calculations and working drawings for designs in steel and concrete. Solution of problems by computer. The Design Office work is closely related to the course work in Design of Structures. Extensive examination of approximate methods in structural analysis applied to frames and trusses to deal with indeterminacies. Introduction to stiffness and flexibility. Application of the flexibility method including computer simulation to a variety of stuctures. Influence lines for simple and complex structures including three-pinned segmented parabolic arches. Moment distribution application to continuous and simple frames including sway. Engineering structures in the ocean. Hydrostatics, stability of floating structures. Fluid-structure interaction. Wave-induced forces and responses. Tidal dynamics. Oil exploration and production offshore. Performance and optimisation of tidal and wave energy devices European and Irish Environmental legislation. Irish and European Legal Systems. Local Government Planning Acts. Environmental Protection Agency Act. Fisheries Acts. Water Pollution Acts. Waste Act. Air Pollution Act. Role of Duchas - the Heritage Service. Environmental Impact Assessment. Statutory Instruments. Licensing. Bord Pleanala. Appeals procedures. Public inquiries. Arbitration.