Energy conversion and renewable energy

ENERGY CONVERSION AND RENEWABLE ENERGY

Mondays  :

• 10h15 - 11h00 Exercise (CO3)
  
• 11h15 - 13h00 Lecture (CO3)
  
• 13h15 - 14h00 Project (AAC231)
  

Instructors: Prof. François Maréchal and Dr. Tuong-Van Nguyen

Assistants:

• Exercises: Oscar Hellmüller, Ines Kamoun, Nicolas Tselentis, Andrea Fedrigucci, Arthur Chuat
  
• Project: Angela Meshkova, Yann Roubaud, Naveen Bhati, Pullah Bhatnagar, Arthur Chuat
  

The main concepts are applied in a group project and the course is concluded with a written exam.

USEFUL INFORMATION

• For each week you will find the program of the lectures and preliminary work - slides + pre-recorded videos if you cannot attend the class - readings in the course book are also given in case you need further explanations. Using only videos/slides or the course book is equivalent in terms of material, and both are provided to ease your learning.
• The corresponding exercises/case studies - they are not graded and can be discussed in classes (on-line/on-site) on Mondays from 10h15 to 11h AM. They are similar to those you will have at the final exam. Solutions are available in the coursebook. 
• The project is a group project which consists of an intermediate and a final report. The intermediate report is of great help for getting feedback from the assistants and preparing the final report.

USE OF THE DIFFERENT PLATFORMS

The Moodle (where you read this) includes: 

• a detailed schedule of the whole course, with the list of the various tasks (report submissions + homework) 
• the slides of the presentations given in class (lectures and exercises) and the project files;

The forum (Ed Discussion), which is the official forum for announcements and asking questions about lectures, exercises and projects

• Full course notes, which can be read online or printed as a compendium - they are given as a complement to the slides and videos

Note that the course compendium goes more in details than the slides on a few topics (nuclear and fuel cells), but these details will NOT be subject to questions in the final examination, unless some specific chapters were asked to be read during the semester.  

• Exercises, ordered chronologically and by topic. 
  
• Solution to the exercises
• Former exams and corrections

Access is automatically granted to all students registered on IS-Academia before courses start. If you register after, you should go on the forum and give your SCIPER.

2.1 - Energy issues

Lecture by Francois Maréchal

2.2 - Course organisation

Lecture by Francois Maréchal & Tuong-Van Nguyen

2.3 - Energy system

Lecture by Tuong-Van Nguyen

2.4 - Project presentation

Lecture by Tuong-Van Nguyen & Arthur Chuat

• Project context and goal
• Intermediate and final report
• Scientific writing - to do's and not to do's
• Demonstration of the online plateform

Deadline group formation: Please find a group in class or via the ed platform before joining a group.

Holiday in Canton de Vaud: No course given.

During this session we discuss the main challenges associated with an increase of our energy use, present the course organisation and introduce the concept of energy systems.

3.0 - PRELIMINARY WORK: Energy economics and environmental impacts (READING)

• Read the material on energy economics and environmental impacts on the course website here (Section 1.6) and there (Section 1.7) 

These prerequisites are ESSENTIAL for the lecture on energy system efficiencies.

3.1 - Exercise: Energy Systems

• Levelized cost of energy/electricity
• CO2-emission factor
• Energy forms

3.2 & 3.3 - Energy Systems: Modelling & Efficiencies

Lecture by Tuong-Van Nguyen

Corresponds to pre-recorded videos 3.2.1 to 3.2.7 or sections 1.8, 2.4, and 2.5 in the coursebook.

• Energy systems: environmental impacts, comparison and substitution
• Applied thermodynamics: energy and exergy, efficiencies

3.4 - Project Session

During this session we will discover the main power cycle used nowadays for electricity generation, used in most coal, biomass and nuclear power plants - the Rankine cycle.

4.0 - PRELIMINARY WORK: Thermodynamics (READING)

If you miss background in thermodynamics, read the material on the first law of thermodynamics, the second law of thermodynamics and thermodynamic diagrams on the course website here (Chapter 2) OR watch the equivalent video here.

4.1 - Exercise: Thermodynamics

• Energy efficiency
• Exergy
• Theoretical performance

4.2 & 4.3 - Rankine and steam cycles 

Lecture by Tuong-Van Nguyen (equivalent to Chapter 3 in the course book) 

• Principles for the conversion of thermal energy to electricity
• Rankine cycles and efficiency improvements
• Application of energy and exergy balances

4.4 - Project Session

During this session we will introduce the main chemistry behind combustion and discover the second main power cycle used nowadays for electricity generation, used in natural gas power plants - the Brayton cycle.

5.1 - Exercise: Rankine Cycle

5.2 - Combustion

Lecture by Francois Maréchal (equivalent to Chapter 4 in the course book) 

• Principles and types of combustion
• Chemical reactions

5.3 - Brayton cycles, natural gas, and combined cycles

Lecture by Francois Maréchal (équivalent to Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 in the course book)

• Brayton cycles and efficiency improvements 
• Role of natural gas
• Combined cycle power plants 

5.4 - Project Session

6.1 - Exercise: Combustion, Brayton, and CCGT

6.2 - Coal

Lecture by Francois Maréchal (equivalent to Chapter 7 in the course book)

• Coal demands and resources
• Coal conversion into heat and power
  
• Coal in the energy system

6.3 - Carbon capture and storage

Lecture by Francois Maréchal (equivalent to Chapter 8 in the course book)

• Carbon capture in power plants 
• Carbon storage (mineralisation, etc.)
• Carbon use (fuel synthesis, etc.)

6.4 - Project Session

7.1 - Exercise: Coal and CCS

7.2 - Nuclear

7.3 - Cogeneration

7.4 - Project Session

Lecture by Tuong-Van Nguyen (equivalent to Chapter 11 in the course book) 

• Principle
• Coefficient of performance (theoretical and maximum)
  
• Implementation in the energy system
• Properties and selection of working fluids - thermodynamics, economics, environmental and safety aspects
• Potential savings, decentralised heat pumps and district heating

8.3 - Geothermal

Lecture by Tuong-Van Nguyen (equivalent to Chapter 12 in the course book)

• Geothermal gradient, reserves and technologies
• Geothermal power plants and heat pumps, direct used
• "Value" of heat - exergy of heat 

8.4 - Project Session

9.1 - Exercise: Heat pumps and Geothermal

• Competition between cogeneration and heat pumps
• Geothermal power plants
• Geothermal heat pumps

9.2 & 9.3 - Solar

• Characteristics of solar irradiation 
  
• Principles of solar-thermal energy conversion
• Different solar receivers for non-concentrated and low-concentrated irradiation, highly concentrated irradiation, solar-thermal-electric conversion
• Direction solar-electric energy conversion via photovoltaic technologies: working principles, performance, and technologies

9.4 - Project Session

11.1 - Exercises: Wind and Hydro

• Energy storage and electricity production with hydro
• Wind as a substitution for nuclear

11.2 & 11.3 - Biomass

• Biomass resource types and characterizationRenewability and formation - photosynthesis & cycle
• Potential and conversion technologies (thermochemical, biological)
• Wood, biogas, bio-liquids production through gasification, combustion, pyrolysis, fermentation, biomethanation

11.4 - Project Session

12.1 - Exercise: Biomass

• Biomass energy content
• Biomass conversion pathways
• Biomass as a substitution means for other fuels

12.2 & 12.3 - Storage

Lecture by Tuong-Van Nguyen (equivalent to Chapter 17)

• Purpose and forms of energy storage: Pumped hydro, compressed air, flywheels, thermal storage, and chemical storage (incl. batteries)
• Technologies, applications, and performance characteristics

12.4 - Project Session

13.1 - Exercise: Storage

• CO2-capture
• Charging and discharging

13.2 & 13.3 - Fuel cells

• Fuel cells: operating principle, types, materials, temperature, fuels (H2,
• Reverse fuel cells = electrolysis: electricity to fuel
• Application to electric mobility and stationary cogeneration

13.4 - Project Session

14.1 - Exercise: Preparation to exam

14.2 & 14.3 - Urban systems

Lecture by François Maréchal

14.4 - Project Session

• The examination will last THREE HOURS :
• The exam consists of 3 large problems and covers both theory (understanding) and case studies (calculations). It is not necessary to complete all the problems, of about 20-30 points each, to reach the maximum grade. It is enough to have 40 points to reach a pass grade (4) and 60 points to get the max. grade. 

As a recommendation:

• Focus on the topics you best master, as you just need to reach 40 points to get the pass grade ;
• Prepare well the exam based on the previous exam sessions and exercise series ;
• Make sure to understand well and to know how to apply recurring concepts (1st and 2nd law efficiencies, LCOE; primary energy calculations, etc.)

The exam grade accounts for about 2/3 of the final course grade, the project for about 1/3. The examination is not open-book and builds on the material seen in class from energy systems to storage. Note that:

• we won’t ask you complex proofs or complex formulas (e.g. deriving the Betz limit)

• we won’t ask you for specific numbers, but you should know orders of magnitude (for example, you should know that PV panels have an electrical efficiency of about 20% and that solar irradiance is about 1000 W/m2) 

  • for example, we don’t expect that you know exactly the heating value of wood or the efficiency of a BWR power plant, but you should know it is about 15-20 MJ/kg on a dry and ash free basis, and about 30-40% for a conventional nuclear facility
  • similarly, we don’t expect that you know the molecular weight of carbon dioxide, of 44 g/mol, but you should know how to recalculate it, and you should know the molecular weight of most common atoms, such as C, H, O, N and S
• we won’t ask you for knowing details of technologies NOT presented thoroughly in class, but you should know about their existence (e.g. BWR)
• the lectures on fuel celles from Jan Van Herle and Francois Maréchal (integrated energy systems) are NOT part of the examination
• You have the right to a course summary of up to 10 pages (5 two-sided A4 pages) that you can take from the coursebook, prepare as you want (written by hand, computer, Ipad, etc.), take to the exam and share with others without any issue