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Instructor: TBA

This course will focus in the following areas, macroscopic and microscopic analysis of direct and indirect energy conversion in thermo mechanical, thermochemical, electrochemical, photo electrical, and thermo electrical processes; general thermodynamics and chemical kinetics for thermal, chemical and electrochemical systems in homogeneous and heterogeneous environments; kinetic theory and transport phenomena; introduction to semiconductor theory. Theory and methods will be applied to combustion and reformation, catalysis, batteries and fuel cells, supercritical cycles, photovoltaic, and thermoelectric devices.

Instructor: TBA

Assessment of current and potential energy systems, covering extraction, conversion and end-use, with emphasis on meeting regional and global energy needs in the 21st century in a sustainable manner. Examination of energy technologies in each fuel cycle stage for fossil (oil, gas, synthetic), nuclear (fission and fusion) and renewable (solar, biomass, wind, hydro, and geothermal) energy types, along with storage, transmission, and conservation issues. Focus on evaluation and analysis of energy technology systems in the context of political, social, economic, and environmental goals. Open to upper-class undergraduates.

Instructor: TBA

The energy sector, specifically electricity and natural gas, has gone through major economic and regulatory restructuring worldwide. The restructuring has been defined in many countries as “privatization” and in others as “deregulation.” Neither of these terms fully captures the nature of the changes that have taken place as the market place has attempted to come to grips with the physics and economics of commodities that must be delivered through a network, in which the network – because of constraints – may determine the locational marginal value of the commodity. Further, little attention has been paid to date to the dramatic interaction between electricity and natural gas markets.

Instructor: TBA

The environmental and social impacts of technology implementation continue to increase in importance for industry and policy makers. Chemical processes effect the environment on local, regional, and global scales. However, there are currently no systematic and comprehensive methods to reconcile these impacts with economic considerations for technology assessment.

One of the most environmentally critical processes is energy generation. As worldwide energy consumption increases at a continually accelerated pace, the impacts of conventional energy sources, mostly fossil fuels, are becoming exacerbated. These impacts include environmental issues such as global warming, acid rain, smog, human toxicity, and resource depletion in addition to social issues such as national security.

Consequently, renewable energy is becoming an increasingly important topic from economic, environmental, and social perspectives. These renewable sources provide the possibility for alleviating some of the above impacts. One energy resource for which the United States has great potential is biomass. By utilizing agricultural land, forests, waste materials, etc., a significant amount of renewable energy can be generated while lowering carbon dioxide emissions.

The questions remain: Is “green really good?” Will the utilization of land for energy production from biomass actually be beneficial environmentally and socially while maintaining economic feasibility? If so, what is the best technology selection?

This ICE module will address these questions in regard to the use of biomass as an energy feedstock. Chemical engineering principles of kinetics, thermodynamics, and transport will be employed along with analysis tools such as process simulation, life cycle assessment, linear programming, and Monte Carlo analysis.

Instructor: Dr Eswaran Pahmanabhan

Applies theoretical and empirical tools to a number of environmental economics topics. The broad concepts discussed include externalities, public goods, property rights, market failure, social cost-benefit analysis, measuring demand for environmental goods, and economic incentives (including marketable permits and emissions fees). These concepts are applied to a number of areas including air pollution, water pollution, solid waste management, and hazardous substances. Special emphasis is devoted to analyzing the optimal role for public policy. Highlights the extent of empirical knowledge on these topics and rich areas for future research.