Nathaniel Michener

Course Purpose

This course provides an overview of the global energy system, relates fossil fuel consumption to anthropogenic climate change, and outlines alternatives that promote long term environmental sustainability. Topics include basic climate science, energetics of natural and human systems, energy in fossil-fueled civilization, the impact of anthropogenic CO2 emissions on climate, and technology and public policy options for addressing the climate challenge. While the course is highly interdisciplinary, the approach is quantitative with a strong focus on science and engineering.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, students will be able to (1) apply concepts drawn from ecology, physics, economics, and engineering to analyze energy resources and technologies, (2) explain how human activity affects climate, (3) outline the pros and cons of various low carbon energy technologies using quantitative methods, (4) build and apply impulse-response function models of climate change to relate emissions to atmospheric concentrations and impacts, and (5) describe public policy and adaptation options for dealing with climate change.

Course Objective

After taking this course, the student should be able to analyze and design fundamental analog integrated circuit blocks at the transistor level, including single and multi-stage amplifiers, bias networks, and both elementary and advanced operational amplifiers. The student should be able to determine the effect of feedback on circuit operation and then design appropriate feedback networks for amplifier and bias circuits. Finally, the student should be able to efficiently use electronic design tools for circuit design and analysis.

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Course Objectives

This first-level graduate course is intended to develop an understanding of Power Electronics and switching mode power converters for various AC and DC applications. This course is intended to teach the fundamentals of power conversion and will cover the design, analysis, modeling, and control of all types of power converters – such as dc-dc converters, dc-ac inverters, ac-dc rectifiers/converters and also introduce the preliminary concepts of direct ac-ac converters. This course will also include interface and control considerations of power converters to single-phase and three-phase ac systems and discuss utility applications of power electronic converters – including power quality and FACTS (Flexible AC Transmission Systems).

The students will develop skills in the complete design of these power converters through a project – which will be focused on a practical design of dc-dc converters.

This will be an important course for an understanding of renewable energy interface to the grid, power converters for ac- and dc motor drives, and power electronics devices and their controls.

Course Description

A practical introduction to electromechanical systems with emphasis on modeling, analysis, and design considerations. Provides theory and practical tools for the design of electric machines (standard motors, linear actuators, magnetic bearings, etc). Involves some selfdirected experimental work and culminates in an industry-sponsored design project.

Course Topics

Electric and magnetic field theory, magnetic circuit analysis, electromechanical energy conversion, generalized machine theory, modeling and simulation, design considerations.

Course Objectives

Students completing this course will be able to:

Understand the fundamentals of electromagnetism (Maxwell’s equations) and apply them to standard problems;
Apply magnetic circuit analysis to predict the electromagnetic characteristics of electric machines; utilize finite element analysis to predict magnetic fluxes, forces, and torques in electric machines;
Understand the fundamentals of permanent magnetism and select permanent magnet materials for specific applications;
Understand the principles of electromechanical energy conversion and apply these principles to predict forces and torques in electric machines;
Develop nonlinear dynamic models of electric machines, simulate these systems using MATLAB and Simulink, and analyze their performance and response characteristics;
Explain the fundamentals (machine topology, etc.) and basic operating characteristics (torque, speed, efficiency, etc.) of common electrical machines;
Design, model, simulate, and analyze the dynamics of common (dc motors, induction motors, etc.) and unique (railguns, active magnetic bearings, etc.) electric machines.

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Course Description

Features and components of electric power distribution systems, power flow, short circuit and reliability analysis, power quality and motor start calculations, basic control and protection, communications and SCADA, new “smart” functionality such as integrated volt/var control, automated fault location isolation and restoration, integration of distributed generation, electric vehicles and energy storage.

Student Learning Outcomes

Have a working knowledge of distribution system components and system topologies.
Perform a power flow and short circuit analysis on a distribution circuit.
Understand basic concepts of distribution voltage control and protection.
Perform an analysis of system reliability and power quality.
Understand options for device communications and remote control.
Have a working knowledge of advanced volt/var control and automatic restoration schemes.
Understand impact of new smart grid technologies such as microgrids.
Analyze impact of distributed renewable generation and energy storage.

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Course Description

Exploration of architectures and processes for implementing microcontroller-based embedded computer systems. Topics include hardware vs. software trade-offs, development processes (extracting architectures, debugging, planning, testing), concurrency and multithreading, and common architectures and design patterns. Strong hands-on component with use of oscilloscope and logic analyzer to understand system behavior.

Concepts of architectures for embedded computing systems. Emphasis on hands-on implementation. CPU scheduling approaches to support multithreaded programs, including interrupts, cooperative schedulers, state machines, and preemptive scheduler (real-time kernel). Communication and synchronization between threads. Basic real-time analysis. Using hardware peripherals to replace software. Architectures and design patterns for digital control, streaming data, message parsing, user interfaces, low power, low energy, and dependability. Software engineering concepts for embedded systems.

Students must have access to a logic analyzer/oscilloscope to complete the assignments for this course.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

List, explain and apply software engineering concepts for embedded systems
Analyze thread communication and synchronization patterns
List, explain and apply thread synchronization and communication mechanism
Design multithreaded systems with cooperative or preemptive thread scheduling
Evaluate cooperative and preemptive scheduling approaches for technical and nontechnical characteristics
Explain and apply CPU-independent peripheral features to improve performance
List, explain, and apply architectures and design patterns to synthesize and evaluate multithreaded systems for specific application

Course Description & Student Learning Outcomes

This course will cover theory and application of the fundamental protection schemes that are used to detect and interrupt faults in a power system. Student learning outcomes will consist of proficiency in understanding and applying the following concepts:

Electric Power System Protection concepts, goals, philosophies
Fault Current Analysis in a Power System
Fault Current Interruption Devices: Fuses, Circuit Breakers, Reclosers, etc.
Operating Principles of Relays
Distribution line protection (overcurrent protection)
Transmission line protection (overcurrent and distance protection)
Transformer protection (overcurrent and differential protection)
Rotating machine protection
Bus, Reactor, and Capacitor Protection
Special topics (e.g., renewable interconnection protection)

Course Description

The Practicum I course will provide general coverage of project management and system engineering principles in a wide range of project management applications from concept through termination. The course will also introduce basic communication skills – both oral and writing – and provide practical integration of those skills in project management reports and presentations.

The Practicum II course involves the execution of an industry-sponsored project within a project team.

Student Learning Outcomes

Provide students with a basic understanding of project management principles and practices.
Apply Systems Engineering concepts and tools in a project management context.
Deliver professional skills that will allow students to develop, execute, and control a project plan, function effectively on a project team and function more effectively as a project manager.
Improve the student’s ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing. The class sessions will be a combination of lectures, student presentations, interactive exercises, and discussion. You are responsible for reviewing the online class schedule and completing the assigned readings, homework problems, project tasks, and case analysis.

Course Description

This course explores how the electric utility industry evolved, the structure and business models of the industry, the regulatory structures within which the utilities operate, the operations of the utility industry, and the current policy and emerging technology issues facing the business.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

Understand the nature of a “natural monopoly” and how that has defined and influenced the utility industry
Identify and differentiate the regulatory bodies governing the electric utility industry
Describe the primary business models of the industry and explain how an electric utility makes money
Understand utility financial concepts such as utility revenue requirements
Understand residential, commercial, industrial, and wholesale rate schedules
Understand cost benefit analysis for utility projects
Understand the differentiation between capital and O&M expenditures in the utility context
Describe utility planning processes – and regulatory processes – for generation, transmission, and distribution, and describe utility risk management concepts
Describe utility asset management concepts and how to implement them
Describe the conflicts and challenges of interconnecting distributed resources in the midst of utilizing conventional utility planning models

Course Description

This is an introductory course on communication technologies and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) systems for smart electric power applications. Course focus:

The fundamental concepts, principles, and practice of how communication systems operate are introduced and the function of main components reviewed.
Application of communication systems for electric power, in particular SCADA architecture and protocols are also introduced.
The course includes hands-on experience with typical intelligent electronic devices interconnected by a communication system.

Student Learning Outcomes

Describe the fundamental concepts and principles of communication systems.
Basic understanding of point-to-point communications, Ethernet, TCP/IP, and WiFi.
Describe the design issues associated with SCADA architecture and communication protocols.
Describe how Modbus, DNP3, and IEC 61850 are used to enable power system SCADA and protection functions.
Describe how a communication system is built up and how it is applied to power systems, such as Automatic Metering Infrastructure (AMI).
Analyze the common protocol implementations (Modbus, DNP3, IEC 61850) using network sniffing tools, such as Wireshark.
Setup and configure intelligent electronic devices and associated communications equipment for various real world applications.
Describe the basic concepts of cybersecurity.

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Course Description

This course studies the fundamental and recent advances of energy harvesting from two of the most abundant sources, namely solar and thermal energy. The first part of the course focuses on photovoltaic science and technology. The characteristics and design of common types of solar cells are discussed, and the known approaches to increasing solar cell efficiency will be introduced. After the review of the physics of solar cells, we will discuss advanced topics and recent progress in solar cell technology. The second part of the course is focused on the thermoelectric effect. The basic physical properties, Seebeck coefficient, electrical and thermal conductivities are discussed and analyzed through the Boltzmann transport formalism. Advanced subjects such as carrier scattering time approximations in relation to dimensionality and the density of states are studied. Different approaches for further increasing efficiencies are discussed, including energy filtering, quantum confinement, size effects, band structure engineering, and phonon confinement.

Course Objectives/Goals

The course offers the expertise students need in both areas of photovoltaic and thermoelectrics and prepares them for graduate research or to work in solar cell manufacturing or thermoelectric industry. The goal is to prepare the students with the fundamentals and advanced topics of solid-state energy conversion. In the first part of the course, the science and engineering of various types of solar cells are introduced. The students will learn how the efficiency of solar cells are improved from fundamental points of view. Concepts such as tandem, multi-barrier, intermediate band, quantum dot intermediate band, hot carriers, Plasmonics, and the effect of temperature will be discussed. In the second part, concepts in thermoelectrics, such as coefficient of performance, multi-stage devices, Seebeck coefficient, effect of temperature and density of states, Thomson effect, specific heat, Dulong-petit limit, Debye and Einstein models, phonon scattering mechanisms, and thermal conductivity are conveyed through physical equations and pictorial descriptions.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, undergraduate and graduate students will be able to:

Explain the operation of various solar cells, including multijunction, multiple excitation generation, multibarrier, quantum dot, hot carrier, intermediate band, plasmonic, heterogenous, dye-sensitized, and perovskite solar cells.
Outline the parameters affecting the behavior of various solar cells and thermoelectrics
Interpret the experimental data of various solar cells and thermoelectrics
Distinguish the underlying physics of electron and phonon transport in semiconductors
Identify the promising density of states, lattice structure, and phonon dispersion for efficient solar cell and thermoelectric energy conversion
Explain the microscopic origin of the Peltier effect, Seebeck voltage, and Thomson effect
Evaluate the effectiveness of strategies for making good thermoelectric materials

In addition, the graduate students, after completion of the course project, will be able to:

Calculate quasi-Fermi levels, dark current, current-voltage characteristics, and efficiency of solar cells versus wavelength, temperature, and geometrical factors.
Formulate the temperature and doping concentration-dependent photovoltaic efficiency
Critically review the advanced topics in photovoltaic and thermoelectrics published in scientific journals

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Course Description

This course is designed to introduce computational methods used for power grid operation and planning. The course will help students understand the various computational methods that form the basis of major commercial software packages used by grid analysts and operators. Students are expected to have some basic understanding of principles of power system analysis including power system models, power flow calculation, economic dispatch, reliable and stability analysis. The course covers the following computational methods commonly used in power grid operation and planning: Locational Marginal Pricing Schemes, Game Theory, Unconstrained Optimization, Linear Programming, Non-linear Constrained Optimization, and Forecasting Methods.

Course Learning Objectives

Upon completing this course, students will have the ability to:

Comprehend the operational mechanisms of deregulated electricity markets.
1. Analyze Locational Marginal Pricing Schemes and their implications.
2. Evaluate generator and load gaming behaviors and their impact on market prices and grid operations.
Execute Unit Commitment and Economic Dispatch processes.
1. Apply optimization methods to solve unit commitment and economic dispatch problems.
2. Utilize stochastic models for power system loads, wind, and solar generation resources.
Solve Power Flow problems
1. Decoupled Power Flow, Fast Decoupled Power Flow, and DC Power Flow.
2. Implement Optimal Power Flow techniques.
Conduct Advanced Data Analytics in the context of power systems.
1. Perform Price Analysis in electricity markets.
2. Analyze Smart Meter Data to derive valuable insights.

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Course Overview

This is a graduate introductory level engineering course intended to introduce students to

manufacturing process engineering. The course reviews basic properties of materials and

then exposes students to both traditional and non-traditional methods of fabricating

products. No prior knowledge of manufacturing processes is assumed. The course

includes lectures, two midterm exams, a final exam, and approximately 5-7 homework

assignments.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, students should be capable of:

Understanding the composition of materials
Measuring material properties
Understand the basic concepts of modern manufacturing processes
Understand Quality Control concepts related to manufacturing processes
Understand the limitations of different manufacturing processes