Lecture Notes

This is the web site for energy science and technology course Chm286/486. Additional pages are accessible via the navigation bar on top...

The topics discussed in this course, Energy: Science, Technology and Society, have been categorized in the Synopsis. They are tentatively rearranged below for practical and didactical reasons but may have to be updated in time.

Electronic lecture presentations can be downloaded in various formats if marked by colored links. .pdf is the recommended form. Videos and animations are available in avi, mpeg or wmv formats. Audio cuts of lectures are not available.
The format .mcd indicates a MathCad program file, which can be viewed with the original programming software or a free MathCad viewer.


Disclaimer (Please read before using the presentations on this site)

0. Introduction/Survey (pdf)
   
   
1. The Big Picture:Sustainability in the Anthropocene
   1. Human habitat and resources (pdf1)(pdf2)
   ..... Resources and their allocation
   ..... Tools and fuels in human history (optional) (pdf1, pdf2)
   
   2. Civil organization and environmental footprint (pdf2).
   ..... Energy use and environmental costs (pdf1)(pdf2)
   ......Earth climate variations and trends (pdf) (pdf1)
   ......Atmospheric greenhouse model (pdf3)
   
   
   3. Public policies: mitigation vs.adaptation to changing climate (pdf).
   ..... Stated policies, transition to renwable resources,
   ..... carbon capture & sequestration, geoengineering
   
   ................Tutorial:..Interactions of radiation w. matter I (pdf)
   
   ................Auxiliary Materials
   ............... IPCC AR6 Executive Summary 2023 (pdf), long,
   ................NAS Policy GHG Mitigation report (web)
   ................NAS Climate Report 2010 (web, loc)
   ................Paris Climate Accord 2015 (pdf)
   Lecture Sequence: L-0, L-1, L-2 , L-3, L-4, L-5, L-6, L-7
   ..............
   ...........
   
2. Work and Energy: The Basic Science
   1. Work and energy forms (pdf)
   ..... Potential and kinetic energy, pV work, heat, equilibration (pdf)
   ..... Molecular binding and rearrangement energies
   
   2. Electricity basics
   ..... Electromagnetic induction, generators, transformers, AC transmission (pdf)
   ..... Electronic circuits, reactance (pdf)
   
   3. Thermodynamic principles
   ..... Laws of Thermodynamics, state functions, reversible processes (pdf1)
   ..... Carnot and other TD cycles, steam engines, gas turbines,(pdf1)(pdf2)
   ..... Electro-chemistry, batteries, hydrolyzers & fuel cells (pdf)
   
   Lecture Sequence: L-8 , L-9 , L-10
   
   

3. Generation Technology: Renewable Energy
   1. Solar power, concentrated and photo-voltaic
   ..... Solar photo-voltaic energy conversion ((pdf1)
   ............ semiconductor theory, solar cells (pdf1),(pdf2)
   ..... Solar concentrated (thermal) power (pdf),
   .................... energy storage techniques, salt tanks, batteries, mechanical (pdf)
   
   2. Wind and hydroelectrical power
   ..... Basic fluid dynamics, laminar & turbulent flow, lift and drag (pdf),
   ..... Wind power, wind farms (pdf1)(pdf2)
   ..... Hydro electric power (pdf)
   
   3. Energy from biomass
   ..... Use and economy of bio/organic fuels (pdf)
   ..... Synthetic fuel technologies
   ..... Decarbonization attempts
   
   4. Geothermal power generation
   ..... Geological resources
   ..... Technology, environmental constraints (pdf)
   
   
   Lecture Sequence: L-11 , L-12, L-13, L-14, L-15, L-16, L-17, L-18 L-19 , L-20
   
   

4. Conventional Energy Conversion Technologies:
   ... Use & Outlook
   1. Conventional fuels, demand and resources (energy flow) (US pdf) (World pdf)
   .......Conventional and surface mining, fracking (pdf):
   ................Audio-Video clips Fracking: Chesapeak (video1, video2)
   .......Electricity plants in the US
   ................Energy_Unit_Converter (pdf)
   ................EIA Release Overview-2023 (web, local)
   ................Audio-Video clips Fracking: Chesapeak (video1, video2)
   
   2. Thermal and gas turbine power plants (pdf)
   ......Reciprocal engines, internal combustion (pdf)
   ..... Carnot and Brayton cyclic engines (pdf)
   ......Steam and gas turbines, Combined Cycle power plants (pdf)
   ......Chemistry of combustion (pdf)
   ......Direct carbon capture process (CCS)
   
   
   3. Power from nuclear transmutation
   ......1 Nuclear and radiation science basics (pdf)
   ..... 2 Power from nuclear fission, present and next generation plants (pdf1)(pdf2)(pdf3)
   ..... 3 Strategic issues of nuclear power generation in comparison (pdf)
   ..... 4 Energy production in nuclear fusion, ICF & MCF (pdf)
   ..... 5 Nuclear fusion reactors (pdf)
   ..... 6 Nuclear fuel resources (pdf)
   ................Tutorials: Radiation interaction with matter I (pdf) & II (pdf)
   
   Lecture Sequence: L-21, L-22, L-23 , L-24, L-25 , L-26, L-27
   
   
5. Fuel and Energy Distribution Infrastructure
   1. Overview: Primary energy carrier distribution lines (pdf)
   .. . . Transport by rail, barge, pipelines
   .. . . National oil and gas pipeline grids (pdf)
   
   2. Electrical grid (pdf)
   .. . . Transmission lines, AC vs DC, voltage levels, transformers (pdf)
   .. . . Grid operation, input/output response (pdf)
   
   3. Balancing green energy (pdf)
   .. . . Grid administration, input/output response (pdf)
   
   4. Energy storage technologies (pdf)
   .. . . Gravitational and kinetic energy storage, reservoirs (pdf)
   .. . . Batteries and fuel cells (pdf)
   .. . . Hydrogen economy (pdf)
   
   5. Future "smart" grid (Internet of Things) (pdf)
   
   .. . . .. . . Auxiliary Materials:
   .. . . Recommended view: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2pWqBXkmNg&list=PLphKrnecF69X0MxPf4aHDu1UJHNn8wGuq&index=4
   ................Reports
   ................MIT: The future of the electrical grid (pdf)
   ................EPRI Smart Grid (pdf)
   ................European Smart Grids (pdf)
   
   Lecture Sequence: L-27