436-409 Power Generation Systems

Credit Points

HECS Band

Coordinator

Prerequisites

Students are expected to be familiar with the material of 436-403 Thermofluids.

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

Upon completion, students should be able to analyse and design a range of energy processes or utilisation equipment and to appreciate the directions in which the technology will evolve for improved performance and/or operating economics.

The contents of this course will comprise selections from: Steam turbines, boiler design and control characteristics. Cycle optimisation. Economics of plant operation. Gas turbines. Cycle performance. Stationary and aircraft gas turbines. Working fluids in open and closed cycles. Component matching and off-design operation. Engines. Ideal air and fuel-air cycles. Effect of fuel composition, dissociation and heat transfer on efficiency. Characteristics of spark ignition and diesel engines. Advanced engine simulation. Abnormal combustion. Solar Energy. Absorptivity and transmissivity, selective surfaces and surface treatment. Thermal performance of collectors. Cost analyses. Unsteady gas dynamics. Isentropic and non-isentropic wave propagation. One-dimensional unsteady compressible flow. Pressure exchangers and exhaust systems. Generalised thermodynamic property relations. Maxwell's equations, Gibbs free energy and fugacity. Estimation of plant performance using rare working fluids. Turbocharging. Compressor and turbine characteristics. Turbine performance. Turbo-charger/engine matching.

Assessment

One examination not exceeding three hours; assignments and laboratory reports to a maximum of 6000 words, or equivalent. Students will be notified of the weighting of assessment components at the beginning of semester.