MECH ENG 7021 - Combustion Technology & Emissions Control

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2017

The course covers the basics of thermal energy technologies that are common not only to combustion, but also to high temperature solar thermal production of fuels and commodities. The transition of our energy systems from their present 80% reliance on fossil fuels to increasing fractions of renewable energy including biomass, waste and concentrating solar thermal, is driven by the need to mitigate CO2 emissions and is expected to take around 50 years. Managing this change brings many technical challenges, since any change in fuel composition or energy mix will influence the design of the combustion system, fuel consumption and pollutant emissions. The course will equip the participant with the knowledge and skills necessary to address these challenges. It covers the understanding, analysis and design of modern combustion systems to account for fuel properties, maximise output and minimise air pollution. Combustion involves both mixing of the fuel and oxidant and the subsequent chemical reactions. The course therefore involves consideration of both combustion aerodynamics and fuel properties. It covers fuel selection, alternative and waste fuels, the design principals involved in reducing pollutant emissions, modelling and safety.

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Course Details

Course Code	MECH ENG 7021
Course	Combustion Technology & Emissions Control
Coordinating Unit	School of Mechanical Engineering
Term	Semester 1
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 4 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Assessment	assignments, project, final exam

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Philip van Eyk

Dr Philip van Eyk (Course Coordinator and Lecturer)

Prof Bassam Dally (Lecturer)

Prof Graham (Gus) Nathan (Lecturer)

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1	Understand the ongoing role of combustion, both of fossil and bio-fuels, in providing a more sustainable energy source for society, and the environmental challenges to be met to achieve this;
2	Have a sound understanding of the principles of combustion;
3	Understand the complexities of industrial combustion processes;
4	Have a basic understanding of the mechanisms of combustion generated air pollution and the techniques that can be used to control them;
5	Have a basic understanding of the complementary roles of measurements, modelling and scaling in understanding combustion, and in solving industrial problems;
6	Have a basic understanding of the safety and handling issues associated with combustion;
7	Be aware of the impact of different fuel properties on industrial combustion systems;
8	Have a sound understanding of the responsibility of engineers to the community in terms of providing a safe healthy environment; and
9	Understand the need for lifelong learning.

The above course learning outcomes are aligned with the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency Standard for the Professional Engineer.
The course is designed to develop the following Elements of Competency: 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1-9
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	1-9
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	1-9
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	1,7,8
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	1,7-9
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	1-9

Learning Resources

Recommended Resources

The following texts are highly relevant and strongly recommended, but are not followed directly:

S.R. Turns “An Introduction to Combustion”, McGraw Hill,

PJ Mullinger and B.G. Jenkins “Design and Operation of Industrial and Process Furnaces”, Elsevier (This book is available as an e-book, via the Barr Smith library, for students enrolled at the University of Adelaide.

Online Learning

Copies of all presentations will be made available after each lecture

Supplementary material for the design project will be provided

Links to public lectures and seminars from the Environment Institute will be provided

A range of other material is available via MyUni
Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

The course is heavily biased toward practical tools, with 15 hours of tutorials, 6 hours of laboratory work and a 2 hour tour, compared with 21 hours of lectures. It is centred around a Design Project, which designs the combustion system for a rotary cement kiln and includes undertaking a mass and enegy balances to size the burner and a momentum-based mixing parameter. The tour is of a large and leading cement plant to provide insight into the facility being designed by students in the classroom. The lectures are structured to provide relevant input to the design process. The virtual combustion laboratory is a unique learning tool developed by the lecturing staff, in which the user can assess the effect on the performance of a flame of varying the fuel flow rate based on real-flame data recorded in our laboratories and presented in an interactive format. This is linked to the lectures on premixed and non-premixed flames.

In addition to the marked assignments, three other tutorials are provided that are not examined.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The course is heavily biased toward practical tools, with 15 hours of tutorials, 6 hours of laboratory work and a 2 hour tour, compared with 21 hours of lectures. It is centred around a Design Project, which designs the combustion system for a rotary cement kiln and includes undertaking a mass and enegy balances to size the burner and a momentum-based mixing parameter. The tour is of a large and leading cement plant to provide insight into the facility being designed by students in the classroom. The lectures are structured to provide relevant input to the design process. The virtual combustion laboratory is a unique learning tool developed by the lecturing staff, in which the user can assess the effect on the performance of a flame of varying the fuel flow rate based on real-flame data recorded in our laboratories and presented in an interactive format. This is linked to the lectures on premixed and non-premixed flames.

In addition to the marked assignments, three other tutorials are provided that are not examined.

Learning Activities Summary

No information currently available.

Specific Course Requirements

Long-sleeves, long pants and closed toe shoes are a requirement for the industrial tour. Students should be aware that they will be walking through a dusty plant, so that strong work-shoes or work-boots are recommended and one should avoid wearing “best” white or polished shoes if you want them to remain in their original state.

Buses will be provided and students must nominate for the early or late time option. Details will be provided in the lectures.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Weighting (%)	Individual/ Group	Formative/ Summative	Due (week)*	Hurdle criteria	Learning outcomes
Weekly Tutorial	0	Individual	Summative	Weeks 2-12		1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Two assignments	10	individual	Summative	Week 3, 5 & 9		1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Design Project	20	Individual	Summative	Week 12		1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Virtual Laboratory	10	Individual	Summative	Week 10 and 12		2. 3. 6.
Final Examination	60	Individual	Summative
Total	100

* The specific due date for each assessment task will be available on MyUni.

This assessment breakdown complies with the University's Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy.

Assessment Related Requirements

Tutorials are considered to be compulsory. Whether or not students have submitted each assignment will be considered strongly in assessing marks which are border-line between grade options (e.g. border-line pass/fail or credit/distinction).

Assessment Detail

Details on the assessment tasks will be provided

Submission

Stoich. & Thermo. Assignment end of week 4
Flames Assignment end of week 6
VCL 2 due end of week 9
Kiln Design Project due end of week 10
VCL 3 due end of week 11
Measurement Assignment end of week 11

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
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Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

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Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator