Energy Conversion Systems

What you'll learn

• Distinguish primary, final and useful energy, calculate capacity and load factors, and derive a grid emission factor from a generation mix, distinguishing average and marginal factors.
• Describe the systems of a steam power plant and calculate net heat rate, efficiency, condenser heat rejection and cooling water needs, comparing cooling methods.
• Explain how gas turbines are rated and how ambient temperature and part load affect them, calculate combined-cycle efficiency, and assess emissions controls and hydrogen blending.
• Size cogeneration on a load duration curve, calculate fuel utilization and primary energy saving, and judge its carbon effect against a changing grid.
• Calculate hydro power and annual energy from head and flow duration, select turbine types by specific speed, and weigh hydro's flexibility and environmental effects.
• Apply the Betz limit, power curves and Weibull distributions to estimate wind energy, and evaluate the variability and contracting of wind supply.
• Estimate photovoltaic yield with temperature, snow and system losses, calculate solar thermal collector efficiency, and judge solar's fit with heating demand.
• Evaluate geothermal, biomass, waste-to-energy and renewable natural gas, including fuel heating value, logistics and carbon accounting.
• Explain fission energy, burnup, the main reactor types, decay heat, the fuel cycle and the prospects of small modular reactors at an engineering overview level.
• Analyze hydrogen production, storage and fuel cells, and compare hydrogen with heat pumps and electric boilers for heat on an energy and cost basis.
• Compare storage technologies by power, energy, duration and round-trip efficiency, calculate levelized cost of storage, and size thermal storage for a network.
• Use capital recovery factors, levelized cost, carbon prices and robustness tests to compare decarbonization pathways and present a justified plan.