ENERGY STORAGE AND CONVERSION
Stampa
Enrollment year
2017/2018
Academic year
2018/2019
Regulations
DM270
Academic discipline
CHIM/07 (FOUNDATIONS OF CHEMISTRY FOR TECHNOLOGIES)
Department
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMESTRY
Course
CHEMISTRY
Curriculum
PERCORSO COMUNE
Year of study
Period
1st semester (01/10/2018 - 18/01/2019)
ECTS
6
Lesson hours
48 lesson hours
Language
Italian
Activity type
ORAL TEST
Teacher
MARINI AMEDEO (titolare) - 6 ECTS
Prerequisites
Mathematical, physical and chemical skills are requested. Their level is that of a sciemtific undergraduate degree.
Learning outcomes
The course describes and analyzes the chemical, physical and environmental aspects of energy conversion and storage.
The course aims to provide students with knowledge and skills on:
1. Nature and characteristics of primary sources and the contribution made by each of them to global energy consumption;
2. The issues associated with the different primary sources, in particular as regards the availability in the medium term (non renewable sources), the use of land (renewable sources) and the environmental effects (fossil fuel and greenhouse effect);
3. Awareness of the need to implement appropriate storage systems, particularly in view of the welcome forthcoming increasing use of intermittent renewable sources;
4. Knowledge of the order of magnitude of the national and planetary energy needs and of the potential of technologies proposed to satisfy them with reference to both production and storage;
5. Awareness of the unbreakable bond existing between energetic and environmental issues;
6. Ability to manage and convert all the units of mearument utilized in the energy field.
Course contents
Brief historical introduction to the term “energy” and to the development of its meaning.
Recalls of thermodynamics: the second law of thermodynamics and the Carnot cycle.
The orders of magnitude and the measure of energy.
Fossil fuels: proved reserves, resources, production, consumptions. Carbon footprint of the different fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide and greenhouse effect.
The role of greenhouse gases on the Earth energy balance.
Renewable sources: hydroelectricity, wind energy, solar energy, geothermal energy. Issues, current role and prospects for the future.
Energy consumpion analysis: how much energy it consumes, daily, a european citizen? As it consumes?
Chemical energy storage: hydrogen as energy vector and energy accumulator. Advantages, scientific and safety issues related to the use of hydrogen, particularly in the transport sector.
Batteries and rechargeable batteries. Thermodynamics of batteries. Thermodynamics of electrolysis.
Primary batteries.
Rechargeable batteries: lead acid, Ni-Cd, Ni-MH, ZEBRA, lithium and lithium ion.
Chemical composition, characteristics and performance of different types of rechargeable batteries.
Fuel cells: principles of operation, physico-chemical characteristics, performance.
Teaching methods
Interactive lessons with power point slides.
The interaction, stimulated and mediated by the teacher, creates topics worthy of debate and allows to verify and level out the knowledge for a proper understanding of some of the specialized topics covered by the course. Students, indeed, come from different advanced-degree programmes (Chemistry and Electrical Engineering) and their basic preparation on the aspects that are more properly of chemical or electrical engineering type is obviously different.
During lessons, particular attention shall be given to the quantitative aspects of the issues addressed to ensure that students get confidence with orders of magnitude, units of measurement and their conversion.
Reccomended or required readings
Lectures notes provided by the teacher in digital form on Kiro platform.
Assessment methods
The final learning assesment is based on an oral examination.
Questions aim to verify if and in which extent students reached the expected learning and developed the expected skills.
In all cases questions concern both production-related and storage-related issues.
In the evaluation, more weight is given to the overall view of the subjects, to their adequate rating in the national and international scene, to the ability to detect and discuss the technical/scientific aspects, together with the problems and the foreseeable prospects of the different energy generation and storage technologies.
Further information
The final learning assesment is based on an oral examination.
Questions aim to verify if and in which extent students reached the expected learning and developed the expected skills.
In all cases questions concern both production-related and storage-related issues.
In the evaluation, more weight is given to the overall view of the subjects, to their adequate rating in the national and international scene, to the ability to detect and discuss the technical/scientific aspects, together with the problems and the foreseeable prospects of the different energy generation and storage technologies.
Sustainable development goals - Agenda 2030