Combustion and Efficiency Back to PSC 320 Main Website
Monday’s Class :
Before Class
- I just posted PS#3 due next Monday, January 30. Please read it as soon as you can. This may help you identify the important information while watching videos.
- Combustion with Slides (from Heat Engines Video)
- Read China Axes 100 Coal Power Plants
- Please make a USA wealth graph where the x-axis is each person in the USA ordered from poorest to richest, and the y-axis is how much money they have. That is if everyone had $200,000, it would look like the one on the left, and if each person had $10 more than the person before, it would look like the one on the right with the poorest person having nothing and the richest person having $3.2 billion. Please make two graphs: graph what you think the USA really looks like, and make a graph of how you think the USA would ideally look.
- Only after you’ve done the above, please see Moyers: USA wealth gap
- Please read your feedback and my response (main class webpage)
- Please see feedback from Big Exam! #2 on main class website.
During Class
- Course Redesign? Discussion
- Hand in PS #2
After Class
Wednesday’s Class
Before Class
- PlayPosit is working on subtitles, but it seems they don’t have it quite figured out yet. They know we have numbers in our subtitles.
- Read through PS#3, on main class website.
- Please watch Conversion Efficiency with Slides (from Heat Engines Video)
- Please read the following message from me:I want to distinguish what I want you to do from what you will be tested on. I wanted you to calculate your power output in order to see how it is done. You will be responsible for knowing about how much power is required to run, or life something, or power a lightbulb or hair dryer. You will not be required to know and use the formulas for kinetic and gravitational potential energy. You will need to know and use the calculation of P=E/t, and how to negotiate the units of W=J/s. At the same time, I am averse to bring more attention to this because the important issues in the class are not the calculations. I expect people to know the demographic information we’ve been talking about.
- Solutions for PS#2 posted
During Class
- Discuss Class Project! 3-4 students work together to define a group of people and an energy challenge they have (Due week 5). Then the group will research energy technologies and propose a solution (Week 10). Question: Should we have the final exam during the two hour activity period and meet for the three hours with a pot luck lunch to present the energy challenges and solutions; or just have a final exam at 10:00 Monday of finals week? Think about it and bring your ideas Wednesday to class.
- Get PS#2 back. (PS#1 comes back Friday, sorry for the delay).
After Class
- Prepare
Thursday: Activity for Heat Engines, and electricity generation
Before Activity
- Look up and read about cogeneration. What does it mean?
- See Electricity Generation Electricity Slides
- NPR has two stories. What is the change Trump is making on the EPA? and What changes can we expect in the oil industry?
During Activity
- We will look at different kinds of heat engines and electricity generation in our activity room 180-270.
- We will walk over to the BRAE building and see their expanded internal combustion engine.
- We will visit the cogeneration facility at Poly Canyon Village.
After Activity
- Prepare for class tomorrow (see below)
Friday:
Before Class: Slides for Today’s Class
- Please watch Electrical Transmission Transmission Slides
- Please watch Carbon Intensity, and Carbon Intensity Slides. How much CO2 does your technology emit?
- Please have a look at this article about China’s decreasing carbon intensity to get a feel about how we use these terms… and see what China is doing.
- Please read this article about the costs of treating coal miners with black lung. Consider the question: Is coal power cheap? What are some of the “external costs” or “externalities” (expect test questions on this)? How does society pay these external costs? How do you think society should pay these costs? Trump has promised to repeal regulations on corporations. How does this story highlight this repealing of regulations?
During Class
- Big Exam! #3
After Class
- Do PS #3 and prepare for next week’s midterm