MEng Mechanical Engineering with Industrial Experience / Course details

Electrical energy powers today’s world, from communications via satellites and mobile phones, to domestic appliances, rail transport, machines in industry, major cities and much of the world’s infrastructure. It is also used to control these devices and major systems. It is thus important to all engineering. This unit introduces some aspects of electrical energy through circuit analysis and the generation, supply and use of electricity.    

This course unit detail provides the framework for delivery in 20/21 and may be subject to change due to any additional Covid-19 impact.  Please see Blackboard / course unit related emails for any further updates

To provide an introduction to electrical circuit analysis, electrical safety, sustainability and the methods  used to produce electrical energy for aerospace, civil-structural and mechanical engineering applications, including energy conservation and carbon emission issues.

The course covers the following topics:

(a) DC circuit Analysis:  - use of Kirchhoff's Laws as an analytic technique, Circuit reduction methods to solve voltage and current unknowns, use of Thevenin and Norton's Theorems as a circuit simplification technique, use of the Superposition Theorem to solve circuit problems, Max Power Transfer, Node Voltage analysis & Mesh Current Analysis as formal methods for solving circuits.

(b) Energy Storage elements- inductors and capacitors. Transient behaviour in inductive-resistive (LR) and capacitive-resistive (CR) circuits. Time constants and settling times.

(c) AC Circuit Analysis: Extend the theorems and analysis methods to AC circuits. Apparent power, reactive power, real power and complex power calculations. Power factor and power factor correction. Phasor diagrams.

(d) Health and Safety in electrical systems. Risk assessments, safe working procedures and what can go wrong. Safety equipment.

(e) Demand and Generation – methods of generating electrical energy for the grid. Matching generation to demand. Prime movers and electricity generation.  The impact of generation technologies on carbon emissions* .  Energy conservation*.  [* These topics underpin and are key topics throughout the course. ]

A set of online short videos is available.  These explain in detail the key points from the course. These are also linked to tutorial questions and revision.