Fall 2004/Professor E.F. Fuchs
Syllabus for ECEN 3170,
Energy Conversion I --
or why you should take this course!
Prerequisites:
Circuits/Electronics 1-3
Although our curriculum in electrical and computer
engineering tends to absorb more and more digital computer courses, we
have to realize that the world around us is still based on physical analog principles. Rather than being in competition with
computer courses, this introductory energy conversion course is complementary: in other words, very frequently energy
conversion devices are controlled by microprocessors. This means that in order to successfully
solve a variable-speed drive problem the student must have a
knowledge of digital as well as analog principles. This is the main reason why a student
in electrical and computer engineering should take this course.
The objectives are that the student get exposed to very basic principles and their
applications in magnetic devices. We use
a top-down approach in the text Electromechanical Systems by
inspecting first entire electromechanical systems in terms of block
diagrams. Then we proceed and study each
block separately. The topics include (renewable)
energy sources, controllers, power electronic circuits, inductors,
transformers, rotating/linear machines (motors and generators),
and mechanical loads. At the end
of the course in Chapter 12 we revisit some of the electromechanical systems of
Chapter 2, and “close
the loop” in our study of electromechanical systems.
Class notes (about
400 pages) can be bought at the front desk of the ECE Department. It is my
intention to identify in class key principles, analyses, and applications. Attending each and every class will give you
the feeling that you will not have to know the entire content of the class
notes, but rather a few basic ideas. For
this reason I encourage you to attend most--if not all--classes.
Attendance: You are expected
to arrive at class punctually and to attend regularly. Experience has shown that students who are
sporadic in their class attendance end up in deep trouble. If for some good reason you must miss a
class, you are still responsible for what took place during that time. The record of your class attendance is not in
itself a consideration affecting the grade you will receive in this
course. Indirectly, it is bound to have
a significant influence.
The purpose of the homework assignments is to
apply the basic principles to specific engineering problems and to reinforce
the topics covered in class. For this
reason there is a time lag between the lecture pertaining to a specific topic
and homework concerning the same topic.
This lag is about one to two class sessions.
Homework will be
assigned a week at a time, and hints on how to approach the homework
problems will be given near the end of each and every class period. Assignments
due on Fridays may be handed in the following Monday, if you can’t finish them
by Friday’s class. However, doing so of
course increases your workload during the weekend. Your homework average has a weight of 15%
of your final grade. Late homework
receives zero credit unless prior arrangements have been made with the
instructor, based upon valid reasons as to why the homework must be late. Neatness, clarity, and the use of sufficient
words to tie the development together will be insisted upon. Answers are to be marked clearly with an
arrow or underlining. It cannot be
stressed too strongly that facility and sophistication in use of the theory
is acquired only by regularly doing the homework in a course involving this
type of subject matter.
Examinations are open-book and are geared to find out whether
you have understood the material and whether you can analyze an engineering
problem in an intelligent manner.
Certainly the examinations will not test your memory abilities. There
will be three 50-minute exams during the semester, announced well ahead
of time. There will also be a final
exam which has the weight of two 50-minute exams. 85% of your final
grade is based upon your test average.
Demonstrations with
respect to magnetic circuits, magnetic materials, transformers, magnetic
bearings, power transistors and diodes, rectifiers, inverters, photovoltaic
arrays and the application of SPICE and MATHEMATICA will augment the lectures.
Feedback from students will be obtained via anonymous “one-minute papers” revealing
progress in learning and questions which are uppermost in the student’s mind.
Help
Outside of Class: I consider it part of my job as Professor to
be available a reasonable number of hours per week outside of class for
individual help, as well as to provide occasional evening help sessions (e.g.,
in advance of exams) if there is enough student demand. A space is provided below in which to record
my office hours, as will be announced in class.
Your part in this arrangement is to arrive with your questions
specifically and well-defined. It is
difficult to help a student who comes in and says simply, "I'm
snowed." The Teaching Assistant (Grader)
will also hold office hours and is available to assist you. Especially in
matters having to do with homework grading, see the Grader. Solutions to the homework are available in my
office. These can be copied by hand
after the respective homework has been turned in, but are not to be taken from
my office to be copied by machine.
A Final
Bit of Advice:
By its very nature this type of course material is very sequential,
i.e., what we deal with in class on a given day rests very heavily upon an understanding
and mastery of what went on the day before and the week before that. The moral is clear: keep up, and spend a few minutes at
the completion of each homework assignment reviewing subject matter already
covered. If you do, things tend to go
well. If you don't, you court
discouragement and disaster. Good luck, and I'm looking forward to working with you.
Office
Hours of Professor Fuchs: Room: ECOT 340
Times:
M., W., & F.
Telephone: 492-7010
e-mail: Ewald.Fuchs@colorado.edu
Office
Hours of Grader: Room:
Name Times:
e-mail:
