Concepts of heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis applied to current industrial processes associated with fuel production and manufacturing of chemicals. In particular, available routes for conversions using alternative, more sustainable feedstocks and processes will be discussed in the context of green chemistry and engineering principles. These case studies will serve as platforms to the fundamentals of heterogeneous acid and metal catalysis, including techniques of catalyst synthesis and characterization, as well as understanding of how reactions occur on surfaces.

This course will focus on the sustainable design of urban wastewater infrastructure. Students will learn the principals of biological wastewater modelling and will use software packages and other design tools for design and upgrading existing water/wastewater treatment systems, including new processes that incorporate energy and resource recovery. The projects are considered from concept development to detailed design with special considerations on sustainability and resilience. Guest speakers from academia and industry will be invited to present the new advancements in research and technology.

Interconnections between biology and electrochemistry are widely observed in nature and can be harnessed for engineering applications. This course explores fundamental mechanisms and related analytical tools used in microbial electron transfer, redox reactions, microbial corrosion and other processes. It also discusses interdisciplinary microbial/electrochemical technologies used in remote sensing, remediation, renewable energy, wastewater treatment, artificial photosynthesis, carbon valorization, etc. It trains students on interdisciplinary thinking/problem-solving skills and how to connect graduate research with career development.

This course explores broadly renewable energy systems and smart grids. Technical and operational principles of the modern electric grids will be introduced, followed by an overview of various energy sources from fossil-fuel generators to photovoltaic systems. The intermittency of renewable energy systems and its impact on the electric grid will be discussed together with its potential solutions: energy storage systems and demand response techniques. This course will also include a few experimental demo sessions in which students will gain hands-on experience in understanding the fundamental principles of power conversion.

What are biofuels, and why are we making them? How can they help address our energy needs in a warming planet? What are 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation biofuels? What is the controversy surrounding the food versus fuel debate? Will thermocatalysis or genetic engineering improve biofuel production? Can we make biofuels directly from light or electricity? These are some of the questions we will answer through discussions during lecture. In precept we will discuss primary literature, relevant news reports, and studies on the socio-economic impact of biofuels. Grades are based on participation, HW assignments, 3 short quizzes, and one final project.

The Paris Accord signaled a global consensus on climate risks and the need for a rapid switch to clean energy. Not well comprehended are the scale and pace of the needed transformations. Bottlenecks encountered during rapid, large-scale change, must be anticipated and addressed to achieve climate goals. Princeton's Net-Zero America study (2021) provides highly-granular insights on the scale and pace of change and on impacts to the environment, finances, jobs and more. Students will build on that study to analyze sub-regional energy transitions through multi-disciplinary lenses to assure the successful decarbonization of the U.S.

This course provides an introduction to the electricity sector drawing on engineering, economics, and regulatory policy perspectives. It introduces the engineering principles behind various power generation technologies and transmission and distribution networks; the economics of electricity markets; and the regulation of electricity generation, transmission, distribution, and retail sales. Open challenges related to the growth of distributed energy resources, the transition to low-carbon electricity sources, and the role of the electricity sector in mitigating global climate change are also discussed.

This course provides an introduction to the electricity sector drawing on engineering, economics, and regulatory policy perspectives. It introduces the engineering principles behind various power generation technologies and transmission and distribution networks; the economics of electricity markets; and the regulation of electricity generation, transmission, distribution, and retail sales. Open challenges related to the growth of distributed energy resources, the transition to low-carbon electricity sources, and the role of the electricity sector in mitigating global climate change are also discussed.

The course covers (1) basic theory, (2) modeling techniques, (3) basic algorithms and solution methods, and (4) software tools for optimization. We also discuss how optimization methods can be used to design, analyze, and operate energy systems.

This course will deal with issues of regional and global energy demands, sources, carriers, storage, current and future technologies and costs for energy conversion, and their impact on climate and the environment. Students will learn to perform objective cost-efficiency and environmental impact analyses from source to end-user on both fossil fuels (oil, coal, and natural gas), and alternative energy sources (bio-fuels, solar energy, wind, batteries, and nuclear). We will also pay particular attention to energy sources, technologies, emissions, and regulations for transportation. The course will also include tours to energy research labs.

This course provides an overview of fundamental physical mechanisms behind sustainable energy technologies, including solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, wind, nuclear, and hydroelectricity. Physics of the greenhouse effect, projected Earth's climate changes, as well as socio-economic impacts on energy uses and greenhouse-gas emissions are reviewed. Variability, dispatchability, and areal power density of energy resources are discussed. Energy efficiency, energy storage, as well as transmission and distribution of electric power are touched upon.

VR/AR can enable engineers, scientists, and architects to plan and conduct their work in fundamentally new ways, visualize and communicate their findings more effectively, and work in environments that are otherwise difficult, impossible, or too costly to experience in person. This course explores the basic concepts of effective VR/AR experiences, builds skills needed to develop and support innovative science, engineering, or architecture projects. In the second half of the semester, working in small teams, students develop, implement VR/AR projects of their choice.

This course will cover fundamentals of heat transfer and applications to practical problems in energy conversion and conservation, electronics, and biological systems. Emphasis will be on developing a physical and analytical understanding of conductive, convective, and radiative heat transfer, as well as design of heat exchangers and heat transfer systems involving phase change in process and energy applications. Students will develop an ability to apply governing principles and physical intuition to solve multi-mode heat transfer problems.

Overview of energy utilization in and environmental impacts of propulsion systems for ground and air transportation. Roughly half of the course will be devoted to reciprocating engines for ground transportation, and the other half of the course will be devoted to gas turbine engines for air transportation. The course will focus on device efficiency/performance and emissions with future outlooks for improvements in these areas including alternative fuels and alternative device concepts. Relevant thermodynamics, chemistry, fluid mechanics, and combustion fundamentals will be reviewed or introduced and will permeate the course material.

VR/AR can enable engineers, scientists, and architects to plan and conduct their work in fundamentally new ways, visualize and communicate their findings more effectively, and work in environments that are otherwise difficult, impossible, or too costly to experience in person. This course explores the basic concepts of effective VR/AR experiences and builds the skills needed to develop and support innovative science, engineering, or architecture projects. In the second half of the semester, working in small teams, students develop and implement VR/AR projects of their choice.

Chemical thermodynamics and kinetics, oxidation of hydrogen, hydrocarbons and alternate fuels, pollutant chemistry and control, transport phenomena, laminar premixed and nonpremixed flames, turbulent flames, ignition, extinction, and flammability phenomena, flame stabilization and blowoff, detonation and blast waves, droplet, spray and coal particle combustion, principles of engine operation.

Overview of the issues surrounding global energy supplies, oil's unique physical and economic properties, and its role in shaping the political economy of the Middle East and U.S. strategic interests in the region. Discuss availability of energy sources, the state of technology, the functioning of energy markets, the challenges of coping with global climate change and the key role of the oil reserves in the Middle East. Then focus on the history of oil in the Middle East and its impact on societies in the region.