WHAT IS ENERGY ENGINEERING EIGHT STEPS TO SUCCESS Energy engineers power the world They make sure that our demands for energy when engineers take on a new energy generation electricity heat and project they adopt an eight step process to transportation met are successfully design build and test a solution They do this by designing and overseeing large or small scale energy systems Steps in the For example they may work on turning garbage design process into liquid fuels operate power stations to generate Identify the problem heat and electricity or even build mini suns Identify criteria and constraints An engineer checks burning garbage in a power station that converts household waste into electricity Brainstorm ideas Select a solution Build a prototype Energy systems need to be affordable and environmentally friendly so engineers try to make the ways in which we currently work with energy more efficient see page 9 They also carry out research to develop and test new technologies which can convert natural resources such as wind and coal into useful forms of energy As populations grow we need more and more energy This means energy engineers will play a vital role in our future Improve the design Test the prototype Share the solution
Engineers and scientists Science and engineering are closely linked Scientists acquire knowledge about how the world works Engineers apply that knowledge to develop solutions to problems For example a scientist might study a plant to understand how it uses the Sun's energy to grow An energy engineer may focus on ways to convert the energy within a plant into energy such as heat electricity or fuels stored usable for vehicles FORMS OF ENERGY to supply Energy engineers work with different forms of energy our daily needs These forms include Kinetic energy The movement of something such as the wind or waves Potential energy The energy stored in an object due to its position For example raising an object creates graitational potential energy and stretching a rubber band results in elastic potential energy Thermal energy The energy that comes from heat Chemical energy Energy stored in food fuels and batteries Radiant energy For example light from the Sun which is also known as solar energy Nuclear energy The energy stated in the nuclei the central part of atoms caused by Sound enery vibrating objects Electrical energy For example electricity or a bolt of lightning HHHHHHHRA Ener Energy engineers develop systems such as electrical grids to transport energy Electrical grids need to withstand bad weather such as
WORKING WITH ENERGY Even though we see and interact with energy every day when cooking traveling and watching television we cannot create energy Instead energy is converted from one form to another form For example electrical energy is converted into heat in an oven or sound and light The Sun warms Earth in a television Energy engineers design solutions for unevenly which causes the wind converting forms of energy into the electricity we use to blow Energy engineers use wind turbines to convert this But where does the energy they work with come from wind energy into electricity Energy flow Most of the energy available to us originates from the Sun For example plants absorb solar energy so that they can grow Fossil fuels such as coal and oil are the ancient remains of plants and other life forms They still store energy that originally came from the Sun millions of years ago When industries bun fossil fuels this chemical energy is released as thermal heat energy Energy engineers can use thermal energy in devices called engines In an engine some form of energy often thermal is used to make a shaft rotate This rotation is a form of mechanical energy which is a combination of potential energy and kinetic energy Mechanical energy can be used in different ways such as to power a car By connecting an engine s rotating shaft to a generator mechanical energy can also be turned into electrical energy In physics we call the process of transferring energy work The rate at which work is performed or in this case at which electrical energy is converted from mechanical energy is called power
In some countries electrical grids are unreliable Many factories such as this one in India have their own engines and generators to provide electricity NICOLAS LEONARD SADI CARNOT Thermodynamics is an area of physics that focuses on how thermal energy can be changed into other energy forms In 1824 Nicolas Leonard Sadi Carnot a French engineer calculated the maximum amount of work that could be obtained This from an engine using thermal energy became known as the Carnot Cycle which defines the perfect engine Today Nicolas Carnot is referred to as the Father of thermodynamics Nuclear engineering addition Sun's enery In to the engineers can also harness nuclear on energy Earth Nuclear energy is what feeps Earth's interior hot We can pine nuclear materials to make use of the enery they store For example uranium is a nuclear material that contains highly concentrated amounts of energy and when reined energy engineers use it as a fuel in nuclear power stations submarines and even spacecraft Engineers use nuclear energy to power submarines so that they can stay underwater for long
