Duration
15h Th
Number of credits
| Master of Science (MSc) in Engineering Physics | 2 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
English language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
The course deals with the functioning and engineering electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices like batteries, fuel cells and supercapacitors. The systems studied are commercial ones as well as systems under development at the laboratory scale.
The course contains five distinct chapters :
1- Introduction : brief restatement of the context, history and development perspectives of FCs, batteries and supercapacitors ;
2- General electrochemistry - systems under reversible functioning : (re)statement of fundamental concepts of electrochemistry (redox reactions, electrochemical cells, standard and non-standard electromotive force) and thermodynamics (thermodynamics applied to reversible electrochemical systems) ;
3- Description of electrochemical cells : working principles of primary and secondary electrochemical cells, fuel cells, capacitors and supercapacitors, and comparison of the application domains of these systems ;
4- Cells under real operating conditions: yields, voltage-current relationship, overpotentials, specific ase of PEM fuel cells, methods for the characterization of isolated elements and systems under operating conditions ;
If time allows (depending on student's questions):
5- Fuel management : hydrogen (production, storage, supply), natural gas, others ; safety of hydrogen handling : hydrogen properties, risks, standards and regulations.
Note: some years, it was not possible to detail properly chapter 5 because the lecture time was finally allocated to answering the (numerous) questions of the students about chapters 1 to 4. Content not detailed in class is of course not part of the exam material, even though the supports are available to the students.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
After this course, the student will be able to :
1- detail the functioning principles of electrochemical systems (batteries, fuel cells and supercapacitors) ;
2- identify and explain the yield loss sources (limitations) existing in electrochemical systems under real operation conditions ;
3- identify the advantages/difficulties of each studied electrochemical system (batteries, fuel cells supercapacitors), the associated costs and possibilities of improvement ;
4- identify the risks linked to synthesis, storage and use of fuels used in electrochemical devices;
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
The course relies on basic concepts in physics, chemistry and thermodynamics.
Chemistry (CHIM9272-2 and CHIM9273-1)
Rudiments of thermodynamics (CHIM0286-1)
Physics (PHYS2020 and PHYS2021)
or equivalent
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The course is based on face-to-face lectures (15 h).
Since the course is usually chosen by small number of students, interaction with the teacher during lessons and practical activities remain the privileged way of exchanging information and solving specific problems.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Additional information:
Face-to-face lectures (6 x 2h30).
Lectures in English.
Recommended or required readings
Slides used during the lectures are accessible to students via e-campus. Since the lecture is a "seminar-type", these slides are not necessarily self-sufficient and it is required from the students to complete them by personal notes taken during the lecture. A selected bibliography is mentioned at the end of the lecture notes, but the students are encouraged to make their own bibliographic research.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Additional information:
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Additional information:
- An oral exam takes place in January and September. Based on open questions, the evaluation focuses on the deep understanding of fundamental concepts learned during the course. The questions proposed by the evaluator constitute the starting point of a discussion; this discussion allows an assessment of the student's ability to understand and apply the concepts taught rather than to restore them as they are.
- For the students who also follow the practical part of the lecture (laboratories: CHIM0664-B-a), the final evaluation is based on the oral exam (70%), on the laboratory report and on the active participation to laboratory practice (30%). If the mark related to laboratory work is equal to or higher than 10/20, the student may decide to keep it for the September examination. In case of failure in September, no partial exemption is granted from one academic year to the next. For those who choose to follow the theoretical part of the lecture only (CHIM0664-A-a), the oral examination is the only evaluation mode.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Lectures take place during the autumn session (6 sessions on Tuesday PM from 15/09)
Contacts
Prof. Nathalie Job
Department of Chemical Engineering, B6a
Tel: 04/366.35.37 - Nathalie.Job@uliege.be