Energy Modules for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells In the Chemical Engineering Curriculum

In this project, we report on the development of energy modules for use in the chemical, mechanical, or electrical engineering curriculum. This project follows on our successful development of hydrogen and fuel cell related modules. We base the module design in a format which enables students to apply principles from their core classes to learn about traditional and alternative energy technology. Each module contains an introduction, problem motivation and background, example problem statement, example problem solution, and a homework problem statement. Instructors can obtain the solutions from the lead author by email.

Both the fuel cell and energy modules have been used at Michigan Technological University in the following manner:

 

• Short lecture on a chemical engineering (or energy) topic
• Handout of a module to serve as an in-class problem
• Instructor helps students work through the example problem and apply to the homework problem
• The homework problem is due at a future class meeting

In this paper we report on the development, testing, and assessment of these modules and report future directions.