Course Description
The course builds on concepts in thermodynamics, transport phenomena, and physical chemistry to introduce the formation of particulate and gaseous pollutants and their effect on air quality. Special focus will be on engineering design strategies to control pollutants associated with energy generation (power plants) and utilization (on-road vehicles) systems.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will be required to finish a term project and a
term paper. Students will submit a research proposal that
demonstrates concepts discussed in class. Students will report
their findings in the format of a journal article.
Athena Title
Air Pollution Engineering
Prerequisite
ENGR 3140 or ENGR 3140E or ENVE 3210 or ENGR 3160 or ENGR 3160E or permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered every odd-numbered year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, students will have: • understood the multi-scale problem of air pollution, starting with the nature of pollutants at the molecular/particle level, to emission profiles and the evolution of pollutants in the atmosphere, to the local, regional, and global impacts of the pollutants; • learned how to apply fundamental engineering and physical- chemistry concepts to analyze gaseous and particulate pollutants by employing the necessary length-scale-related modifications; • gained an appreciation of the complexity of the coupled physical-chemical phenomena that govern pollution formation and evolution and learned how to apply computational methods to resolve these phenomena; • understood the health impacts of air pollution through inhalation; • understood the effect of air pollution on the global energy budget and the climate system; • learned the engineering design concepts applied in emission control technologies.
Topical Outline
Examples of topics that will be covered in this course include (in approximate order): • The multi-scale problem of air pollution: sources; local, regional, and global impacts; associated regulation. • Dynamics of particulate matter (aerosols): size distributions, motion, deposition, coagulation, evaporation/condensation. • Inhalation toxicology–a thermal-fluid perspective. • Gaseous and particulate pollution formation in combustion. • Emission testing and control technologies: power plants. • Emission testing and control technologies: on-road vehicles. • Atmospheric transport and chemistry. • Air pollution monitoring/measurement techniques. • Climate forcing: greenhouse gases and aerosols.
Syllabus