The core modules include
1. Energy Sustainability: An Overview
Fundamental Concepts of Energy
- Definitions,
- Basic Thermodynamics,
- Measuring the efficiency of energy systems and units
Historical Perspective of Energy
- Pre-industrial revolution era (before 1900)
- Development of materials, human development, and the quest for energy
- Post-industrial revolution
- before the world war-II (1900-1950)
- after the world war-II (1950-1990)
- Modern era (1990-present)
- Nexus of the materials-manufacturing -engineering - energy and population growth
Environmental Impact of Energy Generation
- Global energy balance, anthropogenic activities, and climate issues
- Carbon emissions with sector wise distribution
- Impact of climate change on energy sustainability
Energy Systems and Utilization in Modern Era
- Modern energy conversion systems
- Overview of conventional and renewable energy generation technologies
- Energy storage technologies
- Comparative assessment of energy generation technologies vis-à-vis present and future energy demand
Energy Consumption
- Major energy usage
- Mobility and electric vehicles
- Steel and Cement
- Manufacturing sector
- Residential
- Energy consumption patterns in rural and urban setting
- Grid issues
Balancing Demand & Supply
- Reducing consumption
- Energy efficiency
- Need to balance demand and supply
- Role of storage technologies
Decarbonization
- Carbon neutral/NetZero: concepts
- Decarbonization pathways
- Need for carbon sequestration and methods
- Energy policies in the context of decarbonization
- Social aspects of decarbonization
2. Energy Storage Materials and Devices
Introduction to Energy Conversion & Storage Systems
- Scope of energy systems
- Needs and opportunities
- Technology overview and applications
Introduction to Batteries
- Primary & Secondary Batteries
- Battery Electrode Reactions
- Important Parameters viz. Operating Voltage
- Charge Capacity
- Maximum Theoretical Specific Energy (MTSE)
- Coulombic Efficiency
- Cycling Behavior
- Transference Number
- Types of Battery Electrode Reactions
- Discharge Curves and the Gibbs Phase Rule
- Binary and Ternary Electrodes
- Phase Diagrams and Discharge Curves
- Cases: Li-Bi, Li-I2, Li-Sb, Li-Cu-Cl
Components of Batteries
- Insertion and convertible electrode reactions in batteries
- Positive electrodes for Li-ion batteries: (Olivine (LiMPO4), LiMO2, Spinel (LiMn2O4), Sulfur and other materials
- Negative electrodes for Li-ion batteries based on insertion, alloying, conversion and alloying-conversion reactions
- Graphite, Sn, Si, and other metal oxides
- Electrolytes for Li-ion Batteries: Requirements, Organic liquid electrolyte, Dry polymer electrolyte, gel polymer electrolyte, solid electrolytes based on Sulfides and Oxides
Battery Configuration & Fabrication
- Conventional batteries with liquid electrolyte
- Passive Components
- All-Solid-State Batteries and other types
- Batteries Based on Other Chemistries: Sodium-Ion, Zinc-Air, Pb-Acid, Ni-Metal Hydride Batteries, etc.
Supercapacitors
- Supercapacitors and its working principle
- Types of supercapacitors
- Criteria of materials selection for electrodes
- Cycling and performance characteristics
- Difference between battery and supercapacitors
- Hybrid battery/supercapacitor energy storage system
- Prospects and challenges
Thermal Energy Storage
- Solar pond
- Sensible thermal energy storage
- Phase change thermal energy storage,
- Thermal analyses of the storages
- Integration with solar thermal systems
Pumped-hydro Energy Storage
- Basic concepts
- Design and preliminary analyses of pumped-hydro energy storage
- System efficiency calculations
3. Solar Photovoltaics
Introduction to solar cells
- History of solar cells, economics, current status, emerging technologies, and recent developments
- Solar spectrum, the concept of airmass
Basics of semiconductors
- What are semiconductors?
- Origin of bandgap
- Direct and indirect bandgap semiconductors
- Intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors and their properties
Optoelectronic processes in solar cells
- Optical absorption, generation, and recombination in semiconductors
- Charge transport, charge extraction, contacts, continuity equation
P-N junction
- Basics of PN Junction and Band Diagram
- Operation of p-n junction in forward and reverse bias, depletion width
- Drift-diffusion currents, I-V characteristics of P-N junction in Dark and Light
Device characterization of solar cells
- Open circuit voltage, short circuit current, fill factor, efficiency, quantum efficiency, an equivalent circuit of a solar cell, series and shunt resistance, diffusion length, and the effect of recombination processes
- Characterization (I-V testing, solar simulators, EQE, IQE, IPCE, EL, PL imaging etc.)
- Hands-on exposure
Brief overview of different types of solar cells
- First-generation technologies: Primarily Si-based and GaAs + Multijunction
- Second-generation technologies (lowcost):thin films (a Si, CdTe, CIGS)
- Third generation (high efficiency and low cost): Organic and perovskite solar cells
- Multi-junction Cells, BIPV
PV Module Design
- Migration from solar cells to modules to systems,
- BIPV: present status and outlook
PV system design
- Overview of designing a PV system
4. Wind and Hydro Energy
Introduction to wind and hydro energy
- Advantages of green energy
- Potential of green energy worldwide and in India
Fundamentals of wind power
- Overview of wind meteorology
- Wind Data measurements and correlations
- Wind power capture and efficiency in extracting wind power
Wind Turbine Technologies
- Aerodynamics of wind turbines
- Types of wind turbines and applications
- Transmission and power generation systems
Horizontal Axis and Vertical Axis Wind Turbines
- Aerodynamics of HAWT: Momentum methods
- Working principle: Lift Vs Drag based VAWT, Power coefficient
- VAWT Design: Aerofoil choice, geometric, kinematic and dynamic design parameters
- Experimental methods for design and power estimations
Offshore Wind Turbines
- Off-shore Wind Turbines
- Challenges and benefits
Hydro turbines
- Hydrodynamics of hydro turbines
- Safety and Environmental impact
- Mini hydro turbines
Numerical Methodology
- Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics
- Numerical Simulation of Wind/Hydro Turbines
- Impact of atmosphere on turbine performances
5. Hydrogen Energy: Generation, Storage, and Utilization
Introduction
- Overview of a hydrogen-based economy/eco-system and hydrogen energy
- Role of hydrogen in decarbonization
- Essential components of the hydrogen energy ecosystem: production, storage, transportation, and conversion
- National hydrogen mission and other initiatives
Hydrogen Production
- Electrochemical methods:
- Electrolysis, basic electrochemistry, device/system design
- Electrolysis of water/ammonia for hydrogen production
- Thermochemical methods:
- Pyrolysis and gasification processes from renewable sources. Thermodynamics and design.
- Thermochemical splitting of water/ammonia Photochemical
- Water splitting
Hydrogen Storage and Transportation
- Fundamentals of methods for hydrogen storage
- Materials, devices, and protocols for hydrogen storage
- Materials, devices, and protocols for hydrogen transportation
Applications/ Utilization of Hydrogen
- Electrical/Electrochemical: Fuel cells, co-generation, combined heat, and power
- Thermal: Heating, cooling, hydrogen-based power generation cycles
- Chemical: As a chemical reagent in metal refining and other reactions
6. Manufacturing Technologies for Solar Photovoltaics
Introduction
- Introduction to energy harvesting systems such as solar PV
- Introduction to thin films, vacuum science, and technologies
Raw Material Processing
- Refining, processing, and manufacturing of silicon and glass
General Processing Techniques
- Lithography
- Dry etching
- Wet etching
- Vapour deposition (physical and chemical)
- Electroplating
- Oxide growth
- Large-area coatings
Solar Cell Manufacturing
- Crystalline Si ingot growth, slicing of ingots
- Wafer processing
- Diffusion/Ion implantation
- Screen printing of contacts
- Wiring of contacts
- Encapsulation
- Glass cover
- Al frame incorporation
PV Module Manufacturing
- Module circuit design
- Cell packaging
- Heat dissipation
- Module degradation and failure modes
Process Development
- Design of experiments methodologies
- Process monitoring, and control
7. Manufacturing of Batteries and Hydrogen Systems
Introduction
- Introduction to energy conversion and storage systems such as fuel cells, hydrogen systems, batteries, and supercapacitors
- Introduction to thin films, vacuum science, and technologies
Raw Material Processing
- Refining, processing, and manufacturing
General Processing Techniques
- Vapour deposition (physical and chemical)
- Electroplating
- Large-area coatings
Battery Manufacturing
- Batteries: Types, working principle, basic concepts, components
- Devices: Current Trends in Battery Manufacturing, Coin Cells, Pouch Cells and Cylindrical Cells, Conventional Rechargeable Batteries with Liquid Electrolyte, Active & Passive Electrode Components, Electrode Coating, Calendaring and Assembly of Prototype Coin Cell, Assembly of pouch cells, Solid-State Batteries and Metal Air Batteries
Fuel Cell Manufacturing
- Fuel cells: Types, working principle, basic concepts, component
- Proton exchange membrane
- Fuel Cells: Configurations, Fabrication of Electrolyte-supported anode, cathode, membrane
Hydrogen Systems
- Electrolyzers: Working principle, basic concepts, components
Process Development
- Design of experiments methodologies, process monitoring, and control
8. Characterization of Materials
Essentials of materials: structure and composition
- Materials tetrahedron: basic principles
- Basics of crystal structures
- Bonding in materials and materials classes
- Defects in Materials
- Structural forms: Single crystals, polycrystals, and amorphous
- Phases and phase equilibrium
- Effect of composition on phases and correlation with key properties
Structure Determination using X-ray Diffraction
- Fundamentals of diffraction
- X-rays generation
- X-ray diffraction: powder diffraction, phase identification, Scherrer formula, strain, and grain size determination, texture determination
Microstructural and Compositional Characterization
- Fundamentals of Imaging: magnification, resolution, depth of field and depth of focus, aberration, and astigmatism
- Optical microscopy
- Fundamentals of SEM: imaging modes, image contrast, illustrative applications
- Imaging with TEM: Contrast mechanisms, BF, DF, Weak beam DF images
- X-ray spectroscopy (Energy and wavelength dispersive spectroscopy (EDS and WDS), Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA)
- Surface probe microscopy (AFM, STM, and other modes)
Vibrational and Optical Spectroscopic Techniques
- Vibrational Spectroscopy (Raman and FTIR spectroscopy)
- Optical spectroscopy: UV-Vis-NIR and ellipsometer spectroscopy
Thermal Analysis Techniques
- Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)
- Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA)
- Thermogravimetric Analysis
- Dilatometry
9. Energy Systems: Modelling and Analysis
Introduction
- General renewable energy sources (Solar PV, solar thermal, wind, ocean thermal, wave, tidal, geothermal, fuel cell)
- Energy System for power generation and other applications
Energy Economics
- Payback period
- Time value of money
- Cash flow models
- Net present value
Solar Photovoltaic System
- I-V characteristics and maximum power point
- Modelling and system design: stand-alone & grid-connected systems
- Applications: power generation, water pumping, and irrigation
Solar Thermal System
- Basics thermodynamics
- Conservation of mass, momentum, and energy
- Non-concentrating and concentrating systems
- Design of heat exchangers e.g. receiver, condenser, thermal energy storage
- Applications: heating, cooling, and power generation
Wind Energy-based Systems
- Types of wind turbines and generators
- Power in the wind
- Maximum rotor efficiency
- Average power with wind statistics
- Energy generation
Fuel Cells System
- Overview
- Types of fuel cells
- Energy balance in fuel cells
- Integration of fuel cells with co-generation and combined heat and power plants
10. Smart Grid
Smart Grid Technologies
- Smart Grid overview
- Smart Grid architecture & design
- Smart Grid measurement technology
- Smart Grid communication technology
- Smart Grid standards and protocols
- Interoperability & associated standards
Renewable Energy Technologies
- Different types of renewables and their fundamentals
- Modelling of photovoltaics
- Modelling of wind energy conversion systems
- Maximum power point operation of renewable Storage technologies associated with renewables Islanded operation of renewables
- Grid integration challenges of renewables
Microgrids
- Fundamentals and architecture of microgrids
- Types of microgrids
- Hierarchical control of microgrids
- Grid-connected and isolated operation of microgrids
- Power sharing among microgrids
- Technical issues with microgrids and solutions
- Virtual power plants
- Microgrid stability
- Demand response
- ADMS Features
- Real-time simulation and hardware in the loop case studies
11. Electric Vehicle Technologies
Basics of Electric Vehicles
- Introduction
- Comparison between EV & ICEV
- Types of EVs, vehicle fundamentals
- Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV),
- Range extended EVs (REEVs),
- Configurations of EVs,
- Motor drive technologies
- Battery technologies
- Vehicle to grid technologies, and charging technologies
EV Charging
- Classification of EV chargers
- Charger topologies
- Single phase boost PFC – analysis, design, and control Three phase on-board charger
- Bidirectional dual active bridge converter (DAB)
- Fast charging stations
- Vehicle to grid charging
EV Motor Drives
- Induction motor drive
- Brushless DC motor drive
- Permanent magnet synchronous motor drive
- Switched reluctance motor drive
- Synchronous reluctance motor drive
- DC motor drive
12. Autonomous Driving & Industrial Automation
AI, Autonomous driving and Automation
- AI and autonomous driving
- Introduction to autonomous driving
- Historical overview and current state of the field
- Applications and impact on various industries
- Taxonomy of driving
- Driving decisions and actions
- Computing hardware
- Software
- Basics of programming
Sensor Fusion for Perception
- Sensors and computing hardware
- LIDAR sensor
- Sensor data processing and filtering techniques
- Multi-sensor integration and data fusion
- Kalman filtering and estimation
- AI and deep learning methods for perceptual inference in autonomous driving
Motion Planning and Decision Making
- Trajectory generation and path planning
- Collision avoidance and obstacle detection
- Decision-making algorithms
- Rule-based systems
- Path search algorithms
- V2X communication
Industrial Automation Processes
- Overview of industrial automation systems
- Use of perceptual systems
- Robotic manipulators
- Robotic systems for automation