MAEG 4080: Introduction to Combustion

2nd Term 20162017

Instructor:
Prof. Wei Ren, ERB 319, Tel: 3943 9486, renwei@mae.cuhk.edu.hk

Tutors:
Liuhao Ma, SHB 506, Tel: 3943 8487, lhma@mae.cuhk.edu.hk
Junjun Wu, SHB 506, Tel: 3943 8487, jjwu@mae.cuhk.edu.hk
Bin Yang, TBA

Lecture Time & Venue:

Wednesday 12:30 1:15 pm (Lady Shaw Bldg LT3)
Friday 9:30 11:15 am (Mong Man Wai Bldg 703)

Office Hours:
RW: Wed. 5 6 pm; MLH, WJJ, YB: TBA.
Tutorials will be held so that more concepts not discussed in class and example
problems can be presented. The regular tutorial time will be determined.

Textbook:
(1) An introduction to Combustion: Concepts and Applications, by Stephen R. Turns,
3rd edition, McGraw-Hill (2011).
References
(2) Principles of Combustion, by Kenneth Kuan-yun Kuo, 2nd edition, JohnWiley
(2012).
(3) Course lecture notes. Course lecture notes will be posted to the course website
(https://elearn.cuhk.edu.hk).
(4) Elements of Propulsion: Gas Turbines and Rockets, by Jack D. Mattingly, 2nd
Edition, AIAA (2006).

Course Description:
Combustion and its control are essential to our daily life and more than 80% of the
energy used nowadays is from combustion sources. MAEG 4080 is meant as an
introductory course for CUHK undergraduate students interested in the
fundamentals of combustion science. This course starts with the basic principles that
govern combustion phenomena such as conservation of mass, the first and second
laws of thermodynamics, and the momentum principle. Then students will learn the
new applications of these basic principles to account for the chemical transformations.
We will discuss the basic concepts of chemical kinetics and the forms of reaction rate
laws that apply in combustion processes, as well as mass transport phenomena.

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These laws will be applied to a variety of combustion phenomena, including
spontaneous ignition of combustible mixtures and pollutant formation.

Course Objectives and Expected Learning Outcomes:

This course aims not only to impart the fundamental knowledge of combustion
science and technologies, but also to build skills in analysis, critical thinking, and
problem solving that required for the engagement with this area. Along with the
learning objectives, students completing this course will have:
1) An ability to use the principles of thermochemistry, fluid dynamics, and
chemical kinetics to understand the basic combustion process;
2) An ability to calculate flame temperature for an idealized fuel-air mixture;
3) An ability to understand qualitatively how non-ideal factors affect flame
temperature;
4) An ability to analyze the difference between typical combustion processes
including laminar premixed flames, turbulent premixed flames, homogeneous
reaction (knock) and non-premixed spray or droplet flames;
5) An ability to understand the difference between the basic types of internal
combustion engines;
6) An ability to analyze an ideal engine cycle using thermodynamic diagrams;
7) An ability to analyze the system performance of ideal Otto, Diesel and Brayton
thermodynamic cycles;
8) An ability to analyze how CO, NO, unburned hydrocarbons and soot emissions
are formed in engines and solutions to minimize them.

Grading: The course grade will be determined as follows:

Homework 30%
Midterm exam 40%
Course project 30%

Homework:
Homework assignments help you build skills that will be tested in the exams. There
will be three homework assignments in this course (check Course Schedule for
details). Late homework will be subject to an 80% penalty per day and no credit will
be given after three days. No exceptions will be given without a reasonable note.

Exam:
There is one in-class midterm exam (check Course Schedule). The exam is closed book
and closed lecture slides, but one A4 paper is allowed with your own hand writings.
No make-up exam is allowed unless approval by the instructor.

Course project:
The course project is a critical component of the course, and will be conducted in
groups of 34 students. It gives students an opportunity to apply what they have
learned to a specific problem of combustion energy system. Each team will be

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assigned a technology topic or come up with their own topics. The group can choose
to submit a written project report (due on Apr. 21) or to do an oral presentation in the
last week. Students need to be grouped and decide whether to choose written report
or oral presentation in the fourth week of this semester (after class Add/Drop period).

Academic Honesty:
Students are expected to conform to the highest standards of honesty and integrity.
Students are encouraged to discuss course material and work together in the
preliminary stages of individual homework assignments, but the final work must
reflect their originality and individual efforts. Plagiarism is considered a disciplinary
offence which can result in reduced grades, failed subjects and suspension from the
university. For further details, please refer to Honesty in Academic Work: A Guide
for Students and Teachers (http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty).

Course Schedule:
Week Date Topic Reading HW Due
Date
1 Jan. 11 & 13 Introduction; 1st law analysis of reacting systems. T-1 & 2
2 Jan. 18 & 20 Estimation of thermochemical properties; T-2
2nd law analysis of reacting systems.
3 Jan. 25 Element potential method. T-2
& Jan. 27 No lecture (Lunar New Year)
4 Feb. 1 No lecture (Lunar New Year)
& Feb. 3 Chemical kinetics theory. T-4 HW1
5 Feb. 8 & 10 Reaction rate expressions; unimolecular reactions, T-4
chain reactions, and chain branching explosiions.
6 Feb. 15 Steady state and partial equilibrium T-4
approximation.
& 17 HW2
7 Feb. 22 & 24 Explosion limits and ignition delay. T-5
8 Mar. 1 & 3 Introduction to diffusion. T-3 & 7
Transport coefficient; Diffusion velocity, and
binary diffusion.
9 Mar. 8 Shvab-Zeldovich equations; 1D combustion waves. T-7
& 10 HW3
10 Mar. 15 & 17 Premixed laminar flames. T-8
11 Mar. 22 Laminar diffusion flames. T-8 & 9
& 24 Midterm-term exam
12 Mar. 29 & 31 Internal combustion engines. TBA
13 Apr. 5 & 7 Combustion emissions. T-15

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 14 Apr. 12 Propulsion systems. TBA
& Apr. 14 No lecture (Easter)
15 Apr. 19 & Propulsion systems. TBA
21 Course presentation

T = Textbook.