3.8 (112)
Master's degree in Agricultural Engineering with specialization in Renewable Energy / Farm Machinery and Power Engg. / Processing & Food Engg.
The examination consisting of 120 questions to be attempted in a duration of 2 hrs (120 minutes) will have three parts:
Part A-20 items pertaining to general knowledge in agriculture and allied sciences / reasoning ability + Part B-50 items from core group containing the specialized subject for Ph.D. + Part C-50 items from the specialized subject for Ph.D.
43 RENEWABLE ENERGY ENGINEERING
Unit 1: Biochemical Conversion Technology
Anaerobic digestion - biogas plants - design - operation - utilization - high rate biomethanation process - anaerobic contact process - anaerobic filter - UASB -expanded bed reactor - fluidized bed reactor - sequential bed reactor - landfills. Bioethanol - feedstock - process - utilization - composting - methods - machinery.
Unit 2: Thermo chemical conversion Technology
Thermochemical degradation - Arrhenius Law. Stoichiometric air requirement - Combustion process - design of combustion system - chemistry of combustion - construction - operation - combustion zones - flame structure - stability - emissions. Cofiring of biomass - biorefinery. Incinerators - layout. Biomass gasification - chemistry of gasification - gasifiers design - gas turbine systems - applications - shaft power generation - Gas cleaning & conditioning - thermal application - performance evaluation - economics. Pyrolysis - product recovery - types - biochar - biooil - operation - recovery.
Unit 3: Liquid Biofuels
Global and India scenario in biofuel - potential - options for transport fuel - impacts studies. Biofuel - biofuel crops - production - processes - properties and characteristics. Biodiesel - chemistry - raw materials - availability - preparation - production - trans esterification methods - storage methods - blending options - by-product utilization. Bioethanol production from different biomass substrates - pre-treatment techniques - product recovery systems - blending characteristics. Biofuel versus fossil fuels - Energy balance on liquid biofuels.
Unit 4: Solar Energy Engineering
Solar radiation availability - radiation measurement - transmittance - absorptance - flat plate collectors and concentrating collectors - collector efficiency - heat balance - absorber plate - types - selective surfaces. Design and types of solar driers - heat and mass transfer - performance. - solar thermal power stations - principle and applications. Solar stills and ponds - types - design and performance. Photovoltaics - types - characteristics - load estimation - batteries - invertors - operation - system controls. PV system installations - standalone systems - PV powered water pumping - hybrid system - lifecycle costing - solar technologies in green buildings.
Unit 5: Wind Energy Engineering
Nature of wind - wind structure and measurement - wind power laws - velocity and power duration curves - aero foil - tip speed ratio - dimensionless coefficients -torque and power characteristics - power coefficients - Betz coefficient. Wind tunnel testing - axial momentum theory - momentum theory - blade element theory - strip theory - tip loss factor of HAWT rotors - taxonomy. Wind mill - types - design - materials - loads - subsystems - power curve. Upwind and downwind systems. Stand-alone system - grid system - batteries. Wind energy storage - wind farms - wheeling and banking - testing and certification procedures.
Unit 6: Biochemical and Process Engineering
Hierarchy of cellular organisation - role of microbes and enzymes. Kinetics of enzyme - catalysed reactions - enzyme substrate complex - enzyme action - Simple enzyme kinetics - Michealis - Menten equation. Growth kinetics in growth culture. Kinetics of reversible reactions. Kinetics on substrate utilization - Monod model. Immobilized enzymes - effect of immobilization. Transport phenomena in bioprocess system - gas liquid mass transfer in cellular systems - Oxygen transfer rates - mass transfer. Heat transfer in bioreactors - methods of sterilization of gases and liquids. Ideal bio reactors - multi phase bio reactors - batch, CSTR and plug flow reactors. Stoichiometry and mass balance in bioreactors. Fermentation technology - design and development of fermenters for bioconversion - pilot scale and scale up operations. Product formation and downstream processing. Economics of bioconversion - impact on environment.
Unit 7: Power Generation and Energy Storage
Power generation basis - potential - types - comparison. Diesel and Gas turbine power plant - basic engine components - types - cooling system - lubricating system -combined cycle. Nuclear Power Plant - nuclear waste & its disposal. hydro power plant - classification & selection of turbines - governing mechanisms of turbine - draft tubes - micro hydro power plants. Geothermal power plants - Tidal power plants - wind power plant - solar power plant - direct energy conversion. Energy storage systems - mechanical energy storage - electrical storage - chemical storage - electromagnetic energy storage - thermal energy storage - biological storage.
Unit 8: Energy Auditing and Management
Energy conservation and its importance - energy strategy for the future - energy conservation act and its features. Energy management - principles - energy audit strategy - types - detailed energy audit - steps. Energy performance - bench marking - fuel substitutions - energy audit instruments - material and energy balance. Energy efficiency in thermal utilities - methodology - performance evaluation. Energy audit in electrical utilities methodology - energy conservation opportunities in motors - efficiency - energy efficient motors - energy efficiency in compressed air system. HVAC and refrigeration system - fans and blowers - fan performance - pumps - lighting system - energy auditing and reporting in industries.
Unit 9: Modeling and Project Management in Energy
Model - basics - - types of models. Physical -analogy models and applications. Mathematical models - concepts - types. Methodologies in model development - variables and factors - effect and significance of variables - softwares in model formulation - testing of models. Model studies in renewable energy gadgets and heat transfer applications - moving boundary models. Economics of energy sources - Investment and Cost management in various energy technologies. Energy action planning - project planning - project development in energy technologies - cost economics - financial analysis - sensitivity and risk analysis.