Teaching
2025 Winter
MECHENG 433/AUTO 533 Advanced Energy Solutions (Undergraduate & Graduate)
Instructor: Prof. Jing Tang
Held Weekly: Tuesday & Thursday 10:30-12:00, 133 Chrysler, January 8 - April 22, 2025
Office Hours: After Class or By Appointment via Email
Course Description:
This course provides an introduction to the challenges of power generation for a global society. The course starts with an overview of the current and future demands for energy, the various methods of power generation including fossil fuel, solar, thermal, wind, and nuclear, and the detrimental byproducts associated with these methods. Advanced strategies to improve power densities, reduce pollutant emissions and improve thermal efficiencies, such as advanced combustion cycles, batteries, and fuel cells for stationary and mobile power generation; synthetic and bio-renewable fuels; and reconfiguring power plants are the primary focus of the second half of the course. The material includes an emphasis on specific methods to improve energy efficiencies in the mobile transportation sector such as hybrid vehicles and ultracapacitors. Additional topics include the advantages and technical difficulties associated with a hydrogen economy including production, transport, storage, and application. The emphasis is on the application of thermodynamic analysis to understand the basic operating principles and the inherent limitations of the technologies considered.
Credits: 3
Prerequisite
MECHENG 235 Thermodynamics
2024 Fall
MECHENG 599 - Principles, Materials, Manufacturing, and Devices of Batteries (Graduate & Undergraduate)
Curriculum Developer and Instructor: Prof. Jing Tang
Developed MECHENG 599: Principles, Materials, Manufacturing, and Devices of Batteries, a university-wide undergraduate and graduate course at the University of Michigan. Established an innovative educational platform that integrates fundamental knowledge, pilot-scale projects, professional skills training, and career development in battery chemistries, materials, and manufacturing, and electrochemistry.
Held Weekly: Tuesday & Thursday 9-10: 30 AM, 2166 Dow Engineering Building
Office Hours: After Class or By Appointment via Email
This comprehensive course is designed to give students an in-depth understanding of various aspects of batteries, encompassing manufacturing processes. Beginning with exploring thermodynamics and electrochemistry, the course emphasizes lithium-ion batteries, which play a pivotal role in modern energy storage systems. It covers a broad spectrum of battery types, including lead-acid, nickel-metal hydride, metal-air, sodium-sulfur, and redox flow batteries, ensuring a well-rounded comprehension of battery technology. Throughout the course, students will learn about essential components such as electrode materials, electrolytes, separators, additives, and the intricate electrode-electrolyte interface. Furthermore, the curriculum thoroughly examines advanced electrochemical techniques, the incorporation of nanotechnology in battery materials, and the structural design of battery devices, providing students with a comprehensive understanding of battery systems, including their manufacturing processes. Given the increasing interest in lithium-ion (Li-ion) technology, the course addresses fundamental electrochemistry and materials science principles and offers insights into battery pack designs and performance characteristics. Moreover, it fosters discussions on innovative strategies to advance Li battery technology, preparing students to confront emerging challenges in the field. Ultimately, this course aims to equip students interested in battery research, development, and integration into electric vehicles (EVs) and various other applications with the knowledge and skills to effectively navigate this dynamic and rapidly evolving field. By offering a solid foundation in principles, materials, manufacturing, and devices of batteries, this course empowers students to make meaningful contributions to advancing energy storage technologies and their applications across diverse industries.
2024 Winter
MECHENG 395 Laboratory I [Syllabus] : Teaching Team, Profs. Volker Sick, Chris Vermillion, Jing Tang and Clay Walker (Undergraduate)
Held Weekly: Monday 1:30-3 PM, Friday 1:30-3 PM, 1013 Dow Engineering Building
Office Hours: Tuesday 11-12 PM, Wednesday 4 PM -6 PM, Thursday 4: 00-6 PM & By Appointment (In person, 3458 GG Brown)
MECHENG 395 Instructors Meeting: Monday 9-10 AM, 2351 GG Brown
COURSE TOPICS
1. Laboratory safety and procedures
2. Measurements and error analysis
3. Tensile tests, fracture, and yield of materials
4. Analysis of a thermodynamic cycle
5. System identification and control
6. Flow measurement and performance of a turbomachine
7. Wind tunnel measurements
8. Dimensional analysis
BULLETIN DESCRIPTION
Weekly lectures and experiments designed to introduce the student to the basics of experimentation, instrumentation, data collection and analysis, error analysis, and reporting.
Topics will include fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, mechanics, materials, and dynamical systems. Emphasis is placed on report writing and team-building skills.
Course Philosophy
The structure, content, and grading schemes in MECHENG 395
Expose students to a wide variety of experimental techniques in mechanical engineering,
Teach students how to deal with uncertainty in mechanical engineering,
Demonstrate and reinforce major concepts of mechanical engineering science,
Teach students effective written and oral methods of technical communication,
Understand and practice working and communicating in diverse teams, and
Ensure that students can complete laboratory tasks and generate comprehensive reports in teams.
To achieve these goals, students are given the opportunity to work on teams that perform experiments, analyze the measurements, and communicate the results clearly. These opportunities are supported by the use of technical scenarios that put the laboratory and communication task in an engineering context. In addition, faculty from the Technical Communications Program are fully included in both the instruction and grading of the course.