School: Engineering

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Introduction to Energy and Resource Engineering
  • Unit Code

    ENS1180
  • Year

    2025
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    3
  • Credit Points

    15
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
  • Unit Coordinator

    Dr Yujie YUAN

Description

This unit provides an introduction to the concepts of energy and resources, including resource estimation and extraction, and the conversion and use of energy resources for supporting domestic, commercial and industrial needs. The unit covers principles of sustainable energy and resource use, energy sources, resource extraction and energy conversion, transmission and utilisation; and the associated economic costs and benefits, and environmental impacts. The design of simple energy systems is introduced together with their all-of-life costs and benefits using computer-based modelling tools.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Describe methods for resource estimation, energy and mineral resource extraction and critically reflect on the current geological, environmental, and sustainability factors along with potential future challenges.
  2. Explain the principles of energy conservation and conversion and their relation to energy efficiency, including environmental and sustainability aspects.
  3. Calculate the efficiency and efficacy of energy production and conversion processes and discuss how these relate to sustainable engineering practice.
  4. Apply software tools to model designs for simple energy systems and produce all-of-life cost analyses including environmental impacts.
  5. Demonstrate effective team work to conduct, compile and orally present an energy system design project.

Unit Content

  1. Energy and resources – energy resources vs mineral resources; exploration; resource estimation and modelling; feasibility studies.
  2. Fossil fuels – formation/origins; efficiency and efficacy; environmental impacts; petroleum economics.
  3. Rocks, Minerals and Minerology – mineral resources; chemical and physical properties of minerals; overview of the main rock forming minerals.
  4. Petroleum geology – geologic history of the Earth; rocks and formations; sedimentary basins and traps; hydrocarbon reservoirs; recovery factor.
  5. Energy in society – definitions; types of energy; measurement; work and power; uses of energy; energy conversions and cycles; economics of energy; environmental impacts.
  6. Energy conservation and conversion – conservation of energy; first law of thermodynamics; conversion of energy and quality of energy; second law of thermodynamics.
  7. Renewable energy resources – solar, wind, geothermal, tidal, hydro, biomass; capture and conversion; efficiency and efficacy; environmental impacts.
  8. Energy life cycle analysis – energy life cycle; economic assessment; environmental assessment; modelling.
  9. Future of energy – global oil and gas production and consumption; resources and reserves; Goldilocks policy for energy transition; new technologies: storage, conversion, consumption, economics, environmental constraints.

Learning Experience

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

JoondalupMount LawleySouth West (Bunbury)
Semester 213 x 2 hour lectureNot OfferedNot Offered
Semester 213 x 1 hour tutorialNot OfferedNot Offered

For more information see the Semester Timetable

Additional Learning Experience Information

This unit will be delivered in a project-based mode, with lecture content supplemented by ongoing group based project activities to support active knowledge and skill development.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
PresentationProject Poster Presentation15%
Reflective PracticeFuture of Energy Sources 20%
TestMid-semester test15%
ProjectGroup-based Project Proposal20%
ProjectGroup-based developed project design and report30%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Assessment

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. Informal vivas may be conducted as part of an assessment task, where staff require further information to confirm the learning outcomes have been met. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work as well as any generative artificial intelligence tools that may have been used. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people or generative artificial intelligence tools, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

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