Electrical and Electronic Engineering MEng (Hons)

In this module, you will develop and apply the statistical techniques required for the analysis and modelling of engineering systems.

In the first half of the Semester the module is delivered through a series of lectures, with accompanying seminars, on requisite material, followed in the second half by assessed independent and group work associated with two case studies, assessed either by a PowerPoint or poster presentation.

You will receive on-going formative feedback during seminars in the first half of the semester, with both written and verbal feedback of their assessed work in the second half.

The two statistical modelling case studies will focus on regression analysis and time series, which are commonly required in engineering disciplines.

Outline Syllabus
Mathematical modelling
Modelling techniques, development, appraisal and modification. (20%)

Statistical methods
Generalised linear and non linear models. Curvilinear and non linear regression models. Analysis of variance and linear logistic model. Testing of model suitability. (40%)

Operational research and time series
Time series characteristics. Trends, moving averages and stationarity. Autocorrelation and tests of randomness. Queuing theory and its application. (40%)

Use of appropriate statistical software (e.g. R).

In this module you will consider the current practices and technological advances in the design, control, mathematical modelling, and performance optimisation of modern Wind Energy Conversion Systems. You will gain the necessary knowledge and understanding of the main concepts, methodologies and future developments in this field. The module syllabus includes, but is not limited to, the following topics: wind energy resource; operating principles, characteristics and types of wind turbines; commercial and emerging distributed wind generators; power electronic converter topologies for variable speed systems; turbine aero-dynamics and manufacturing; grid-connected and stand-alone applications; research and development aspects; environmental and social context and issues; regulations and standards; economics, employment opportunities etc.

In this module you will cover the broad topic of Microprocessors and Microcontrollers and how they are used in Embedded Systems. This will involve investigating processor architectures, operating modes and interfacing to peripherals. Examples of structures from current industrial vendors such as ATMEL, ARM, and Microchip will be explored and examined. You will consider the hardware design and development of embedded microcontroller systems, including implementations for controlling both internal and external interfaces and peripherals. Careful examination of Real-Time control issues, interrupts and microcontroller interactions will be analysed. This will allow you to be able to design the necessary hardware for microcontroller-based systems to meet a client’s specification.

To support the implementation of hardware designs software development of Embedded Microcontroller Systems will be employed looking at both low level assembly language/machine code programming through to C programming. The techniques employed will cover code generation procedures, structured programming techniques, reusable library functions and top down/bottom up programming methods.
All these techniques will be applied case studies based upon industrial research activities. Typical applications include:

These will cover areas such as temperature monitoring, algorithmic techniques; message passing systems and communication protocols.

Microcontroller technology has a broad range of applications within industry and research environments. Employing the use of a sophisticated ARM module exposes students to the diverse implementations, of such modules, and provides the key technical skills required by industry essential to modern digital and communication systems.

This module provides you with a working knowledge of the tools, languages and methodologies used in the design and realisation of modern electronic systems.

A central theme of the module will be the use of industry standard Hardware Description Languages, such as Verilog-HDL and its extensions, to capture, at various levels of abstraction, the behaviour and structure of digital, analogue and mixed-signal systems (AMS). Syntax and semantics of digital language will be examined in order to create combinational and sequential building blocks that are compatible with logic synthesis using programmable logic design tools. You will get the opportunity to realise your designs using programmable hardware (CPLD and FPGA) in the workshop.

You will gain experience of System Level Design by learning about, and making use of, an advanced hardware description and verification language such as System Verilog.
The use of simulation, as a means of exploring the complex interactions within a system, will be a central theme of the module.

In addition, design realisation (using Logic Synthesis) and implementation will be used to target programmable logic devices with the digital part of a design.

In Analogue and mixed signal simulation you will develop behavioural models of analogue and mixed-signal components and integrate these into a system model in order to perform verification and exploration of design interactions and trade-offs.

The skills provided by this module are essential academic, practical and professional skills demanded by industry and research for the design of digital and mixed signal systems. This applies both to the general electronic systems but also to communications system development.

In this module, you will learn about the principles of photovoltaic (PV) system, design, operation and application. This will include consideration of the system components and the design and configuration of the solar array, together with examples of stand-alone, grid-connected and space applications. The module will also help you to appreciate the issues relating to the implementation of photovoltaic systems.

The topics within the module syllabus include:
• PV arrays and system components
• Grid connected PV systems, including large scale and building integrated systems
• Stand-alone PV systems and applications
• Concentrator PV systems
• PV arrays for satellite power supply
• Monitoring and performance analysis
• Operation and maintenance, system lifetime, standards and regulations

This module provides you with the opportunity to take an integrated approach to the application of both your specialist and non-specialist knowledge and skills within an industrial or research based project. You will work in a team around a substantial interdisciplinary (e.g. electrical, mechanical and control engineering) project involving the development of a product, from concept to design and fabrication through to critical evaluation and redesign.
This project will provide you with enhanced preparation for professional practice, integrate technical expertise with business, commercial, ethical and social concerns and provide experience of working across engineering disciplines. You will also have the opportunity to develop team leadership attributes.

This module aims to introduce you to the concepts, structure and organisation of wireless communications from a system point of view, thus illustrating the theoretical concepts and their application in practical scenarios. Wireless communication systems including the old analogue as well all digital technologies based on the optical and radio frequencies will be introduced. In addition, You will learn about the fundamental theoretical concepts for both radio and optical based wireless communications.

The module syllabus:

• Communication Regulation: Regulating authorities; standards organisation; frequency spectrum, and power usage

• Radio Communication: System and subsystem specifications for radio based communication including antennas and propagation mechanisms; cellular wireless systems, traffic engineering; noise and interference; noise factor and cascaded systems; wireless channel; link budget calculations; frequency re-use; GSM; multi-path propagation.

• Optical Wireless Communications: Including the concept of indoor optical wireless systems; diffused and line of sight links; optical channel characteristics; noise sources; and optical path link budgets.

• Digital Communication: M-ary modulation and demodulation; coherent and non-coherent systems; signalling space and constellation diagrams; BER performance of different modulation formats; matched filter detection.

• Multiplexing and Multiple Access: TDM, FDM, TDMLA, FDMA and CDMA.

The syllabus will allow you to understand and pursue careers of communication system design and deployment within the telecommunications industry. This module together with other modules such as the high level system design and high level digital / analogue circuit design will give you the skills and expertise required within the telecommunications and computer network industries, as well as preparing you to do further studies in the this and relevant fields.

The module will provide you with the knowledge and skills in system design around two key themes of optical fibre and optical wireless communications. These are essential topics for modern telecommunications and cover advanced optical system designs as well as including industrial standards in both fibre and wireless systems. Optical fibre communications provides the backbone long-haul and medium range telecommunications that offers ultrahigh data transmission capacity whereas optical wireless communications is an emerging technology. This technology enables data transmission, either in the infrared or visible light bands, employing lasers or light emitting diodes (LED) for indoor and short range communications system.

The module syllabus covers the technical analysis of optical fibre and wireless communications both at a system and sub-system level. Performance calculations and design considerations are covered, specifically in the areas of optical transmitters and receivers, Careful examination of performance limiters will be defined and methods to offset them will be explored and analysed for optimum design. These limiters include such effects as modulation, noise, dispersion, modal transmission, multipath effects, diffusion, fog, turbulence, smoke etc.

System performance is developed and explored to maximise the capability of a communication channel covering such aspects as link budgets, multiplexing techniques, BER analysis etc. allowing the performance criteria being characterised to meet a system specification

With these developed skills and knowledge you will be able to undertake the design and analysis of a complex optical communication system, making judicial choices and improvements.

Within this module you will learn some of the key design and development skills needed for analogue electronics. The module will run through a number of fundamental building blocks of circuit design to enable you to design and develop from a high level abstraction in circuit design. The module supports this learning though the use of specific tools mixed in with key design theory along with practical lab based skills for the development and design of analogue circuitry using optimisation techniques.

Computer Aided Design (CAD)
Experimentation based on the use and application of an industry standard CAD package (for example, OrCAD or Mentor Graphics). Use of CAD tools to experiment with a number of circuit structures to derive their function and application inside of an abstract CAD environment.
Components, Bipolar device operation and modelling in association with passive components. The design needs for the layout of components, including some of the key parameters needed for modelling inside a CAD environment.

Analogue Design
Design of fundamental analogue cell structures, including switches, active resistors, current sources and current sinks. The design of current mirrors from basic to more advanced supply voltage independent mirrors, and voltage and current references. Integrated circuit level design of the building blocks of communications, for example, low noise amplifiers, mixers, phase locked loops and oscillators.

This module aims to provide you with thorough understanding and knowledge of existing and new concepts and technologies in electrical power engineering with emphasis on design and industrial applications of power electronics and electric motor drives. You will cover the principles of advanced control techniques as applied to these systems. The module is specifically concerned with the following subjects: power electronics devices and conventional converter topologies; pulse-width-modulation (PWM) techniques; state of the art practical switching power converters; power quality and harmonic analysis of various power conversion systems; power electronics control of renewable energy sources including solar, wind, and fuel-cell energy systems as well as electric and hybrid vehicles; electric machines and drives fundamentals; space-vector theory, control and applications of DC and AC drives; vector and field-oriented control of high performance induction and synchronous motor drives; applications and efficiency of electric drives; regulations, standards and other professional issues.

This module aims to deepen your understanding and ability to study existing electrical power distribution networks and to consider new concepts and technologies for future ‘smart grid’ power networks. Emphasis will be given to the integration of renewable energy resources, electric vehicles, enabling technologies and the quality of supply. The module also covers advanced power electronics controllers and ICT techniques as applied to the smart grid.

This module also gives you the opportunity to critically analyse and develop an understanding of practical design and implementation issues, such as, quality of supply, cost considerations, regulations and standards.

Topics covered will be reinforced by the use of real-world examples and case studies.

In this module students will learn about Strategic Management, Project Management including Project Definition and its links to Project Success through the Management of Risk as well as Planning and Control of projects. Students will learn about management techniques and professional issues associated with relevant industry and society. They will enhance their critical reflection, analysis and other transferable skills which will aid their studies and support their career progression after graduating.

In addition, students will consider the role of ethics in delivering a Business Strategy and in their role as a manager. The Learning and Teaching strategy will engage students with lectures and online resources, much guided and independent reading about theory and practice as well as seminars where they will develop and improve their abilities and skills through reflection, discussion, and argument. The assessment will seek to move students from passive gatherers of knowledge to active participants in management decision making. Through the process they will refine and improve their own approaches to solving management problems in the subject disciplines. Students are required to critically analyse the management environment and to propose solution based on the module theory.