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Why Electrical Engineering

Electrical engineering is an important field because electricity powers and controls many aspects of modern life and technology. Some key points covered in the document include: - Electricity is used for communication technologies like phones, wireless devices, and data transmission. - Electrical engineers develop problem solving skills through circuit problems that require reasoning rather than just formulas. - There is a growing need to develop renewable and sustainable energy alternatives due to issues with non-renewable resources like oil and coal. - Electricity is generated mostly from coal in the US, with natural gas and nuclear also contributing significantly. It is distributed through high voltage power lines and transformers before reaching homes and businesses.

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129 views31 pages

Why Electrical Engineering

Electrical engineering is an important field because electricity powers and controls many aspects of modern life and technology. Some key points covered in the document include: - Electricity is used for communication technologies like phones, wireless devices, and data transmission. - Electrical engineers develop problem solving skills through circuit problems that require reasoning rather than just formulas. - There is a growing need to develop renewable and sustainable energy alternatives due to issues with non-renewable resources like oil and coal. - Electricity is generated mostly from coal in the US, with natural gas and nuclear also contributing significantly. It is distributed through high voltage power lines and transformers before reaching homes and businesses.

Uploaded by

syed42210
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Why Take Electrical Engineering?

Like computer literacy, electrical literacy is very


important to engineering and everyday life
• So many things are powered or
controlled by electricity
• It is used to communicate by
video, wireless, phone or data
• So many physical phenomena are
measured using transducers (devices that convert
between a physical phenomena and an electrical
voltage, current or resistance that is easily
measured and recorded for analysis)
Some Transducers
• Light bulbs, buzzers, alerting devices
• Speed indicators
• Strain gauges
• pH sensors
• Temperature or light sensors
• Flow sensors
• Electric motors
• Sound or movement sensors
Problem Solving
EE 188 also develops
problem-solving and
thinking skills – circuit
problems must be
solved using reasoning
and thought, not just by
plugging into formulas
Energy Crisis
• People are using up cheap, nonrenewable
energy sources such as oil and coal
• Use of oil and coal produces excess carbon
dioxide and global climate change
• 70% of oil is imported
– Dependent on global pricing variations
– Impacts our security
Renewable Alternatives
• Nuclear energy
– Atmospherically clean
– Dangerous
– Nuclear waste problems
• Wind energy
– Clean but unsightly
– Not dependable – needs storage capability
– Not abundant where needed most
Renewable Alternatives
• Solar
– More expensive
– Not dependable – needs storage capability
• Geothermal and Hydroelectric
– Environmentally sensitive
– Limited resources
Transportation Alternatives
• Plug-in electric gasoline hybrids
• Biofueled vehicles
• Natural gas-powered vehicles
• Hydrogen-powered vehicles
• Fuel cell-powered vehicles
Plug-In Electric Hybrids
• Potential Barriers?
Where Does Electricity Come From?
• We buy it from power plants
• We can generate it ourselves
– Diesel or gasoline generators
– Generated in our car
– Generated by home solar or wind power
• We can get it from batteries
• Sometimes we get it when we don’t want it
– Lightning
– Static
What is the main fuel used to
generate electricity in the US?
•  Natural Gas
•  Oil Put a one by the fuel
•  Hydroelectric most used,
a 2 by the next most
•  Nuclear used, etc.
•  Coal
•  Wind, Solar, Biomass and Geothermal
Fuels Used to Generate Electricity
• #1 Coal is used to generate 49% of the
electricity in the U.S.
Fuels Used to Generate Electricity
• #2 Natural gas is used to generate 20% of
the electricity in the U.S.
http://www.power-technology.com/projects/
bethlehem/index.html#bethlehem2
Fuels Used to Generate Electricity
• #3 Nuclear is used to generate 19.4% of the
electricity in the U.S.
http://www.srpnet.com/about/stations/
paloverde.aspx
Fuels Used to Generate Electricity
• #4 Hydroelectric is used to generate 7% of
the electricity in the U.S.
http://www.desertusa.com/gc/gcd/
du_glencandamtour.html
Fuels Used to Generate Electricity

#5 Other Renewables account for 2.4%


•Wind
•Solar
•Biomass
•Geothermal
Wind Power
Solar Photovoltaics

http://
www.aps.com/
my_community/
Solar/Solar_22.html
Solar Parabolic Trough
A trough can focus the sun at 30 to 100 times its normal intensity
to heat liquid in the receiver pipe to over 400 degrees Celsius.
Solar Dish and Engine
A solar dish concentrates the sun at a factor of 2000 achieving
temperatures of 750 C to run an engine which turns a generator.
Fuels Used to Generate Electricity
• #6 Petroleum is used to generate 1.6% of
the electricity in the U.S.
http://www.power-technology.com/projects/
riyadh/index.html#riyadh1
Fuel Usage Pie Chart (2006)
Energy Usage
Electricity Cost Chart (2006)
How does Electricity Get to Us?
• Wires connect the power plants to the users
via the power grid.
• Long distances are covered by wires
carrying hundreds of thousands of volts
– Same power delivered by half the current and
twice the voltage
– Saves money on wire (typically 40mm in
diameter)
– Saves money on losses due to resistance in the
wire
Power Grid
Industrial Power
• Industrial plants use
three phase power
(480v) to run most
large machinery
• They run small
machines, lights,
computers on single
phase power
(120/240v)
Residential and Commercial
• Residential and commercial customers use
single phase power – 120 volts for most
uses or 240 volts for high power appliances
• Transformers are used to
reduce the high voltages
on the power lines to the
lower voltages needed
AC and DC Power
• Most power generated is Alternating Current
(AC) power where the current and voltage
varies sinusoidally with time
• Direct Current (DC) power doesn’t vary with
time
• Most consumer products use both AC and DC
• http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/edison/
sfeature/acdc.html
DC Power
• DC power is used to power electronics
• DC power is easier to store (batteries)
• DC power is used in mobile applications
• DC power is useful when off the power grid
• Inverters convert DC to AC
AC Power
• AC power is easier to distribute
– Higher voltage and smaller current yields same
power distributed
– Transformers make it easy to change voltage
levels so smaller wire can used
• AC is used for most machinery, lights and
appliances
• Power supplies convert AC to DC
Study of Circuits at NAU
• EE 188 – DC circuits and AC circuits when
at steady state
• EE 280 – Transients, frequency response &
both digital and analog electronic circuits
• EE 380 – Linear and nonlinear electronic
circuits, device models and simulation
• EE 480 – Advanced Electronics
• EE 482 – Intro. to VLSI electronics design

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