EG1471_ePortfolio_4

Writing a good essay in engineering classes can be a great challenge for many students. An effective and persuasive scientific essay involves the ability of choosing accurate words and organizing skills. Prior to that, reading and understanding skills are also critical as we need to analyze the questions and determine the main points required.

Before we start writing, we need broad understandings on the topics. Not only in MLE but also one of my breadth modules – General Biology, there are a lot of new words being introduced to me. The limited vocabulary that I know prevents me from understanding the syllabus well. During my high school years, I was taught to write good and proper essay using simple words and sentences, but now the words used are deeper in meaning, where the words are so precise that it can only be used in certain situations and conditions. To overcome this problem, I’ll need to spend a lot of time in making my own notes to assist me in memorizing the important words. Besides that, I also need to do research to help me understand better before I write reports.

Furthermore, my weak grammar knowledge causes me to spend a lot of time in writing. I find it time consuming in making sentences with proper grammar. To solve this difficulty, I need to do a lot of exercises especially exercises on answering essay questions. Practice on past year exam paper is critically important, as it gives us a brighter view on how the exam pattern is going to be. Moreover, an approach to the lecturer or tutor when facing problems is also crucial. We must never leave all the doubts and questions until the last minutes before final exam. Therefore, a constant study is vital in order to achieve good results.

Producing a good essay requires hard work and continuous practice. As the saying ‘Practice makes perfect’, I believe that everyone can do well in our engineering course if we study hard!

EG1471_ePortfolio3_Summary

After considering Lai Shan’s comment, I’d made some corrections to improve the summary; I hope this would give a clearer view for you.

Fusion as Energy Provider

Fusion is the power source of the sun. In the sun, energy is released when heavier nuclei are formed through compression by gigantic heat and gravitational pressure. However, such pressure cannot be achieved by the Earthbound reactors, therefore, a temperature higher than the sun’s shall be generated to make up for this pressure deficiency. In this reaction, a small amount of mass is transformed into an enormous sum of energy. The most attracting point to develop this type of energy would be the abundant supply for fusion, deuterium and tritium, on the Earth; nevertheless, engineering community is facing the challenge of producing fusion energy to a commercial proportion in an efficient, economical, and environmental friendly way. Being a highly exothermic reaction, holding the fusion reactants together becomes a challenge to engineers. A project called International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is designed to achieve a higher power level with long pulse of energy on a larger scale. ITER uses magnetic confinement method to hold the fusion fuel, plasma, at its position for a longer period so that fusion can take place. However, there are some obstacles ahead for the reactors to work effectively: the need of material for the wall of the reactor that can hold the attacks from the products of the reaction, Helium and neutrons; the need of materials that can extract heat produced efficiently while prevent structural weakening caused by neutron, and materials that can overcome the radioactive products produced in the reactor; and lastly, to develop better superconducting magnet and vacuum system in the reactors. All these challenges must be met in order to construct a full-scale fusion reactor. Generally, fusion energy produces no risk as the reaction can be easily stopped. In conclusion, fusion’s success as energy provider is crucial as fusion fuels are abundant and it causes less environmental problems.

Source:
National Academy of Engineering. Grand Challenges for Engineering.
http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/9079.aspx

EG1471_ePortfolio_3_Provide energy from fusion

As we are supposed to write a summary of about 300 words from article of around 1000 words, I think the one I have done previously is far more too short, so here I do it again using the article from 14 grand challenges. Anyway, I'm not deleting the previous one as I think for those who are interested in fusion energy, the previous article is the latest news for fusion energy development as ITER has already succeeded in magnetic confinement test on 11 September.

Provide energy from fusion

Fusion is the power source of the sun. In the sun, energy is released when heavier nuclei are formed through compression by gigantic heat and gravitational pressure. However, such pressure cannot be achieved by the Earthbound reactors, therefore, a temperature higher than the sun’s shall be generated to make up for this pressure deficiency. In this reaction, a small amount of mass is transformed into an enormous sum of energy as quantified by Einstein’s equation, E=mc². The supply for fusion, deuterium and tritium, is abundant on Earth; nevertheless, engineering community is facing the challenge of producing fusion energy to a commercial proportion in an efficient, economical, and environmental friendly way. A joint research project, called International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), is designed to achieve a power level of 500 megawatts, being the first fusion experiment to produce long pulse of energy on a significant scale. In ITER, magnetic confinement method is used in a device known as tokamak, where the fuels are injected into and confined in a vacuum chamber and heated to a temperature exceeding 100 million degrees. Under these conditions, the fusion fuels become a vapor form of electrically charge matter known as plasma. ITER will test the ability of confinement and to sustain the plasma under such conditions for fusion to take place. Yet, there are some barriers to making fusion reactors work. Among them are the need of a material that can hold the assaults from the products of the reaction, Helium and neutrons; materials that can extract heat efficiently while surviving the neutron-induced structural weakening for a long period; and lastly materials that can confine the radioactive products produced in the reactor. Generally, fusion energy produces no risk. Fusion’s success as energy provider is crucial as fusion fuels are abundant and they cause less environmental problems.

Source:

National Academy of Engineering. Grand Challenges for Engineering.

http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/9079.aspx