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Electronic and Electrical Engineering MSc

Chelmsford

Whole course

Sustainable Environmental Design and Engineering Management Systems (15 credits)

This module is led by a multidisciplinary investigative project. Weekly topics are introduced to provide ideas to the teams for your research and study. The case study involves the production and presentation of a case study-based research and investigation of a ‘sustainable design and management’ scenario. Each team will demonstrate a proposed management plan for designing an innovative engineering solution to the sustainability design problem, considering the societal, user, business, and customer needs and requirements for health and safety, diversity, inclusion, cultural, environmental, commercial, and code of conduct. The weekly lectures will provide you with a conceptual foundation across several disciplines, including engineering management systems, green energy systems, sustainable environmental design and development, behavioural changes, and policies. The module also addresses topics unique to energy technologies, such as Smart Grid, interfacing, and design issues. This module will introduce you to basic sustainable technologies, ranging from traditional topologies to modern renewable energy-based systems, including energy storage systems such as fuel cells. Hybrid electrical vehicle principles are also briefly introduced. The module builds a smooth transition from background material to more complex systems and applications, in the modern context of sustainability and will further develop a critical awareness and understanding of engineering operating systems including production, manufacturing, planning and plant resources required for a business to operate efficiently and reliably satisfy customers' needs and including requirements for health and safety, diversity, inclusion, cultural, environmental, commercial, and code of conduct while staying true to their sustainability strategy. The module will further provide you with an in-depth study of the operating systems used in complex technical organisations to identify good practices and the tools and techniques to systematically develop and improve the efficiency of such systems, including the use of discrete event simulation. For the assignment and in the development of your case study, you'll exercise your analytical thinking and show your understanding of different roles within a sustainability and engineering management team and you'll demonstrate your aptitude to exercise initiative and personal responsibility, which may be as a team member or leader.

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Digital Systems Design with VHDL and FPGAs (30 credits)

Review Digital Systems as well as their design philosophy in light of using modern Electronic Computer Aided Design (ECAD) tools for design, simulation and implementation of complex electronic circuits. We will introduce you to the modern top-down approach to VLSI circuit analysis, design and implementation techniques, aiming to shorten the design cycle and to manage an increased complexity. Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) will also be reviewed. We will present VHDL (Very High Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware Description Language), a hardware description language largely used for holistic modelling of electronic systems and Integrated Circuit (IC) design, and discuss its syntax in detail, followed by practical design examples based on FPGA implementation. Every practising electronics engineer needs to have a strong working knowledge of VHDL design. Together with FPGAs, these two components of an electronics engineer's training are essential in order to design microelectronic systems largely based on this technology.

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Power Conversion Systems (15 credits)

This module builds on previous knowledge from electronic principles and power electronics. It provides a conceptual foundation across several disciplines, including electronic devices and circuits, signals and systems, power converters control and some renewable energy systems. The module also addresses topics unique to energy technologies, such as power quality and design issues. Waveform and mathematical analysis are treated as an integral part of the analysis and design of the electronic / electrical circuits. This module introduces basic power system technologies, ranging from traditional topologies to some modern renewable energy based systems. The module builds a smooth transition from basic principles to more complex devices, topologies and applications. The module content is delivered through a combination of lectures and tutorials.

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Industrial Process Control (15 credits)

This module aims to provide you with a thorough introduction to key concepts underlying advanced topics in control of industrial systems analysis and design. Conventional engineering and industrial applications and examples are provided emphasising particular differences in the design procedure. The weekly lectures and tutorials deliver a comprehensive insight into current industrial control technology and practices, including Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Distributed Control System (DCS) systems. Subjects include discrete event system control, programming pneumatics PLCs, and an introduction to manipulator theory and practice.

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Advanced Digital Signal Processing (30 credits)

DSP is an integral part of electronics systems design. Ranging from medical systems to mobile technology, DSP algorithms are in implemented in a variety of ways. This module will build on your prior knowledge of the subject and provide a solid working foundation to perform future design and development. In order to enhance your understanding of the subject, you will expected to work through a set of programming exercises (using both C and assembly language) and implement the programs on suitable evaluation modules (EVMs) hosting a commercial DSP device. ARM Technology, which is based in Cambridge, is a major player in the design of microelectronics components. A strong working knowledge of their products, design tools and development programme strategies, forms a fitting component in the education of every electronics engineer at Master's level. You will work through a set of exercises using ARM development tools.

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Sensing and Sensors Fusion (15 credits)

The module aims to provide you with a comprehensive knowledge of different types of sensors and their relevance for the control systems and the architectures for the fusion of information coming from the plethora of sensors available. It aims to systematically analyse industry motivations, legislations, roadmaps and customer requirements. Key parameters to critically compare different sensors are discussed, and issues related to sensor limitations and different performances are evaluated with an emphasis on system architecture and control. Topics are introduced from a practical viewpoint thus allowing you to be able to critically evaluate key design parameters and independently apply the learning to a wide range of practical electronic sensors and systems deployed to achieve smartly connected and autonomous systems.

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Engineering Major Project (60 credits)

This module supports you as you prepare and submit a Masters-stage project, dissertation or artefact. It's an opportunity to select and explore in-depth a topic of interest and relevance to your course - and to gain a significant level of expertise. Through this module you will: demonstrate your ability to generate significant and meaningful questions in relation to your specialism; undertake independent research using appropriate, recognised methods based on current theoretical research knowledge; critically understand method and its relationship to knowledge; develop a critical understanding of current knowledge in relation to a chosen subject, and critically analyse and evaluate information and data, which may be complex or contradictory, and draw meaningful and justifiable conclusions; develop the capability to expand or redefine existing knowledge; to develop new approaches to changing situations and/or develop new approaches to changing situations and contribute to the development of best practice; demonstrate an awareness of and to develop solutions to ethical dilemmas likely to arise in your research or professional practice; communicate these processes in a clear and elegant fashion; evaluate your work from the perspective of an autonomous, reflective learner.

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