SAFIANTS, Sergei & KONSTANTINOV, George
58 Artema, Donetsk 340000, Ukraine, Donetsk State Technical University, cem@cem.fizmet.dgtu.donetsk.ua, www.dgtu.donetsk.ua
Abstract: Over the last years it becomes clear urgent need in perfection of the curricula with consideration of the country motion towards free-market economy model. We are carrying out permanent renovation of materials on the management and marketing bases; on the modern trends in the domestic Power Industry, namely: decreasing of the average unit capacities, conversion of the gas and oil fired steam generators into coal fired, more and more strict environmental pollution limitations, etc. Prosecution develops, in particular, in direction of saturation of 'old' and 'new' disciplines by data on energy saving and environmentally friendly technologies, on newest management methods and processes parameters control. One of most vivid examples demonstrating tendency of changing curricula is the current introduction of course "Energy Management". New and revised courses, such as "Energy Management", "Alternative Energy Sources", "Testing and Reliability of Heat Power Installations", "Intensification of Heat and Mass Transfer Processes ", "Protection of an Environment in a Power Systems", "Organization, Planning and Management in a Power Systems" allow to form the experts ready to work in new conditions, and capable to supervise over conversions occurring in power sector of economy.
Keywords: education, power, curriculum, revising
After disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991 independent Ukraine has selected the path of the development directed to socially oriented market economy. The pace of conversions is not so high, as it would be desirable, however common tendency is not subject to doubt, and return to the old system with the rigid centralized planning and resource distribution is impossible.
This transition period is complicated by severe crisis in all branches of industry, including its power sector, brings up new in principle requirements to preparation of the specialists in the branch of the power and heat engineering.
Since 1971 the "Industrial Heat and Power Engineering" faculty of (DonSTU) trains engineers in the field of Heat Engineering and Energy Saving and since 1994 - in the field of Steam Power Plants too. Total annual admission of the students is about 80 persons. In accordance with current reform of higher education system in Ukraine, since 1998 our students may graduate with degree of Bachelor, Specialist or Master of Heat and Power Engineering.
Great experience accumulated by our chair allows us to train highly skilled specialists [1]. That is confirmed by the testimonials obtained from employers of our former students, and results of State attestations and accreditation carried out by Education Ministry of Ukraine during last year. Our specialties had been conferred the fourth, highest level of accreditation
However it is necessary to mark, that the educational process in many respects is still based on the principles of the obsolete totalitarian model of economy. In that time the schedules of higher organs realized in developments of the largest research and design institutes was gospel truth for students and teachers. The extensive path of progressing of a power engineering with centralized heat and power supply, building of super-powerful generating units was envisioned mainly. The critical approach to tendered developments was not encouraged.
However over the last years it becomes clear urgent need in perfection of the curricula with consideration of the country motion towards free-market economy model.. For instance, we are carrying out permanent renovation of materials on the management and marketing bases; on the modern trends in the domestic Power Industry, namely: decreasing of the average unit capacities, conversion of the gas and oil fired steam generators into coal fired, more and more strict environmental pollution limitations, etc.
Prosecution develops, in particular, in direction of saturation of 'old' and 'new' disciplines by data on energy saving and environmentally friendly technologies, on newest management methods and processes parameters control. One of most vivid examples demonstrating tendency of changing curricula is the current introduction of course "Energy Management".
The industry of Ukraine, including its power sector, is in a state of crisis for a number of years. Unfortunately, at the expense of an own mining our country can cover only 10-15 % of need for natural gas, 20-25 % for oil, and only for coal the complete self-support is possible. The employment of expensive import fuel aggravates competitiveness of the Ukrainian goods in the world market. Lowering of overall production of energy carriers, cutting of solvent demand leads to decreasing of the investments in new construction and modernization of machinery. In result the specific consumption of energy on unit of released product considerably exceed appropriate average values in the countries of European Economic Community.
It is quite interesting that situation at the West is strictly reversed: one can read in the well-known book of Paul O'Callaghan [2]: The demand for energy, the consumption of fossil fuels and the concomitant release of pollutants continues relentlessly. In the industrialised world, the requirement for high rates of employment demands high rates of consumption of energy and raw materials. As a result, prices of fuels and electricity remain at artificially low levels, encouraging even greater demands.
At the same time it is known, that the methods of Energy Management frequently allow to gain significant effect by introduction of very cheap or even free measures. Therefore industry feels acute need for the experts in the field of power engineering having a deepened preparation in the given direction.
The analysis of the educational schedules of higher educational institutions of east Ukraine displays, that as one-piece Energy Management is not taught, the retraining of the experts in the given direction is not carried on.
Now basic principles and methods of Energy management are taught to the students while reading courses "Engineering Thermodynamics", "Theory of Heat and Mass Transfer", "Boiler Installations", "Designing, Mounting and Maintenance of Power Installations" and some others, about 30 hours of studies in total. We plan to introduce obligatory teaching of discipline "Energy management " during fourth year, approximately 36 hours of the lectures, 18 hours of practical studies and 18 hours of laboratory training.
It is necessary to mark that a number of the teachers of our faculty are members of the staff of the Energy Management Centre attached to DonSTU. Main functions of this Centre are: training in the field of energy management for specialists of enterprises and institutions; energy audit and giving out recommendations on energy saving and new technologies; advertising, marketing and information; dealer work; participation in the energy market and rendering of legal and technical assistance in mutual payments for energy carriers; organisation of conferences and business meetings. Centre uses material resources and enlists leading scientists and teachers of DonSTU including 10 Doctors of Sciences. In turn, technical aid of the Centre allows us to use in the education process the set of modern instruments that is enough for any energy audit including Combustion Analyser QUINTOX, Ultrasonic Liquid Flow Meter PORTAFLOW, Electro Consumption Analyser CIRCUTOR data collection device "Squirrel 1003" and the others.
Such instruments and experience, accumulated by Centre, rise efficiency of the educational process, that allow to carry out practical and laboratory training for our students on Energy Management problems.
At a current stage of work we are trying to compare our home-made materials and schedules with modern scientific-and-methodical level reached in the given direction in the leading university centers of the West. Within the framework of the program of Regional academic partnership which is carried out together with the Portsmouth University (Great Britain) under aegis of the European Economical Council, in particular, development of the educational unit of discipline "Energy Management" is envisioned.
The course, introduced last year, "Alternative Energy Sources", is acquainting students with such extremely perspective for Ukraine, but not developed at all branches, as wind, geothermal and solar power systems. Fossil fuels supply a very high percentage of the world's energy needs at present, but there are two main reasons why alternative sources of energy are required for the future: first, the production of gases such as carbon dioxide is causing a worsening of the greenhouse effect, and there is a general risk to the ecosystem from the other gaseous products of combustion; secondly, the earth's supply of fossil fuel is finite.
The present system of power production from fossil or nuclear fuels is highly developed and there is a high potential energy from a given mass of fuel. In a hydroelectric scheme for example, the equivalent mass of water required for the same energy output requires a very large-scale structure to store and handle the water. Collection, storage, and distribution are other factors to be taken into account.
For example, a joint project by German companies built Growian near Marne in 1982 on the North Sea coast which has a 3 MW output. The tower is 100 m high with two blades 50 m long, 5.2 m at the root, and 1.3 m at the top. It generates 6.3 kV at 50 Hz for a speed of 1500 rev/min with wind speed from 6.3 to 24 m/s (nominal speed 12 m/s) [3]. Conditions at the shores of Black and Azov seas in Ukraine is quite similar.
New course "Testing and Reliability of Heat Power Installations" is directed to form the critical approach to machinery, tendered by the manufacturers, skilled in independent defining of its characteristics.
The course "Intensification of Heat and Mass Transfer Processes", allows the student familiar with the theory of Heat and Mass Transfer, to master methods of sharp rise of an overall efficiency of existing and designed aggregates, in particular, such questions, as strife with burn-out in the steam generators, finning of the surfaces, etc.
The course "Protection of an Environment in a Power Systems" was exposed to multifold revising. Now it includes the requirements of the new legislation of Ukraine, modern methods and instruments of control of environmental pollution and ways of strife with them.
The discipline "Organization, Planning and Management in a Power Systems" is transition and in further will be replaced by above mentioned course "Energy management".
Thus, the system of training of heat and power engineering students in DonSTU tries to follow changes occurring in economy of Ukraine.
Above mentioned courses, such as "Energy Management", "Alternative Energy Sources", "Testing and Reliability of Heat Power Installations", "Intensification of Heat and Mass Transfer Processes ", "Protection of an Environment in a Power Systems", "Organization, Planning and Management in a Power Systems" allow to form the experts ready to work in new conditions, and capable to supervise over conversions occurring in power sector of economy.
Essential components of training of the expert are solid fundamental, language and computer training, that allows our graduates to work successfully in Ukraine, and abroad.