Sustainable development | M0024T

In this course, students from the mechanical engineering and sustainable energy engineering programs collaborate with companies to find solutions to technological challenges with a focus on sustainable development.

The aim of the course is for the students to work with a problem that is of the "open ended" type, i.e. where there is no right answer but the students must evaluate their solution in an engineering way. The work is carried out in project form and they will develop skills in product development, calculation and analysis, and oral and written communication.

Project tasks may involve developing a solution to a challenge in an existing product, developing a completely new product or conducting a system analysis. The students' competence profiles are a mix of mechanical as well as energy engineering subjects, which creates interdisciplinary project teams that can take on complex tasks.

Expected results

Resource: 1200 person hours per group of 6 to 8 students at the end of the third year of the Mechanical Engineering and Sustainable Energy Engineering programs. Supervision by different experts within LTU

Period: late March to late May

Deliverables from the project:

• Prototype/demonstrator
• Technical report
• Presentation material

Implementation

• Act as an external client/client for the students
• Formulate questions based on current needs
• Provide a contact person that the students can turn to with questions and act as a sounding board during the project.
• If a more advanced prototype is to be built, industrial partners usually sponsor e.g. materials, manufacturing costs, etc.

Commitment

Teachers and companies examine whether a suitable assignment can be formulated. Students and companies are then responsible for further defining the assignment. Teachers guide the students in the work, which is carried out at Luleå University of Technology. The students collect information through study visits to the company and through other contact with the company. The assignment ends with a written report and oral presentation at the university and at the company if desired.

Examples

Development of planting machine for new forest regeneration method - Landpuck system which is a new method for forest regeneration. The method has been developed and verified in the field for more than 10 years. So far, planting has been carried out manually with planting tubes. It is now time for the next step and develop a mechanized planting of Landpucks.
Project task: Develop a proposal for a planting machine for planting Landpucks and verify the idea with a simplified test bench.

Development and production of a sustainable, environmentally friendly and flexible energy system for residential properties. Sustainable use of energy in buildings is a prerequisite for reducing our carbon footprint. As part of this work, the EU is continuously working to tighten the requirements for energy use in residential buildings. In recent years, requirements have become stricter regarding heating, ventilation and comfort cooling. A new decision is expected by the EU on new energy management rules that will enter into force on July 1, 2020. The Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning will then make its decision and expects the change and the building regulation to take three to four months. Project task: Nordic Värmesystem therefore wants help in developing a total solution for the villa industry.

• Course plan External link, opens in new window.

Expression of interest

• Register your project suggestion here External link, opens in new window.
  (Opens in Swedish)