Postgraduate Diploma in Power Plant Engineering

Purpose

The purpose of this qualification is to strengthen and deepen working professionals' technical knowledge in the multi-disciplinary profession of Power Plant Engineering and to hone their ability to provide effective leadership in a technical environment. This qualification will expose qualified learners to the current best international practice in power plant engineering and a high level of theoretical engagement and intellectual independence will be fostered, thus equipping them with skills to deal will complex technical and organisational challenges in an efficient and creative way. Furthermore, they will be enabled to relate their knowledge to a range of economic, industrial, ethical, social, environmental factors and value systems in power generation and propose responsible and effective solutions to questions that might arise from these factors and values.

Rationale

The Postgraduate Diploma in Power Plant Engineering is designed to provide learners with knowledge of power plant engineering and equip them with skills that will enable them to engage in solving related problems. An acute awareness of the power generation crisis that South Africa is currently experiencing exists within government, industry and the general population. The Postgraduate qualification in power plant engineering has the following objectives:

• To provide growth and development opportunities for Eskom Engineers, Scientists and Technologists.
• To further develop high level specialist skills required to deal with Eskom's specific technical challenges.
• To build on similar best practices that exist internationally.
• To offer flexible modes of attendance allowing candidates to construct their own personalised development path with modules selected from different institutions.

This Eskom initiative is to be seen against the backdrop of an already existing collaboration between the Institution's Department of Mechanical Engineering and Eskom. The Department currently hosts two Eskom sponsored Specialization Centres, one in Energy Efficiency and the other in Material Science. These centres are tasked with human capital development and research in their specific specialisation areas.

The higher education sector is therefore well placed to contribute towards the elevation of skill levels within the energy sector. It is anticipated that a purposeful attempt by the higher education sector to provide energy sector related educational programmes will bolster the country's ability to overcome our crippling power generation difficulties and it would be favourably viewed by government, which could strengthen relationships between government and higher education.

This qualification would also be attractive to companies servicing the energy sector and it is likely that they would be interested in sending their employees to enrol.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

To apply for RPL, a learner must have the following

• Five years of relevant work experience. Examples include, but are not limited to, work as a Technical Specialist or Engineer who is working on technical projects, Powerplant Engineer, Maintenance Engineer. Applicants with work experience that does not include substantial technical work (for example, a purely management role) would be unlikely to be able to demonstrate sufficient competency.
• A portfolio of work to demonstrate that the work meets the requirements for competencies in a relevant subject area (either Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, Mathematics or Applied Mathematics) at Level 7.

The above will be assessed for credits or for admission to the qualification.

Entry Requirements

• The minimum entry to this qualification is a three (3) year Bachelor's Degree or a cognate qualification such as Bachelor of Science in Engineering), Bachelor of Engineering, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Technology.

Or

• An appropriate Advanced Diploma.

This qualification comprises both compulsory and elective modules at level 8 totalling 120 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, 90 Credits

• Overview of the Power Plant Industry, 15 Credits.
• Power Plant Systems Analysis, 15 Credits.
• Leadership in a Technical Environment, 15 Credits.
• Systems Engineering in the Power Industry, 15 Credits.
• Mechanical Behaviour of Materials, 15 Credits.
• Power Plant Boilers: Thermofluid Processes and Controls, 15 Credits.

Electives, 30 Credits (select two)

• Monitoring and Analysis of Vibration, 15 Credits.
• Turbine Plant Engineering, 15 Credits.
• Introductory Nuclear Physics and Radiation for Power Supply, 15 Credits.

1. Comprehend the economic, technical, ethical, social and environmental challenges and opportunities associated with the demand and supply of energy.
2. Formulate mathematical models to represent physical phenomena in power plants.
3. Analyse and simulate complex engineering processes as typically encountered in the power generation industry.
4. Plan and conduct investigations on power plant systems and components and analyse and interpret the results.
5. Combine analysis and experimentation to assess the state of a power plant in respect of safety, availability and efficiency.
6. Recommend and communicate creative responses to technical and leadership problems occurring in power generation.
7. Provide technical leadership in the industry and mentor inexperienced engineers and technicians.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Formulate and communicate specialised and balanced solutions to current and potential problem areas in the power sector, considering various sets of value systems.
• Understand different value systems linked to power generation, e.g. communal values, corporate values (those values considered core, protected and belonging to the stakeholder), and how these value systems often conflict.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Demonstrate knowledge of and engagement in advanced engineering mathematics and engineering science and an understanding of how to apply such knowledge in the multidisciplinary power generation technological arena.
• Demonstrate solutions that require advanced reflection on problems and the formulation of appropriate mathematical models.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Rely upon modelling using commercial software as well as algorithms.
• Analyse cause and effect within a plant.
• Technical processes are simulated using approximate and computational approaches.
• Demonstrate understanding of the behaviour of components through simulation of the thermodynamic and flow phenomena in a power plant.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Demonstrate a multidisciplinary understanding of power plant operation making use of advanced dedicated software.
• Plant and conduct appropriate investigations that will reveal the problem areas.
• Comprehension of technical interrelationships between a system and its environment as well between system elements are demonstrated.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Present problematic technical scenarios in which theoretical and experimental data will be in conflict.
• Infer plant safety, availability and efficiency from the two data sets.
• Demonstrate an understanding of technical interrelationships between system elements and how to monitor the health of a power plant.
• Develop theoretical as well as experimental techniques for assessing the health of power plant elements.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6

• Provide appropriate written and oral responses to typical organisational problems occurring in a technical enterprise.
• Formulate a top-down system view of complex systems and demonstrate holistic responses to organisational and technical challenges.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 7

• Produce creative responses to technical or leadership problems occurring in power generation.

Integrated Assessment

Assessment will rely on submitted tutorial answers, assignments and an examination in most of the qualification. The breakdown of the final mark is as follows (percentages of final mark are indicated):

• Assignments: 40%.
• Examination (3 hours): 60%.

A Duration Performance (DP) requirement of 40%, based on the assignments, will be set.

The only qualification that relies on a different assessment strategy is "Systems Engineering in the Power Industry", which lends itself ideally to continuous assessment in the form of assignments and tests. For this course the assessment breakdown is as follow:

• Assignments: 70%.
• Tests: 30%.

In order to pass a qualification, a minimum final mark score of 50% is required.

Depending on the nature of a specific qualification, suitably designed assignments will challenge learners to demonstrate mastering of the course outcomes. The qualification belonging to the Engineering Sciences will typically have assignments that simulate technical problems encountered in the power plant industry, expecting learners to summarise their proposed solutions in short reports. The qualification on Leadership in a Technical Environment will expect learners to demonstrate mastering of the qualification outcomes by means of participation in class room simulations of problematic teamwork situations encountered in industry, and oral and written responses to associated leadership challenges.