This course involves a design project or feasibility study performed in small groups, currently based around an options appraisal exercise for a Severn Tidal Barrage. Each group must consider: alternative barrage alignments; alternative modes of operation of the barrage; design of barrage components (turbines, generators, sluices, caissons, embankments, ship locks, fish passes); optimisation of turbine characteristics; calculation of energy outputs and water levels; costing; optimisation of barrage location and turbine numbers; discounted cash and energy flows and unit cost of energy; other positive and negative impacts (carbon savings/consumption, water quality, sediment movements, changes to ecosystems, fish populations, bird populations, flooding, shipping, leisure and amenity activities, employment).

1 three hour session per week

Civil Design Project 4 (ENG4050)

None

80% Report

20% Oral Assessment & Presentation

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below.

It is not possible to offer reassessment in group project work in this course. Students failing to complete the group project work, without good cause, will receive a Credit Refused (CR) grade and will be required to re-attend the course the following year.

The aims of this course are to:

■ set students the challenge of tackling a feasibility study and optimisation exercise for a large multi-disciplinary project;

■ require students to apply knowledge and techniques from their civil engineering courses but also to seek out and apply new knowledge;

■ encourage initiative and a professional approach to problem-solving and reporting.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ work in a group to tackle open-ended problems;

■ plan and undertake a design or feasibility study of a large multi-disciplinary project involving a wide range of technical issues and also broader environmental, economic and socio-political issues;

■ undertake critical appraisal of alternative options;

■ undertake calculations of discounted cash and energy flows and hence determine unit cost of energy, including sensitivity to discount rate;

■ present the outcomes of their work both orally and in writing in a professional manner.

Students must attend the degree examination and submit at least 75% by weight of the other components of the course's summative assessment.

Students must attend the timetabled laboratory classes.

Students should attend at least 75% of the timetabled classes of the course.

Note that these are minimum requirements: good students will achieve far higher participation/submission rates.  Any student who misses an assessment or a significant number of classes because of illness or other good cause should report this by completing a MyCampus absence report.