Major
Environmental Engineering Systems
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What will I study?
Overview
This major will give you the fundamental tools from science and mathematics that you’ll need to understand biophysical systems.
You’ll use what you’ve learned to solve complex problems involving the design and operation of infrastructure, and learn how to manage environmental risks. The course has a strong focus on sustainability and project management.
Your major structure
You’ll complete this major as part of a Bachelor of Science degree. You can study engineering subjects from your first year with us, and you’ll have plenty of flexibility to explore other interests too.
In your first and second years you’ll complete subjects that are prerequisites for your major, including mathematics, biology, earth science, and foundational engineering subjects.
In your third year, you will complete 50 points (four subjects) of deep and specialised study in environmental engineering systems.
Throughout your degree you will also take science elective subjects and breadth (non-science) subjects, in addition to your major subjects and prerequisites.
Sample course plan
View some sample course plans to help you select subjects that will meet the requirements for this major.
If you did not achieve a study score of at least 29 in VCE Specialist Mathematics 3/4, you may need to enrol in MAST10005 Calculus 1 in your first semester. If you achieved a study score of at least 36 in VCE Specialist Mathematics 3/4 or equivalent, you can enrol in MAST10021 Calculus 2: Advanced and MAST10022 Linear Algebra: Advanced instead of MAST10006 Calculus 2 and MAST10007 Linear Algebra. If you did not achieve a study score of at least 25 in year 12 Biology, you will need to enrol in the relevant introductory first year biology subjects: BIOL10008 Introductory Biology: Life’s Machinery and BIOL10010 Introductory Biology: Life’s Complexity instead of BIOL10009 Biology: Life’s Machinery and BIOL10011 Biology: Life’s Complexity.
Year 1
100 pts
- Semester 1 50 pts
- Semester 2 50 pts
Year 2
100 pts
- Semester 1 50 pts
- Semester 2 50 pts
Year 3
100 pts
- Semester 1 50 pts
- Semester 2 50 pts
If you did not achieve a study score of at least 29 in VCE Specialist Mathematics 3/4, you may need to enrol in MAST10005 Calculus 1 in your first semester. If you achieved a study score of at least 36 in VCE Specialist Mathematics 3/4 or equivalent, you can enrol in MAST10021 Calculus 2: Advanced and MAST10022 Linear Algebra: Advanced instead of MAST10006 Calculus 2 and MAST10007 Linear Algebra. This plan assumed you studied Year 12 Biology and achieved a study score of at least 25 or equivalent. If you did not achieve a study score of at least 25 in year 12 Biology, you will need to enrol in the relevant introductory first year biology subjects: BIOL10008 Introductory Biology: Life’s Machinery and BIOL10010 Introductory Biology: Life’s Complexity instead of BIOL10009 Biology: Life’s Machinery and BIOL10011 Biology: Life’s Complexity.
Year 1
100 pts
- Semester 2 50 pts
- Semester 1 50 pts
Year 2
100 pts
- Semester 2 50 pts
- Semester 1 50 pts
Year 3
100 pts
- Semester 2 50 pts
- Semester 1 50 pts
science elective
12.5 pts
science elective
12.5 pts
breadth/science elective
12.5 pts
Explore this major
Explore the subjects you could choose as part of this major.
- 12.5 pts
AIMS
This subject is integral to the understanding of fluid physics from a theoretical and real-world application basis. This is examined in the discussion of pipe flow, pumps, mixing tanks, momentum balances and related concepts. Pipe flow material includes fluid statics, manometry, the derivation of the continuity equation, mechanical energy balances, friction losses in a straight pipe, Newton’s law of viscosity, pipe roughness, valves and fittings, simple pipe network problems, principles of open channel flow, compressible flow, pressure waves, isothermal and adiabatic flow equations in a pipe, and choked flow. Pump material includes centrifugal pumps, derivation of theoretical head, head losses leading to the actual pump head curve, calculating system head, determining the operating point of a pumping system, throttling for flow control, cavitation and net positive suction head (NPSH), introduction to positive displacement pumps, affinity laws and pump scale-up. Mixing tank material includes stirred tanks, radial, axial and tangential flow, agitator types, vortex elimination, the standard tank configuration, power number and power curve, dynamic and geometric similarity in scale-up. Momentum balance material includes examination of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids, Multi-dimensional fluid flow-momentum flux, development of multi-dimensional equations of continuity and for momentum transfer, Navier-Stokes equations, application to tube flow, Couette flow and Stokes flow. We will visit computational fluid dynamics and real-world applications for fluid mechanics concepts.
- 12.5 pts
AIMS
This subject introduces transport processes in biomedical systems, complementing and reinforcing material learned in related biology subjects. Students will be introduced to the process of developing engineering models and simple conceptual designs in the context of biological systems. The subject covers fundamental concepts of diffusion and conservation within momentum, heat and mass transport. Within momentum transport, specific topics include Newton’s law of viscosity, viscosity of gases and liquids, conservation of momentum, velocity distributions in simple laminar flows, boundary layer concepts and turbulence and the Reynolds number. Within heat transport, Fourier’s law of conduction is covered. Within mass transport, specific topics include Fick’s first and second laws of diffusion, diffusivities of gases, liquids and solids, binary mixture diffusion and conservation of mass, concentration distributions in simple binary systems including identifying appropriate boundary conditions, concentration boundary layer concepts, Schmidt and Sherwood numbers, definition and use of mass transfer coefficients.
Students will examine transport of molecules and cells in biological systems to describe various key processes, such as cell migration and provision of cell nutrition. The role of transport processes in biological systems and employed in clinical applications, such as dialysis, will be described using simple engineering models.
INDICATIVE CONTENT
Topics covered include momentum transport, viscosity, turbulence, heat transport, mass transport, diffusion in binary systems, unsteady state mass transfer, and modelling biological transport processes.
- 12.5 pts
AIMS
This capstone subject involves an investigation and problem-solving project which will require students to apply a broad knowledge to realistic problems typical of what would be expected with employment in the environmental engineering industry. The subject revolves around the engineering education framework - CIDO: conceive, design, implement, operate, with the addition of 'monitor and evaluate'. Students will apply skills developed in other subjects to a single overarching project that will run through the entire semester. Focusing on urban stormwater management, the project will require the students to develop a conceptual and quantitative model of a small-scale environmental engineering system (i.e. a biofiltration system). The students will then build and operate these systems and undertake monitoring and analysis of their behaviour to provide a critical appraisal of the original model. Having characterised the system, interpretation and evaluation of the impacts of a scaled up system on associated human and non-human stakeholders will form part of an evidence based report. Students will also be expected to critically evaluate the quality of their model, assumptions, data and analysis. The subject will be supported by specialised lectures and workshops.
- 12.5 pts
Systems Modelling and Design is a capstone subject including components from hydrology, hydraulic engineering and geotechnical engineering. This subject contains a design project capsulising knowledge from all three areas. Students will be given briefings on related topics in hydrology, hydraulic engineering and geotechnical engineering in lectures and tutorials; but the emphasis is on self-learning and problem-solving. Students will gain an understanding of the principles governing the flow of water through soil and its consequent impact on failure of soil structures such as what occurs in landslides. Computer models to investigate these areas and laboratory experiments illustrating these phenomena will also be conducted. Students will also learn how to use the systems approach to solve engineering design problems. The application of the systems approach is illustrated via the major design project and complemented with optimisation techniques.
To complete the capstone design project, students are required to apply their knowledge in hydrology, hydraulics and geotechnical engineering to solve a number of design problems while considering multiple and sometimes conflicting design criteria. Students are required to prepare a technical report that documents the designs, relevant data, and result analysis. Both the technical knowledge (e.g. catchment modelling, water distribution system design, and seepage and slope modelling) and transferable skills (e.g. systems approach for problem solving, optimisation, trade-off analysis, data management, communication) obtained through this subject will prepare them for employment in the industry, as well as future study or research.
This subject builds on knowledge gained in subjects such as Engineering Mathematics, Fluid Mechanics and Earth Processes for Engineering and assumes a familiarity with concepts of sustainability and engineering systems. This subject also delivers introductory material for engineering graduate coursework subjects including Geotechnical Engineering, Civil Hydraulics and Quantitative Environmental Modelling.
INDICATIVE CONTENT
Stresses in soils, permeability and seepage, flow nets, the effect of seepage on stability, slope stability principles, surface runoff, landslides, design and remediation, trade-off analysis in engineering design, optimisation techniques, the use of computer simulation models to solve engineering design problems.