The modular multilevel converter (MMC) has become the most attractive multilevel converter topology for medium/high-power applications, specifically for voltage-sourced converter high-voltage direct current (VSC–HVDC) transmission systems. In comparison with other multilevel converter topologies, the salient features of the MMC include: 1) Modularity and scalability to meet any voltage level requirements, 2) High efficiency, which is of significant importance for high-power applications, 3) Superior harmonic performance, specifically in high-voltage applications where a large number of identical submodules (SMs) with low-voltage ratings are stacked up, thereby the size of passive filters can be reduced, and 4) Absence of dc-link capacitors. Over the past few years, there has been a significant effort towards addressing the technical challenges associated with the operation and control of the MMC as well as broadening its applications. The main intention of this MOOC is to introduce the MMC topology and its operational and control challenges along with the most recent solutions to address those challenges.

Managerial ability is an important element of technology companies in an increasingly global and diverse business environment. Combining learned heuristics and techniques for effective decision-making while leveraging technical knowledge is a highly in-demand skill by employers at technical companies. This course will help you bridge the gap between engineers and business people, placing you in an important position that few others can fill. As part of the Principles of Manufacturing MicroMasters program, this course aims to teach learners key principles and practices used in engineering management. You will first learn basic business functional knowledge--financial accounting, sales, marketing, operations, and topics related to entrepreneurship. The focus is on the development of individual skills and management tools. Develop the engineering and management skills needed for competence and competitiveness in today's manufacturing industry with the Principles of Manufacturing MicroMasters Credential, designed and delivered by MIT's #1-ranked Mechanical Engineering department in the world. Learners who pass the 8 courses in the program will earn the MicroMasters Credential and qualify to apply to gain credit towards MIT's Master of Engineering in Advanced Manufacturing & Design program.

Space exploration plays a major role in the history of humankind. The cultural, political and sociological repercussions are extraordinary, and the amount of resources dedicated to space exploration is enormous. This aerospace course is a first step for those interested in learning more about the history of the space and the impact of space exploration on our daily lives. Each week we will focus on a major chapter in the history of space exploration accompanied by an introduction to the relevant technical topics to fully understand these historical developments. During the seven weeks of the course, we will follow the technical, political and cultural contexts that lead to the birth of the space age, uncover the evolution of space exploration from competition to cooperation in the Apollo and post-Apollo era and finally, analyze current trends in space exploration. By successfully completing this course, you will acquire the critical tools to understand the key events and developments of the Space Age. You will learn to solve basic technical and engineering problems of space travel, rocket propulsion, space systems, and human space flight. Course image: Rosetta at Comet (landscape) / Copyright: ESA/ATG medialab; Comet image: ESA/Rosetta/Navcam.

There is no doubt that technological innovation is one of the key elements driving human progress. However, new technologies also raise ethical questions, have serious implications for society and the environment and pose new risks, often unknown and unknowable before the new technologies reach maturity. They may even lead to radical disruptions. Just think about robots, self-driving vehicles, medical engineering and the Internet of Things. They are strongly dependent on social acceptance and cannot escape public debates of regulation and ethics. If we want to innovate, we have to do that responsibly. We need to reflect on –and include- our societal values in this process. This course will give you a framework to do so. The first part of the course focuses on ethical questions/framework and concerns with respect to new technologies. The second part deals with (unknown) risks and safety of new technologies including a number of qualitative and quantitative risk assessment methods. The last part of the course is about the new, value driven, design process which take into account our societal concerns and conflicting values. Case studies (ethical concerns, risks) for reflection and discussions during the course include – among others- the coronavirus, nanotechnology, self-driving vehicles, robots, AI, big data & health, nuclear energy and CO2 capture and coolants. Affordable (frugal) innovations for low-income groups and emerging markets are also covered in the course. You can test and discuss your viewpoint. The course is for all engineering students who are looking for a methodical approach to judge responsible innovations from a broader – societal- perspective.

In this engineering course you will learn how to analyze vaults (long-span roofs) from three perspectives: Efficiency = calculations of forces/stresses Economy = evaluation of societal context and cost Elegance = form/appearance based on engineering principles, not decoration We explore iconic vaults like the Pantheon, but our main focus is on contemporary vaults built after the industrial revolution. The vaults we examine are made of different materials, such as tile, reinforced concrete, steel and glass, and were created by masterful engineers/builders like Rafael Guastavino, Anton Tedesko, Pier Luigi Nervi, Eduardo Torroja, Félix Candela, and Heinz Isler. This course illustrates: how engineering is a creative discipline and can become art the influence of the economic and social context in vault design the interplay between forces and form The course has been created for a general audience—no advanced math or engineering prerequisites are needed.  This is the second of three courses on the Art of Structural Engineering, each of which are independent of each other. The course on bridges was launched in 2016, and another course will be developed on buildings/towers.

Have you ever wondered why ventilation helps to cool down your hot chocolate? Do you know why a surfing suit keeps you warm? Why iron feels cold, while wood feels warm at room temperature? Or how air is transferred into aqueous liquids in a water treatment plant? How can we sterilize milk with the least amount of energy? How does medicine spread in our tissue? Or how do we design a new cooling tower of a power plant? All these are phenomena that involve heat transfer, mass transfer or fluid flow. Transport Phenomena investigates such questions and many others, exploring a wide variety of applications ranging from industrial processes to environmental engineering, to transport processes in our own body and even simple daily life problems In this course we will look into the underlying concepts of these processes, that often take place simultaneously, and will teach you how to apply them to a variety of real-life problems. You will learn how to model the processes and make quantitative statements.

Electric vehicles are the future of transportation. Electric mobility has become an essential part of the energy transition, and will imply significant changes for vehicle manufacturers, governments, companies and individuals. If you are interested in learning about the electric vehicle technology and how it can work for your business or create societal impact, then this is the course for you. The experts of TU Delft, together with other knowledge institutes and companies in the Netherlands, will prepare you for upcoming developments amid the transition to electric vehicles. You'll explore the most important aspects of this new market, including state-of-the-art technology of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure; profitable business models for electric mobility; and effective policies for governmental bodies, which will accelerate the uptake of electric mobility. The course includes video lectures, presentations and exercises, which are all reinforced with real-world case studies from projects that were implemented in the Netherlands. The production of this course would not have been possible without the contributions of the Dutch Innovation Centre for Electric Road Transport (D-INCERT) and is taught by experts from both industry and academia, who share their knowledge and insights.

Have you wondered how something was manufactured? Do you want to learn what it takes to turn your design into a finished product at scale? This course introduces a wide range of manufacturing processes including machining, injection molding, casing, and 3D printing; and explains the fundamental and practical aspects of manufacturing at scale. For each process, 2.008x explains the underlying physical principles, provides several examples and demonstrations, and summarizes design for manufacturing principles. Modules are also included on cost estimation, quality and variation, and sustainability. New content added in 2020 includes multimedia examinations of product disassembly and select updated lecture videos. Together, the content will enable you to design a manufacturing process for a multi-part product, make quantitative estimates of cost and throughput, and recognize important constraints and tradeoffs in manufacturing processes and systems. The course concludes with a perspective on sustainability, digitization, and the worldwide trajectory of manufacturing.

Classical detectors and sensors are ubiquitous around us from heat sensors in cars to light detectors in a camera cell phone. Leveraging advances in the theory of noise and measurement, an important paradigm of quantum metrology has emerged. Here, ultra-precision measurement devices collect maximal information from the world around us at the quantum limit. This enables a new frontier of perception that promises to impact machine learning, autonomous navigation, surveillance strategies, information processing, and communication systems. Students in this in-depth course will learn the fundamentals about state-of-the-art quantum detectors and sensors. They will also learn about quantum noise and how it limits quantum devices. The primary goal of the course is to empower students with a critical and deep understanding of emerging applications at the quantum-classical boundary. This will allow them to adopt quantum detectors and sensors for their own endeavors.

This physics course, taught by world-renowned experts in the field, will provide you with an overview of applications in plasma physics. From the study of far distant astrophysical objects, over diverse applications in industry and medicine, to the ultimate goal of sustainable electricity generation from nuclear fusion. In the first part of this course, you will learn how nuclear fusion powers our Sun and the stars in the Universe. You will explore the cyclic variation of the Sun’s activity, how plasma flows can generate large-scale magnetic fields, and how these fields can reconnect to release large amounts of energy, manifested, for instance, by violent eruptions on the Sun. The second part of this course discusses the key role of plasma applications in industry and introduces the emerging field of plasma medicine. You will learn in detail how plasmas are generated and sustained in strong electric fields, why plasmas are indispensable for the manufacturing of today’s integrated circuits, and what the prospects are of plasma treatments in cancerology, dentistry and dermatology. In the third and most extensive part of this course, you will familiarize yourself with the different approaches to fusion energy, the current status, and the necessary steps from present-day experimental devices towards a fusion reactor providing electricity to the grid. You will learn about the key ingredients of a magnetic fusion reactor, how to confine, heat, and control fusion plasmas at temperatures of 100 million degrees Kelvin, explore the challenges of plasma wall interactions and structural materials, and the importance of superconductivity. Finally, in the fourth part of this course, you will learn about laser-created plasmas and the interaction between plasmas and high-power laser pulses. Applications range from energy production by thermonuclear fusion to laboratory astrophysics, creation of intense sources of high-energy particle and radiation beams, and fundamental studies involving high-field quantum electrodynamics. To enjoy this course on plasma applications, it is recommended to first familiarize yourself with the plasma physics basics taught in Plasma Physics: Introduction .