With second semester classes in full tilt, the difficulty level was definitely increased over the first semester. The Energy Systems track was tough, but also informative. We touched on energy conversion, including an in-depth look at fuel cells as well as heat pumps, stirling engines, biomass combustion, and energy storage solutions. It's promising to hear that new and better technologies are constantly evolving. The potential for these is great, such as batteries with non-toxic electrolyte solutions that you can actually drink, or portable fuel cells for soldier or personal computing use.
We learned another interesting application for integrated energy optimization, which tried to find the best use of heat by using evolutionary algorithms and other concepts inspired by the concept of evolution. The ideas of reproduction, mutation, recombination, and natural selection first proposed during Charles Darwin's time were incorporated into programs for finding the ideal use of heat transfer in systems.
Even though the classes were becoming more demanding, we still found time to get out of Akureyri and see some awe inspiring sites. Since there was little darkness, we could travel around at any time we wanted. We visited a waterfall called Dettifoss, which is the most powerful waterfall in Europe, meaning that the flowrate of water and height of the fall together are higher than any other in Europe.
Unlike many other falls, Dettifoss is very undeveloped and not at all touristy. The fall is located in a national park, and the winter snows were so heavy that the dirt access road had only opened a few weeks before.
We were able to walk right up to edge of the falls and look over the edge of the cliff. You can see a few people in the above picture for perspective.
The park encases the river Jökulsá á Fjöllum, which also leads into other smaller but still beautiful falls. The silty glacial river water is constantly fed by runoff from the Vatnajökull Glacier.
Back in Akureyri, the longer days mean that summer festivals were numerous, including this Abba themed concert held on the newly grass-covered square in downtown. Pink costumes and bell bottoms were nicely complemented with audience singing along to the cover of the Swedish phenomenon.
With second semester classes in full tilt, the difficulty level was definitely increased over the first semester. The Energy Systems track was tough, but also informative. We touched on energy conversion, including an in-depth look at fuel cells as well as heat pumps, stirling engines, biomass combustion, and energy storage solutions. It's promising to hear that new and better technologies are constantly evolving. The potential for these is great, such as batteries with non-toxic electrolyte solutions that you can actually drink, or portable fuel cells for soldier or personal computing use.
We learned another interesting application for integrated energy optimization, which tried to find the best use of heat by using evolutionary algorithms and other concepts inspired by the concept of evolution. The ideas of reproduction, mutation, recombination, and natural selection first proposed during Charles Darwin's time were incorporated into programs for finding the ideal use of heat transfer in systems.
Even though the classes were becoming more demanding, we still found time to get out of Akureyri and see some awe inspiring sites. Since there was little darkness, we could travel around at any time we wanted. We visited a waterfall called Dettifoss, which is the most powerful waterfall in Europe, meaning that the flowrate of water and height of the fall together are higher than any other in Europe.
Unlike many other falls, Dettifoss is very undeveloped and not at all touristy. The fall is located in a national park, and the winter snows were so heavy that the dirt access road had only opened a few weeks before.
We were able to walk right up to edge of the falls and look over the edge of the cliff. You can see a few people in the above picture for perspective.
The park encases the river Jökulsá á Fjöllum, which also leads into other smaller but still beautiful falls. The silty glacial river water is constantly fed by runoff from the Vatnajökull Glacier.
Back in Akureyri, the longer days mean that summer festivals were numerous, including this Abba themed concert held on the newly grass-covered square in downtown. Pink costumes and bell bottoms were nicely complemented with audience singing along to the cover of the Swedish phenomenon.
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