MASTER COURSE PROGRAMME COMPUTATIONAL ENGINEERING

Adding to my motivation letter in which I stated the reasons why I am applying for the
KAAD scholarship scheme, I would like to add another one. I found this is a unique
scheme that relates both the human and social side with the professional side.
Therefore, the most difficult decision was trying to decide the program master, so, with
this I want to talk about that.
Hence, I chose Computational Engineering master program because after making a
complete revision of different programs offered by several universities across Germany,
I found that assessing the content of the program, I could not only study a postgraduate
course about concrete, but also I could increase my knowledge about Computational
Engineering.
Thus, regarding the outcomes of studying this program, firstly I would like to mention
my total commitment with social, scientific and economic development of the country.
As a result, I hope to develop my expertise on topics related with concrete structures,
trying to add innovative ways to solve problems in Civil Engineering through
computational design strategies.
On top of that, another advantage of the program is that I will develop my research on
something related to concrete, an area in which I have been involved since 2008 at
Holcim Ecuador and the Army Corps of Engineers. Therefore, my main interest is to
continue acquiring knowledge within this topic and also to make contributions to my
country because this material is the most used element in constructions such as dams
buildings, bridges, etc.
Besides, the learning I am going to acquire at the Master program in Computational
Engineering can be applied in two ways. Firstly, through teaching future students at the
University because I will continue as a lecturer once I return to Ecuador, where I have
the opportunity to teach everything I have been learning during my years at university.
In fact, I have been teaching since I was a student as a teacher assistant and I feel
quite capable of contributing to a change in our society. Secondly, the next goal is to
make projects with technological innovation by using solar energy which would reduce
the amount of oil used as well as decrease the emission of carbon dioxide.
With this in mind, I have been in touch with Program Coordinator, MA Julia Lippmann,
mentioning my interest on concrete area as a dissertation topic. As a result, she has

been in touch with Dr.-Eng. P. Mark of the Concrete Department at the same university.
Professor Mark teaches several modules in the Master and he proposed a research
topic about using computational tools for the design of a Solar Updraft Power Plants
made of concrete. Those plants are designed to take advantage of solar energy to
produce electricity and are made of concrete. In addition, this research can be use in a
thermoactive foundation with the use of computer programs along with the design of
foundations which consists of the climate control of the building or housing through the
use of geothermal energy and the use of the elements from the structure of reinforced
concrete of the foundation, as piles, plinths or screens. As a goal, this may transfer
heat from the subsoil to the building generating electricity.

Solar Tower Technology

Finally, the general purpose of the research is to establish a methodology in order to
relate concrete with technological tools to analyze the behavior of different structures.
As a result, it might be use to optimize solar energy in order to minimize the use of
electrical energy in order to conserve resources. During the development of the
research, design, construction and fundamental restraints must be included, as well as
the cost analysis of the advantage of this type of structures.
References
- Concrete: Microstructure, properties and materials / Mehta, Kuma; Monteiro, Paulo.
Editorial Mc Graw Hill EEUU Edicin 2006.

- Concrete Technology

Neville Brooks. Editorial Trillas Mexico 1998.

- Design of Commercial Solar Updraft Tower Systems Utilization of Solar Induced
Convective. Flows for Power Generation
Weinrebe G y Schiel W(2001) Australia
-Numerical analysis on the influence of ambient crosswind on the performance of solar
updraft power plant system
Tingzhen Ming 2012, vol. 16, issue 8, pages 5567-5583
- Solar Energy Engineering: Processes and Systems Soteris A. Kalogirou
Academic Press, Jul 22, 2009 - 744 pages
- Structural optimization of solar towers to minimize wind induced effects
SEMC 2010, Proc. 4th Int. Conf. Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Computation,
Cape Town, South Africa.
Borri C., Lupi F., Niemann H.-J (2010)
- Thermal and technical analyses of solar chimneys
Dos Santos Bernardes M.A. voB A.Weinrebe G(2003). 75,511-524