As of today, internal combustion engines (ICEs) remain predominant among the available powertrain propulsion systems for automotive vehicles, i.e. more than 99% passenger cars and virtually all commercial trucks are powered by ICEs worldwide. The majority of ICEs burn petroleum fuels (e.g. gasoline and diesel) to produce usable mechanical work, and it is expected to continue prevailing in the coming decades while the use of “environmental friendly” fuels such as biofuels, hydrogen, and natural gas will progressively grow to mitigate carbon footprint and reduce toxic pollutant emissions. This seminar provides knowledge of ICE working principles and fundamentals of engine combustion process. Engine fuel efficiency and exhaust emissions are elaborated through theories and experimental results, focusing on the development of clean combustion enabling techniques to meet pertinent standards enforced by regulatory authorities. The seminar also includes examples of future engine development in the automotive industry and innovative research in the academic institutions.

Dr. Xiaoye HAN is a Senior Research & Development Engineer in Ford Motor Company, Canada and adjunct professor at University of Windsor. He received his Bachelor degree in Tsinghua University and his Master and PhD degrees of Mechanical Engineering in University of Windsor, Canada. After PhD, he joined the Powertrain Engineering Research & Development Centre at Ford as a R&D Engineer then got promoted to Senior R&D Engineer. Dr. Han’s research focuses on the development of clean & efficient internal combustion engines for pollutant reduction and greenhouse gas mitigation. The research topics include active combustion control, biofuel and alternative fuel combustion, low temperature combustion, dual-fuel applications, and heavy-duty gasoline engine development. He has published ~20 journal articles, ~30 peer-reviewed conference proceedings and held several US patents.