Tracks

Chair: William Northrop, University of Minnesota, USA
Co-Chair: Stefania Esposito, University of Bath, United Kingdom

This track features technical papers and presentations centered on fuel use, the influence of fuels and lubricants on engine performance, and strategies for carbon reduction in engine systems.

Areas of focus include, but are not limited to:

• Utilization of sustainable fuels in engines, such as e-fuels, synthetic and bio-based fuels, as well as conventional and unconventional petroleum fuels applied in innovative engine configurations.
• The role of lubricants in affecting engine system efficiency and performance.
• Carbon mitigation strategies for engine systems, including carbon capture and storage (CCS), low-carbon fuel alternatives, and in-situ conversion of exhaust CO₂ into less climate-impacting products.
• Life cycle assessments of fuels and engine systems, encompassing well-to-wheels, tank-to-wheels, and cradle-to-grave approaches.
• Impacts of alternative fuels on engine-out emissions and the performance of emissions control technologies.

Chair: Alessandro Montanaro, CNR stems, Italy
Co-Chair: Riccardo Scarcelli, Argonne National Lab., USA

This track highlights technical papers and presentations on cutting-edge combustion strategies and concepts for engines across all sizes and applications.

Contributions exploring fundamental or experimental insights in the following areas are encouraged:

• Core studies in internal combustion engine science, including thermodynamics, high compression operation, and experimental investigations of in-cylinder fluid dynamics.
• Emerging and advanced combustion modes, such as low-temperature combustion (LTC) approaches including RCCI, dual-fuel, GCI, and similar strategies.
• Diagnostic methods for combustion, flow, and sprays — including laser-based, optical, and pressure-based techniques within the combustion chamber.
• Experimental research on reacting and non-reacting sprays, atomization and liquid breakup mechanisms, droplet behavior during combustion, and innovative fuel injection methods.

Chair: Benjamin Pla, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Spain
Co-Chair: Frank Willems, TU/Eindhoven, The Netherlands

This track comprises technical presentations focused on combustion engine integration within advanced powertrains, hybrid and electric systems, engine design, and control strategies.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

• Modeling and diagnostic tools for control systems, including combustion/emission models, hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) simulations, sensor signal processing, and onboard diagnostic modeling.
• Development of novel testing techniques and equipment, including HiL implementations, rapid prototyping for control systems, and custom test bench design.
• Innovative control approaches and calibration techniques for optimizing performance and emissions under dynamic operating conditions.
• Advanced sensing technologies for both diagnostic and research purposes — covering new sensor development, novel applications of existing sensors, and sensors suitable for production engines.
• Electrified powertrain integration, including engine roles in hybrid systems and control/design considerations specific to hybrid applications.
• Thermal management strategies for emission control components, as well as engine cooling and lubrication systems.