Research activities within the strategic area are focused on experimental techniques; these are aimed at the optimization of efficient and environmentally friendly engines, for transportation and power generation within stationary applications. Fundamental and technology oriented challenges are tackled through numerical and experimental studies. Investigations cover chemical and physical phenomena throughout the working cycle, from the intake and fuel injection phase, to the exhaust; this chain of processes is scrutinized in detail for a wide variety of fuels (both liquid/gaseous and dual/mixed) as well as combustion mode. This is achieved through experimental activities with non-conventional diagnostics based on UV-visible spectroscopy and visible-IR visualization with high temporal resolution and FEM analysis, combined with 0D and 3D simulation codes.
Research and development of dedicated power units, including optically accessible engines, is focused on the optimization of thermo- and fluid-dynamics. Moreover, through the application of commercial and innovative ad-hoc sensors, adaptive control and monitoring systems are developed. Last but not least, sensors with 1-D core-shell M-MO nanostructures base on the Schottky effect, are tested for measurements of sub-ppm NO2 molecules for real time monitoring applications.
Contact Person: Dr. Bianca Maria Vaglieco