Conference report: ASME ICE 2009 Fall Technical Conference

29 October 2009

The ASME Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Division 2009 Fall Technical Conference was held on September 28-30, 2009 in Lucerne, Switzerland. Technical papers presented during the two-day technical program were grouped into the following ‘tracks’: (1) large bore engines, (2) fuels, (3) advanced combustion, (4) emission control systems, (5) instrumentation, control and hybrids, (6) numerical simulation, and (7) engine design, lubrication and applications.

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The conference opened with a keynote address “Emission reduction in large bore engines” presented by Andrei Ludu of AVL. The presentation focused on emission reduction challenges from large marine engines. Emissions from large marine engines, first regulated only in recent years, quickly became the main driver in the engine development. The emission standards are accompanied by fuel quality requirements, with sulfur content decreasing from the current level of about 4.5% to 0.1% (in IMO Emission Control Areas) by 2015. A number of emission technologies are considered, including advanced combustion, very high peak firing pressures (PFP), 2-stage turbocharging and Miller cycle, or selective catalytic reduction (SCR). The speaker noted that ‘frontloading’ of the engine design process—i.e., maximizing the effort in the initial concept stage—can accelerate product maturity.

On the third day of the conference, two technical tours visited DUAP AG in Herzogenbuchsee, and ABB Turbo Systems AG in Baden, Switzerland. DUAP is a manufacturer of fuel injection equipment for marine, stationary, traction, and automotive engines. ABB is a leading manufacturer of turbochargers for diesel and gas engines above 500 kW.

Future ASME ICED conferences are scheduled on September 12-15, 2010 in San Antonio, Texas, and in the fall 2011 in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Conference website: asmeconferences.org/ICEF09