Professor Abraham received his Ph.D. from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University in 1986, held positions as a Research Staff Member at Princeton University, Senior Engineer at John Deere, and the Richard and Barbara Nelson Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota, before joining the faculty in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University in January, 1996.He has held a joint appointment as Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering (Centre for Energy Technology) at the University of Adelaide since July 2012. His research interests include advanced combustion engines, hybrid engines, combustion, multiphase flows, sprays, fuel chemistry, computational fluid dynamics, and high-performance computing. His work has led to 3 patents, over 100 archival journal publications, over 150 additional publications in conference proceedings, and 3 invited book chapter contributions. His work has been funded by industry and government agencies. Professor Abraham has collaborated extensively with personnel in industry and national laboratories. He has been a consultant to several engine companies. Professor Abraham is a Fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), has won the Lloyd L. Withrow Distinguished Speaker award from the SAE, and the Harry Solberg Best Teacher award from the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University. He is also a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the American Physical Society, the Combustion Institute, the Institute for Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems, and the American Society for Engineering Education. He is Associate Editor of the journals Combustion Science and Technology and ASME Journal of Fluids Engineering, and is a member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Spray and Combustion Dynamics.

Advanced Powertrains for a More Sustainable Transportation Future

Conventional internal combustion engines and gas-turbine engines burning petroleum-derived fuels are the primary means of powering ground, marine and air transportation. These engines are, however, a major source of emissions of carbon and toxic pollutants. In fact, the transportation sector consumes about 25-30 % of the energy and emits about the same percentage of total carbon emissions in developed countries. Dramatic increase in use of automotive vehicles in emerging economies is likely to result in a corresponding increase in emissions and energy consumption and severely strain global energy resources. The long-term solution to the challenge may lie in batteries and fuel-cells for ground transportation and synfuels and biofuels for marine and air transportation, but bridging technologies, e.g. advanced clean-burning combustion engines burning either petroleum or alternative fuels and which can achieve up to 30% greater efficiency, are needed in the interim. In this talk, Professor Abraham will review (a) the challenges facing the transportation sector in regard to energy consumption and emissions and (b) the advanced powertrains that are being developed to address these challenges. Precise metering of fuel, control of pressure, temperature, and humidity, among other variables, and control of engine drive trains are critical in maximizing the performance of these powertrains. The need for advanced sensors and controls will be discussed from a functional point of view