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GREATER GAS EFFICIENCY, FEWER EMISSIONS
 

With gas prices skyrocketing this fall, Song-Charng Kong should have no trouble promoting his research. ME’s newest assistant professor is an engine combustion researcher working to make engines more efficient and to reduce their emissions.

Kong earned his BS in ME at National Tsing-Hua University in 1987 and his PhD from University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) in 1994. His research into internal combustion engines began as a graduate student at UW. “I was interested in combustion chemistry, and my advisor was doing engine research,” he explains. “I realized the engine is the most important combustion system in transportation, and it uses the most energy.”

During the past seven years while working as a research scientist at the Engine Researcher Center at UW, Kong has developed computer models to simulate engine combustion.

“We run a computer code that lets us see the details of what the engine is doing,” he explains. “While we keep improving the accuracy of the models, we also developed an optimization technique, which is a fast and efficient way to determine how to get maximum performance out of an engine. Otherwise, you have to run an engine in a lab for days or months at a time and use trial and error to find out what works best.”

Time is of the essence these days though. New federal emission regulations, scheduled for implementation in 2010, are a driving force for manufacturers to come up with designs that satisfy new pollution standards. And it’s not just the automotive industry that’s affected. The new regulations cover everything from the small engines that power lawn mowers to the super size engines that move ships.

With his move to Ames, Kong plans to expand his research to study biodiesel fuel in diesel engines. Iowa State’s prominent work in biorenewable resources was a key factor in his decision to come here.

“Biorenewable energy is becoming increasingly important in meeting U.S. energy needs,” Kong says. “I’m eager to see how biodiesel fuels perform in the new diesel engines. I want to develop an optimization technique so we can maximize performance using them.”

Kong, who taught at Chung-Hua University in his native Taiwan from 1994 to 1998 and later at UW, will share his expertise in the classroom too. His teaching assignments include internal combustion engines and engine design.