Peter Kelly Senecal | |
---|---|
Occupation(s) | Mechanical engineer, academic and author |
Known for | Co-founding Convergent Science Developing CONVERGE (computational fluid dynamics software) Promoting technology neutrality in transportation |
Academic background | |
Education | BA., Physics MS., Mechanical Engineering PhD., Mechanical Engineering |
Alma mater | Lawrence University University of Wisconsin–Madison |
Thesis | Development of a Methodology for Internal Combustion Engine Design using Multi-Dimensional Modeling with Validation through Experiments (2000) |
Academic work | |
Institutions | University of Wisconsin–Madison University of Oxford |
Peter Kelly Senecal is a mechanical engineer,academic and author. He is a co-founder and Owner of Convergent Science and one of the original developers of CONVERGE,a computational fluid dynamics software. [1] Additionally,he holds positions as a visiting professor at the University of Oxford, [2] an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, [3] and a co-founder and Director of the Computational Chemistry Consortium (C3). [4]
Senecal is most known for his work on the development and use of computational fluid dynamics in the engine design process,the LISA (Linearized Instability Sheet Atomization) spray breakup model,propulsion technology,and for initiating his trademarked movements "hug your engine" [5] and "the future is eclectic." [6] He has authored and co-authored research articles [7] and two books titled Engines and Fuels for Future Transport (which he co-edited) and Racing Toward Zero:The Untold Story of Driving Green,which received the 2022 Independent Press Award for Environment. [8] He is also the recipient of the 2019 ASME Internal Combustion Engine Award, [9] the 2019 HPCwire Award for best use of HPC in Automotive, [10] the 2021 HPCwire Award for best use of HPC for Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence and the HPCwire Award for best use of HPC in Industry in 2020, [11] 2021 [12] and 2022. [13]
Senecal is a Fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE),the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) [14] and the Combustion Institute. [15]
Senecal began his transportation technology advocacy in 2016,with his TEDx talk In Defense of Internal Combustion. He has since authored papers,articles, [16] [17] and a book on this topic,as well as spoken at conferences, [18] [19] companies,and universities. [20]
Senecal obtained a bachelor's degree in Physics from Lawrence University in 1995. He earned a master's degree in 1997 and a PhD in 2000,both in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. [3]
Senecal began his academic career as a Research Associate from 2000 to 2001 and has been serving as an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison since 2018 [3] and a visiting professor at the University of Oxford since 2021. [2]
In 1997,Senecal co-founded Convergent Science,a company specializing in Computational Fluid Dynamics software,where he contributed to the CFD industry through the development of the CONVERGE software,which eliminated the need for a user-defined mesh and introduced a new process. [1] He also co-founded My Virtual Band in 2004,a website facilitating online collaboration for creating open-source music,which was subsequently acquired by Net Music Makers in 2006. [21] He served as the Principal Investigator for a research project of the Office of the Secretary of Defense/Air Force in 2008 and has served as Co-PI for government-funded projects and CRADAs since. In 2016,he co-founded the Computational Chemistry Consortium [4] and worked as the Vice Chair of the ASME Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Division from 2022 to 2024. He is the Director of the Computational Chemistry Consortium [1] and has been a member of the Board of Advisors for the Central States Section of the Combustion Institute since 2014, [22] and the Chair of the ASME ICE Division Executive Committee since 2024. [23]
Senecal has contributed to the field of mechanical engineering by studying computational fluid dynamics,internal combustion engines,electric motors,fuel chemistry and vehicle life-cycle analysis, [7] holding three patents for his developments. [24] [25] [26]
Senecal researched computational fluid dynamics throughout his career. In a joint study,he modelled Diesel spray flame stabilization,investigating various parameters' impact on flame "lift-off" length,showing agreement with experimental measurements and accurate prediction of ignition delay in a heavy-duty direct injection Diesel engine. [27] He also presented a linear stability analysis of a liquid sheet considering gas effects,surface tension,and viscosity,determining a transition point for simplifying the dispersion relation and correctly forecasting spray characteristics for pressure-swirl atomizers in multi-dimensional simulations. [28] This model,the LISA model,was successfully validated against experimental data. [29] In addition,he simulated an n-dodecane spray flame using LES and a detailed chemistry combustion model,showing differences from RANS predictions and better agreement with experimental data for soot predictions in LES. [30]
Senecal was involved in the development of a new CFD code,employing a modified cut-cell Cartesian technique and advanced numerical methods to simulate complex engine processes. [31] This CFD code,CONVERGE,is now used for applications in biomedical flows, [32] rocket engines, [33] wind turbines, [34] and electric motors. [35]
Senecal investigated internal combustion engines,looking into possibilities for optimization. With E. Pomraning,K. J. Richards and S. Som,he proposed an advanced spray modeling approach with Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR),demonstrating its effectiveness across various spray scenarios with fine cell sizes and verified grid convergence. [36] He also implemented a coupled Volume-of-Fluid (VOF) method for internal nozzle flow and spray modeling,utilizing an Eulerian single velocity field approach to describe near-nozzle dense sprays and validating the results against experimental data. [37]
Senecal pioneered the use of genetic algorithms (GAs) coupled with CFD to achieve more efficient and cleaner engines and received press coverage for his work. [38] [39] [40] He developed the KIVA-GA code to optimize combustion chamber geometry in diesel engines,achieving reductions in emissions and fuel consumption by adjusting nine input variables simultaneously. [41] He later coupled the GA optimization methodology with his company's CFD code,CONVERGE. Additionally,in 2022,he co-edited Engines and Fuels for Future Transport,where he examined the significance of clean transportation,highlighting the enduring dominance of internal combustion engines (ICEs) despite the growing presence of battery electric vehicles (BEVs),emphasizing the ongoing need to enhance ICE efficiency and reduce exhaust pollutants. [42] In 2021 he founded the ASME webinar series "The Future of the Internal Combustion Engine" to help educate the public on the various ways engines continue to be improved around the globe. [43]
Senecal co-founded and directs the Computational Chemistry Consortium (C3). [4] The first public version of the C3 mechanism,C3Mech3.3,is freely available to the community. [44]
Senecal has studied vehicle life-cycle analysis (LCA) to assess diversity in transportation. In his book co-authored with Felix Leach,Racing Toward Zero:The Untold Story of Driving Green,he discussed sustainable transportation,covering propulsion systems,low-carbon fuels,and regulatory measures,emphasizing the importance of a balanced approach that incorporates both internal combustion engine and electric vehicle technologies to achieve low emissions efficiently. They suggested hybrid systems as the fastest route to reducing CO2 emissions in transportation,emphasizing the need for a regional-specific blend of technologies and urging policymakers to set emission reduction targets instead of implementing technology bans. [45]
Later,Senecal and colleagues developed a methodology for comparing emissions from BEVs and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) based on marginal electricity emission rates and other publicly available data. At the time of publication,they showed that a mix of powertrain technologies is the best path toward reducing transportation sector emissions until the U.S. grid can provide electricity for the all-electric fleet infrastructure and vehicle operations with a carbon intensity that produces a net environmental benefit. [46] In 2023,he published an alternative blueprint for light-duty transportation decarbonization. [17]
The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is called a compression-ignition engine. This contrasts with engines using spark plug-ignition of the air-fuel mixture, such as a petrol engine or a gas engine.
The Wankel engine is a type of internal combustion engine using an eccentric rotary design to convert pressure into rotating motion. The concept was proven by German engineer Felix Wankel, followed by a commercially feasible engine designed by German engineer Hanns-Dieter Paschke. The Wankel engine's rotor, which creates the turning motion, is similar in shape to a Reuleaux triangle, with the sides having less curvature. The rotor spins inside a figure-eight-like epitrochoidal housing around a fixed-toothed gearing. The midpoint of the rotor moves in a circle around the output shaft, rotating the shaft via a cam.
In spark-ignition internal combustion engines, knocking occurs when combustion of some of the air/fuel mixture in the cylinder does not result from propagation of the flame front ignited by the spark plug, but when one or more pockets of air/fuel mixture explode outside the envelope of the normal combustion front. The fuel–air charge is meant to be ignited by the spark plug only, and at a precise point in the piston's stroke. Knock occurs when the peak of the combustion process no longer occurs at the optimum moment for the four-stroke cycle. The shock wave creates the characteristic metallic "pinging" sound, and cylinder pressure increases dramatically. Effects of engine knocking range from inconsequential to completely destructive.
Internal combustion engine cooling uses either air or liquid to remove the waste heat from an internal combustion engine. For small or special purpose engines, cooling using air from the atmosphere makes for a lightweight and relatively simple system. Watercraft can use water directly from the surrounding environment to cool their engines. For water-cooled engines on aircraft and surface vehicles, waste heat is transferred from a closed loop of water pumped through the engine to the surrounding atmosphere by a radiator.
Indirect injection in an internal combustion engine is fuel injection where fuel is not directly injected into the combustion chamber.
CHEMKIN is a proprietary software tool for solving complex chemical kinetics problems. It is used worldwide in the combustion, chemical processing, microelectronics and automotive industries, and also in atmospheric science. It was originally developed at Sandia National Laboratories and is now developed by a US company, Reaction Design.
Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) is a form of internal combustion in which well-mixed fuel and oxidizer are compressed to the point of auto-ignition. As in other forms of combustion, this exothermic reaction produces heat that can be transformed into work in a heat engine.
In internal combustion engines, water injection, also known as anti-detonant injection (ADI), can spray water into the incoming air or fuel-air mixture, or directly into the combustion chamber to cool certain parts of the induction system where "hot points" could produce premature ignition. In jet engines — particularly early turbojets or engines in which it is not practical or desirable to have an afterburner — water injection may be used to increase engine thrust, particularly at low-altitudes and at takeoff.
Arthur Henry Lefebvre was a British scientist and an innovative leader in the science and engineering of fuel sprays and combustion in gas turbines.
Brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) is a measure of the fuel efficiency of any prime mover that burns fuel and produces rotational, or shaft power. It is typically used for comparing the efficiency of internal combustion engines with a shaft output.
Reaction Design is a San Diego-based developer of combustion simulation software used by engineers to design cleaner burning and fuel-efficient combustors and engines, found in everything from automobiles to turbines for power generation and aircraft propulsion to large diesel engines that use pistons the size of rooms to propel ships locomotives. The technology is also used to model spray vaporization in electronic materials processing applications and predict mixing reactions in chemical plants. Ansys, a leader in engineering simulation software, acquired Reaction Design in January 2014.
KIVA is a family of Fortran-based computational fluid dynamics software developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The software predicts complex fuel and air flows as well as ignition, combustion, and pollutant-formation processes in engines. The KIVA models have been used to understand combustion chemistry processes, such as auto-ignition of fuels, and to optimize diesel engines for high efficiency and low emissions. General Motors has used KIVA in the development of direct-injection, stratified charge gasoline engines as well as the fast burn, homogeneous-charge gasoline engine. Cummins reduced development time and cost by 10%–15% using KIVA to develop its high-efficiency 2007 ISB 6.7-L diesel engine that was able to meet 2010 emission standards in 2007. At the same time, the company realized a more robust design and improved fuel economy while meeting all environmental and customer constraints.
The Cummins X-series engine is an Inline (Straight)-6 diesel engine produced by Cummins for heavy duty trucks and motorcoaches, replacing the N14 in 2001 when emissions regulations passed by the EPA made the engine obsolete. Originally called the "Signature" series engine, the ISX uses the "Intellect System" to further improve the engine. This engine is widely used in on highway and vocational trucks and is available in power ranging from 430 hp all the way to 620 hp 2050 lb-ft. The QSX is the off-highway version of the ISX with the Q standing for Quantum. The QSX is used for industrial, marine, oil & gas and other off-highway applications. Cummins also produced a 650 hp and 1950 lb-ft version for the RV market.
Achates Power is an American developer of opposed-piston, two-stroke, compression ignition engines for use in commercial and passenger vehicles. Based in San Diego, California, the company was founded in 2004 by James U Lemke.
The SRM Engine Suite is an engineering software tool used for simulating fuels, combustion and exhaust gas emissions in internal combustion engine applications. It is used worldwide by leading IC engine development organisations and fuel companies. The software is developed, maintained and supported by CMCL Innovations, Cambridge, U.K.
The Virtual Soldier Research program (VSR) is a research group within the University of Iowa Center for Computer-Aided Design (CCAD). VSR was founded by Professor Karim Abdel-Malek in 2003 through external funding from the US Army Tank Automotive Command (TACOM) to put the Warfighter at the center of US Army product designs. Professor Abdel-Malek's background in robotics and the use of rigorous mathematical formulations was the first introduction of mathematical kinematics to the field of Digital Human Modeling (DHM). Prior to 2003, all DHM models were based on experimental data that use lookup tables to enable the posturing of simple mannequins. Indeed, the first version of Santos, presented at the a DHM conference was met with great success because it was the first fully articulated digital human model that behaved as humans do, whereby joints had constraints and a user could pull on an arm for example and as a result the entire body would respond accordingly. Cost functions representing human performance measures were used to drive the motion within the optimization formulation. Seated posture prediction for example was accomplished by simply providing the seat geometry. The posture prediction methodology was subsequently validated Later on, the Predictive Dynamics method was created and used the same optimization technique with the addition of 3D laws of motion. The Santos system includes many aspects of physiology modeling, thermal, hand model, grasp prediction, gait analysis including stability, mobility, suitability, survivability, maintainability, training, and many other metrics typically used in the assessment of human performance for the Warfighter.
Avinash Kumar Agarwal is director of Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur. He is an Indian mechanical engineer, tribologist and a professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He is known for his studies on internal combustion engines, Emissions, alternate fuels and CNG engines and is an elected fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering (2013), Society of Automotive Engineers, US (2012), National Academy of Science, Allahabad (2018), Royal Society of Chemistry, UK (2018), International Society for Energy, Environment and Sustainability (2016), and Indian National Academy of Engineering (2015). The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards for his contributions to Engineering Sciences in 2016. Agarwal has been bestowed upon Prestigious J C Bose Fellowship of Science and Engineering Research Board. Government of India. Agarwal is among the top ten highly cited researchers (HCR) of 2018 from India, as per Clarivate Analytics, an arm of Web of Science.
Convergent Science is an engineering software company which has its headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. The company develops and supports CONVERGE CFD software, a general purpose computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver.
Reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) is a form of internal combustion developed at the Engine Research Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, United States, by the research group of Wisconsin Distinguished Professor Rolf Reitz.
Gregory Matthew Shaver is an American mechanical engineer and an academic. He is the director of Ray W. Herrick Laboratories and is a professor at Purdue University.