Japan-Based Engineers Receive SAE Award for Engine Research

WARRENDALE, Pa., Oct. 16, 2008 - Two Japan-based engineers have been selected as recipients of SAE International's Harry L. Horning Memorial Award. The pair was presented the award during the SAE Powertrain & Fluid Systems Conference & Exhibition in Rosemont, Ill. , in October.

The award, established in 1938, recognizes the authors of the best paper relating to the mutual adaptation of fuels and internal combustion engines. It honors the memory of Harry L. Horning, 1925 SAE President.

This award is funded through the SAE Foundation. In addition to supporting the awards, recognition and scholarship programs of SAE International, the SAE Foundation develops and funds programs and incentives that foster student interest in engineering, scientific and technical education.

The following recipients are being honored for co-authoring the paper, "Auto-Ignition Characteristics of Hydrocarbons and Development of HCCI Fuel Index" (SAE paper #2007-01-0220). In this paper, 11 pure hydrocarbon components were blended into 23 different kinds of model fuels, and the Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) engine tests were performed under five different intake air temperature conditions to change the auto-ignition characteristic of each hydrocarbon component.

About the recipients:

Tomonori Urushihara
Urushihara is Manager of Nissan Research Center's Power Source Laboratory in Atsugi -shi, , where his research focuses on gasoline engine combustion and measurement.

A member of SAE International, Urushihara is lead author of four SAE technical papers related to combustion. He is also a Fellow of the Japan Society of Automotive Engineers and member of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Urushihara received graduate and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering from the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

Gen Shibata
Shibata is Chief Researcher at Nippon Oil Corp.'s Central Technical Research Laboratory in Yokohama, . He previously worked as a fuel developer and supplier for the BAR Honda Formula One racing team. Since 2002, he has worked with Nissan and Nippon Oil to investigate the effect of fuel components on HCCI engine operational range and produce a multitude of outcomes that would be reference to HCCI engine development researchers.

Shibata has published five SAE technical papers related to his HCCI combustion research since 2004. In addition to being a member of SAE International, he is a Fellow Engineer of the Japan Society of Automotive Engineers, and member of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, Combustion Society of Japan, and the Japan Petroleum Institute.

Shibata received bachelor's master's and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering from Waseda University .

For more information on SAE International's Harry L. Horning Memorial Award, please contact pr@sae.org.