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Engine Systems and Next-Generation Fuels Lab
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This lab conducts engine research to raise engine efficiency and cut exhaust emissions using next-generation fuels such as e-fuel.
AboutAbout the lab
Toward carbon neutrality through engine research
The Engine Systems and Next-Generation Fuels Lab studies systems that allow carbon-neutral fuels such as e-fuel to be used in existing engines.
From both the fuel composition and the engine system sides, the lab researches and develops systems that improve thermal efficiency and reduce exhaust emissions at the same time.
The lab also studies how to use the compression of an engine piston to convert greenhouse gases into syngas, the raw material for e-fuel.
Tracing its origins to the prime mover course established when the Faculty of Engineering was founded at Hokkaido Imperial University, it is one of the longest-established internal combustion engine labs in Japan.
Key terms
- e-fuel
- A liquid synthetic fuel made from hydrogen and carbon monoxide obtained using renewable energy
- Syngas
- A gas mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. It is a raw material for making fuels such as e-fuel
- Knock
- A phenomenon in which fuel burns abnormally inside an engine, producing noise and vibration and lowering performance
NewsLab news
The lab was renamed the "Engine Systems and Next-Generation Fuels Lab"
Associate Professor Shibata received the Research Achievement Award from the Engine Systems Division of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to develop people who can contribute to mobility and an energy-based society through engine research. Its research ranges from the practical application of e-fuel to reforming of greenhouse gases, exhaust treatment for diesel engines, and knock suppression in gasoline engines.
*Illustrative imagePutting liquid synthetic fuel (e-fuel) into practical use
As part of a large-scale project led by NEDO and JPEC, the lab optimizes both the composition of e-fuel and the engine system to make diesel engines more efficient. The work is divided among tasks such as measuring engine performance and observing spray combustion at high temperature and high pressure.
*Illustrative imageConverting greenhouse gases into syngas
In this research, carbon dioxide and methane from farms are fed into an engine cylinder in a rich mixture and burned with a small amount of e-fuel to produce syngas (hydrogen and carbon monoxide). Using experiments on actual engines and chemical kinetics calculations, the lab searches for conditions that give low smoke and a high yield.
*Illustrative imageMaking post injection more efficient
Post injection is the injection of a small amount of diesel fuel during the expansion stroke to regenerate the diesel particulate filter (DPF), which removes soot from diesel engine exhaust. Using engine experiments and 3D-CFD, the lab seeks the best combination of injection quantity, timing, and number of injections.
*Illustrative imageSuppressing knock with reformed gas
In this research, gasoline is injected into the exhaust pipe and a reformer produces hydrogen and methane, which are returned to the intake air to suppress knock in gasoline engines. The lab is currently investigating how boosting affects knock and how effectively reformed gas suppresses it.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Engine Systems and Next-Generation Fuels Lab are faculty, secretaries, and master's and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorGen Shibata
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Internal combustion engine pistons of partial cross-sectional view” Mj-bird / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Putting liquid synthetic fuel (e-fuel) into practical use: “Diesel engine valve train” Panoha / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Converting greenhouse gases into syngas: “Biogas plant at Crouchland Farm - geograph.org.uk - 2164888” Dave Spicer / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Making post injection more efficient: “DPF Siliziumkarbid” Michael KR / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Suppressing knock with reformed gas: “Cylinderhead” Thekingofazle / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Energy Conversion Systems Lab): “Fuel cell NASA p48600ac” 作者不詳 / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Micro Biomechanics Lab): “Fibroblastid” Heiti Paves / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Heat Transport Systems Lab): “International Space Station radiators ESA21793420” European Space Agency / CC BY-SA 3.0 igo (cropped)
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