FED Talks is a new speaker series from the Faculty of Engineering and Design that engages the community in discussions of timely and innovative ideas in engineering, design and technology.

Xiao Huang, professor, and Edgar Matida, associate professor, in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering discuss hybrid natural gas vehicles.

With the increasing cost of petroleum fuels, and the need to reduce green house emissions from combustion and dependence on petroleum, low-polluting and more sustainable fuel for transportation is needed. Natural gas (NG), comprised primarily of methane (CH4), has the least emission per unit of energy produced of any fossil fuel. On a well-to-wheels or total lifecycle basis, the use of NG reduces carbon emissions by an estimated 20-25%. Recent NG explorations in North America indicate that vast amounts can be produced and the price of NG can be kept relatively low; about 30-40% cheaper than the equivalent gasoline or diesel, for decades to come. Additionally, with the establishment and expansion of biomass gasification processes, more methane will be made available for transportation and reduce our dependence on oil.

In this talk we will discuss the advantages of using NG and hybrid NG (with fuel cells or batteries) for passage vehicles and the state-of-the-art of conversion technology.

This series is open to the public and everyone is encouraged to come out and learn! Coffee and snacks will be available.