Canova is Co-PI of NSF Funded Research

Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professor Marcello Canova and Electrical and Computer Engineering Associate Professor Andrea Serrani have received a National Science Foundation (NSF) award for research that may lead to better fuel economy and emissions control while shortening the development and integration of new engine technologies.

Their research project, funded in the amount of $239,801 through the NSF Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI), is entitled, “Control of Over-Actuated Nonlinear Systems with Application to High-Efficiency Internal Combustion Engines.” The focus of their research is tied to improvements in engine performance that meet the automotive industry’s need to improve fuel efficiency in light of the increasingly stringent government mandates and fuel price increases.

Their research abstract states that the objective of the project is to establish a control design methodology for nonlinear systems possessing redundant control inputs, suitable for application to supervisory control of advanced combustion engines. In pursing the integration of two control strategies, Canova and Serrani are aiming to regulate the output of one while shaping the transient response, through online optimization, of the other. They believe the overall integrated approach is novel and expect to extend the state-of-the-art in the theory and practice of control of complex nonlinear systems.

To learn more, visit the NSF site: http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward.do?AwardNumber=1234686