Renault - LMS, A Siemens Business - Centrale Nantes Chair

Centrale Nantes, Renault and LMS, a Siemens Business, launched a joint international industrial chair in January 2013. Designed to explore new technologies for combustion engines, the 5-year chair benefits from a significant budget of 4.5 million euros.

On 29 January 2013, Arnaud Poitou, Director of Centrale Nantes, Claire Martin, Director of the Renault Foundation, Rémi Bastien, Director of Innovation and Research at Renault, Jan Leuridan, President of the software publisher LMS, a Siemens Business, came together to inaugurate the research chair focussing on new combustion engine technologies.



The chair’s research work will be to advance knowledge in the field of system modelling for the control and development of Renault’s internal combustion engines.

Rémi BASTIEN, Innovation and Research Director at Renault:
"The challenge of this chair is to gain better control of the process of exploring future technologies pertaining to the powertrain group, of the control and development of our engines and the development of numerical simulation in a context of permanent reductions in CO2 emissions."

Arnaud POITOU, Centrale Nantes Director:
"Centrale Nantes is very proud to contribute to the innovation of a major French industrial group such as Renault." Developing innovation and taking part in economic development are two of the key driving forces at Centrale Nantes, which reflects the uniqueness of Centrale Nantes, where outstanding numerical skills and large experimental platforms come together."

Jan LEURIDAN, President of LMS, a Siemens Business:
"For LMS, a Siemens Business, the challenge of this chair will be to better adapt our 1D LMS Imagine.Lab AMESim simulation tools to the engine control development processes. This chair will allow us to reinforce the development of our engine simulation offer, in addition to other partnerships."

Pascal CHESSE, Centrale Nantes professor and holder of the new research chair:
"This chair brings together high level expertise in simulation and experimental characterization. It is this numerical duality / experimentation which is the greatest added value of the chair and which will lead to major innovations in the control and development of engines. "

In addition, this Chair enables the DSE Research Group to leverage its research capabilities in its field of expertise: system modelling of complex energy processes. "Engine content and development are increasingly based on a digital engine. This digital engine is based on the simulation system approach. Digital calibration will save time and money in the development of the electronic engine control system. Innovation is not about engine innovation, but about all the gains that can be achieved by shortening industrial time."

Four PhD theses are already underway within the framework of this Renault - LMS - Centrale Nantes chair, which has a total potential for 6 to 7 theses. The subjects of the theses already in progress are:
 

• Modelling of polluting emissions,
• Extrapolation of operating fields of supercharging turbines,
• Improvement of cylinder filling calculation models,
• Dilution of fuel in lubricating oil.

The DSE Research Group at Centrale Nantes (LHEEA) works on four main axes:

1. turbocharging of engines (turbos)
2. the air loop (air intake and exhaust circuit)
3. innovative powertrains
4. combustion in engines

The research team uses the research facilities to work on the numerical simulation aspects as well as on the experimental aspects.