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James Turner

Professor, Mechanical Engineering

Physical Science and Engineering Division 
Center membership :
Clean Combustion

james.turner@kaust.edu.sa


Affiliations

Education Profile

  • Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Loughborough University, UK, 2011
  • M.Eng., Mechanical Engineering, City, University of London, UK, 1987

Research Interests

​Prof. Turner's research interests are primarily in the field of spark-ignition combustion, pressure charging, alternative low-carbon fuels, e-fuels, and novel engine and powertrain concepts, all with a particular emphasis on transport. This emphasis has been driven by many years working in the automotive industry and hence gaining a clear understanding of the challenges facing it. A major current research direction is the employment of hydrogen for motive power generation, both in combustion engines and fuel cells. The latter includes investigation of their integration into cycles with engines in order to improve overall efficiency and to provide new routes to fossil CO2 mitigation and sequestration.

Selected Publications

  • Further Investigations into the Benefits and Challenges of Eliminating Port Overlap in Wankel Rotary Engines Turner, J.W.G., Turner, M., Islam R., Shen, X., and Costall, A.W. SAE technical paper 2021-01-0638, SAE 2021 World Congress, Detroit, Michigan, USA, 13th-15th April, 2021
  • Alcohol fuels for spark-ignition engines: performance, efficiency, and emission effects at mid to high blend rates for ternary mixtures Turner, J.W.G., Lewis, A.G.J., Akehurst, S., Brace, C.J., Verhelst, S., Vancoillie, J., Sileghem, L., Leach, F., and Edwards, P.P. Energies Special Issue on Alternative Engines and Alternative Fuels, Vol. 13, No. 6390, 3rd December, 2020
  • Methanol as a fuel for internal combustion engines Verhelst, S., Turner, J.W.G., Sileghem, L., and Vancoillie, J. Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, Vol. 70, pp. 43–88, January 2019
  • 2-Stroke Engine Options for Automotive Use: A Fundamental Comparison of Different Potential Scavenging Arrangements for Medium-Duty Truck Applications Turner, J.W.G., Head, R.A., Wijetunge, R., Chang, J., Engineer, N., Blundell, D., and Burke, P., SAE technical paper 2019-01-0071, SAE 2019 Powertrain, Fuels, and Lubricants Meeting, San Antonio, Texas, USA, 22nd-24th January, 2019
  • Ultra Boost for Economy: Extending the Limits of Extreme Engine Downsizing Turner, J.W.G., Popplewell, A., Patel, R., Johnson, T., Darnton, N.J., Richardson, S., Bredda, S.W., Jackson, R., Bithell, C., Tudor, R., Fernandes, J., Remmert, S., Cracknell, R., Lewis, A.G.J., Akehurst, S., Brace, C.J., Copeland, C., Martinez-Botas, R., Romagnoli, A. and Burluka, A.A. SAE technical paper 2014-01-1185, SAE 2014 World Congress, Detroit, Michigan, USA, 8th-10th April, 2014 and SAE Int. J. Engines 7(1):2014
  • Octane Response in a Downsized, Highly Boosted Direct Injection Spark Ignition Engine Remmert, S.M., Cracknell, R., Head, B., Schuetze, A., Lewis, A.G.J., Akehurst, S., Turner, J.W.G. and Popplewell, A. SAE technical paper 2014-01-1397, SAE 2014 World Congress, Detroit, Michigan, USA, 8th-10th April, 2014 and SAE Int. J. Fuels Lubr. 7(1):2014
  • Extending the role of alcohols as transport fuels using iso-stoichiometric ternary blends of gasoline, ethanol and methanol Turner, J.W.G., Pearson, R.J., Dekker, E., Iosefa, B., Dolan, G., Johansson, K. and Bergström, K. Journal of Applied Energy, Vol. 102, pp. 72-86, February 2013
  • The Lotus Range Extender Engine Turner, J.W.G., Blake, D., Moore, J., Burke, P., Pearson, R.J., Patel, R., Blundell, D.W., Chandrashekar, R.B., Matteucci, L., Barker, P. and Card, C.A. SAE technical paper 2010-01-2208, SAE Powertrains, Fuels, and Lubricants Meeting, San Diego, California, USA, 25th-27th October, 2010
  • Project Omnivore: A Variable Compression Ratio ATAC 2-Stroke Engine for Ultra-Wide-Range HCCI Operation on a Variety of Fuels Turner, J.W.G., Blundell, D.W., Pearson, R.J., Patel, R., Larkman, D.B., Burke, P., Richardson, S., Green, N.M., Brewster, S., Kenny R.G., and Kee R.J. SAE technical paper 2010-01-1249, SAE 2010 World Congress, Detroit, Michigan, USA, April 2010