Greetings!
The Combustion Institute (CI) is an international, non-profit, educational and scientific society. Founded in 1954, the CI promotes and disseminates research activities in all areas of combustion science and technology for the advancement of diverse communities around the world. Our 36 sections are based in Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas, with a total membership that exceeds 6,000 combustion scientists and engineers. The CI directs the publication of two scientific journals (Combustion and Flame and Proceedings of the Combustion Institute) and oversees the organization of technical meetings around the world, including the biennial international combustion symposium.
Members can consult the events calendar for details on upcoming meetings and other opportunities to connect with fellow colleagues. Visitors who are curious about updates, recent advancements in combustion research are invited to consult the news blog. If you need information not available on the website, feel free to reach out to us with your specific requests.
Hai Wang, President, The Combustion Institute
Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, USA
Gaining expertise in both the craft and knowledge of combustion was key to the industrial revolution and several greatest engineering accomplishments of the 20th century, such as electrification, automobiles, airplanes, spacecrafts, and agricultural mechanization. In the past few decades, we have all experienced the positive impact of reduced levels of automobile pollution, largely thanks to advancements in combustion research. Emissions of nitric oxide from cars, leading to the formation of photochemical smog in cities, have decreased by 45 times since 1975. Advancements in combustion research have contributed to the drastic reduction of soot or particulate air pollutant from buses and airplanes.
Combustion science and technology remain crucial in today’s energy landscape, especially as we move towards a low-carbon economy. For instance, our community is investigating important topics related to the use of non-carbon energy sources like hydrogen and ammonia for vehicles and power generation, as well as sustainable fuels for aviation. We are improving the design and usage of lithium-ion batteries by gaining fundamental understanding of battery fires and explosions. The study of combustion plays a key role in preventing fires, ensuring building fire safety, and fighting wildfires. Combustion scientists and engineers are making progress in developing future air-breathing hypersonic vehicles and space propulsion systems to enable space exploration and travel. Combustion is the cornerstone in processing of traditional materials with examples from carbon black for automobile tires to silicate powders for optical fiber manufacturing. Today, combustion is also used for synthesis of nanomaterials ranging from lithium-ion battery anode to biomedical applications.
The field of combustion is interdisciplinary in nature. It attracts brilliant scientists and engineers from a wide spectrum of training and expertise to address real-world problems. Through research and training, young scientists and engineers develop diverse skills which they can apply broadly to energy and propulsion problems, leading to rewarding careers in academia, industry and beyond.
- Hai Wang, President