Seppo Niemi

Gas and diesel engines

Renewable liquid fuels

Engine fuels

Exhaust aftertreatment systems (catalysts, filters, scrubbers)

Engine-driven power plants

Flexible energy generation

Applied thermodynamics

Adjunct Professor, Internal combustion engine technology and engine fuels, Åbo Akademi University (ÅAU), Turku, Finland

Adjunct Professor, Internal combustion engine (ICE) technology and ICE driven power plants, LUT University, LUT School of Energy Systems, Finland.

On-going and recent research:

• Powertrain alternatives for inland waterway vessels. Company project.
• Implementation of a hydrothermal carbonization process for sludge and wet organic stream disposal. EURA 2014/11246/09 02 01 01/2021/PL. September 1, 2021 – August 30, 2022. 34 k€; Project Manager at UV.
• EU CHEK, deCarbonising sHipping by Enabling Key technology symbiosis on real vessel concept designs. Grant Agreement number: 955286. June 1, 2021 – May 31, 2024. 651 k€; Principal Investigator at UV.
• EDGE - Edge Analytics for Smart Diagnostics in Digital Machinery Concept. Business Finland, Dnro 3543/31/2018, and companies; 02.11.2018; Sept 1, 2018 – Oct 31, 2020. 168 k€; Project Manager at UV.
• INTENS company project. Corporate funding; order date 26.10.2018. 508 k€; Project Manager at UV.
• INTENS – Integrated Energy Solutions to Smart and Green Shipping. Business Finland, Dnro 7889/31/2017; 26.02.2018; January 1, 2018 – December 31, 2020. 364.8 k€; Project Manager at UV
• The bio concept project of Suupohja. Council of Tampere Region, A72761; EU EAKR, EURA 2014/5555/09 02 01 01/2017/PL. May 1, 2017 – December 31, 2019; 72.54 k€.
• Regional innovations and experiments (AIKO). Expansion contract. Regional Council of Ostrobothnia, No. 201632; January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2018; 165 k€; Project Manager at UV.
• EU Hercules-2, Fuel Flexible, Near-Zero Emissions, Adaptive Performance Marine Engine. European Commission Number 634135. May 1, 2015 – April 30, 2018. 1445 k€; Principal Investigator at UV.

Recent publications:

• Sirviö, K., Kaivosoja, J., Nuortila, C., Wang-Alho, H., Niemi, S. and Ovaska, T. (2023). B20 Fuel Compatibility with Steels in Case of Fuel Contamination. Energies 2023, 16, 5933. Doi:10.3390/en16165933.
• Wang-Alho, H., Sirviö, K., Hissa, M., Mikulski, M., & Niemi, S. (2023). Methanol-HVO blends for efficient low-temperature combustion: analytical research on fuel properties. Agronomy Research, 21(2), 994–1005. doi:10.15159/AR.23.072.
• Sirviö, K., Nuortila, C., Niemi, S., Ovaska, T. and Heikkilä, S. (2023). The corrosion behavior of steels in contact with metal doped biodiesel-diesel blends. CIMAC Congress 2023 Busan, Paper No. 11.
• Hautala, S., Mikulski, M., Söderäng, E., Storm, X. and Niemi, S. (2022). Towards a digital twin of a mid-speed marine engine: From detailed 1D engine model to real-time implementation on a target platform. International J of Engine Research 1–19, © IMechE 2022. Doi:10.1177/14680874221106168.

• Söderäng, E., Hautala, S., Mikulski, M., Storm, X. and Niemi, S. (2022). Development of a digital twin for real-time simulation of a combustion engine-based power plant with battery storage and grid coupling. Energy Conversion and Management, 266, 115793. Doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2022.115793.
• Ritari, A., Spoof-Tuomi, K., Huotari, J., Niemi, S. and Tammi, K. (2021). Emission Abatement Technology Selection, Routing and Speed Optimization of Hybrid Ships. J. Mar. Sci. Eng., 9, 944. doi:10.3390/jmse9090944.
• Spoof-Tuomi, K., Niemi, S., Ovaska, T., Nilsson, O. and Heikkilä, S. (2021). Selective Catalytic Reduction on Filter Performance Testing on Nonroad Diesel Engine. SAE Technical Paper 2021-01-5054. doi:10.4271/2021-01-5054.
• Wikberg, E., Heikkilä, S., Sirviö, K., Välisuo, P., Niemi, S. and Niemi, A. (2021). Calibration method for the determination of the FAME and HVO contents in fossil diesel blends using NIR spectroscopy. Fuels 2021, 2, 179–193. doi:10.3390/fuels2020011.
• Haq, H., Välisuo, P. and Niemi, S. (2021). Modelling Sustainable Industrial Symbiosis. Energies 2021, 14, 1172. doi:10.3390/en14041172.
• Haq, H., Välisuo, P., Mesquita, L., Kumpulainen, L. and Niemi, S. (2021). An application of seasonal borehole thermal energy system in Finland. Cleaner Engineering and Technology 2 (2021) 100048. doi:10.1016/j.clet.2021.100048.
• Spoof-Tuomi, K., Vauhkonen, V., Niemi, S., Ovaska, T., Lehtonen, V., Heikkilä, S. and Nilsson, O. (2021). Crude Tall Oil based Renewable Diesel: Performance, Emission Characteristics and Storage Stability. SAE Technical Paper 2021-01-1208. doi:10.4271/2021-01-1208.
• Spoof-Tuomi, K., Vauhkonen, V., Niemi, S., Ovaska, T., Lehtonen, V., Heikkilä, S. and Nilsson, O. (2021). Effects of Crude Tall Oil Based Renewable Diesel on the Performance and Emissions of a Non-Road Diesel Engine. SAE Technical Paper 2021-01-1197. doi:10.4271/2021-01-1197.
• Haq, H., Välisuo, P., Kumpulainen, L., Tuomi, V. and Niemi, S. (2020). A preliminary assessment of industrial symbiosis in Sodankylä. Current Research in Environmental Sustainability 2 (2020) 100018. doi:10.1016/j.crsust.2020.100018
• Nuortila, C., Help, R., Sirviö, K., Suopanki, H., Heikkilä, S. and Niemi, S. (2020). Selected Fuel Properties of Alcohol and Rapeseed Oil Blends. Energies 2020, 13, 3821. doi:10.3390/en13153821.
• Kuuluvainen, H., Karjalainen, P., Saukko, E., Ovaska, T., Sirviö, K., Honkanen, M., Olin, M., Niemi, S., Keskinen, J. and Rönkkö, T. (2020). Nonvolatile ultrafine particles observed to form trimodal size distributions in non-road diesel engine exhaust. Aerosol Science and Technology. doi:10.1080/02786826.2020.1783432
• Hissa, M., Niemi, S. and Niemi, A. (2020). Combustion and emission studies of a common-rail direct injection diesel engine with various injector nozzles. Agronomy Research 18(3), 2033-2048, 2020. doi:10.15159/ar.20.165.
• Spoof-Tuomi, K. and Niemi, S. (2020). Environmental and Economic Evaluation of Fuel Choices for Short Sea Shipping. Clean Technol. 2020, 2, 34–52. doi:10.3390/cleantechnol2010004.
• Niemi, S., Hissa, M., Ovaska, T., Sirviö, K., Heikkilä, S., Nilsson, O, Hautala, S., Spoof-Tuomi, K., Suomela, J., Niemi, A., Kiikeri, A., Portin, K. and Asplund, T. (2020). Performance and Emissions of a Medium-Speed Engine Driven with Sustainable Options of Liquid Fuels. SAE Technical Paper 2020-01-2126. doi:10.4271/2020-01-2126.
• Ovaska, T., Niemi, S., Sirviö, K., Nilsson, O., Karjalainen, P., Rönkkö, T., Kulmala, K. and Keskinen, J. (2020). Role of Lubricating Oil Properties in Exhaust Particle Emissions of an Off-Road Diesel Engine. SAE Technical Paper 2020-01-0386. doi:10.4271/2020-01-0386.
• Lauren, M., Karhu, T., Niemi, S., Laivola, M., Ekman, J. and Spoof-Tuomi, K. (2020). Different Methods to Improve the Exhaust Gas Temperature in Modern Stage V Off-Road Diesel Engine over Transient Emission Cycles. SAE Technical Paper 2020-01-0903. doi:10.4271/2020-01-0903.

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