The 21st Century COE Program
Mechanical Systems Innovation
The University of Tokyo

6No.

The 21st Century COE Program
Mechanical Systems Innovation, The University of Tokyo

EJune 1, 2005

An International Workshop is Held
Workshop on Micro/Nano Scale Thermal/Fluids Engineering for
Biotechnology and Energy Conversion Applications

Opening address byProf. Nobuhide Kasagi,
21COE program leader

Lecture by Dr. Gian Piero Celata

Questions and answers related toProf. Chang-Jin Kim s lectureInternational Workshop on Micro/Nano Scale Thermal/Fluids Engineering for Biotechnology and Energy
Conversion Applications

sponsored by the 21st Century COE program Mechanical Systems Innovation, washeld on April 22 (Fri) 2005 at Takeda conference hall, by inviting leading experts in the area of micro/nanoengineering of bio and energy applications. Hot topics on micro heat transfer, fuel reforming for fuel cells,biomass, heat pumps, MEMS, and bio-fluidics were introduced by Dr. G. P. Celata (ENEA Casaccia, Rome,Italy), Prof. R. Shah (Rochester Institute of Technology, USA), Prof. G. Akay (University of Newcastle upon
Tyne, UK), Prof. A. Cavallini (University of Padova, Italy),Prof. C. J. Kim (UCLA, USA), and Prof. D.

Poulikakos (ETH, Switzerland). More than 120 people, mostly young graduate students and Ph.D. candidates,attended the workshop. The discussions and interactions with invited speakers were intensive and exciting.
The workshop was very successful in providing good opportunities for young researchers.

Three Project Promoters Newly Join 21COE
Takashi Ushida
Professor, Center for Disease Biology and Integrative Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine(Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering)

I feel very honored to join the 21 COE program Mechanical Systems Innovation”, while I have achance to carry out research and continue my education in the Graduate School of Engineering
as well as the Graduate School of Medicine. My major is “ Medical Engineering”, and I
especially focus on “Tissue Engineering (Regenerative Medicine)”as my primary research
theme. I would be very pleased if I could contribute to extending the horizon of mechanicalengineering by exploring medical fields from mechanical points of view. At the same time, I am
charged with publishing and press in the Program. I hope to inform as many people as possibleof the Program’s research and education activities by a variety of means, and I am looking

Shinobu Yoshimura

Shigehiko Kaneko

Professor, Department of Quantum
Engineering and Systems Science,
School of Engineering

Professor, Department of MechanicalEngineering, School of Engineering

I have been enrolled in this COE
project since April 1st of this year. I
also just moved back from theInstitute of Environmental Studies,
Graduate School of Frontier
Sciences, to the School ofEngineering on April 1st. I haveworked as a visiting researcher in
Computational Mechanics Center,
Georgia Institute of Technology, USA in 1985-86 and in theMaterial Testing Institute, University of Stuttgart, Germany,in 1994. My research topic is Intelligent Simulation, which
is a high level of integration of (1) Computational
Mechanics, (2) High-Performance Computing andNetworking, and (3) Intelligent and Soft Computing. With
the intelligent simulation, I am studying Design of Artifacts,
Large-Scale Simulation of Artifacts, Life-Time Assessment,
Inverse Analysis, and Social and Environment Simulations.
In the COE project, I focus on Large-Scale Coupled
Mechanics Simulation and Inverse analysis.

My specialty is dynamics and controlof mechanical systems. In connection
with small-sized distributed energy
systems, I currently am primarily
working on the following threeresearch topics: biomass gas-fueled
micro gas turbines, gas engines, andfoil bearings for small-sized gas
turbine use. To prototype a lowcalorie biomass gas-fueled micro gas turbine, we designed
and manufactured a special combustor under the guidanceof JAXA, developed a control system, and finally succeededin achieving stable operations.
In general, gas engines have better thermal efficiency than
micro gas turbines; however, if we try to operate gas
engines fueled by biomass gas that maintain stablecombustion, we have to develop control systems to deal
with time variations related to the calories and compositionof the supplied biomass gas. We are now developing sucha control system by adjusting the timing of the igniter. The
last research topic is the development of a foil bearing forhigh-speed small-sized gas turbine use.
To contribute to the early realization of distributed energy
systems, I will continue proposing new ideas, and I hope toreceive your cooperation. Thank you.

Voices from Young Researchers
Yoshiaki Akematsu
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Environmental and Ocean Engineering, School of Engineering

My name is Yoshiaki Akematsu. I have been worked for the University of Tokyo as a postdoctoral
fellow since 2004. My specialty is nondestructive inspection. Acoustic emissions, which are made upof transient elastic waves generated by the rapid release of energy, are my particular area of interest.
In my research I have attempted to clarify the mechanism of sound source. I have recently studied the“Detection of Elastic Wave by Using Optical Fiber Sensor during Single Pulse Discharge.” Electricaldischarge machining (EDM) is widely used for manufacturing various kinds of dies and molds.
However, the mechanism of material removal in EDM has not been sufficiently clarified because
electric discharge is a very short time phenomenon and occurs as electromagnetic noise. In order toovercome some of the problems of discharge monitoring systems, a new optical fiber sensor has
been developed. I hope that this optical fiber sensor will clarify the mechanism of material removal inEDM.
Furthermore, I will add to my stock of scientific knowledge to take advantage of the 21st COE
Program. Your continued support will be greatly appreciated.

Kohei Okita
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering

My name is Kohei Okita. I have been working as a postdoctoral fellow of COE since April, 2004. My
research topic is a multi-scale analysis for gas-liquid two-phase flows in The Hyper
Modeling/Simulation Project . In particular, I have been studying the cavitation phenomenon, which isa sequence of nucleation, growth, contraction, and collapse of bubbles in liquids by a change in thesurrounding hydrodynamic environment.
Cavitation induces unstable phenomena in fluid machinery and erodes materials in piping systems.
Now, based on experimental analyses, however, cavitation phenomena have begun to be effectively
utilized in a variety of fields. Bubble collapse can lead to high temperature and pressure conditions,which can be used for a lithotripsy in medical fields, an annihilation of microbes, and thedecomposition of chemicals in environmental fields. However, details of the cavitation phenomenon
have not yet been clarified due to the complex interaction between micro- and macro-scale
phenomena. I intend to study the cavitation phenomenon by using modeling and simulation.

Program Executive Organization
Project Promoters
Program leader
Nobuhide Kasagi

Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering,
School of Engineering

Energy innovation
Toshio Nagashima Professor, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics,
School of Engineering
Chisachi KatoProfessor, Department of Human and Society, Instituteof Industrial Science
Takayuki Terai
Professor, Department of Nuclear Science andManagement, School of Engineering
Kazuo Kageyama Professor, Department of Environmental and OceanEngineering, School of Engineering
Nobuo Takeda
Professor, Department of Advanced Energy, School ofFrontier Sciences
Shinichi Nakasuka Professor, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics,
School of Engineering
Tamaki Ura
Professor, Department of Environmental and OceanEngineering, Institute of Industrial Science
Shinichi Nakasuka Professor, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics,
School of Engineering
Toyoshisa Fujita
Professor, Department of Geosystem Engineering,
School of Engineering
Shigehiko Kaneko Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering,
School of Engineering
Project members
Toshiki Iino
Kensuke Tsuchiya
Yosuke Hasegawa

Biomedical innovation
Mamoru Mitsuishi
Professor, Department of Engineering Synthesis,
School of Engineering Masao WashizuProfessor, Department of Mechanical Engineering,
School of Engineering
Masayuki Nakao
Professor, Department of Engineering Synthesis,
School of Engineering
Teruo Fujii
Associate Professor, Department of Environmental
and Ocean Engineering, Institute of Industrial Science
Takashi Ushida
Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering,
School of Engineering
Hyper modeling / simulation
Yoichiro Matsumoto Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering,
School of Engineering
Takafumi Fujita
Professor, Department of Information and System,
Institute of Industrial Science
Hideaki Miyata
Professor, Department of Environmental and OceanEngineering, School of Engineering
Shinsuke Sakai
Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering,
School of Engineering
Shinobu Yoshimura Professor, Department of Quantum Engineeringand Systems Science

Project Professor, International Research and Education Center for Mechanical Systems Innovation, School of Engineering
Project Research Associate, International Research and Education Center for Mechanical Systems Innovation, School of Engineering
Project Research Associate, International Research and Education Center for Mechanical Systems Innovation, School of Engineering

Advisory Committee
Advisory committeemen
Koutaro Inoue
Senior Fellow, Japan Science and Technology Agency
Noboru Kikuchi
Professor, The University of Michigan

Yoshitsugu Kimura
Tetsuya Tateishi

Chair, President, Kagawa University
Professor, Tokyo Denki UniversityActivities of Mechanical Systems Innovation Program (scheduled)〈International Workshop〉◎Workshop on Micro/Nano Scale Thermal/Fluids
Engineering for Biotechnology and Energy
Conversion Applications
Date: April 22, 2005
Venue
: Takeda Hall, Takeda Building, Asano Campus〈Open Seminars〉◎FY2005-1st Seminar
Date: June 10, 2005
Venue
: Seminar Room No.2, Faculty of Engineering Bldg.2,
Hongo Campus
Subject: Topics in Financial Mathematics
Speaker : Prof. Huaxiong Huang (York University)◎FY2005-2nd Seminar
Date: June 17, 2005
Venue
: Seminar Room No.2, Faculty of Engineering Bldg.2,
Hongo Campus
Subject: Topics in Financial Mathematics
Speaker : Prof. Huaxiong Huang (York University)〈Industry-Government-Academia Interaction Meetingfor Human Resource Development〉◎FY2005-1st Meeting
Date: March 15, 2005
Venue
: Lecture Room No.226, Faculty of Engineering Bldg.8,
Hongo Campus
Subject: Efforts to the Advanced Human Resource Development
Speaker : Yuji Sakakibara (Manager, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology [MEXT])◎FY2005-2nd Meeting
Date: April 26, 2005
Venue
: Lecture Room No.226, Faculty of Engineering Bldg.8,
Hongo Campus
Subject: Expectations and Realities for Postdoctoral
Speaker : Mutsuhiro Arinobu (Chief of Research & Development,CorporateCenter, Toshiba Co., Ltd. )〈Industry-Faculty Council for Human Resource Development〉◎FY2005-1st Council
Date: June 3, 2005
Venue: Lecture Room No.226, Faculty of Engineering Bldg.8, HongoCampus

The 21st Century COE Program Mechanical Systems Innovation,Newsletter No.6E
June 1, 2005
The 21st Century COE Program Mechanical Systems Innovation Office, The University of Tokyo
7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, JAPANPhone and Fax/+81 3 5841 7437
URL/ http://www.mechasys.jp

In the interests of environmental conservation,thisnewsletter was printed
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