Purpose -The purpose of this publication is to present a didactic concept with the targeted impact of a positive future vision. This paper reflects the effect of local educational action on the development of regionally optimised visions in rural regions of a European industrial state, compared with a rural region in the developing country of Senegal. Design/methodology/approach -An assessment and analysis of two conceptual approaches to education and technology is conducted with a view to participating in a future multicultural participatory design process, and identifying the chances that communities have to build future-oriented structures that support local roots and development. Findings -In the short-term, the technological and material results are the targeted localisation of a windmill in the (physical and cultural) countryside. In the long-term, educative and social results are expected to strengthen local civil society, which is initiated by empowering students through their self-responsibility in the Alpine region of Greifenburg, Austria. The "windmill" in the region is a publicly visible sign and a technology-based icon in the landscape, based on local consensus on several levels and inspiring further regional consensus on energy, climate protection and its active creation through entrepreneurship in civil society. Originality/value -Technology serves as a catalyst to trigger social cohesion among multiple cultures in a region and to enhance conviviality.

Gasoline direct injection (GDI) spark ignition engine technology is advancing at a rapid rate. The development and optimization of GDI engines requires new experimental methods and numerical models to analyse the in-cylinder processes. Therefore the objective of this paper is to present numerical and experimental methods to analyse the combustion process in GDI engines. The numerical investigation of a four-stroke three-valve GDI engine was performed with the code KIVA-3V [1]. For the calculation of the turbulent combustion a model for partially premixed combustion, developed and implemented by Kech [4], was used. The results of the numerical investigation are compared to experimental results, obtained using an optical fibre technique in combination with spectroscopic temperature measurements under different engine conditions. This comparison shows good agreement in temporal progression of pressure. Both the numerical simulation and the experimental investigation predicted comparable combustion phenomena.

The development and optimization of internal combustion engines requires the application of advanced development tools. In addition to experimental methods, numerical calculations are needed in order to obtain an insight into the complex in-cylinder processes. In this context, the modeling of the combustion phenomena represents an important aspect. Therefore the objective of this paper is to present numerical methods to analyse the combustion process in premixed spark-ignition engines.The investigations were performed in a 6-cylinder 2.8 l SI-engine running at wide open throttle. The numerical calculations were performed using the finite volume CFD code STAR-CD. The mesh generation process, including the description of the piston and the valve motion, was automated using ICE. Combustion in the present study was treated with the one-equation Weller flamelet model. This model was implemented in Star-CD. The mass fractions of the combustion products were assumed to follow the local and instantaneous thermodynamic equilibrium values. The equilibrium composition of the cylinder charge was calculated according to Olikara/Borman. Eleven species were considered: O 2 , CO 2 , H 2 O, N 2 , H, O, N, H 2 , OH, CO and NO. Isooctane was used as fuel. For the calculation of the convective heat transfer during the combustion process a further submodel for the calculation of the heat transfer coefficient was used.In this work, different operating conditions were analysed. For all operating conditions the gas exchange process and the combustion process were calculated. Every calculation started 40° CA BTDC and finished when the combustion was completed. The boundary conditions were gained by experimental investigations.For the verification of the combustion model, calculated cylinder pressure data and mass fractions burned are compared to experimental results. The results of the combustion process are discussed for different engine speeds and equivalence ratios. This discussion reveals that the combustion model used shows encouraging results. The comparison of the calculated and measured in-cylinder pressure indicates good agreement for equivalence ratios between 0.87 and 1.25 and engine speeds up to 3000 r/min. The shape of the predicted flame appears to be reasonable.

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