Piero Colonna

Piero Colonna is Professor and Chair of Propulsion and Power at the Delft University of Technology, where he has been a faculty member since 2002. He serves as the Director of the Aerospace Engineering Graduate School since 2021. He received his Ph. D. degree from Politecnico di Milano, a M.Sc. degree from Stanford University another M.Sc. degree also from Politecnico di Milano.

Prof. Colonna was a recipient of the VIDI personal grant of the Dutch Science and Technology Foundation in 2005 (top ~5% of Dutch young scientists). His research interests are in the area of nonideal compressible fluid dynamics, which he pioneered, thermodynamic properties of working fluids, turbomachinery, and in particular organic Rankine cycle and supercritical CO2 cycle power systems, for which he is a recognized expert. He authored more than 170 articles in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings, served as Associate Editor of the ASME Journal for Engineering of Gas Turbine and Power, and is Associate Editor of the Journal of the Global Propulsion and Power Society.

He also served in the board of the International Gas Turbine Institute since 2014 and has been the IGTI Chairman from 2015 to 2017 (two terms) and is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the Global Propulsion and Power Society. He launched the International Seminar on ORC Power systems in 2011 and served as Chairman and in various positions in the Knowledge Center on ORC Power systems – KCORC. In 2011 and 2012 he was awarded the Best Lecturer Award for the Master Program in Sustainable Energy and Process Technologies and for that of Fluid Mechanics of the TU Delft and pioneered online education. He is the author with the late Prof. W.C. Reynolds of a textbook on engineering thermodynamics published by Cambridge University Press, and is now developing a European Course on Engineering Thermodynamics experimenting with novel teaching methods.

Panel 2: What is best for short and medium range transportation?

Wednesday, January 15th
15:00 – 16:30 | HG F 30 | Audi Max

Moderator: Piero Colonna (TU Delft)

Panelist: Florian Allroggen (MIT), Scott Cary (NREL), Naoki Seki (IHI), Vince Sidwell (Pratt &Whitney), Fabian Donus (MTU)

Abstract:

The civil aviation segment focused on short- and medium-range missions (500–1000 km) is expected to grow very rapidly in many regions of the world, reaching unprecedented levels. While high-speed rail offers clear advantages in terms of reducing global warming emissions, the significant costs and extended timelines required for infrastructure development and commissioning present substantial challenges. Adding to the complexity are economic factors, as well as local and global political dynamics, which further complicate decision-making.

This panel session does not aim to discuss all aspects of this multifaceted issue but seeks to provide critical insights through expert perspectives and illustrative examples. Panelists will explore the trade-offs, challenges, and opportunities, helping to shed some light on what might be the most sustainable and practical solutions, depending on boundary conditions.