The award recognizes “innovative and unique pumping concepts and devices with micro-, millimeter- and macro-scale flow passage arrangements in consideration of the displacement of fluids subject to diverse physical phenomena.”
Dr Ligrani’s innovations are beneficial to a variety of applications, such as transporting biological samples without significant alteration or destruction of cells, and supplying coolant to maintain the temperatures of components subject to thermal loading, like lasers.
His work at UAH, a part of The University of Alabama System, includes the development of a variety of rotary shaft pumps, viscous disk pumps, an osmotic dispense pump and a viscous disk air flow displacement device. These advances have been featured in more than 15 journal papers and have garnered two published patents, working with a variety of fluids, including water, 5W-30 motor oil, sucrose solutions and polymer solutions, as well as gases, such as helium and air.
The award, which was established by Worthington Pump Inc in 1980, will be presented at the ASME Fluids Engineering Division summer meeting on 15–17 July in Anaheim, California, where Dr Ligrani will give a plenary lecture detailing his findings.
Past winners of the Henry R Worthington Medal include Igor Karassik in 1980 and Harold Anderson in 1984.
