CURRENT AND RECENT RESEARCH
RESEARCH AREAS AND EXPERTISE:
(i) Traditional Heat Transfer and Fluid Mechanics Investigations involving electronics cooling, heat transfer augmentation, drag reduction, turbulent boundary layers, flows in channels with dimpled surfaces, flows in curved channels, elastic turbulence, slot impingement cooling, and macro-scale pumps and pump flows. Also included are aerodynamics investigations with high-speed, compressible flows at transonic and supersonic Mach numbers, including SWBLI – Shock Wave Boundary Layer Interactions. Related projects involve transonic and supersonic experimental testing. Research interests also include experimental diagnostics in high speed flows, and air breathing propulsion.
(ii) Air Breathing Engines – Gas Turbine Heat Transfer, Cooling, and Aerodynamics Losses, including internal cooling, film cooling, impingement cooling, cooling of extremities, aerodynamic performance including aerodynamic losses, and transonic turbine flows and heat transfer. This subject area includes the effects of uses of bio-fuels, synthetic fuels, and renewable energy sources in relation to gas turbines and gas turbine heat transfer and cooling technologies. Note that an important area of turbomachinery research interest involves heat transfer and aerodynamics investigations with high-speed, compressible flows at transonic and supersonic Mach numbers, including linear cascade studies.
(iii) Micro-Fluidics and Millimeter-Scale-Fluidics, including micro-pump flows, and the effects of slip phenomena on gas and liquid flows in micro-scale passage flows with and without surface roughness, including the effects of hydrophobic surfaces and elastic turbulence.
(iv) Experimental Techniques, including development of millimeter-scale multiple-hole pressure probes, subminiature hot-wire anemometry, and infrared thermography.
RESEARCH AREAS AND EXPERTISE:
Ligrani – Current Research Activities
RESEARCH FUNDING AWARDS
Dr. Ligrani has a strong past and present record of performing sponsored, fundamental and applied research for a variety of funding agencies, including ones in the USA and Europe. As such, he has successfully managed a wide variety of research programs, for different industrial, foundation, and government sponsors. As of April 2020, research funding awards have been received from the following organizations: U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory – Aerospace Systems Directorate, CFDRC – Computational Fluid Dynamics Research Corporation, Alabama State Innovation Program Fund, University of Alabama in Huntsville Endowment for Eminent Scholar in Propulsion, University of Alabama in Huntsville Start-Up Funds, AEDC – Arnold Engineering Development Center of Arnold Air Force Base, National Science Foundation, Honeywell Aerospace Corp., The Boeing Company, IHI Corporation, the Henry Luce Foundation, South Carolina Institute for Energy Studies (SCIES-AGTSR) of the Department of Energy, U. S. Army Aviation Research and Technology Activity-AVSCOM, NASA-Ames Research Center, NASA-Lewis Research Center, Hispanic Research Center-Arizona State University, Turbo and Power Machinery Research Center-Seoul National University, Solar Turbines Incorporated, UCON U.S.-Japan Center-Weber State University, General Electric Corporate Research and Development Center, Pratt & Whitney Corporation-Florida, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Pratt & Whitney Corporation-Canada Corp., the Gas Technology Institute, Intel Corporation, HEET-High Efficiency Engines and Turbines Program – South Carolina Energy Research and Development Center, Invesys Corp. – Foxboro Company, Ceramatec Advanced Materials and Electrochemical Technologies Corp., CISCO Systems Inc., SEEDA-South East England Development Agency, EPSRC – Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council of Great Britain, ISIS Innovation, John Fell Fund, European Community Sixth Framework Programme, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources – KIGAM, Lockheed Martin UK, The Royal Academy of Engineering, Rolls Royce PLC, Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) Engineering Board of Great Britain, Office of Naval Research, Naval Postgraduate School Research Foundation, Aero-Propulsion Laboratory-Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and Naval Postgraduate School Direct Funding.
CURRENT AND RECENT RESEARCH FUNDING AWARDS
The total amount of funding, including grants contracts, and donations, since arriving at the University of Alabama in Huntsville as of April 2020, is approximately $3.56 million. Current and recent research sponsors include: (1) Solar Turbines, Inc. of San Diego, California, USA (multiple research contracts), (2) IHI Corp. (Ishikawajma Harima Heavy Industries), of Tokyo, Japan (multiple research contracts), (3) National Science Foundation, CBET Thermal Transport Processes, Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport (CBET) Systems, Arlington, Virginia, USA (multiple funding awards), (4) the Alabama Innovation Fund, Research Program, Montgomery, Alabama, USA, (5) Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, Alabama, USA, (6) AEDC – Arnold Engineering Development Center, Arnold Air Force Base, Tullahoma, Tennessee, USA (high pressure tank donation), (7) State Administration of Foreign Expert Affairs, Federal Government of the P. R. China, Beijing, P. R. China (through the School of Aerospace Engineering, Beihang University, BUAA – Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beijing, P. R. China), (8) U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, SBIR/STTR Program, Aerospace Systems Directorate, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, USA.