“Umberto Ruggiero” Degree Awards to three young engineering graduates

The selected winning topics: Combustion in a Hydrogen Engine; Decarbonization and Hydrogen Technologies; Concrete: A Raw Material for Heat Storage. The event commemorated Professor Ruggiero, President of ATI, Rector of the Polytechnic University of Bari, and a pioneer of mechanical engineering in Apulia.

Emanuele Bartolomeo Porcelli, Nicola Misceo and Michele Gambacorta are the three young engineers awarded by the Commission (Chair, Prof. Nicola Laforgia) of the “Umberto Ruggiero” Degree Award, 1st edition.

The initiative, supported by the Italian Thermotechnical Association, Puglia and Basilicata section, created to commemorate the unforgettable national President of the Association, Prof. Umberto Ruggiero, as well as Rector of Poliba, aimed to reward and support young engineers and architects who, through their degree theses, distinguish themselves and approach the world of research and engineering with experimental proposals and solutions of unquestionable quality.

The award ceremony took place on Thursday, 11 December, in the “Attilio Alto” main lecture hall of the Polytechnic. The remembrance and testimonies of the speakers about Prof. Ruggiero preceded the presentation of the winners. At the opening, Prof. Antonio Ficarella, from UniSalento, President of ATI Puglia Basilicata, highlighted the ATI initiative in support of young graduates and recalled the figure of his mentor from whom he inherited the teaching subject: “Machines”. The Rector of Poliba, Umberto Fratino, mentioned the competence and humanity of his predecessor, the driving force behind the founding of the Polytechnic in Bari. The newly elected National President of ATI (in office from 1 January), Prof. Riccardo Amirante, emphasized the intention to continue Ruggiero’s legacy within ATI. Domenico Laforgia, his student and President of AQP, gave a passionate and accurate account of Ruggiero’s professional path, also with the aid of excerpts from the “Testimonianze” format dedicated to the Poliba professor.

The winners (prize value: 1,500 euros each) had the opportunity to present their thesis work to those present with the aid of explanatory slides.

Here are their names and the respective awarded topics.

Nicola Misceo, from Cellamare (BA), graduated from the Polytechnic University of Bari in Energy Engineering with the thesis “Experimental investigation of hydrogen jet flames originating from leaks from pressurized tanks”. In the context of the energy transition, Misceo investigated hydrogen-based technologies. “These – he says – are considered fundamental for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, their use requires careful assessment of safety aspects, particularly in the event of leaks from pipelines and pressurized tanks. My thesis, carried out at IMFT (Institute of Fluid Mechanics) in Toulouse (France), focused on the experimental study of the behavior of flames generated by hydrogen leaks and made it possible to highlight phenomena very different from those expected in the case of flames produced by conventional fuels, particularly with regard to the flame length and the ignition and extinction conditions. These observations now make it possible to better understand the risks associated with the use of hydrogen and represent an important step toward the development of safer and more reliable energy technologies”.

Emanuele Bartolomeo Porcelli from Trani (BT), Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at Poliba (automotive curriculum), with the thesis “CFD simulations of an internal combustion engine with direct hydrogen injection” instead, investigated the use of traditional engines powered by hydrogen.

“In recent years – he states – the transport sector has been experimenting with alternative fuels such as hydrogen. The work carried out, in collaboration with ITV (RWTH Aachen University, Germany), analyzes hydrogen combustion in a single-cylinder engine through simulations and proposes a new turbulent combustion model that includes the thermo-diffusive effects characteristic of hydrogen flames, improving predictions compared with the initial model with clear advantages”.

Michele Gambacorta from Bari, with a Master’s degree in Energy Engineering at Poliba, finally, with the thesis, “Thermal energy storage in concrete: coupled numerical-experimental design approaches”, he approached a study dedicated to concrete for a new and different use compared with its traditional use in construction.

“This thesis – he explains – investigates the use of concrete as a heat storage material for high-temperature thermal energy applications. The work is structured around two complementary approaches: experimental and numerical. By integrating experimental data and numerical analyses, the work aimed to identify effective strategies to improve the efficiency, sustainability, and durability of thermal energy storage systems”.

The ceremony was also attended by: Professor Primiano Di Nauta, University of Foggia; Dr Elda Perlino, Councillor for Climate, Ecological Transition and the Environment, Municipality of Bari; Dr Beppe Bratta, President of the “La Nuova Energia” Regional District; Dr Mario Aprile, President of Confindustria Bari–BAT; and Dr Ettore Ruggiero, representing the Ruggiero family, in memory of his father.

ATI, Italian Thermotechnical Association, active since 1918, was legally established in 1947. Since its establishment to the present day, ATI has played a fundamental role in promoting, within universities, industry, and public administration, the study of thermotechnics, quickly becoming a hub for the aggregation of active organizations. Its widespread presence throughout the territory, through 16 Sections, has enabled ATI to carry out extensive work in disseminating thermo-energy culture, quickly achieving the prestige necessary to engage authoritatively with public institutions

The award, supported by the ATI Section of Puglia and Basilicata, is aimed at young engineers and architects from Puglia and Basilicata who have developed their degree thesis on topics related to the fields of energy and environmental systems and technical physics.

The article “Umberto Ruggiero” Degree Awards to three young engineering graduates comes from Poliba Chronicle.