News Story

Gupta Receives the Percy Nicholls Award

Ashwani Gupta

Professor Ashwani K. Gupta was awarded the Percy Nicholls Award for Notable Scientific or Practical Contributions in the Field of Solid Fuels at the 36th International Technical Conference on Clean Coal and Fuel Systems, held June 5-9, 2011, in Clearwater, Fla. Established in 1942 to commemorate Nicholls' contributions to the science and technology of fuel utilization, the award, jointly sponsored by the Power Division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the Coal Division of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineering, recognizes outstanding achievements in the field of solid fuels.

Gupta's legacy of research and academic service benefits all who rely on solid fuels, as evidenced by his numerous publications and extensive time as an educator and mentor. His contributions in the areas of gasification and pyrolysis of solid fuels have led to cleaner and more efficient combustion of biomass, coal, waste and low grade fuels. Gupta's major achievements in the field of solid fuels include the development of ultra-high temperature steam gasification that provides negligible char and tar and high heating value syngas, a technology now used to recover energy from a wide range of solid materials. He has also conducted notable research in distributed combustion with controlled temperature in furnaces combined with high and uniform heat flux in the entire combustion zone at high efficiency; ultra-low emissions of NOx, CO and particulate matter; and high efficiency biofuels production. In addition to his research achievements, Gupta is noted for providing sustained future workforce development to future engineers.

Gupta is a fellow of ASME, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the Society of Automotive Engineers. He has received several honors and awards for his research and professional activity, including the ASME George Westinghouse Gold Medal Award, ASME James Harry Potter Gold Medal Award, ASME James N. Landis Medal Award, ASME Worcester Reed Warner Medal, and the ASME Holley Medal. He is also the recipient of the University of Maryland College of Engineering Research Award and the University of Maryland President Kirwan Award.

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