Alex Golden Oblad
Encyclopedia
Alex Golden Oblad was a prominent chemist
and chemical engineer
principally recognized for his pioneering work in catalysis
and catalytic chemistry.
Oblad was born in Salt Lake City, Utah
and raised in Sugar House
. Educated first at the University of Utah
and subsequently receiving a Ph.D.
from Purdue University
, he spent the bulk of his career working for energy and engineering companies developing innovative chemical processes. His career began at Standard Oil of Indiana in the 1930s and included increasingly important research and management positions at Mobil Oil, Houdri Process Company, Air Products and Chemicals, and the M.W. Kellogg Company, of which Dr. Oblad became Vice President of Research.
Among his most recognized achievements was development of catalytic cracking (a process he worked on with Eugene Houdry
and others) that made economically feasible the low-cost, mass production of high-octane gasoline
. After a distinguished career in industry, Oblad accepted a teaching and research position at the University of Utah
as Distinguished Professor of Fuels Engineering, where he also served for several years as acting college dean.
A life-long member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and dedicated husband and father of six, Oblad died in 2000 of causes incident to age. Oblad also wrote an article on the work of Eugene Jules Houdry. He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering
.
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
and chemical engineer
Chemical engineer
In the field of engineering, a chemical engineer is the profession in which one works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of products, and deals with the design and operation of plants and equipment to perform such work...
principally recognized for his pioneering work in catalysis
Catalysis
Catalysis is the change in rate of a chemical reaction due to the participation of a substance called a catalyst. Unlike other reagents that participate in the chemical reaction, a catalyst is not consumed by the reaction itself. A catalyst may participate in multiple chemical transformations....
and catalytic chemistry.
Oblad was born in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
and raised in Sugar House
Sugar house
A sugar house, also known as sap house, sugar shack, sugar shanty or sugar cabin is a semi-commercial establishment, prominent mainly in Eastern Canada...
. Educated first at the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
and subsequently receiving a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
, he spent the bulk of his career working for energy and engineering companies developing innovative chemical processes. His career began at Standard Oil of Indiana in the 1930s and included increasingly important research and management positions at Mobil Oil, Houdri Process Company, Air Products and Chemicals, and the M.W. Kellogg Company, of which Dr. Oblad became Vice President of Research.
Among his most recognized achievements was development of catalytic cracking (a process he worked on with Eugene Houdry
Eugene Houdry
Eugene Houdry was a French mechanical engineer who invented catalytic cracking of petroleum feed stocks. He originally focused on using lignite as a feedstock, but switched to using heavy liquid tars after moving to the United States in 1930...
and others) that made economically feasible the low-cost, mass production of high-octane gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
. After a distinguished career in industry, Oblad accepted a teaching and research position at the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
as Distinguished Professor of Fuels Engineering, where he also served for several years as acting college dean.
A life-long member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and dedicated husband and father of six, Oblad died in 2000 of causes incident to age. Oblad also wrote an article on the work of Eugene Jules Houdry. He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
.