Arthur H. Lefebvre
Encyclopedia
Arthur Henry Lefebvre was an innovative leader in the development of science and engineering of the application of fuel sprays in gas turbine
combustor systems.
and Hans von Ohain
. He shared his expertise with an annual week-long gas turbine combustion short course from 1962 to 2003.
His memory is honored at each ICLASS conference with a Lecture named in his honor.
, Nottingham, University of London
BSc in Engineering in 1946 from University College. He received PhD from Imperial College in 1952 and a Doctor of Science (DSc) from Imperial College in 1975.
Cranfield University
(Britain) : Professor and Head of the Department of Aircraft Propulsion and Chief Research Engineer at Rolls-Royce Limited, Derby. 1961–1976.
Purdue University
(USA) 1976–1993 Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University and Reilly Professor of Combustion Engineering in 1980
After retiring, Lefebvre was concurrently made Emeritus Professor by Purdue and Cranfield
Universities.
He co-authored over 160 archival publications, 13 patents and 3 books (Gas Turbine Combustion, Gas Turbine Combustor Design Problems, and Atomization and Sprays). His book Atomization and Sprays is a guide to a generation of researchers and engineers on the development and use of spray science and technology.
Lefebvre invented and introduced the concept of air-blast atomization
, which transformed fuel injection in combustors. He initiated some of the earliest research on atomization and spray structure. As a founding member and regular participant at conferences of the Institute of Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems Americas (ILASS
) he taught a generation of scientists.
ASME R. Tom Sawyer Award (1984)
AIAA Propellants and Combustion Award (inaugural recipient in 1990)
Marshal Award from the Institute of Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems, ILASS, (1993)
IGTI Scholar Award (1995)
IGTI Aircraft Engine Technology Award (1996)
ASME George Westinghouse Gold Medal (2002)
Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering in the U.K.
Gas turbine
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
combustor systems.
Career
During his career he developed several innovative atomizers, including prefilming (in the 1960s) and effervescent (in the 1990s) designs for aircraft engines. Improvements in atomization greatly reduced the emissions of soot (smoke) and were instrumental in increasing the reliability of the combustor that was critical to improve the engine robustness. Lefebvre was a pioneer in the development of the jet engine, and arguably one who contributed more as a researcher, designer and educator than any other, except of course, the original inventors – Sir Frank WhittleFrank Whittle
Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, CB, FRS, Hon FRAeS was a British Royal Air Force engineer officer. He is credited with independently inventing the turbojet engine Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, CB, FRS, Hon FRAeS (1 June 1907 – 9 August 1996) was a British Royal Air...
and Hans von Ohain
Hans von Ohain
Hans Joachim Pabst von Ohain was a German engineer, one of the inventors of jet propulsion.Frank Whittle, who patented in 1930 in the United Kingdom, and Hans von Ohain, who patented in 1936 in Germany, developed the concept independently during the late 1930s...
. He shared his expertise with an annual week-long gas turbine combustion short course from 1962 to 2003.
His memory is honored at each ICLASS conference with a Lecture named in his honor.
Biography
Education: Long Eaton Grammar SchoolThe Long Eaton School
The Long Eaton School is a secondary comprehensive Academy on Thoresby Road in Long Eaton located between Nottingham and Derby.- History :...
, Nottingham, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
BSc in Engineering in 1946 from University College. He received PhD from Imperial College in 1952 and a Doctor of Science (DSc) from Imperial College in 1975.
Cranfield University
Cranfield University
Cranfield University is a British postgraduate university based on two campuses, with a research-oriented focus. The main campus is at Cranfield, Bedfordshire and the second is the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom based at Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. The main campus is unique in the United...
(Britain) : Professor and Head of the Department of Aircraft Propulsion and Chief Research Engineer at Rolls-Royce Limited, Derby. 1961–1976.
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...
(USA) 1976–1993 Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University and Reilly Professor of Combustion Engineering in 1980
After retiring, Lefebvre was concurrently made Emeritus Professor by Purdue and Cranfield
Universities.
He co-authored over 160 archival publications, 13 patents and 3 books (Gas Turbine Combustion, Gas Turbine Combustor Design Problems, and Atomization and Sprays). His book Atomization and Sprays is a guide to a generation of researchers and engineers on the development and use of spray science and technology.
Lefebvre invented and introduced the concept of air-blast atomization
Atomization
Atomization or Atomizer may refer to:* The conversion of a vaporized sample into atomic components in atomic spectroscopy* An apparatus using an atomizer nozzle* Atomizer Geyser, a cone geyser in Yellowstone National Park...
, which transformed fuel injection in combustors. He initiated some of the earliest research on atomization and spray structure. As a founding member and regular participant at conferences of the Institute of Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems Americas (ILASS
Ilass
The Institute for Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems, , is an organization of researchers, industrial practitioners and students engaged in professional activities connected with the spraying of liquids and slurries. Annual technical conferences are organized by each of the ILASS organizations...
) he taught a generation of scientists.
Recognition
ASME Gas Turbine Award (1984)ASME R. Tom Sawyer Award (1984)
AIAA Propellants and Combustion Award (inaugural recipient in 1990)
Marshal Award from the Institute of Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems, ILASS, (1993)
IGTI Scholar Award (1995)
IGTI Aircraft Engine Technology Award (1996)
ASME George Westinghouse Gold Medal (2002)
Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering in the U.K.