Jack Richardson (chemical engineer)
Encyclopedia
John Francis "Jack" Richardson, OBE, (29 July 1920 – 4 January 2011) was a UK chemical engineering
academic, notable for his research into multiphase flow and rheology
, but best-known for a series of textbooks.
, London
, and achieved a first class BSc (Eng) in chemical engineering at Imperial College, London, in 1941 and a PhD at the same institution in 1949. He joined the academic staff and rose to Senior Lecturer. In 1960 he was appointed Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering at University College Swansea
, where he remained till his retirement in 1987.
In 1969 he was awarded the Arnold Greene Medal of the Institution of Chemical Engineers
, and he was its President from 1975 to 1976. He was also a Fellow
of the Royal Academy of Engineering
. He was awarded the OBE in the 1981 New Year's Honours List for services to industry via his work on various government and other committees.
Richardson died on 4 January 2011.
Richardson's first paper was on the fire hazards of liquid methane
and further papers on fire hazards followed until 1952 when he began to move into multi-phase flow (particularly gas-liquid flows) and rheology
which became his main focus: his research was honoured in two issues of Chemical Engineering Research and Design.
He co-wrote a textbook on chemical engineering with John Coulson
(published in 1954), which developed into an established series of six texts now known as Coulson & Richardson's Chemical Engineering. (He and Coulson were largely responsible for the contents of the first two volumes: they were editors but not prime authors for the rest of the series of six volumes.) He continued editing the series after the death of Coulson in 1990.
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
academic, notable for his research into multiphase flow and rheology
Rheology
Rheology is the study of the flow of matter, primarily in the liquid state, but also as 'soft solids' or solids under conditions in which they respond with plastic flow rather than deforming elastically in response to an applied force....
, but best-known for a series of textbooks.
Life
Richardson was born 29 July 1920 in Palmers GreenPalmers Green
Palmers Green is a place in the London Borough of Enfield. It is a suburban area situated 7.6 miles north of Charing Cross. Postally, it is in London N13...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and achieved a first class BSc (Eng) in chemical engineering at Imperial College, London, in 1941 and a PhD at the same institution in 1949. He joined the academic staff and rose to Senior Lecturer. In 1960 he was appointed Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering at University College Swansea
Swansea University
Swansea University is a university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. Swansea University was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. In 1996, it changed its name to the University of Wales Swansea following structural changes...
, where he remained till his retirement in 1987.
In 1969 he was awarded the Arnold Greene Medal of the Institution of Chemical Engineers
Institution of Chemical Engineers
The Institution of Chemical Engineers is a global professional engineering institution with over 33,000 members in over 120 countries worldwide, founded in 1922, and awarded a Royal Charter in 1957.-Structure:...
, and he was its President from 1975 to 1976. He was also a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the Royal Academy of Engineering
Royal Academy of Engineering
-Overview: is the UK’s national academy of engineering. The Academy brings together the most successful and talented engineers from across the engineering sectors for a shared purpose: to advance and promote excellence in engineering....
. He was awarded the OBE in the 1981 New Year's Honours List for services to industry via his work on various government and other committees.
Richardson died on 4 January 2011.
Publications
A full list was published in Chemical Engineering Research and Design in 2006.Richardson's first paper was on the fire hazards of liquid methane
Methane
Methane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel...
and further papers on fire hazards followed until 1952 when he began to move into multi-phase flow (particularly gas-liquid flows) and rheology
Rheology
Rheology is the study of the flow of matter, primarily in the liquid state, but also as 'soft solids' or solids under conditions in which they respond with plastic flow rather than deforming elastically in response to an applied force....
which became his main focus: his research was honoured in two issues of Chemical Engineering Research and Design.
He co-wrote a textbook on chemical engineering with John Coulson
John Coulson
John Metcalfe Coulson, born 13 December 1910 in Dudley, died 6 January 1990,was a British chemical engineering academic particularly known for co-writing a textbook on chemical engineering with Jack Richardson , which became an established series of texts now known as Coulson & Richardson's...
(published in 1954), which developed into an established series of six texts now known as Coulson & Richardson's Chemical Engineering. (He and Coulson were largely responsible for the contents of the first two volumes: they were editors but not prime authors for the rest of the series of six volumes.) He continued editing the series after the death of Coulson in 1990.
- 1999 Coulson and Richardson’s Chemical Engineering, Volume 1, 6th edition, J.M. Coulson and J.F. Richardson, Butterworth-Heinemann.
- 2001 Coulson and Richardson’s Chemical Engineering. Solutions to the Problems in Volume 1, (with J.R. Backhurst and J.H. Harker), Butterworth-Heinemann.
- 2002 Coulson and Richardson’s Chemical Engineering, Volume 2, 5th, edition, J.M. Coulson and J.F. Richardson, Butterworth-Heinemann.