Prof. Bogdan Dlugogorski

Biography

Professor Dlugogorski is distinguished for his contributions to the field of industrial safety and environment protection, especially through innovative development of safe industrial processes. He has introduced new means to improve the performance of fire-fighting foams, thereby facilitating the development of new generation fluorine-free foams. He has made outstanding and sustained contributions to improving safety in the process industry, by modifying the existing technologies and developing safer industrial processes. For example, he resolved the reasons for large economic losses suffered by OneSteels Newcastle plant in its baghouse operations, as a consequence of a number of fires owing to spontaneous heating and ignition of zinc powder. The work has identified the chlorine impurity, introduced during galvanising, as the cause and has recommended changes in the operation of the plant. After their implementation, the plant experienced no additional fires due to self-heating.

Professors Kennedy and Dlugogorski have founded and have been leading a large research group, with a strong focus on process safety, and engaged in collaborative research and technology transfer. Professor Dlugogorskis achievements are recognised both within Australia and internationally, by a series of awards and prestigious invitations; for example by (i) Philip Thomas Medal of Excellence from the International Association of Fire Safety Science, which recognises the most significant contribution to the research into fire protection and fire prevention and (ii) ESSO Award of Excellence in Chemical Engineering, which recognises significant ongoing contributions to Chemical Engineering through innovations or a series of related publications over a number of years, and (iii) Eureka Prize for Environmental Research, for innovative research which enables ozone-depleting substances, especially CFCs, to be converted into environmentally benign compounds with an inherent economic value (with Professor Kennedy).

As another sign of his contributions to the research field, Professor Dlugogorski is invited, on average, once a year to deliver plenary and keynote addresses. They include those presented at well attended international conferences on Halon Options (USA), Fire Safety Science (Canada) and Fire Science and Technology (Japan; Should halons be destroyed or converted to useful products?), and the forthcoming 5th Int Symposium on Fire and Explosion Hazards (Edinburgh, Scotland). He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE), Engineers Australia (FIEAust) and Royal Australian Chemistry Institute (FRACI).

Qualifications

• Doctor of Science, University of Newcastle, 2008
• Master of Engineering, McGill University - Canada
• Bachelor of Science (Geophysics), University of Calgary - Canada
• Bachelor of Science, University of Calgary - Canada
• PhD (Chemical Engineering), University of Montreal - Canada, 1993

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Research

Research keywords

• Carbon Storage
• Fire Chemistry and Fire Mitigation
• Mitigation and Treatment of Synthetic Greenhouse Gases
• Process Safety and Environment Protection
• Reaction Kinetics

Research expertise

The research strengths of Professor Dlugogorski and his group are founded on his capacity to combine experimental and modelling work to address a specific technical problem. These technical issues are usually based on practical industry problems that require the broad expertise of the group members that he leads. The research discipline of process safety and environment protection is very multidisciplinary in nature, with applications to a number of industries. Examples of research studies undertaken recently, include

Mitigation and treatment of synthetic greenhouse gases

Mineralisation of CO2

Formation of toxic compounds in combustion and energy processes

• Emission of dioxins, furans, PCBs and PAHs in chemical and forest fires
• Emission of toxic chemicals in mitigated flames
• Burning of CCA-treated wood in fires
• Combustion of refuse-derived fuels

Fire mitigation

• Fire fighting foams (especially, the development of non-fluorocarbon foams)
• Chemically-enhanced water mist
• Mitigation of chemical fires
• Pyrolysis of solid fuels
• Suppression mechanisms of gaseous agents

Fundamental studies on fire chemistry

• Self-heating and spontaneous ignition of coal
• Fire spread under oxygen depleted conditions
• Flammability of refrigerants
• Tubular burner for rapid testing of gaseous agents
• Narrow channel apparatus for testing of gaseous agents against fires of solid fuels

Languages

• French
• Polish

Fields of Research

Code	Description	Percentage
091499	Resources Engineering And Extractive Metallurgy Not Elsewhere Classified	75
090499	Chemical Engineering Not Elsewhere Classified	20
030699	Physical Chemistry Not Elsewhere Classified	5

Centres and Groups

Centre

• Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources (NIER)
• PRC - Priority Research Centre for Energy

Memberships

Body relevant to professional practice.

• Fellow - Engineers Australia
• Fellow - Royal Australian Chemistry Institute

Committee/Associations (relevant to research).

• Secretary & Member of Executive Committee - Elected 2002, re-elected in 2005; - International Association for Fire Safety Science

Editorial Board.

• Member - Fire Technology
• Member of the Editorial Board - Fire Safety Journal
• Member of the Editorial Board - International Journal for Fire Science and Technology

Learned Academy.

• Fellow - Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering)

Other

• Member 1998 (re-elected 2000, 2002, 2005) - International Committee of the Association for Fire Safety Science

Appointments

Assistant Dean (Research Training) Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, The University of Newcastle (Australia)	01/07/2002 - 01/06/2003
Assistant Dean (Research) Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, The University of Newcastle (Australia)	01/07/2003 - 01/12/2006
Director Priority Research Centre for Energy, The University of Newcastle (Australia)	01/08/2006

Awards

Research Award.

2005	R.K. Murphy Medal Royal Australian Chemistry Institute (Australia) Citation: In recognition of sustained and outstanding contributions to the profession and achievements in the field of Industrial Chemistry and for contribution to process safety and fire chemistry.
2002	Eureka Prize for Environmental Research Australian Museum (Australia) Citation: For innovative research which enables ozone-depleting substances, especially CFCs, to be converted into environmentally benign compounds with an inherent economic value.

Invitations

What properties matter in fire-fighting foams? 2nd NRIFD Symposium, Japan (Conference Presentation - non published.)	2002
Does Chemistry Matter? Emission of organic pollutants in fires of treated wood Workshop on Fires in Enclosures, United Kingdom (Plenary Address)	2006
Fluorine and fluorine-free foams: Performance versus environment 5th International Seminar of Fire and Explosion Hazards, United Kingdom (Plenary Address)	2007
PCDD/F emissions from fires of wood impregnated with chromated copper arsenate and ammoniacal copper quaternary salts 6th Asia-Oceania Symposium on Fire Science and Technology, Korea, Republic of (Plenary Address)	2004

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Administrative

Administrative expertise

Assistant Dean (Research Training)

Assistant Dean (Research Training), Member of the University Research Training Committee and chair of the Faculty Working Group on Research Training (2002); the latter was the precursor of the present Faculty Research Training Committee; the accomplishments included:

• Effective representation of the Faculty on the Research Training Committee
• Tactful interaction with academics and research higher degrees students; invited by NUPSA to represent academic staff of the University on its Selection Panel for the 2003 NUPSA Funding Support Applications
• Effective in addressing problems experienced by RHD students, resulting no grievance cases in the Faculty in 2002
• Developed Faculty Policies Governing Progress of Postgraduate Students; the Policies standardised progress of the research postgraduate students in the Faculty, defined the responsibilities of Postgraduate Directors in Schools/Disciplines and introduced the qualifying examination, the document supplemented the University Code of Practice for Research Higher Degree Candidature with Faculty specific policies including the responsibilities of supervisors and RHD students and provided guidelines for admission of RHD students;
• Introduced yearly prizes for best research papers written by postgraduate students (this is the only prize offered to research higher degree students by the University of Newcastle); the initiative has strong support for NUPSA (Newcastle University Postgraduate Students Association), who promotes the initiative in other faculties.
• Developed guidelines for ranking RHD applicants for the centrally-funded scholarships and led the ranking committee
• Effective performance of various minor tasks including collating the information for the Faculty research brochure, participation in the AUQA audit of the University, commencing preparation of the Faculty web pages for research training, organisation of the induction seminars for commencing RHD students, organisation of the information seminar for completing undergraduate students on applying for admission and research scholarships, research-training related input to the Faculty management plan on research, etc

Assistant Dean (Research)

Assistant Dean (Research), Member of the University Research Portfolio Committee, Research Grants Committee, and chair of the Faculty Research Committee (2003-2006); the accomplishments include:

• Effective membership in the Research Portfolio Committee and Research Grants Committee; although the Assistant Deans of the five faculties at the University are ex officio members of these Committee representing their respective faculties, they are required to act in an objective and unbiased manner to contribute to formulation of policies and review research grants for the common good of the University.
• Effectively and efficiently managed the day-to-day operation of the portfolio at the Faculty level, leading the ranking of project and infrastructure submissions, and organising the work of Faculty Research Committee to provide mentoring to young researchers and to develop the Faculty web pages for research.
• Developed an initiative to establish undergraduate summer research scholarships to provide the top undergraduate students, form inside and outside the Faculty, with opportunities to engage in forefront research projects undertaken in the Faculty and to develop skills needed to undertake broader studies, such as a PhD investigation. The objective of this initiative is to increase the number of Hon 1 applicants for APA and UNRS scholarships allocated centrally to the Faculty.
• Formulated four pronged strategy of the Faculty Research Committee to (i) maintain and enhance Facultys vibrant research culture; (ii) develop its young and commencing academics; (iii) build links among academics in different schools in the Faculty and (vi) provide strategic support to established researchers.

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Teaching

Teaching keywords

• Chemical Engineering Laboratory
• Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics
• Chemical Kinetics and Reactor Design
• Design Project
• Fundamentals of Fire Safety
• Mass Transfer
• Research Project
• Safety and Risk Management

Teaching expertise

• Professor Dlugogorski made substantial modifications in subjects involving process safety, environment protection and fire safety engineering, eg. to Safety and Risk Management (CHEE3420) and Chemical and Manufacturing Processes (CHEE1130); introduced real safety audits on local industry and implementation of teaching Australian codes in CHEE3420
• He redesigned teaching of computation subjects taught to chemical engineering students (done as a member of the discipline curriculum review committee)
• He introduced three new subjects, including Fundamentals of Fire Safety, Advanced Chemical Engineering Computations and Advanced Chemical Engineering Kinetics; this initiative allowed students to have a real choice in selecting technical electives (prior to this students had to select four technical electives, but only four subjects were on offer); elements of these subjects have now been incorporated into the core program
• Professor Dlugogorski introduced final-year design projects related to the current industrial and social problems (eg. A use for garbage: Students design power station to run on rubbish, Newcastle Herald, 22 August, 1998)

Effectiveness in teaching performance

• Typical feedback on Students Evaluation of Teaching

• The aims and requirements of this course are clear 3.3-4.1/5
• The lecturer explains things clearly 3.6-4.2/5
• The course material is well structured 3.2-4.0/5

• Letters of commendation on teaching performance from the Dean in 2001 and 2002 (& you have received consistent recognition from the students for your teaching efforts. I congratulate you on your commitment to teaching excellence.)
• Open door policy for consultation in response to students need for consultation

• The lecturer is available for consultation out of class: 3.6-4.3/5
• The lecturer is professional in attitude: 3.9-4.4/5

• Typical written comments received from students:

• Lots of examples, lecture is well set out.
• Well structured lectures. Effort made to ensure all people in the class understand.
• Lecturer is extremely helpful. The course is intellectually stimulating.
• Lots of examples and assignments that follow what we do in class.