Wlodzimierz Blasiak to Receive the ASME George Westinghouse Gold Medal

NEW YORK, June 17, 2010 – Wlodzimierz Blasiak, Ph.D., a resident of Saltsjö-Duvnäs, Sweden, and professor at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, will be honored by ASME. He is being recognized for outstanding contributions to the development and application of mathematical modeling for understanding turbulent combustion under oxy-fuel combustion and high temperature air/steam gasification; and for contributions as an eminent teacher, researcher and industrial consultant for advanced furnace design. He will receive the Society’s George Westinghouse Gold Medal.

The award, established to recognize eminent achievement or distinguished service in the power field of mechanical engineering, will be presented to Dr. Blasiak during the 2010 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, which is being held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Nov. 12 through 18.

After working as a teacher and assistant professor in the department of heat machinery at the Technical University of Czestochowa, Poland (1974-89), Blasiak joined the faculty at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH). He was appointed head of KTH’s Division of Heat and Furnace Technology in 1993 and professor in 2002. He has supervised 11 Ph.D. theses.

Blasiak’s research focus is on low-NOx combustion, design of high performance industrial furnaces, oxy-fuel combustion and high temperature agent gasification. Development efforts in these areas have been carried out in collaboration with partners from Europe, the United States and Japan, and commercialized by industry in Sweden and Poland. He has managed many research and industrial projects financed by Swedish and European agencies and industries, with main industrial partners in the power and steel industries.

In 2005, Blasiak assumed business development responsibility as an executive technical consultant to Nalco Mobotec, Inc. (NMI), a world leader in combustion improvement and multipollutant reduction for industrial and utility boilers. He works closely with executives and employees of NMI on all matters relating to strategy and execution, with current projects primarily in Poland. He also works closely with officials and industry executives to help them understand how NMI’s solutions can help Poland meet European directives relating to air quality in the most efficient and cost-effective ways possible.

Blasiak has published more than 150 papers and has given many plenary lectures. He has worked as a reviewer for international journals and conferences, and helped develop sessions at ASME sponsored/co-sponsored meetings in the area of fuel and combustion technology. He has also served on advisory scientific boards for a number of international conferences.

He is a member of the International Flame Research Foundation and the Association of Polish Electrical Engineers (SEP).

Blasiak earned his master’s degree and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Czestochowa in 1974 and 1982, respectively.

About ASME ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world challenges. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing and skill development across all engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society. ASME codes and standards, publications, conferences, continuing education and professional development programs provide a foundation for advancing technical knowledge and a safer world.

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