Edward J. Wasp
Encyclopedia
Edward J. Wasp, also known as E. J. Wasp, is an engineer
and inventor known for developing long distance slurry pipeline
s for the transportation
of coal
and other solid materials. Wasp, born in New York City, earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering
from Cooper Union
, a master's degree in mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh
, and an MBA
from Golden Gate University
. He began experimenting with coal slurries in a systematic manner when he worked for Consolidation Coal Company
in the early 1950s. Wasp combined works of scientists and engineers and developed a model that related homogeneous and heterogeneous
"flow characteristics" of slurry for the design of long-distance pipelines. He was in charge of the world's first long-distance coal pipeline, a 108-mile system within Ohio completed in 1957.
Wasp later became manager of the slurry systems department for the engineering firm Bechtel
and executive vice president of Energy Transportation Systems, Inc. (ETSI). He received a Elmer A. Sperry Award
in 1981 "for his contributions toward the development and application of long distance pipeline slurry transport of coal and other finely divided solid materials". In 1982, Pipeline called Wasp the "patron saint of slurry pipelines" and one of the leading slurry pipeline engineers in the world.
from Cooper Union
. He later obtained master's degrees in mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh
and chemical engineering from New York University
, as well as an MBA
from Golden Gate University
in San Francisco.
and experimented with coal slurries in a systematic manner. By combining works of scientists and engineers, Wasp developed a model that related homogeneous and heterogeneous
"flow characteristics" of slurry for the design of long-distance pipelines. Wasp discovered that understanding slurry properties was more important than developing "exotic materials or special equipment"; this allowed conventional construction techniques already utilized within the oil and gas industries. As manager of process engineering
and development, he was in charge of the world's first long-distance coal pipeline. The 108-mile system was completed in 1957 and transported coal slurry from mines in southeastern Ohio to a power plant located near Cleveland.
Wasp then became manager of the slurry systems department for the San Francisco-based engineering firm Bechtel
. In this position Wasp developed, designed and implemented all slurry pipelines and process projects, including the Savage River
iron ore pipeline in Tasmania
, the Calaveras limestone pipeline in California, the Waipipi iron pipeline in New Zealand and the Black Mesa
coal pipeline in Arizona
. Wasp eventually became executive vice president of Energy Transportation Systems, Inc. (ETSI). In 1982, Pipeline called Wasp the "patron saint of slurry pipelines" and one of the leading slurry pipeline engineers in the world. At that time he was working with state officials and contractors in an effort to construct a slurry pipeline between Wyoming and Louisiana.
Wasp has been granted at least twenty patents, most of which are related to slurry pipelines. He has authored more than thirty articles about slurry pipelines and published the book Solid Liquid Flow-Slurry Pipeline Transportation (1977). Wasp has been a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers
and held engineering licenses in California and Wyoming.
"for his contributions toward the development and application of long distance pipeline slurry transport of coal and other finely divided solid materials". The award, given in recognition of a "distinguished engineering contribution to the art of transportation", was presented at the November 1981 Honors Assembly of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
in Washington, D.C.
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and inventor known for developing long distance slurry pipeline
Slurry pipeline
A slurry pipeline is used in mining to transport mineral concentrate from a mineral processing plant near a mine.- Overview :The concentrate of the ore is mixed with water and then pumped over a long distance to a port where it can be shipped for further processing. At the end of the pipeline, the...
s for the transportation
Pipeline transport
Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquids and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes that transport solid capsules using compressed air are also used....
of coal
Coal slurry
Coal slurry consists of solid and liquid waste and is a by-product of the coal mining and preparation processes. It is a fine coal refuse and water. Mining generates enormous amounts of solid waste in the form of rocks and dirt. This refuse is used to dam the opening of a hollow between adjacent...
and other solid materials. Wasp, born in New York City, earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering
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...
from Cooper Union
Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
, a master's degree in mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, and an MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
from Golden Gate University
Golden Gate University
Golden Gate University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in the South of Market district, immediately south of the Financial District of downtown San Francisco, California...
. He began experimenting with coal slurries in a systematic manner when he worked for Consolidation Coal Company
Consol Energy
Consol Energy is an energy company headquartered in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, suburb of Cecil Township, in the Southpointe complex. It is one of the US's largest coal mining companies, along with Peabody Energy and Arch Coal...
in the early 1950s. Wasp combined works of scientists and engineers and developed a model that related homogeneous and heterogeneous
Homogeneity and heterogeneity
Homogeneity and heterogeneity are concepts relating to the uniformity or lack thereof in a substance. A material that is homogeneous is uniform in composition or character; one that is heterogeneous lacks uniformity in one of these qualities....
"flow characteristics" of slurry for the design of long-distance pipelines. He was in charge of the world's first long-distance coal pipeline, a 108-mile system within Ohio completed in 1957.
Wasp later became manager of the slurry systems department for the engineering firm Bechtel
Bechtel
Bechtel Corporation is the largest engineering company in the United States, ranking as the 5th-largest privately owned company in the U.S...
and executive vice president of Energy Transportation Systems, Inc. (ETSI). He received a Elmer A. Sperry Award
Elmer A. Sperry Award
The Elmer A. Sperry Award is an American transportation engineering prize.It has been given since 1955 for "a distinguished engineering contribution which, through application, proved in actual service, has advanced the art of transportation whether by land, sea, or air"...
in 1981 "for his contributions toward the development and application of long distance pipeline slurry transport of coal and other finely divided solid materials". In 1982, Pipeline called Wasp the "patron saint of slurry pipelines" and one of the leading slurry pipeline engineers in the world.
Early life and education
Edward Wasp was born in New York City. He earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineeringChemical 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...
from Cooper Union
Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
. He later obtained master's degrees in mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
and chemical engineering from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, as well as an MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
from Golden Gate University
Golden Gate University
Golden Gate University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in the South of Market district, immediately south of the Financial District of downtown San Francisco, California...
in San Francisco.
Career
Models and patents for the hydraulic transportation of solids were issued prior to the twentieth century. However, modern slurry pipeline development began in the early 1950s when Wasp worked for Consolidation Coal CompanyConsol Energy
Consol Energy is an energy company headquartered in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, suburb of Cecil Township, in the Southpointe complex. It is one of the US's largest coal mining companies, along with Peabody Energy and Arch Coal...
and experimented with coal slurries in a systematic manner. By combining works of scientists and engineers, Wasp developed a model that related homogeneous and heterogeneous
Homogeneity and heterogeneity
Homogeneity and heterogeneity are concepts relating to the uniformity or lack thereof in a substance. A material that is homogeneous is uniform in composition or character; one that is heterogeneous lacks uniformity in one of these qualities....
"flow characteristics" of slurry for the design of long-distance pipelines. Wasp discovered that understanding slurry properties was more important than developing "exotic materials or special equipment"; this allowed conventional construction techniques already utilized within the oil and gas industries. As manager of process engineering
Process engineering
Process engineering focuses on the design, operation, control, and optimization of chemical, physical, and biological processes through the aid of systematic computer-based methods...
and development, he was in charge of the world's first long-distance coal pipeline. The 108-mile system was completed in 1957 and transported coal slurry from mines in southeastern Ohio to a power plant located near Cleveland.
Wasp then became manager of the slurry systems department for the San Francisco-based engineering firm Bechtel
Bechtel
Bechtel Corporation is the largest engineering company in the United States, ranking as the 5th-largest privately owned company in the U.S...
. In this position Wasp developed, designed and implemented all slurry pipelines and process projects, including the Savage River
Savage River, Tasmania
Savage River is a small Australian mining township located on the West Coast of Tasmania.-History:Government surveyor Charles Sprent discovered Savage River's iron ore deposits in 1877, however the minerals were left untouched for nearly a century due to the difficulty in extracting iron from the...
iron ore pipeline in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, the Calaveras limestone pipeline in California, the Waipipi iron pipeline in New Zealand and the Black Mesa
Black Mesa, Arizona
Black Mesa is an upland area in Navajo County, Arizona. In Navajo it is called and during Mexican rule of Arizona it was called Mesa de las Vacas . It derives its dark appearance from the numerous seams of coal which run through it...
coal pipeline in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. Wasp eventually became executive vice president of Energy Transportation Systems, Inc. (ETSI). In 1982, Pipeline called Wasp the "patron saint of slurry pipelines" and one of the leading slurry pipeline engineers in the world. At that time he was working with state officials and contractors in an effort to construct a slurry pipeline between Wyoming and Louisiana.
Wasp has been granted at least twenty patents, most of which are related to slurry pipelines. He has authored more than thirty articles about slurry pipelines and published the book Solid Liquid Flow-Slurry Pipeline Transportation (1977). Wasp has been a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers
American Institute of Chemical Engineers
The American Institute of Chemical Engineers is a professional organization for chemical engineers.AIChE was established in 1908 with the purpose of establishing chemical engineers as a profession independent from chemists and mechanical engineers.As of 2010, AIChE had over 40,000 members,...
and held engineering licenses in California and Wyoming.
Recognitions
In 1981, Wasp received the Elmer A. Sperry AwardElmer A. Sperry Award
The Elmer A. Sperry Award is an American transportation engineering prize.It has been given since 1955 for "a distinguished engineering contribution which, through application, proved in actual service, has advanced the art of transportation whether by land, sea, or air"...
"for his contributions toward the development and application of long distance pipeline slurry transport of coal and other finely divided solid materials". The award, given in recognition of a "distinguished engineering contribution to the art of transportation", was presented at the November 1981 Honors Assembly of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is a professional body, specifically an engineering society, focused on mechanical engineering....
in Washington, D.C.
See also
- Coal miningCoal miningThe goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
- History of coal miningHistory of coal miningDue to its abundance, coal has been mined in various parts of the world throughout history and continues to be an important economic activity today. Compared to wood fuels, coal yields a higher amount of energy per mass and could be obtained in areas where wood is not readily available...
- List of chemical engineers