Gernot Zippe
Encyclopedia
Gernot Zippe was a Austrian-German
mechanical engineer who is widely held responsible for leading the team which developed the Zippe-type centrifuge
, a centrifuge machine for the collection of 235U
in Soviet Union.
, Austria-Hungary
(nowadays Czech Republic
) in 1917. Zippe studied and graduated with B.Sc.
Physics
at the University of Vienna
in the '1938, and served in the German Luftwaffe as a flight instructor and a researcher on radar and airplane propellers. In 1941, Zippe received his B.S.
in Mechanical engineering, and M.Sc.
in 1943 in same respected same discipline. While doing his post doctoral research at the University of Vienna, Zippe participated in Germany
's nuclear weapons project
in 1940s. He was the junior research team member of the Isotope separation project led by Klaus Clusius
at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. In 1945, he was awarded PhD
in Mechanical engineering with emphasizing on thermal column and its applicant physics
. By the time, Zippe fully joined the project as the team leader, the Soviet Union
's Narodnyy komissariat vnutrennikh del (NKVD) apprehended him, as with other technically skilled scientists and engineers, to a special camp where he led a team that worked on centrifuge
research for the Soviet Union
. He was allowed to leave in 1956, and returned to Vienna
.
When Zippe visited a 1957 conference on centrifuge research in Amsterdam
, he realized the rest of the world was far behind what his team had been able to achieve. His notes had been confiscated when he left the Soviet Union, but working from memory, he was able to recreate the centrifuge at the University of Virginia
in the United States.
s, and nuclear weapon
s, which increased the risk of nuclear proliferation
. When asked if he has any regrets, he responds, "With a kitchen knife you can peel a potato or kill your neighbor, it's up to governments to use the centrifuge for the benefit of mankind."
It was an American Engineer, John P Feltman,whose research in composite materials led to his invention of a composite high speed centrifuge rotor (1966),http://www.freepatentsonline.com/3248046.pdf,
Feltman's theories were those upon which the Zippe rotor was developed. Feltman sold this patent to Vernitron Corp.in 1971 to help his friend William Piemonte, who financed Feltman's patent application. Feltman's patent was predicated on the concept that it was Strength/weight ratios that would make it possible to produce composite material rotors that would allow centrifuge rotors to be rotated at much higher RPM.
. However, prior to that the Zippe had contacted the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission's
(USAEC) office in Germantown Md. (Now "Gaithersburg" and now the Dept of Energy.) and advised the USAEC of his knowledge of his centrifuge. This information was highly classfied as "weapons information". However, the AEC officials were unaware that Dr. Zippe was on a worldwide tour—advising others of his development.
Austrian German
Austrian German , or Austrian Standard German, is the national standard variety of the German language spoken in Austria and in the autonomous Province of South Tyrol...
mechanical engineer who is widely held responsible for leading the team which developed the Zippe-type centrifuge
Zippe-type centrifuge
The Zippe-type centrifuge is a device designed to collect Uranium-235. It was developed in the Soviet Union by a team of 60 Austrian and German scientists captured after World War II, working in detention...
, a centrifuge machine for the collection of 235U
Uranium-235
- References :* .* DOE Fundamentals handbook: Nuclear Physics and Reactor theory , .* A piece of U-235 the size of a grain of rice can produce energy equal to that contained in three tons of coal or fourteen barrels of oil. -External links:* * * one of the earliest articles on U-235 for the...
in Soviet Union.
Early Life and World War II
Zippe was born in VarnsdorfVarnsdorf
Varnsdorf is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic, with a population of around 16,000. The town is close to the border with Germany, with border crossings to the Saxon towns of Seifhennersdorf and Großschönau, and is the second largest in the Děčín District.The village of...
, Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
(nowadays Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
) in 1917. Zippe studied and graduated with B.Sc.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
in the '1938, and served in the German Luftwaffe as a flight instructor and a researcher on radar and airplane propellers. In 1941, Zippe received his B.S.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Mechanical engineering, and M.Sc.
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in 1943 in same respected same discipline. While doing his post doctoral research at the University of Vienna, Zippe participated in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's nuclear weapons project
German nuclear energy project
The German nuclear energy project, , was an attempted clandestine scientific effort led by Germany to develop and produce the atomic weapons during the events involving the World War II...
in 1940s. He was the junior research team member of the Isotope separation project led by Klaus Clusius
Klaus Clusius
Klaus Clusius was a German physical chemist from Breslau , Silesia. During World War II, he worked on the German nuclear energy project, also known as the Uranium Club; he worked on isotope separation techniques and heavy water production...
at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. In 1945, he was awarded PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in Mechanical engineering with emphasizing on thermal column and its applicant physics
Thermal physics
Thermal physics is the combined study of thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and kinetic theory. This umbrella-subject is typically designed for physics students and functions to provide a general introduction to each of three core heat-related subjects...
. By the time, Zippe fully joined the project as the team leader, the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
's Narodnyy komissariat vnutrennikh del (NKVD) apprehended him, as with other technically skilled scientists and engineers, to a special camp where he led a team that worked on centrifuge
Centrifuge
A centrifuge is a piece of equipment, generally driven by an electric motor , that puts an object in rotation around a fixed axis, applying a force perpendicular to the axis...
research for the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. He was allowed to leave in 1956, and returned to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
When Zippe visited a 1957 conference on centrifuge research in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, he realized the rest of the world was far behind what his team had been able to achieve. His notes had been confiscated when he left the Soviet Union, but working from memory, he was able to recreate the centrifuge at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
in the United States.
United States offer
The United States government tried to recruit him for secret nuclear research, going so far as to ask him to change his citizenship, but he refused and returned to Europe.Personal interests
Working in industry in the 1960s, he was able to improve the efficiency of the centrifuge. He enjoyed flying and flew planes until he was 80 years old.The Legacy
His invention made it cheaper to build nuclear reactorNuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...
s, and nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s, which increased the risk of nuclear proliferation
Nuclear proliferation
Nuclear proliferation is a term now used to describe the spread of nuclear weapons, fissile material, and weapons-applicable nuclear technology and information, to nations which are not recognized as "Nuclear Weapon States" by the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also known as the...
. When asked if he has any regrets, he responds, "With a kitchen knife you can peel a potato or kill your neighbor, it's up to governments to use the centrifuge for the benefit of mankind."
It was an American Engineer, John P Feltman,whose research in composite materials led to his invention of a composite high speed centrifuge rotor (1966),http://www.freepatentsonline.com/3248046.pdf,
Feltman's theories were those upon which the Zippe rotor was developed. Feltman sold this patent to Vernitron Corp.in 1971 to help his friend William Piemonte, who financed Feltman's patent application. Feltman's patent was predicated on the concept that it was Strength/weight ratios that would make it possible to produce composite material rotors that would allow centrifuge rotors to be rotated at much higher RPM.
U.S. Nuclear Program and Nuclear Proliferation
The above account states that Zippe recreated the Centrifuge at the University of VirginiaUniversity of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. However, prior to that the Zippe had contacted the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission's
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
(USAEC) office in Germantown Md. (Now "Gaithersburg" and now the Dept of Energy.) and advised the USAEC of his knowledge of his centrifuge. This information was highly classfied as "weapons information". However, the AEC officials were unaware that Dr. Zippe was on a worldwide tour—advising others of his development.
External links
- The Zippe Type – The Poor Man's Bomb, BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, 19 May 2004 - Tracking the technology, Nuclear Engineering International, 31 August 2004
- Slender and Elegant, It Fuels the Bomb, New York Times, March 23, 2004
- Gernot Zippe