Warren K. Lewis

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Warren Kendall Lewis (21 August 1882 – 9 March 1975) was an

MIT professor who has been called the father of modern chemical engineering.[1] He co-authored an early major textbook on the subject[2] which essentially introduced the concept of unit operations. He also co-developed the Houdry process under contract to The Standard Oil Company of New Jersey (now ExxonMobil) into modern fluid catalytic cracking with Edwin R. Gilliland
, another MIT professor.

Life

Lewis was born in Laurel,

DSc in 1908.[1] Shortly after, he returned to MIT to join the teaching staff.[4]

In 1909 Lewis published a paper on "The Theory of

Fractional Distillation"[5] which was the basis for subsequent chemical engineering calculation methods. (He later authored 19 patents on distillation.[1]) In 1920 he became the first head of the newly formed department of chemical engineering at MIT[1]
a position he held for 13 years before returning to teaching and research.

In November 1942 Lewis was appointed to chair a committee to survey the Manhattan Project and review all aspects of the bomb research and development, partly because of du Pont's doubts about the plutonium process. Their report dated December 4 supported the plutonium project. It also recommended concentrating on the gaseous diffusion process for enriching uranium and building only a small electromagnetic plant. Conant supported building a large electromagnetic plant, which Nichols says was essential to dropping the bomb in August rather than months later. The committee also suggested suitable industrial organisations and ... furnished us with a blueprint for the complete industrial organization of the project which Groves mostly followed ... and gave us more confidence concerning the feasibility of producing sufficient quantities of fissionable material.[6] In April–May 1944 another committee under Lewis recommended construction of the S-50 thermal diffusion plant developed by Philip Abelson of the US Navy.

He was made

professor emeritus
in 1948 and continued to work within the department until his death on 9 March 1975.

Honors

References

  1. ^ a b c d Biographical Memoirs, National Academy of Science
  2. ^ W. H. Walker, W. K. Lewis & W. H. McAdams (1923) Principles of Chemical Engineering New York, McGraw–Hill
  3. ^ Hapgood, Fred (May 10, 2006). "The Catalyst: MIT professor Warren "Doc" Lewis helped shape modern chemical engineering". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  4. ^ "Arthur D. Little, William H. Walker, and Warren K. Lewis". Science History Institute. June 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  5. doi:10.1021/ie50008a008
    .
  6. ISBN 0-688-06910-X
  7. ^ "SCI Perkin Medal". Science History Institute. 2016-05-31. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  8. ^ Chemical & Engineering News 86 (14) April 7, 2008 (special edition on Priestley Medal) 1947: Warren K. Lewis (1882–1975)
  9. ^ Warren K. Lewis Award
  10. ^ Lewis lecture
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