Daniel A. Crowl, Professor

Herbert H. Dow Professor for Chemical Process Safety

Contact Information: Department of Chemical Engineering Michigan Technological University 1400 Townsend Drive Houghton, MI 49931-1295 Phone: 906-487-3221 Fax: 906-487-3212

E-Mail: crowl@mtu.edu

University of Illinois, PhD 1975

My research interests are in chemical process safety and loss prevention.

Flammability

Increased emphasis on the prevention of fires and explosions has led to a need for high-quality flammability data covering a wide range of compositions of fuel/oxygen/nitrogen. The purpose of this work is to obtain this data in a twenty-liter combustion sphere using a high-speed data acquisition system. The data will be used to verify and improve methods for predicting the flammability zone.

Other projects in flammability include: flashpoints of azeotropic mixtures, flammability behavior of aqueous solutions, auto-ignition temperature characterization and prediction, flame speed determination and models, and prediction of flammability parameters.

Reactivity

Past methods for characterizing reactivity have depended on temperature and pressure rates as a function of time. This research will apply the concept of thermodynamic availability to reduce the evaluation to a single function in time. Thermodynamic availability represents the maximum mechanical energy extractable from a substance - a parameter more indicative of damage effects than heats of reaction. This project will develop a method to determine thermodynamic availability using standard calorimeter data, and apply the method to the reactive analysis of a number of chemical systems.

Professional Service

•  President of the AIChE Safety and Health Division, 1996.
•  Member of the AIChE Center for Chemical Process Safety Undergraduate Education Committee.
•  Member of the CCPS Technical Steering Committee.
•  AIChE 11a Committee on Loss Prevention.

Awards

•  Norton H. Walton/Russell L. Miller Award, Safety and Health Division of AICHE, 2001
•  Safety and Health in Chemical Engineering Education Award of Excellence,
        Joint Council for Health, Safety and Environemtnal Education, 1999.
•  Elected Fellow, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 1998
•  Catalyst Award, Chemical Manufacturer's Association (now American Chemical Council), 1998.
•  Chemical Health and Safety Award, American Chemical Society, 1994.
•  Chemical Engineer of the Year Award, AICHE Detroit Local Section, 1992
•  William Doyle Award, Safety and Health Division of AICHE, 1991.

Selected Publications

•  D. A. Crowl, Understanding Explosions, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, NY, 2003.
•  D. A. Crowl and J. F. Louvar, Chemical Process Safety, Fundamentals with Applications, 2nd ed., Prentice Hall, 2001
•  D. A. Crowl, Consequence Analysis, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, NY, 1999
•  D. A. Crowl, Gas Dispersion, Perry s Chemical Engineers Handbook, 7th ed., 1997
•  D. A. Crowl, editor, Inherently Safer Chemical Processes A Life Cycle Approach,
        American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 1996.
•  S. S. Grossel and D. A. Crowl, eds., Handbook of Highly Toxic Materials Handling and Management, Marcel Dekker,1995.
•  D. A. Crowl and J. Louvar, Chemical Process Safety-Fundamentals with Applications, Prentice-Hall, 1990.

 

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Last Updated: January 28, 2003