Obituary: Dr Harold Wright

We regret to announce the recent death of Dr Harold Wright after a short illness. Harold died February 18, 2009. His passing removes a vibrant enthusiast from the circle of experts in the field of solids handling.

His career commenced with Ashmore Pease/Davy Ashmore, the leading plant design company of its day, but joined the British Iron & Steel Research Association in 1966, at a period of exciting developments in hopper design following the work of Andrew Jenike. Harold was quick to recognise the significance of this technical breakthrough by securing a PhD under Dr John Williams at Bradford University and later play a major role in its implementation as Senior Scientific Officer in the Raw Materials Handling Section of Teesside Research Laboratories with Herbert Wilkinson by transforming the reliability of bulk storage and feeding at many installations of British Steel. He stayed with BISRA/BSC 17 years, addressing problems in conveying, screening, segregation, attrition and other aspects of solids handling, later being Head of Materials Handling at Teesside Laboratories.

He then formed H. Wright & Associates in 1983 to offer his expertise as consulting services from conceptual design to commissioning and trouble-shooting in the storage, handling and solids processing of bulk materials, covering applications such as feeder design, chutes, crushing, conveyor powers, bunker surface profiles, electrostatic effects in pneumatic conveying and handlability based on on-line moisture data.

A prolific worker for the profession, he authored over 50 papers at Conferences and Seminars in the U.K., Belgium, China, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and the USA. He also was responsible for eight ISBN Publications of solids handling topics, serves the I.Mech.E Bulk Materials Handling Committee for 25 years and chaired the Committee on no less than three occasions and was vice chairman of the I.Mech.E. Process Board. He also served on BSI committees and led the UK delegation to the European Union CEN – TC –148 – WG$ (prEN 617) Standards Committee re ‘Continuous Handling Systems - Safety and EMC requirements in silos, bunkers, bins and hoppers’ (BS EN 617-2001) as well as preparing BS 8439 ‘Continuous handling equipment and systems – Guide to properties of powders and bulk materials’.

More recently, he was Secretary of the MHEA and organised their yearly series of Bulk Technical Awareness Seminars.

Without doubt, Harold was a stalwart champion of the industry, bubbling with enthusiasm and a lively figure at most Conferences on Bulk Technology. His lifetime contribution to the solids handling industry was acknowledged by the I.Mech.E in 2003 when he received the Institutions prestigious ‘Solids Handling Award’ - in recognition of his ‘Professional Excellence in the field of Bulk Solids Handling Technology’, - a fitting tribute.

An inspiration to many, his cheerful character will be sadly missed by all who knew him.

Lyn Bates

U.K.

More information on Dr. Harold Wright:

http://www.google.com/search?client=...UTF-8&oe=UTF-8search?client=safari&rls=de de&q=harold+wright+site:bulk online.com&ie=UTF 8&oe=UTF 8

Photo courtesy Powder Reporter, U.K. ■