Dirk Willem van Krevelen (8 November 1914,
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte (river), Rotte'') is the second largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the Prov ...
– 27 October 2001,
Arnhem
Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both ban ...
) was a prominent
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
chemical engineer
In the field of engineering, a chemical engineer is a professional, equipped with the knowledge of chemical engineering, who works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of products and deals with the ...
,
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal is formed when ...
and
polymer scientist. He successfully combined an industrial career, managing a research division at
DSM, and an academic career, as a Professor of
Delft Technical College. His contributions span a wide range of research fields, and his name is linked to the van Krevelen–Hoftyzer diagram for chemical gas absorption, the Mars–van Krevelen mechanism for catalytic oxidation reactions, the van Krevelen–Chermin method to estimate the free energy of organic compounds, the
van Krevelen diagram
Van Krevelen diagrams are graphical plots developed by
Dirk Willem van Krevelen (chemist and professor of fuel technology at the TU Delft) and used to assess the origin and maturity of kerogen and petroleum. The diagram cross-plots the hydrogen: ...
that is used in coal and coal processes, the van Krevelen method to calculate additive properties of polymers, and the van Krevelen–Hoftyzer relationship on the viscosity of polymer fluids.
He is the author of numerous scientific publications and several classic monographs, amongst which are ''Coal: Typology, Chemistry, Physics, Constitution'' and ''Properties of Polymers: Correlations with Chemical Structure''.
Early life
Dirk van Krevelen was born in
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte (river), Rotte'') is the second largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the Prov ...
to the family of bookkeeper Dirk Willem van Krevelen Sr and Huberta van Krevelen (née Regoort).
Education
From 1927 to 1933 he studied at
Marnix Gymnasium
The Marnix, het Rotterdamse Gymnasium is a school located in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The school is named after Philips of Marnix, lord of Saint-Aldegonde. It teaches secondary education in the Netherlands and prepares students for a tertiary edu ...
in Rotterdam.
In 1933 he was enrolled at
Leiden University
Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, as a reward to the city o ...
and studied
chemistry
Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...
under
Anton Eduard van Arkel
Anton Eduard van Arkel, (19 November 1893 – 14 March 1976) was a Dutch chemist.
Van Arkel suggested the names " pnictogen" and "pnictide" to refer to chemical elements in group 15 (the nitrogen group or nitrogen family) of the periodic table.
...
. There he received his "kandidaats" (bachelor) degree in 1935 and "doctoraal" (masters) degree in 1938.
In parallel, van Krevelen also completed his minor in
chemical technology
Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials int ...
under Professor
Hein Waterman at Delft Technical College.
Career
At the time when Dirk van Krevelen worked with Professor Waterman, Mr Waterman was a scientific advisor to
Royal Dutch Shell
Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New ...
, who funded the employment of three private assistants that performed fundamental research on oil products and processes.
As of 1937, van Krevelen was employed as one of these assistants to Professor Waterman, and worked on three topics: the chemical thermodynamics of oil
hydrocarbons
In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or ...
, the
polymerization
In polymer chemistry, polymerization (American English), or polymerisation (British English), is a process of reacting monomer molecules together in a chemical reaction to form polymer chains or three-dimensional networks. There are many f ...
of
ethylene
Ethylene (IUPAC name: ethene) is a hydrocarbon which has the formula or . It is a colourless, flammable gas with a faint "sweet and musky" odour when pure. It is the simplest alkene (a hydrocarbon with carbon-carbon double bonds).
Ethylene ...
, as part of attempts to improve the
anti-knock properties of
gasoline
Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic c ...
, and the induced
pyrolysis
The pyrolysis (or devolatilization) process is the thermal decomposition of materials at elevated temperatures, often in an inert atmosphere. It involves a change of chemical composition. The word is coined from the Greek-derived elements '' ...
of
methane
Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane ...
. The latter project became the topic of his doctorate (1939).
When, at the start of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
Shell stopped employing new scientists, soon Professor Waterman, who was a
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
, was forced to retire from Shell. Yet he managed to help Dirk van Krevelen to obtain a research position in the newly created Central Laboratory of the
Dutch State Mines
Koninklijke DSM N.V. (Royal DSM, commonly known as DSM), is a Dutch multinational corporation active in the fields of health, nutrition and materials. Headquartered in Heerlen, at the end of 2017 DSM employed 21,054 people in approximately 50 c ...
(DSM) starting from 1940. The Central Laboratory was headed by
Gerrit Berkhoff. van Krevelen began his research activities in DSM's physical chemistry department. In 1943, van Krevelen became a department manager, as head of the newly created research department on chemical engineering. In 1948, he was promoted to the position of research leader of the Central Laboratory of DSM, a position where he was responsible for directing the research activities. In 1955, van Krevelen became head of the Central Laboratory.
In 1959, van Krevelen left DSM and joined the
Algemene Kunstzijde Unie
Vereinigte Glanzstoff-Fabriken (VGF, United Rayon Factories) was a German manufacturer of artificial fiber founded in 1899 that became one of the leading European producers of rayon.
During the first thirty years VGF cooperated closely with the Br ...
(AKU; General Rayon Union), a polymer company. van Krevelen became member of the board of directors of AKU with the special task of supervising the research and development activities of the company.
In 1969, AKU merged with the Koninklijke Zout Organon (KZO) in 1969 to become AKZO. van Krevelen became president of AKZO Research and Engineering, until he retired from AKZO in 1976.
Contributions
In 1951, van Krevelen was one of the founding editors of the journal Chemical Engineering Science. van Krevelen took also part in the organization of the 1st European Symposium on Chemical Reaction Engineering which was held in Amsterdam in 1957.
Private life
In July 1939 Dirk van Krevelen married Frieda Kreisel. They had three sons and one daughter.
Death
Dirk Willem van Krevelen died on 27 October 2001 in
Arnhem
Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both ban ...
.
Selected works
*''De geïnduceerde pyrolyse van methaan.'' Dissertation, Technological University of Delft, 19 December 1939.
*With H. A. J. Pieters. ''The Wet Purification of Coal Gas and Similar Gases by the Staatsmijnen-Otto-Process'' New York: Elsevier, 1946.
*With P. J. Hoftijzer. ''Kinetics of Gas-Liquid Reactions. Part I:General Theory.'' Recueil des Travaux Chimiques des Pays-Bas 67 (1948): 563–568.
*''Graphical-statistical Method for the Study of Structure and Reaction Processes of Coal.'' Fuel 29 (1950): 269–283.
*With H. A. G. Chermin. ''Estimation of the Free Enthalpy (Gibbs Free Energy) of Formation of Organic Compounds from Group Contributions.'' Chemical Engineering Science 1 (1951): 66–80, 238.
*With P. Mars. ''Oxidations Carried Out by Means of Vanadium Oxide Catalysts.'' Proceedings of the Conference on Oxidation Processes, Held in Amsterdam, 6–8 May 1954. Special Supplement to Chemical Engineering Science 3 (1954): 41–57 .
*''Coal: Typology, Chemistry, Physics, Constitution''. Amsterdam:Elsevier, 1961.
irst edition, 1957, published (with Jan Schuijer) as Coal Science: Aspects of Coal Constitution.3rd ed.,1981; 4th ed., 1993.
*''Waterman en de steenkoolchemie.'' In De Oogst: een overzicht van het wetenschappelijk werk van Prof. dr. ir. H. I. Waterman, te zamen gebracht ter gelegenheid van zijn aftreden als hoogleraar in de chemische technologie aan de Technische Hogeschool te Delft, pp. 24–29, n.p., n.d.
elft, 1959
*''Werdegang und Weg in der chemischen Technologie: Arbeitserinnerungen und Ausblick''. Darmstadt: Technische Hochschule, 1966. Lecture given on the occasion of receiving the honorary doctorate.
*With P. J. Hoftyzer. ''Properties of Polymers: Correlations with Chemical Structure''. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1972; 2nd ed., 1976; 3rd ed., 1990.
*''Selected Papers on Chemical Engineering Science''. Amsterdam:Elsevier, 1976.
*In Retrospect: ''Een keuze uit de voordrachten''. Amsterdam: Meulenhoff, 1980. With a comprehensive bibliography of his over 250 publications up to 1980.
*''Sleutelwoorden in de proefondervindelijke wijsbegeerte''. Rotterdam: Bataafsch Genootschap, 1987.
*''Professor Hein Israel Waterman'', 1889–1961: Onderzoeker—Vernieuwer—Leermeester.” In Waterman Symposium: Aula TU Delft, 28 April 1989, voordrachtenbundel, 72–84. Delft: Technische Universiteit Delft, 1989.
*''Vijftig jaar activiteit in de Chemische Technologie.'' In Werken aan scheikunde. 24 memoires van hen die de Nederlandse chemie deze eeuw groot hebben gemaakt, 243–263. Delft: Delft University Press, 1993. His autobiography.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krevelen, Dirk Willem van
Engineers from Rotterdam
Polymer scientists and engineers
Academic staff of the Delft University of Technology
1914 births
2001 deaths
Chemical engineering academics
Leiden University alumni