Int. J ltt.at .~la~ Trun,ler.

Vol. 20. pp. 187 188.

Pergamon Pre~, 1977

Printed in Great Britain

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LAUDATIOULRICHGRIGULL

ON THE OCCASION OF HIS SIXTY-FIFTH BIRTHDAY
ON 12 MARCH 1977 Professor Dr.-lng. Ulrich Grigull
will celebrate has 65th birthday; students, colleagues,friends and the members of his family, close or abroad,will think of him as a great teacher, a gifted scientist,a cooperative colleague, a helpful friend and a patientand understanding father.
Ulrich Grigull was born in Gallingen, East Prussia.
He studied and graduated at the Technische
Hochschule, Danzig and at the age of 24 he became
Assistant to Ernst Schmidt there, in an institute which
had achieved worldwide renown. After two years inDanzig, Ulrich Grigull followed Ernst Schmidt toBraunschweig to work at the "Deutsche Forschungsanstalt ftir Luflfahrt". From this work there resulted
his first publication, together with Ernst Schmidt andErnst R. G. Eckert on "W~rmetransport durchFliassigkeiten in der N~he ihres kritischen Zustandes"(The heat transfer by fluids in their near critical state).
This publication formed the basis of the so-called
Schmidt-cooling of gas-turbine blades and still now,
28 years later, its importance is alive as an early
demonstration of a cooling device which nowadays iscalled a wickless heat pipe. In 1941 U. Grigull received
his Dr.-lng. for an investigation on "W~.rmetibergang
bei der Kondensation mit turbulenter Wasserhaut"(Heat transfer in turbulent film condensation).
His thirtieth birthday saw him embarking onto a
German submarine on the shores of France to servewith the Kriegsmarine and make his way to a firstlieutenant. During the difficult post-war years in187

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Germany. he ,,~orked again in heat transfer, as a consultant in insulation problems to a number of industrial
lirms, until in 1953 he joined the engine'ering section ofl"arbenfabriken Bayer in Leverkusen.
In 1960 U. Grigull accepted the ('hair of Technical
Thermodynamics tit the Technische Hochschule
Mtinchen and became successor to Ernst Schmidt. An
outstanding tradition and scientific renown had been
accumulated to this chair by all former owners:
Carl yon Linde as the founder: Moritz Schr6ter who
was substantially involved in the development of theDiesel engine: Wilhelm Nusseh and Ernst Schmidt
whose names arc manifested in important dimensionless groups in the tield of Heat and Mass Transfer.
Professor Grigull secured this tradition and added
to the high scientific standing b.~ a great number of~orks in the tields of thermophysical properties, freeconvection and change of phase. He has published 86scientific articles apart from his books, and had 35
students ~orking under him another 16 are presently
involved for their doctor's degree. His lectures in theentire tield of Technical Thermodynamics and in Heatand Mass transfer provided the professional background for a great many students. The G6schen booklet"Technische Thermodynamik'" which he first publishedin 1966 has become a hand-book to man) of them. As
early as 1955 he had published the completely revised
edition of Gr6berErk's "'Die Grundgesetze derWiirmefibertragung'" iThe basic laws of heat transfer).
This book has experienced two further editions andtranslations into English, Japanese. Russian andSpanish. It represents one of the most extensive andthorough standard works on Ileal Transfer in theGerman language.
To his university. Professor Grigull served as Deanof the Faculty and from 1972 as Rektor. In 1975 hewas elected the first President of the Technischel.Jniversit~it Mfinchen.
In the Federal Republic of Germany Professor
Grigull is one of the outstanding members of thescientific community. It was his activity and his meritto have t leat Transfer recognized as a self-contained
discipline m teaching and in research here. For man~,years he has headed the VDI working group "'Heatand Mass Transfer" often referred to as the "GrigullCIt, b". He founded, together with [:.. Eckert and P.
Grassmann, the German Journal "'W~irme- und Stofffibertragung", lie initiated a DFG [German Science
Foundationl Program on Boiling Heat Transfer ~hichtound almost all pertinent German university research
institutions in a newly experienced cooperation. His
high scientific reputation has become manifest by hisnomination as a member to the Wissenschaftsrat[Scientific Council of the Federal Republic of Germanylin 1970.
The international heat transfer scene has in Professor
Grigull one of its most distinguished promoters, tie
was one of the founders of this "International Journalof Heat and Mass Transfer" which has proved a highly
efficient vehicle in the real formation of an international
heat transfer community. The idea of a world-wide
heat transfer conference to be held every four years
saw an engaged advocate in him and he became an
active German delegate in the "'International Assemblyfor Heat Transfer Conferences" founded in 1966. For
the 1970 International Heat Transfer Conference inVersailles, he was Vice-President and one of theresponsible organizers; for the 1974 Conference mTokyo, he was President of this Assembly. Professor
Grigull is a member of the Scientific Council of tile
International Centre for Heat and Mass Transfer inBelgrade and the German delegate of the International
Association on the Properties of Steam.
The "Max-Jakob-Award", the highest honour bestowed in the field of Heat and Mass Transfer wasconferred in 1974 to Professor Grigull as the second
German recipient after Ernst Schmidt. The citationaccompanying this award reads: "... in summar5 forhis excellence in research, engineeringpractice, teaching
and international service in Heat and Mass Transfer."
For these qualities, we know and appreciate him. In
his clear and straightforward argumentation he is anesteemed and helpful representative on scientific andadministrative boards.
As occupied as Professor Grigull is with great
responsibilities for one of the largest universities inGermany, he finds time to be a devoted husband,
father and grandfather. His wife Lydia Grigull and hisdaughters Barbara with her family and Andrea form acharming group which makes a visit with them alwaysa pleasure.
The Editors of this Journal wish their Co-Editor
Professor Grigull a happy birthday. We are sure that
his many colleagues, friends and students all o~er theworld join us in wishing him many more years ofsuccessful accomplishments.
E. HAHNF