Abstract:

Some topics of basic combustion phenomena which I have concerned during my research activities will be presented. Those include some results of studies on basic combustion phenomena, generation of turbulence during flame propagation, dust flame propagation through suspended iron particles, mechanisms of dust flames, solid ignition under natural convection, spontaneous ignition, various types of flame spread, characteristics of leading flame edges, pool fires, and compartment fires.

Biography:

Professor Toshisuke Hirano graduated from the graduate course of the University of Tokyo, Department of Aeronautics on April of 1968. Then he was employed in Ibaraki University as a lecturer at Department of Mechanical Engineering and in 1971 promoted to be an associate professor there. In 1976 he moved to the University of Tokyo, Department of Reaction Chemistry and in 1985 was promoted to be a professor. Since 1994 he was belonged to Department of Chemical System Engineering. He retired from the University of Tokyo on March of 1999 and nominated as a professor emeritus. He has been appointed as President, Chiba Institute of Science since 2004.

Professor Hirano is a very well known expert in the fields of combustion and fire research. His achievements in those fields have been presented in more than 150 original papers and 60 review papers. Because of his contribution to the communities of combustion and fire research, he has been elected to be the Chairmen or Presidents of the Combustion Society of Japan (1989-1994), Asia-Oceania Association for Fire Science and Technology (1992-1995; 1995- Honorary President), International Association for Fire Safety Science (1997-2002), Japan Association for Fire Science and Engineering (1999-2001). His contribution to the Japanese Government is enormous. Based on his knowledge, he has been frequently nominated as a member (in many cases, chairman) of committees or advisor by Japanese Governmental organizations. He was elected as Foreign Member of Russian Academy of Natural Sciences in 1994.

Because of his achievements, Professor Hirano has been given major awards by various organizations. Those include Award for Prominent Contribution (Japan Association for Fire Science and Technology, 1985), Dionizy Smolenski Medal (Poland Academy of Science, 1997), Award for Prominent Contribution in Science (Japan Institute of Energy, 1999), The International Science and Technological Cooperation Award of the People�s Republic of China (2003), and The Bernard Lewis Medal (The Combustion Institute, 2004).