2003 Merit Award

2003 Merit Award
Dr. Mannan and Dr. Jerry A. Havens

Based upon the nominations received, and the Steering Committee’s final selection, Dr. Sam Mannan, Director of the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center presented the 2003 Merit and Service Awards during the opening session of the 2003 Symposium on October 28, 2003.

The 2003 Merit Award was presented to Dr. Jerry A. Havens.

Dr. Havens is a Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Arkansas where he has been on the faculty since 1970; he is also Director of the University of Arkansas Chemical Hazards Research Center.

His primary research interests are in atmospheric dispersion of heavy gases and fire/explosion phenomena. He is internationally recognized as an expert in methodologies for predicting atmospheric dispersion of hazardous, denser-than-air gases. He served as senior technical advisor to the Office of Merchant Marine Safety, U.S. Coast Guard, Washington, D.C. in 1976-77, and he was the technical advisor to the (British) National Maritime Institute in the conduct of the Thorney Island Heavy Gas Trials in England in 1982.

At the University of Arkansas, Dr. Havens conducts a dense gas dispersion research program that has received approximately $8 million in funding. Dr. Havens and Dr. Tom Spicer developed the DEGADIS and FEM3 dense gas dispersion models approved for DOT regulatory application to LNG safety assessments. He is currently evaluating three-dimensional hydrodynamic computer code models for LNG vapor dispersion for regulatory application for the Gas Technology Institute. He is a member of the Science Advisory Board of the Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons.

In December 2000, Dr. Havens reported to the Office of Special Counsel, John C. Danforth (Waco), concerning the destruction by fire of the Branch Davidian Compound near Waco in 1993.

With great pleasure we present the 2003 Merit Award to Dr. Jerry Havens for his
accomplishments and his work in the area of dense gas dispersion and regulatory applications, developed for the chemical process industry.