 Chen Xuejun, Professor of Xi’an Jiaotong University; Professor of PhD students, Director of Institute of Engineering Thermophysics; Honorary Director of University Academic Committee; Member of Chinese Academy of Science; Member of the Third World Academy of Science; Honorary President of Chinese Society of Engineering Thermophysics; Honorary Professor of Tongji University; Honorary Professor of Petroleum University of East China; Honorary Vice President of September-Third Society of China.
Professor Chen graduated from National Central University in 1939, receiving his BS degree in Mechanical Engineering. He then started working with boiler manufacturing at National Bureau of Industrial Research in Chongqing. At the age of 22, he presented his first paper entitled “Investigation of the Manufacturing Process of Boilers”, at the conference of Chinese Society of Engineers, and there he became whole-heartedly dedicated to the development of the power industry for his mother country.
In August of 1944(during World War II), Professor Chen journeyed from the wartime capital of Chongqing to the United States by way of Calcutta and Bombay, India by air, and then to Melbourne, Australia and San Diego, California by a boat (the only way to travel to the United States then). Professor Chen went from San Diego to New York, where he worked for one year with the Combustion Engineering Co., as a visiting engineer. While at Combustion Engineering he participated in testing, manufacturing and erection of power boilers for large steam power plants located throughout various cities in the United States. In October 1945, Professor Chen left Combustion Engineering for Purdue University where he enrolled in graduate studies under the supervision of Professor H.L. Solberg. His thesis entitled “Combustion of Coal for Steam Generation” earned him his M.S. degree in June 1946. In the spring of 1947, Professor Chen returned to China and worked at the Heat power Laboratory of the National Bureau of industrial Research located in Shanghai. At the same time, the also began teaching at Shanghai Jiaotong University. Also in 1947, he edited and published the first Journal of Heat Power in China. He received the rank of full Professor in 1950 at Shanghai Jiaotong University, and since that time has devoted all his time and energy toward teaching and scientific research. In 1957, according to the decision of the State Council of Chinese government, Professor Chen moved with his family from Shanghai Jiaotong University at Shanghai to Xi’an, where he began his work at Xi’an Jiaotong University.
Professor Chen was the first scientist in China to initiate the speciality area of Boiler Design in Department of Power Machinery in 1952. It was there, in 1955-1956, that he began his supervision of two-and four-year post-graduate students. In addition, he began his basic research work on two-phase flow and heat transfer. Professor Chen was the first to discover the “Liquid Film Inversion Phenomena” in air-water two-phase flow. In the early 1960's, he was the first to discover that void fraction is not always greater than volumetric fraction during two-phase downward flow.
At the end of the 1980's to the early 1990's, the subject of investigations oil gas-liquid two-phase flow and heat transfer in helically coiled tubes was experiencing a rebirth of interest
because of the development of energy and the environmental control system. The self-induced radial acceleration field and strong secondary flow during two-phase flow inside helically coiled tubes made an excellent substitute for gravity. Professor Chen and his colleagues in this area are pioneering. He was the first to present a map for flow patterns of steam-water two-phase mixture flowing in helically coiled tubes at high pressure. He was also the first to discover a new type of dynamic instability "Boiling Onset Oscillation" in a flow boiling system, and to obtain a series of correlation to predict the oscillation thresholds of four types of dynamic instabilities for two-phase flow on helically coiled tubes and hairpin tubes oriented with various axial angles.
He was the first to investigate the pulsation upon transient heat transfer characteristics for single and two-phase flow in helical coiled tubes and to discover and analyze some new phenomena, including that the effects of secondary flow in curved tubes on heat transfer enhancement weakens contrast to that of turbulent disturbance in the range of the much higher Reynolds number, and tile transient local heat transfer coefficients oscillates with reverse-phase characteristics in contrast to the flow rate oscillation.
Professor Chen started the organization and construction of the first high pressure water loop in China with pressure up to and above critical. In 1979, he initiated the building of the first Engineering Thermophysics Research Institute at Chinese universities and continued to perform applied and basic research work in this field, especially in water-steam two-phase flow patterns, flow pattern transitions, pressure drop, boiling, and two-phase flow instabilities. He has presented many new ideas, models, and correlations. His contributions in the field of two-phase flow allowed Xi'an Jiaotong University to become an internationally known leader in two-phase flow and heat transfer research.
Because of the contribution of Professor Chen and his co-workers, the laboratory has become China's Key Laboratory (State Key Laboratory ) of Multiphase Flow in Power Engineering in 1990. Professor Chen is Director of State Key Laboratory working with 40 outstanding researchers in the field of thermal science and its applications in 1990 to 1998.
Professor Chen is one of those rare scientists who has applied his contributions in fundamental research to practical problems. The application of his basic research in two-phase flow is aimed towards power engineering and nuclear safety. Many honors have been bestowed upon Professor Chen in recognition of his significant achievements. Awarded: National Award of Natural Science, 1987; Joint Award for Energy Technology by the State National Science and Technology Commission, State Planing Commission and State Economic Commission, 1988; National Awards for the Promotion of Science and Technology, 1991, 1996; Technological Science Prize of Ho Lenug Ho Lee Foundation, 1996; Awards of Progress of Science and Technology, State Education Commission, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1998. Professor Chen is an Honorary Director of the University Academic Committee of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Vice Chairman of Shannxi Provincial People's Congress in 1988-1998, and a member of National Committee of Chinese Association for Science and Technology in 1991-1995. He is now one of the Presidents of Chinese Engineering Thermophysics Society. Professor Chen is an academician, elected in 1980 as a life-time member of Chinese Academy of Science, which is the highest honor bestowed upon a scientist in China. He is also a fellow of the Third World Academy of Science, elected in 1996.
Professor Chen has published more than 280 papers in national and international literatures; He is the author and co-author of 14 books on steam power plants, gas turbines, steam boilers, energy engineering, two-phase flow and heat transfer, and multiphase flow and heat transfer. Professor Chen is also very active in organizing international symposiums and participating in international scientific meetings. He organized 6 international symposiums on multiphase flow and heat transfer in Xi'an and in Beijing, China in 1984, 1989, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2005. He has frequently been invited as a speaker at various institutions and as a member of Organizing Committee or Science Committee at various important international conferences on multiphase flow and heat transfer in France, Italy, United States, Belgium, Greece, Yugoslavia, Japan and Turkey as shown. He is also the member of three International Journals.
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