Rigby, Geoffrey Raymond (1940 - 2015)

Summary

Dr Geoff Rigby, HonFIEAust, was an innovative Newcastle-based chemical engineer who worked for BHP Research and Development for more than 25 years.

His research was well published in the international technical and patent literature in a diverse range of areas - initially in coal, coke, and energy research, then in transportation of materials by long distance pipeline - work that was awarded two John A Brodie Medals in 1982 and 1985.

He subsequently turned his attention to the development of membrane gas separation processes with a special emphasis on controlled atmosphere systems for fruit and vegetable storage and transportation, sharing a third John A Brodie Medal for the work in 1991.

Further research continued on dust suppression in mining and stockpiles, improved performance of diesel engines, novel energy systems, and gasification, before embarking on pioneering work with a team developing treatment options for harmful marine organisms in ship ballast water as they arrive in Australian ports.

This work, originally for BHP Transport, expanded after retirement, with his guidelines for ballast water management being internationally adopted, and being recognised with an Australian Museum Eureka award for excellence in the field of science.

In retirement he published a number of books on Australian native plants.

He was active within the profession, as a foundation member of the Newcastle Chemical Engineering Group; on the Newcastle Division of the Institution of Engineers Australia, from 1976 to 1988, and as Chairman 1983; as a Member of its National Council from 1985 to 1988; and as a member of Engineering Heritage Newcastle.

Details

Chronology

c. 1963 - c. 1965

Career position - Chemical engineering traineeship, Courtaulds Australia, Tomago, New South Wales

1964

Career event - Student Member (StudIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia

1965

Career event - Graduate Member (GradIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia

1965

Education - Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (BChemE), University of New South Wales

1968

Education - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of New South Wales

1968 - c. 1970

Career position - National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Canada

1976 - 1988

Career position - Committee Member, Newcastle Division, Institution of Engineers Australia

c. 1982 -

Career position - Chemical Engineer, BHP Central Research Laboratories, Shortland, New South Wales

1982

Award - John A. Brodie Medal, Institution of Engineers Australia

c. 1982

Career event - Fellow (FIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia

1983

Career position - Chairman, Newcastle Division, Institution of Engineers Australia

1985

Award - John A. Brodie Medal, Institution of Engineers Australia

1991

Award - John A. Brodie Medal, Institution of Engineers Australia

c. 2002 -

Career position - Director, Reninna Consulting

2003

Publication - Book: "50 Years of Newcastle Chemical Engineering, 1953-2003"

2004

Award - Eureka Prize for Environmental Research, Australian Museum [with Alan Taylor, and Dr Gustaaf Hallegraeff]

2005

Award - Honorary Fellow (HonFIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia

Related entries

Published resources

Articles

• 'Obituary: Geoffrey Raymond Rigby' (2015), https://portal.engineersaustralia.org.au/news/obituary-geoffrey-raymond-rigby. Details

Book Sections

• Callcott, T. G.; Goode, H. R.; Brown, N. A.; Cramsie, J.; Davies, R. G.; Johnson, M. A.; Rigby, G. R.; Roxborough, F. F.; Stewart, I. McC.; and Sullivan, K., 'Coal' in Energy 83: Towards an Energy Policy for Australia; Position Papers (Institution of Engineers, Australia, 1983), pp. 141-166, https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.605403276363341. Details

Conference Papers

• Elkes, G. J.; Rigby, G. R.; Simson, H. A.; Mainwaring, D. E., 'Integrated coal upgrading and slurry transport', in Chemeca 82: Tenth Australian Chemical Engineering Conference 1982; Resource Developments in the Eighties. (1982), pp. 109-114., https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.822551922940743. Details
• Rigby, G. R., 'The transportation of solids in slurry pipelines', in Transportation Conference 1981. Brisbane, 23-25 September 1981. (Institution of Engineers Australia, 1981), pp. 7-15.. Details
• Rigby, G. R., 'Membrane systems for gas generation in remote areas', in Engineering Conference Darwin: Developing Remote Areas (Institution of Engineers, Australia, 1987), pp. 356-362., https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.674904259156427. Details
• Rigby, G. R.; Freemantle, G. J., 'Manganese sand slurry disposal system for Groote Eylandt', in 1984 Transportation Conference. Bulk Transport: solid, liquid or gas. Perth, Western Australia 30 October - 1 November 1984. (Institution of Engineers, Australia, 1984), pp. 57-64., https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.461333142594939. Details
• Rigby, G. R.; Jones, C. U.; Mainwaring, D. E., 'The potential for coal slurry transportation and beneficiation operations in electricity generation', in Engineering Conference Newcastle. Engineering towards the 21st Century. Conference Papers. 18-22 April 1983 (Institution of Engineers, Australia, 1983), pp. 92-99.. Details
• Rigby, G. R.; Thomas, A. D., 'Slurry handling and transportation developments', in International Conference on Bulk Materials Storage, Handling, and Transportation, 1983. Newcastle 22-24 August 1983 (Institution of Engineers, Australia, 1983), pp. 178-182.. Details
• Rigby, Geoff; Jones, Brett, 'Membrane gas separation and generation systems for the process and agriculture industries', in Chemeca 90: The Eighteenth Australasian Chemical Engineering Conference; Processing Pacific Resources (1990), pp. 746-753., https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.845079185191907. Details
• Rigby, Geoff; Taylor, Alan, 'Threats from harmful marine organisms from shipping ballast water discharged in Australian ports - a multidisciplinary approach to minimising risks', in Chemeca 99: Chemical Engineering: Solutions in a Changing Environment (Institution of Engineers Australia, 1999), pp. 956-961., https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.950010281338676. Details
• Rigby, Geoff; Taylor, Alan; Hallegraeff, Gustaaf, 'Fifteen years of managing ballast water to minimise the biological threat to Australia's marine environment - Past, present and future', in Proceedings of Pacific 2004 International Maritime Conference (2004), pp. 119-129., https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.215670363336696. Details
• Taylor, Alan; Rigby, Geoff, 'Suggested designs to facilitate improved management and treatment of ballast water on new and existing ships', in Pacific 2002: Proceedings of the Pacific 2002 International Maritime Conference, Sydney, Australia. 29-31 January 2002 (Institution of Engineers, Australia, 2002)., https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.106147332681852. Details
• Yoshinaga, Mark; Rigby, Geoff, 'Compaction and degradation of de-oiled coal agglomerates during sea transportation', in Chemeca 85 : innovation in the process and resource industry : the Thirteenth Australian Chemical Engineering Conference, Perth, 25-28 Aug 1985 (1985).. Details

Edited Books

• Rigby, Geoff ed., 50 Years of Newcastle Chemical Engineering, 1953-2003 (Callaghan: CE50 Organising Committee, University of Newcastle, 2003), 60 pp. Details

Journal Articles

• Rigby, G. R., 'Slurry pipelines for the transportation of solids', Transactions of the Institution of Engineers, Australia: Mechanical Engineering, ME7 (3) (1982), 181-189. Details
• Rigby, Geoff, 'Newcastle Division Institution of Engineers, Australia: Chairman's report', A Newsletter for Engineers Newcastle Division (1984), 2-3. Details
• Rigby, Geoff, 'Future directions for BHP', Chemical Engineering in Australia, Ch10 (2) (1985), 34-39. Details

Reports

• Institution of Engineers Australia, Annual Report 1982 [Sixty-third Annual Report] (1983), 16 pp. 'John A Brodie Medal (1982 Award) - to Dr D E Mainwaring, AssocIEAust, Dr G R Rigby, FIEAust, Mr G J Elkes (Affiliate), Dr H A Simson, GradIEAust', p.11. Details
• Institution of Engineers Australia, Annual Report 1985 [Sixty-sixth Annual Report] (1986), 24 pp. 'College of Chemical Engineers - John A Brodie (1985 Award) - to Mark Yoshinaga and Geoff Rigby, for the paper "Compaction and degradation of de-oiled coal agglomerates during sea transportation", presented at Chemeca 85', p.14. Details

Resources

• '2004 Eureka Prize for Environmental Research', Australian Museum Eureka Prizes Winner Archive, 2016, https://australian.museum/get-involved/eureka-prizes/eureka-prizes-archive/eureka-prize-winners-2000s/#2004. Details
• IP Australia, Commonwealth of Australia, 'Application: 56053/1980. Title: Recovering coal from coal slurries', Australian Patent search database, Commonwealth of Australia, 2015, https://ipsearch.ipaustralia.gov.au/patents/1980056053. Details
• IP Australia, Commonwealth of Australia, 'Application: 71805/1994. Title: Highwall mining system', Australian Patent search database, Commonwealth of Australia, 2015, https://ipsearch.ipaustralia.gov.au/patents/1994071805. Details
• IP Australia, Commonwealth of Australia, 'Application: 73215/1991. Title: Controlled atmosphere generation in horticultural applications', Australian Patent search database, Commonwealth of Australia, 2015, https://ipsearch.ipaustralia.gov.au/patents/1991073215. Details
• IP Australia, Commonwealth of Australia, 'Application: 31801/1989. Title: Oxygen enrichment of fuels', Australian Patent search database, Commonwealth of Australia, 2015, https://ipsearch.ipaustralia.gov.au/patents/1989031801. Details
• IP Australia, Commonwealth of Australia, 'Application: 73507/1987. Title: Production of hardened coal agglomerates', Australian Patent search database, Commonwealth of Australia, 2015, https://ipsearch.ipaustralia.gov.au/patents/1987073507. Details
• 'Rigby, G. R. (Geoffrey Raymond)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://trove.nla.gov.au/people/547271. Details

Theses

• Rigby, Geoffrey Raymond, 'Use of the spouted bed technique for the low temperature carbonization of coal', PhD thesis, University of New South Wales, 1968, http://hdl.handle.net/1959.4/61081. Details