Interview with DSA winner Michael Sadler
3 Aug 2011
Michael Sadler joined the then rapidly developing power industry in 1954 after spending six years working as scientific assistant at the Royal Military College of Science. He gained experience on a power station and later, in other laboratories, in analysis, fuel testing and air and sea water pollution monitoring. In 1959 he became a Research Officer in the Scientific Services Department (SSD) of the South Western Region of the Central Electricity Generating Board. He remains grateful for the help and encouragement that he received both from the RMCS and the CEGB that allowed him to continue studying chemistry.
Early work in the SSD included development and application of analytical methods for the control of the very low levels of impurities in high purity water used on both fossil fired and nuclear power stations. This led to studies of an ion exchange technique known as 'condensate polishing' that was being introduced for the continuous purification of this water as it passed around steam generator circuits operating at very high temperature and pressures. These investigations were carried out in collaboration with colleagues in the CEGB, with researchers in the industries supplying ion exchange resins and water treatment equipment and in contact with relevant organisations such as the USA based Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). He took early retirement from the CEGB in 1988 to become a consultant and in this role he has been pleased to contribute to some of the activities of the EPRI and to advise a number of large companies and utilities.
Mr Sadler joined SCI and the committee of the Separation Science and Technology Group in 1984, later serving on the organising committee of the IEX conferences for many years, most of them as secretary, and acting as co-chairman of IEX1996. He organised a successful series of one day meetings on ultrapure water in 1980-90's and assisted in arranging a further one day meeting on water purification topics in 2010. SCI has always played a great part in his professional life and he considers that he has benefited a great deal from membership. He is a Chartered Chemist, a Chartered Scientist and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. He holds Life Membership of the SCI and was presented with the SCI Ion Exchange Award in 2004. He is author or co-author of about 27 published papers and has presented at many meetings and conferences arranged by the EPRI.
How did you become a member of SCI?
In my earliest job as a laboratory assistant I had the opportunity to read Chemistry & Industry (and especially the Blue Bits, forerunner to SCI Members' News) and through this became aware of SCI and its activities. Some years later on I started to attend SCI meetings and conferences relevant to my work. These were mainly organised by the Separation Science and Technology Group (originally known as the Solvent Extraction and Ion Exchange Group). I formally joined SCI in 1984 after I had been approached to help in the organisation of one of the International Ion Exchange Conferences (IEX Conferences). At about the same time I joined the SS&T Group Committee.
Why did you decide to get involved in committee work/organising events/collaborating in SCI publications?
I had become very impressed with the general standard and usefulness of SCI meetings and conferences that I had attended and particularly with the opportunity that they offered to meet people working on similar, topics as myself. My work as a Research Officer in the South West Region of the Central Electricity Generating Board was involving me more and more in the problems encountered in the preparation of ultrapure water on the scale demanded by power plants. I therefore became particularly interested in the Separation Science and Technology Group for, at that time, ion exchange was one of main techniques used although other separation processes were also involved, such as filtration. So, in brief, I joined SCI to pursue my interests and of course help me in my work.
What has driven your long-term involvement?
Being a member of SCI, and particularly serving on its committees, has proved to be an excellent way of meeting workers from other industries and from the universities. I guess that I also enjoyed just being involved in the organisation of conferences and meetings!
Has being involved in SCI activities had an impact on your professional career?
Yes, I believe that it has. It has certainly brought me into contact with scientists and engineers from other industries and from countries with different problems. In some cases these contacts led to close and lasting working relationships from which both our organisations benefited. Speakers at formal conferences tend, for obvious reasons, to be guarded in what they say so that such contacts can be far more useful.
Do your SCI activities reflect your personal/professional interests?
Most certainly. My main activities on behalf of the Separation Science and Technology Group have been to assist and advice on matters related to the use of ion exchange in the purification of water to very high degree. Other members of the committee have had a very significant input on this important topic and yet others have very effectively covered different separation science topics. It has always been an enjoyable team effort. As part of these activities I have been very pleased to have been able to help in the organisation of the large IEX conferences that are normally held in Cambridge on a four-year cycle. I have served o as secretary for many of them and acted as co-chairman at the 1996 conference.
Large conferences such as IEX usually take place over three or more days and some people find them difficult to attend for reasons of cost and/or time. I have, therefore, also been very keen for the SS&T Group to develop less formal one-day meetings on water purification topics in the hope that people unable to take part in the larger meetings will find less difficulty to attend. I particularly had in mind young people and hope that such meetings will not only help their professional development but that they will also introduce them to SCI . Hopefully they will also lead them to attend and present at other meetings and conferences.
Are you still excited to participate in SCI activities?
Yes. I still find them interesting and a way of keeping in touch with developments in industry and science. Although I have now retired I still follow its activities and hope to continue attending relevant meetings.
How do you think that your contribution has helped shaped SCI?
I believe that I helped to insure that the very important topic of the preparation and use of very high purity water was adequately covered both at the major conferences organised by the SS&T group and at one-day meetings. I would also like to think that I have been of use in encouraging the participation of specialists from outside the UK in our meetings and conferences.
Are you excited about receiving a Distinguished Service Award?
The letter from Joanne Lyall informing me that I had been selected by the Awards Committee as a recipient of a Distinguished Service Award came as great surprise! I can only guess that my colleagues in the Separation Science and Technology Section had quite a lot to do with this and so I wish to thank them. I am very grateful for this honour.
I have always thoroughly enjoyed my work for SCI and, as already discussed, believe that my association with the SS&T Group has been of considerable benefit to me in my professional life.
Related Links