Gilbert Ronald Bainbridge

Gilbert Ronald Bainbridge (1925–2003) was a British nuclear physicist, engineer and farmer.

Professor G. R. Bainbridge
Born	Gilbert Ronald Bainbridge (1925-11-28)28 November 1925 Felling, Gateshead, County Durham, England
Died	13 August 2003(2003-08-13) (aged 77) Glan Rhos Nursing Home, Anglesey, Wales
Occupation	Nuclear physicist, certified engineer, farmer
Known for	Radiation studies, research on energy alternatives
Awards	Wolfson Professor of Energy Studies Fellow of the Institute of Physics Fellow of the Institution of Electrical Engineers
Academic background
Alma mater	Hatfield College of Durham University
Thesis	The Emission of Ionizing Radiation during a Spark Discharge (1953)
Doctoral advisor	W. A. Prowse
Academic work
Discipline	Physics

Personal life and education

Gilbert Ronald Bainbridge was born 28 November 1925 at Felling, Gateshead, County Durham. He attended Jarrow County Secondary School, and matriculated at Durham University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts with honors in physics, at Hatfield College in December 1946.[1] His doctoral research there, on The Emission of Ionizing Radiation during a Spark Discharge, was supervised by W. A. Prowse, and in 1953 Bainbridge was awarded a Ph.D.[2]

In 1978, Bainbridge incorporated Cerrig Y Barcud farm in Anglesey, North Wales.[3] He was also a Justice of the Peace.

He died 13 August 2003 at Glan Rhos Nursing Home, Anglesey.

Career

In 1945 he began working for the Admiralty in Greenock, and he conducted torpedo research at Faslane.

He began lecturing in 1951 at Paisley Technical College in Glasgow, and in 1954 he began as a researcher at MacMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario in Canada.[4] He researched light emissions from stars using mass spectrometry, funded by the United States Air Force Strategic Command.

He became Assistant Chief Engineer in 1957 in Warrington for the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority.[5] Bainbridge was involved in the construction, control and development of laboratories and nuclear reactors at Aldermaston (Atomic Weapons Establishment), Berkeley nuclear power station, Calder Hall (see Sellafield), Dounreay Nuclear Power Development Establishment, Harwell (see Atomic Energy Research Establishment), Hinkley Point A nuclear power station, Oldbury nuclear power station, Tōkai mura, Trawsfynydd, Wylfa nuclear power station, Windscale (see Sellafield).

He also served as Health and Safety Executive and Representative to the British Council and Uratom. He was a Parliamentary Advisor and coordinator to the House of Lords Committee on Energy, and an Energy and Environmental consultant.

In 1972 he joined the faculty of University of Newcastle upon Tyne, where he was Director of The Energy Centre,[6] and was named Wolfson Professor of Energy Studies. Bainbridge was also a Chartered Engineer as well as a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and a Fellow of the Institution of Electrical Engineers.

Publications

Books

• Nuclear masses and their determination (1958)[7]
• Energy Spectrum (1974)[8]

Selected articles

• "Atomic Masses of Ni⁵⁸ and Ni⁶⁰" (1956)[4]
• "The Absorption of Ultraviolet Ionizing Radiation in Gases" (1956)[9]
• "The Emission of Ionizing Radiation during a Spark Discharge" (1957)[10]
• "Fission product decay heat" (1961)[11]
• "Advanced AGR power stations" (1964)[12]
• "Nuclear fuel supply by the U.K.A.E.A." (1967)[13]
• "Nuclear options" (1974)[5]
• "Energy in the OECD" (1975)[6]
• "Rising to the Occasion" (1975)[14]
• "Energetic perspective" (1975)[15]
• "New Power Horizons" (1976)[16]
• "Reprocessing nuclear fuel" (1978)[17]
• "Design, Construction and Proving of Low-cost 5 kW Wind-Powered Turbine for Isolated Applications" (1979)[18]
• "Comparative risks of different fuels in electricity generation" (1981)[19]

References

1. "Catalogue of Durham University Records: Central Administration and Officers, Deed box 6". reed.dur.ac.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
2. Bainbridge, G.R. (13 November 2013) [1953]. "Emission of ionising radiation during spark discharge" (PDF). Duham e-Theses. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
3. "G. R. Bainbridge (Warrington), Ltd. Business summary taken from official companies house information. Registered as 01380500". Company Check. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
4. Eastman, Philip C.; Isenor, Neil R.; Bainbridge, G. R.; Duckworth, Henry E. (1 January 1956). "Atomic Masses of Ni58 and Ni60". Physical Review. 103 (1): 145–146. Bibcode:1956PhRv..103..145E. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.103.145. Department of Physics, Hamilton College, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
5. Bainbridge, G. R. (1974). "Nuclear Options". Nature. 249 (5459): 733–737. Bibcode:1974Natur.249..733B. doi:10.1038/249733a0. Dr G. R. Bainbridge is Manager of Technical Assessments in the Reactor Group of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. At the beginning of August he takes up his appointment to the new Chair of Energy Studies in the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
6. Bainbridge, G. R. (1975). "Energy in the OECD". Nature. 254 (5502): 644–645. Bibcode:1975Natur.254..644B. doi:10.1038/254644a0. G. R. Bainbridge, Professor of Energy Studies and Director of The Energy Centre, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, reflects on the OECD report, Energy Prospects to 1985.
7. Duckworth, H. E.; Kerr, J. T.; Bainbridge, G. R. (1958). Nuclear masses and their determination. London: Pergamon Press.
8. Bainbridge, G. R. (1974). "Energy Spectrum". Nature. 252 (5482): 424. Bibcode:1974Natur.252..424B. doi:10.1038/252424c0.
9. Bainbridge, G. R.; Prowse, W. A. (1 October 1956). "The Absorption of Ultraviolet Ionizing Radiation in Gases". Canadian Journal of Physics. 34 (10): 1038–1045. Bibcode:1956CaJPh..34.1038B. doi:10.1139/p56-115. ISSN 0008-4204.
10. Prowse, W. A.; Bainbridge, G. R. (1 March 1957). "The Emission of Ionizing Radiation During a Spark Discharge". Canadian Journal of Physics. 35 (3): 324–331. Bibcode:1957CaJPh..35..324P. doi:10.1139/p57-036. ISSN 0008-4204.
11. Bainbridge, G. R.; Grant, J (June 1961). "The Discovery Service". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
12. Bainbridge, G. R.; Knowles, A. N.; Rossiter, F. (December 1964). "Advanced AGR power stations". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
13. G. R. Bainbridge (1967). Nuclear fuel supply by the U.K.A.E.A. H.M. Stationery Office.
14. Bainbridge, G. R. (1975). "Rising to the Occasion". Nature. 257 (5528): 723. Bibcode:1975Natur.257..723B. doi:10.1038/257723a0.
15. Bainbridge, G. R. (1975). "Energetic Perspective". Nature. 258 (5537): 779. Bibcode:1975Natur.258..779B. doi:10.1038/258779c0.
16. Bainbridge, G. R. (1976). "New Power Horizons". Nature. 261 (5555): 79–80. Bibcode:1976Natur.261...79B. doi:10.1038/261079b0.
17. Bainbridge, G. R. (1978). "Reprocessing nuclear fuel". Nature. 272 (5648): 2. Bibcode:1978Natur.272....2B. doi:10.1038/272002a0.
18. Watson, G.R.; Bainbridge, G. R. (1979). "Design, Construction and Proving of Low-cost 5 kW Wind-Powered Turbine for Isolated Applications". International Conference on Future Energy Concepts. Institution of Electrical Engineers: 211.
19. Bainbridge, G. R. (1981). "Comparative risks of different fuels in electricity generation". Environmental Impact of Nuclear Power. British Nuclear Energy Society. pp. 1–23. doi:10.1680/teionp.44333.0001. ISBN 978-0-7277-4433-3.

Further reading

List of Published Works at National Archives

SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)