JAMES W. LEACH
Professor
Director, Industrial Assessment Center

Education
Ph.D., (M.E.) Rice University, 1967
M.S., (E.S) Arizona State University, 1962
B.S.,(M.E.) University of Texas at Arlington, 1961

Research Interests
Energy Conversion; Heat transfer; Fluid Mechanics; Thermophysical property evaluation

Professional Experience
Industrial Assessment Center, NCSU, Assistant Director 1992, Director 1993-present.

Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, North Carolina State University, 1979 to present.

Consultant, CRS Sirrine, Greenville, South Carolina, 1989-91, Contractor to Morgan- town Energy Technology Center, Combustion of low-BTU coal gas in a gas turbine, modeling of integrated coal gasification combined cycle power plants.

Consultant, Vought Aerospace Corp., Dallas, Texas, 1987, High temperature test of an advanced carbon/carbon turbine wheel, analysis of combustion and ignitor blast wave in a solid rocket motor.

Consultant, Sandia National Laboratory, Livermore, California, 1985, Analysis and evaluation of thermochemical and electro-chemical processes for producing hydrogen, technical and economic analysis of solar coal gasification.

Consultant, Solar Energy Research Institute, Golden, Colorado, 1980-1983, Research on liquid metal transport systems, molten salt energy storage systems, direct contact phase change heat exchanger. Performance and economics of thermal storage for industrial process heat applications.

Senior Engineer, Vought Aerospace Corp., Dallas, Texas, 1972 -- 1979, Senior engineer in propulsion and thermodynamic technologies section; analysis, design and testing of thermal systems for aircraft and spacecraft; project engineer for system tests at the NASA Johnson Space Center. Assistant Professor, VPI, Blacksburg, Virginia, 1968 - 1972. NASA Summer Program, NASA Langley, Hampton, Virginia, 1968. Engineering Specialist, Vought Aerospace Corp., Dallas, Texas, 1967-1968.

Honors
ASME Carnot Outstanding Teacher Award

North Carolina State University Outstanding Teacher Award

NCSU College of Engineering Outstanding Extension Service Award

Professional Societies
Vice Chairman, Eastern North Carolina Section of ASME, 1997-98

Chairman, Eastern North Carolina Section of ASME, 1998-99

Selected Publications
Journal articles on thermophysical properties, solar thermal research, (9).

Papers at Symposia on energy conversion, spacecraft thermal control, thermophysical properties, (16)