James Laird Gray (1926–2010) was a Scottish engineer who helped develop several
power stations in England and Scotland. An important figure in the field of
steam turbine
A steam turbine is a machine that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work on a rotating output shaft. Its modern manifestation was invented by Charles Parsons in 1884. Fabrication of a modern steam turbin ...
technology in the
UK, he received the ''Thomas Hawksley Medal'' and the ''James Clayton Award'' from the
Institute of Mechanical Engineers for his work at two
nuclear power stations
A nuclear power plant (NPP) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power stations, heat is used to generate steam that drives a steam turbine connected to a generator that produces elec ...
.
Biography
Born in
Glasgow in 1926, he was educated in the early years of
WWII and qualified for
university entrance at the age of 16. Despite qualifying, Gray was too young to be admitted. He then became an apprentice at
Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd in
Scotstown. At 17, he entered
Glasgow University, and three years later graduated with a
Bachelor of Science (
First-Class Honors) in
mechanical engineering.
He moved to
England from Scotland to begin working in
steam turbine
A steam turbine is a machine that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work on a rotating output shaft. Its modern manifestation was invented by Charles Parsons in 1884. Fabrication of a modern steam turbin ...
and
power station engineering at
English Electric
N.º UIC: 9094 110 1449-3 (Takargo Rail)
The English Electric Company Limited (EE) was a British industrial manufacturer formed after the Armistice of 11 November 1918, armistice of World War I by amalgamating five businesses which, during th ...
in
Rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
. In an article published at his retirement, he gave credit for this direction to the chief engineer of English Electric, who said, "forget naval turbines" and steered him towards power station steam turbines which were "the thing of the future."
He married his wife Mary in 1954 and had three children: Alex (b. 1955), Susan (b. 1956), and John (b. 1964).
After English Electric, Gray joined the
British Electricity Authority
The British Electricity Authority (BEA) was established as the central British electricity authority in 1948 under the nationalisation of Great Britain's electricity supply industry enacted by the Electricity Act 1947. The BEA was responsible for ...
, later known as the
Central Electricity Authority (CEA) and then the
Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB), where he became head of the CEGB's Turbine Generator Design Branch. A move by the CEGB's Generation, Design, and Construction Department to
Barnwood
Barnwood is an eastern suburb of Gloucester, lying about from the centre of the city, and former civil parish, now in the unparished area of Gloucester, in the Gloucester district, in the county of Gloucestershire, England.
Barnwood was origin ...
required him to relocate to Gloucestershire. A couple of years later, he left to become a Manager of Generation, Design, and Technical Services at the
South of Scotland Electricity Board (SSEB) in
Glasgow.
New
nuclear power stations
A nuclear power plant (NPP) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power stations, heat is used to generate steam that drives a steam turbine connected to a generator that produces elec ...
were coming into service at this time, providing a large part of Scotland's non-fossil fuel generation capacity. Gray believed advancing modern atomic generation capacity to be essential to supplying power in the future, and he regretted the loss of expertise and manufacturing capacity in the sector since the end of new-build nuclear projects in the UK.
Gray retired in the late 1980s and lived with his wife in
Garelochhead, the family home since 1975. He stayed busy even while in retirement; he and his wife were key figures in the renovation and management of Gibson Hall, a community center. He also maintained an active interest in public energy policy, particularly in Scotland. In 2008 he authored the pamphlet ''Electric Power in the New Scotland'', which proposed a renewed commitment to nuclear power generation in Scotland and which formed part of a submission that he made to the Scottish Government Economy, Energy, and Tourism Committee's Inquiry into Scotland's Energy Future.
Later in retirement, he lost sight due to glaucoma and subsequently developed chest complaints. After deteriorating health, he died in the family home on August 2, 2010.
[Source: all other facts sourced from his son, Alex Gray, 2006]
Awards
During his career, Gray received two awards from the
Institute of Mechanical Engineers: the ''
Thomas Hawksley
Thomas Hawksley ( – ) was an English civil engineer of the 19th century, particularly associated with early water supply and coal gas engineering projects. Hawksley was, with John Frederick Bateman, the leading British water engineer of the ...
Medal'' for his investigative work into a significant steam turbine failure at
Hinkley Point A nuclear power station, and the ''James Clayton Award'' for work on the ingress of seawater to a reactor at
Hunterston B nuclear power station.
Gray was a Fellow of the
Royal Academy of Engineering
The Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) is the United Kingdom's national academy of engineering.
The Academy was founded in June 1976 as the Fellowship of Engineering with support from Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who became the first senior ...
, a Fellow of the
Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), and a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...
.
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, James L.
1926 births
2010 deaths
Alumni of the University of Glasgow
Engineers from Glasgow
Scottish mechanical engineers
British nuclear engineers