Gustaf Dalén 92418 222559625 2008-06-30T00:11:10Z 86.40.196.131 {{Infobox_Scientist | name = Gustaf Dalén | image = Nils Gustaf Dalén.jpg | caption = Nils Gustaf Dalén | birth_date = {{birth date|1869|11|30|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Stenstorp]], [[Västergötland]], [[Sweden]] | death_date = {{death date and age|1937|12|9|1869|11|30}} | death_place = [[Lidingo]], [[Stockholm]], [[Sweden]] | nationality = [[Sweden]] | field = [[Physics]] | work_institution = [[AGA AB|AGA]] | alma_mater = [[Chalmers University of Technology]] | doctoral_advisor = <!--pls insert--> | doctoral_students = <!--pls insert--> | known_for = [[Sun valve]] | prizes = [[Image:Nobel medal dsc06171.jpg|20px]] [[Nobel Prize in Physics]] (1912) | religion = | footnotes = }} '''Nils Gustaf Dalén''' ([[November 30]], [[1869]] &ndash; [[December 9]] [[1937]]) was a Swedish [[Nobel Laureate]] and industrialist, the founder of the [[AGA AB|AGA]] company and inventor of the [[AGA cooker]] and the [[Dalén light]]. In 1912 he was awarded the [[Nobel Prize in Physics]] for his [[Sun valve|automatic valves]] designed to be used in combination with [[Acetylene|gas]] accumulators in [[lighthouses]] and light-buoys. ==Biography== ===Early life=== Dalén was born in Stenstorp, in present day [[Falköping]] municipality, Sweden. He managed the family farm, which he expanded to include a market garden, a seed merchants and a dairy. In 1892 he invented a milk-fat tester to check milk quality of the milk delivered. [[Gustaf de Laval]] was so impressed by self-taught Dalén and that he encouraged him to start studying. He was admitted to the [[Chalmers University of Technology]] where he earned his [[Master's degree]] and a [[Doctorate]] on leaving in 1896. Dalén married Elma Persson in 1901, they had two daughters and two sons, Gunnar and Anders.<ref>[http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1912/dalen-bio.html Gustaf Dalén - Biography<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ===Inventor and Industrialist=== Initially Dalén worked with [[acetylene]] ([[IUPAC]]: [[ethyne]]), an extremely explosive hydrocarbon gas. Dalén invented [[Agamassan]] (Aga), a [[substrate]] used to absorb the gas allowing safe storage and hence commercial exploitation. In 1906 he became Chief Engineer at the Gas Accumulator Company (manufacturer and distributor of acetylene). Acetylene produced an ultra-bright white-light and immediately superseded the duller-flamed [[Liquefied petroleum gas|LPG]] as the fuel of choice in lighthouse illuminations. This light also caused Dalen to go blind when an experiment involving acetylene exploded. Dalen exploited the new fuel, developing the [[Dalén light]] which itself incorporated a further invention, the sun valve. This solar switch controlled the light during the hours of darkness ensuring that the buoys burnt less fuel and would only operate at night. This inevitably prolonged their service life to beyond a year. The ‘Dalen Flasher’ was a device that, except for a small pilot light,only consumed gas during the flash stage. This reduced gas consumption by more than 80%. In 1909 he ascended to the position of Managing Director of the renamed company Svenska Aktiebolaget Gasaccumulator (AGA). AGA developed lighthouses using Dalén's products. To a rugged coastal area like [[Scandinavia]], his mass-produced long-life minimal maintenance buoys were a significant boon to safety and livelihood. Internationally, AGA Lighthouses were built covering the entire [[Panama Canal]]. Early in 1912, Dalén was [[Blindness|blind]]ed in an acetylene explosion. Later the same year he was awarded the [[Nobel Prize for physics]]. Dalén was too ill to attend the presentation. His brother, ophthalmologist Professor Albin Dalén, of the [[Caroline Institute]] stood in his place. The presentation speech praised the quality of sacrificing personal safety in scientific experimentation, a compliment that compared Dalén with [[Alfred Nobel|Nobel]] himself. In 1922 he invented the [[AGA cooker]], and despite his blindness, Dalén remained in control of AGA until [[1937]]. He made over a 100 patents during his lifetime. == Honours and awards == * Nobel Prize for Physics 1912 * Member of the [[Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]] * Memeber of the Academy of Science and Engineering ==References== <references/> ==External links== *[http://nobelprize.org/physics/laureates/1912/dalen-bio.html About Gustaf Dalén] {{Nobel Prize in Physics Laureates 1901-1925}} {{Persondata |NAME= Dalén, Gustaf |ALTERNATIVE NAMES= |SHORT DESCRIPTION= [[Physicist]] |DATE OF BIRTH= [[November 30]], [[1869]] |PLACE OF BIRTH= [[Stenstorp]], [[Västergötland]], [[Sweden]] |DATE OF DEATH= [[December 9]] [[1937]] |PLACE OF DEATH= [[Lidingo]], [[Stockholm]], [[Sweden]] }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Dalen, Gustaf}} [[Category:1869 births]] [[Category:1937 deaths]] [[Category:Blind people]] [[Category:Nobel laureates in Physics]] [[Category:Swedish inventors]] [[Category:Swedish engineers]] [[Category:Swedish physicists]] [[Category:Swedish businesspeople]] [[Category:People from Västergötland]] [[bn:গুস্তাফ দালেন]] [[bs:Gustaf Dalén]] [[bg:Нилс Густаф Дален]] [[ca:Gustaf Dalén]] [[cs:Nils Gustaf Dalén]] [[da:Gustaf Dalén]] [[de:Gustaf Dalén]] [[et:Gustaf Dalén]] [[es:Nils Gustaf Dalén]] [[eo:Gustaf Dalén]] [[fa:گوستاف دالن]] [[fr:Gustaf Dalén]] [[gl:Gustaf Dalén]] [[hi:गुस्टाफ डेलेन]] [[hr:Gustaf Dalén]] [[io:Nils Gustaf Dalén]] [[id:Nils Gustaf Dalén]] [[it:Nils Gustaf Dalén]] [[he:נילס גוסטב דלן]] [[sw:Nils Dalen]] [[ku:Gustaf Dalén]] [[lt:Nils Gustaf Dalén]] [[nl:Nils Gustaf Dalén]] [[ja:ニルス・グスタフ・ダレーン]] [[no:Nils Gustaf Dalén]] [[nn:Nils Gustaf Dalén]] [[oc:Gustaf Dalén]] [[pl:Nils Gustaf Dalén]] [[pt:Nils Gustaf Dalén]] [[ro:Gustaf Dalén]] [[ru:Дален, Нильс Густав]] [[sl:Nils Gustaf Dalén]] [[fi:Gustaf Dalén]] [[sv:Gustaf Dalén]] [[vi:Gustaf Dalén]] [[zh:尼尔斯·古斯塔夫·达伦]]