biography
| name: |
Bacon, Francis Thomas
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| sex:
| male
|
| lived:
| (1904–92)
|
| biography:
| British engineer, the designer of a practical fuel cell. He studied at Cambridge, then worked for Sir Charles Parsons as an engineer (1925–40). He proposed the use of hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells in submarines, and carried out research at the Anti-Submarine Establishment (1941–6) and at Cambridge University (1946–56). He was principal consultant to the National Research and Development Council (1956–62) and the Atomic Energy Authority (1971–3). His designs were first put to practical use in space to provide power, heat, and clean drinking water on board US spacecraft. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society (1973), and awarded the first Grove Medal (1991). |
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