Douglas Roy Ebeling
Douglas Roy Ebeling (1929-2004)
Prepared by Sarah Szacsvay, 28 September 2004 from oral history interview conducted on 1 November 1995.
Douglas Roy Ebeling was born on 31 December 1929 in Yarraville, Victoria. His father ran a marine engineering firm which also manufactured ‘Ebeling’ street sweepers. He had one sister, Margaret.
He attended Yarraville West Primary School then Footscray Technical College (later to become Footscray University of Technology), graduating in 1949 with a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering and a Diploma in Electrical Engineering. He went on to Melbourne University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering in 1951.
In 1952 hs first job was as Plant Engineer at ICI Explosives Plant, Deer Park, Melbourne. Significant projects were upgrading of the sulphuric acid plant, and an innovative method for pumping nitroglycerine. In 1955, to broaden his experience, he transferred as Design Engineer to the Nylon Plant Design Project, at ICI Dyestuffs Division at Wilton in the United Kingdom.
In 1956 he took up a job advertised for an Australian engineer to work for 12 months at the UKAEA (United Kingdom Atomic Energy Agency) Harwell DIDO reactor, to study reactor design in preparation for the HIFAR contract in Sydney.
In 1957 he was Construction Engineer, Australian Atomic Energy Commission (AAEC) Lucas Heights, HIFAR reactor design and construction.
In 1959 he was Design & Development Engineer, Design and Plant Office, Lucas Heights. Involved in design and construction of nuclear experimental equipment, Dounreay flasks for shipping spent fuel, and ‘hot cells’ for storing radioactive materials using ‘heavy concrete’.
In 1962 Ebeling was promoted to Section Head Design and Development, at Lucas Heights - OIC all Design, Workshops, Maintenance, and in1965 he served as acting Chief of the Engineering Research Division for about 10 months, until the new appointee could arrive from the UK.
Ebeling was appointed to the Reactor Design Study Group in 1966, researching types of reactors that might be chosen for the nuclear power reactor then proposed for Jervis Bay. He led a team to Risley in the UK in 1967, to investigate the steam generating heavy water reactor. Asked to do a design exercise for a cheaper version of the steam generating reactor, Ebeling and his team came up with a graphite-moderated version. They concluded that it was not a completely stable option and it later eventuated that the design concept was the same as that used by the RMVK design at Chernobyl. The Jervis Bay project did not proceed because coal-fired generation could produce cheaper electricity.
In 1970 he was appointed Section Head of the Lucas Heights Mechanical Development Section and began a 15-year project on development of a high-speed centrifuge system for uranium reprocessing and enrichment. The team began with almost no starting information apart from one published research paper, and succeeded in developing a working system, before a new government ordered that the project be closed down. In 1975 he obtained the degree of Master of Engineering (Nuclear), from the University of New South Wales.
After this, he became Chief of Engineering Research in 1987. His major project was research into seismic phenomena in the Sydney region. Following his retirement from ANSTO (Australian Nuclear Science & Technology Organisation) in 1990, Ebeling undertook some consultancies, for clients including CRA, Western Mining Corporation, and Metz. This last one was in the Philippines, to report on a completed but never commissioned nuclear power plant. Out of that there came a project on researching development of a high-efficiency ceramic gas burner system for more efficient steam generation. Ebeling was involved with this project at the time of interview in 1995.
Doug Ebeling was a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Australia.
He died on 5 Jul 2004. At the time he was Chairman of the Institution of Engineers Australia Nuclear Engineering Panel.
He was a member of The Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, The Royal Motor Yacht Club of New South Wales, The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, as well as The Commonwealth Club, Canberra.
To access an oral history interview with Douglas Roy Ebeling please use this link:'
https://heritage.engineersaustralia.org.au/wiki/Oral_Histories_Sydney
