This section is limited to a portion of Professor Leidenfrost’s life story as described in our joint technical paper entitled: “Evaporative Cooling and Heat Transfer Augmentation Related to Reduced Condenser Temperatures”, Heat Transfer Engineering, Volume 3, Numbers 3-4, January-June 1982. I also had access to the article about Professor Leidenfrost passing, entitled “Tribute to Wolfgang Leidenfrost”, published in the Ray W. Herrick Laboratories newsletter, Fall 2007, Volume 14, Number 2.
Born April 20, 1919, in Ober Weissbach, Germany to the late Wilhelm and Hedwig Dobebecker Leidenfrost, he received his Dipl. Ing. (graduate degree) and Dr. Ing. (doctorate degree) degrees from the University of Braunschweig, Germany. He held a position as acting director of the Institute of Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer at the University and was principal scientist and associate director of the Institute of Process Engineering at the University of Aachen.
As of 1961, he became a professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Heat Transfer Division at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA. He was also a consultant for various companies and research institutes in Europe and the United States. He was visiting professor or guest professor at P.T.B. (German NBS), the German Universities of Bochum, Stuttgart, and Hannover, and the University of Naples, Italy, and at Brown University (1956 - 1958).
Professor Leidenfrost wrote over 100 referred articles, mainly in the field of heat and mass transfer and property research. He was a frequent reviewer of textbooks, technical articles, research projects, and patents. He also received the Senior U.S. Scientist Award from the Humboldt Stiftung Foundation both in 1977 and 1985.
He was professor emeritus of Purdue University, after serving in the Mechanical Engineering Department from 1961 to 1989. In their later years, the Leidenfrosts used to spend harsh Indiana winters in Honolulu, Hawaii, which they both enjoyed very much.
He passed away peacefully in his 88th year at his home in West Lafayette, Indiana, with his wife at his bedside, on July 8, 2007.
There was a Memorial service held for him on Friday, July 13th, at the Soller-Baker West Lafayette Chapel.
Branislav Korenic, Ph.D.
Professor Leidenfrost’s Graduate Student (1975-1980)