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Anatolii BULAT
17.XII.1947
Anatolii F. Bulat is a distinguished scientist in the field of rock mechanics and fracture mechanics of rock massifs as media with active reserves of internal energy. He is Doctor of Technical Science (1989), Professor (1994), Corresponding Member of National Academy of Science of Ukraine (1995), Academician-Secretary of Mechanics Department of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine (from 2001), Honored Science and Engineering Worker of Ukraine (1997), Laureate of the State Prize of Ukraine in the Field of Science and Engineering (1996), Laureate of the A.N. Dinnik Prize of NAS of Ukraine (1992).
Anatoly F. Bulat was born on December 17, 1947, in Dnipropetrovs’k (Ukraine). He was graduated from Dniepropetrovsk Mining Institute (today it is National Technical University Dnipro Polytechnic). From 1965, he works for the Institute of Geotechnical Mechanics named by N. Polyakov of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (from 1986 till 1992 as Deputy Director on Scientific Work and from 1992 as Director of the Institute).
Researching activity of A.F. Bulat is many-sided and fruitful. His scientific studies lie in the field of rock mechanics and rock massif geomechanics; reforming of the Ukrainian coal industry; creation of new practices and technologies for mining operations at the great depth; coal-mine methane (CMM) capture and recovery.
He was an author of prior unknown law of destruction of ultimately stressed rocks under applied force which required low power consumption, and defined conditions under which a rock massif was involved into useful work for stopping or starting spontaneous rock destruction near contours of the mining tunnels. For this research, A.F. Bulat was awarded the A.N. Dinnik Prize of NAS of Ukraine in 1992 and the State Prize of Ukraine in the Field of Science and Engineering in 1996.
Giving further development to his study, which presents massif as a medium with active reserves of internal energy, the researcher fundamentally changes the existing conceptual approach for designing practices and technologies of mining at great depth. Thanks to his innovation, factors, which traditional technologies treat as negative (such as intensive stresses, risks of rock outburst, gas-saturated seames, etc.), are involved into usefull work and perform very important technological functions. Practical results of this approach are realized in newly designed effective methods and technologies having been introduced into processes of the coal seams mining, and in new facilities that control rock pressure. In particular, under the direction of A.F. Bulat, a field large-scale program on usage of roof-bolting systems was integrated into Ukrainian mines. The program creates such tunnel roof-bolting practice when main working element of the support is the rocks themselves which, under cetrain conditions, gain high load-bearing capacity and can resist great stresses acting in the massif. Such technologies greatly contribute to safety and effective coal mining by highly-loaded longwall faces.
Anatoly F. Bulat is the Head of the NASU Program on mine methane capture and recovery. Within this Program a lot of pilot projects are realized. Under his direction, a scientific and technical concept is developed for absolutely new practice of the underground degassing when all coal production operations are separated in time and space. It is the first case in the world when such approach was realized in practice. Studying of regularity of geological, geochemical and geodynamic factors that impact on the massif stress-strain state; specific gas-dynamic properties of the massifs; and conditions of gas recovery lie at the heart of this new technology.
A.F. Bulat created his scientific school “Scientific Fundamentals for Solving Fuel And Energy Problems by Means of Alternative Technologies of Coal And Mine-Methane Production And Processing”, which, under the direction of A. Bulat, developed absolutely new for Ukraine conceptual approach to the problem of reforms in national mining industry and of noncommercial coal mines in particular. He suggested, as alternative, to diversify the mines’ businesses and create heat-and-power complexes of low capacity in order to generate heat and electric energy directly at the sites of coal production with further advanced processing of the coal excavated.
A.F. Bulat is an author of more than 500 scientific works including 22 monographs and more than 100 inventions. Findings of his scientific researches were published both in Ukraine and abroad; they also were included into various legislative documents on rock-pressure control, which were approved for implementation by administrations of the coal-production industry, and today they are successfully used in mines of Donetsky and Lviv-Volynsky coal basins.
Under his direction more than ten candidates and doctors of science were prepared.
A.F. Bulat leads a great scientific and organizational activity: he is Member of Presidium of NAS of Ukraine; Academician-Secretary of Mechanics Department of the NAS of Ukraine; Head of Pridneprovsk Scientific Center of and Ukrainian Division of International Association of Authors of Scientific Discoveries; Head of Interdepartmental Scientific Council “Scientific Basis for Coal-Deposit Mining” under Presidium of NAS of Ukraine and Coal-Industry Ministry. The scientist is a member of Awards Committee of the State Prizes of Ukraine in the field of science and engineering and of several international scientific associations and committees. Besides, he directs scientific researches of post-graduates and researchers working for the doctor’s degree. He also actively participates in certifying scientific staff of the highest qualification being the Head of Specialized Council for defending theses for Ph.D. and Doctor’s degrees in the IGTM NAS of Ukraine. He is a member of editorial boards of journals “Vestnik Ukrainy” (“Bulletin of Ukraine”) and “Ugol Ukrainy” (“Coal of Ukraine”) and Editor-in-Chief of the interdepartmental journal of collected scientific papers “Geotechnicheskaya Mechanika” (“Geotechnical Mechanics”).
For his great contribution into strengthening of the mining scientific basis, A.F.Bulat was awarded, by Decree of President of Ukraine, the honor title “The Honored Science and Engineering Worker of Ukraine” (1997), order “For Outstanding Service” of the III Class (2006), breastplates “The Miner’s Glory” of all three classes (1996, 1997, 2000) and “The Miner’s Prowess” of all three classes (2006, 2007, 2008), medals: “The Head of the XXI Century” (2001) and “The Outstanding Scientist of the World-2007” of International Biographical Center, Cambridge, United Kingdom; and diploma “The Best Scientist of Pridneprovsk” (2003).