About the Founder

Primary Flow Signal, Inc. is one of the many unique contributions for which the late Mr. Dezsoe Halmi, founder and first president of Primary Flow Signal, Inc. is noted. Please find a brief narrative, below, of the life and achievements of this outstanding leader, gentleman and human being. Additionally, some of his world acclaimed papers on various subjects relating to flow metering are reproduced on this website under articles in the liturature section. Finally, his work in philosophy has been published under the title of "The Mechanics of the Spirit" and is available in hardcover form by special order.


DEZSOE HALMI

Dezsoe (Dezso) Halmi was born on February 11, 1921 to a family of very humble means in the "FOTI UT" (Foti Street) section of Budapest Hungary. The life of a poor family in this city at that time would have certainly relegated its children to lives of penury, especially in conditions following WW I that were prevalent.


He began at a very early age to distinguish himself as a very tough individual. Due to his relatively small physical stature, his options were to be either dominated by his larger peers, or to fight. He was a very pugilistic youngster, and didn't accept defeat.


He was also instilled with a respect and motivation to excel in his educational pursuits. He was always at the top of his class, and despite the poverty of his surroundings, his teachers found ways to encourage his studies, further complemented by scholarships that resulted from his scholastic excellence.


He soon turned from being physically confrontational, preferring to be a pacifist rather than a fighter. Instead, he became a gymnast and throughout his life he pursued athletic activity with a passion. In his later years, he became famous among his family and friends for his inclination to spring into a handstand to demonstrate his robust health, and he was an avid jogger.


At the end of WW II, despite never having served in the military, he, along with a large group of other Hungarian civilians, were collected by the Russian occupation forces, transported to Russia and pressed into slave labor for three years. During which, he came close to death a number of times.


Once finally released, he returned to a communist Hungary and chafed at the yoke of oppression imposed by the new masters.


At the beginning of the Hungarian Uprising in 1956, Mr. Halmi, along with his new wife and young son, made a daring escape across the Austro-Hungarian border, to freedom. Thanks to the good auspices of the United States of America, Mr. Halmi and his family were settled in Rhode Island, USA, where he lived throughout the rest of his highly productive life, becoming a proud Naturalized Citizen of his adopted country.


In the United States, Mr. Halmi applied his education beginning his career in engineering as a draftsman. He shortly moved to a position in the Calc department at Builders Iron Foundry in Providence RI. Here he worked hard and became one of the foremost experts in flow measurement. Among other distinctions, Mr. Halmi invented and patented the UVT (Universal Venturi Tube.) Also, he authored a number of landmark technical papers that have been published by ASME and disseminated worldwide in various translations (see ARTICLES).


He founded Primary Flow Signal, Inc. in the early eighties and proceeded to develop numerous innovative products, including the HVT-Halmi Venturi Tube, the PFS-HN Halmi Nozzle, and the HVT-SM Sealed Metering System, for solids bearing and contaminated line fluid measurement, many of which are patented proprietary products of the company. These innovations formed the basis on which the firm was built. Under his leadership and dedication, the firm has flourished dramatically, earning a predominant position and reputation in the field of accurate and reliable flow measurement, with proponents and satisfied users throughout the world.


His sudden passing in 1996 was a tremendous blow to his family, friends, professional colleagues and acquaintances. His memory continues to drive Primary Flow Signal, Inc. to maintain and build upon the foundation of solid technical bedrock and tradition of excellence that he established.


In addition to his distinguished scientific contribution to flow measurement, his life's passion was to write and publish a treatise on his observations of life and philosophy. Shortly before his passing, he published "The Mechanics of the Spirit" which is available in hardcover by special order from Primary Flow Signal, Inc.