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Lawrenson is fifth winner of Frank Whittle Medal

A Royal Academy of Engineering product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jun 2, 2005

Peter John Lawrenson, Emeritus Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Leeds has won this year's prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering Sir Frank Whittle Medal.

Peter John Lawrenson, Emeritus Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Leeds has won this year's prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering Sir Frank Whittle Medal.

This year it has been awarded for "engineering innovations in energy" and this is only the fifth time the medal has been bestowed.

It is presented to Professor Lawrenson to recognise his generally applicable design methologies and the development of electrical machines used worldwide, including the invention and commercialisation of switched reluctance drives.

As the leading world expert in electrical and electromagnetic devices, he has made contributions in many diverse fields, but is best known and respected for his work on reluctance machines of all types but particularly the invention, development and commercialisation of switched reluctance drives.

Largely unnoticed, but ubiquitous, electrical machines are crucial for life throughout the developed world and the only radically new electrical machine since the induction motor is the switched reluctance machine.

It exploits the physical truth that purely magnetic forces can exceed electromagnetic forces which translates in practical terms to significantly higher power outputs, efficiencies, speeds and reliabilities.

With these advantages, and a computer brain incorporated as an integral element, it is able to satisfy an unusually wide range of applications.

These span from the convenience of household appliances, such as washing machines and vacuum cleaners, to the rigours of deep mining; from manufacturing machines such as weaving machines to refined laboratory apparatus; from pumping all our oil and water to its numerous duties in transportation vehicles.

They are also providing the way forward for topical developments in various forms of electric automobiles and in most applications they can bring significant energy savings and environmental benefits.

Professor Lawrenson, will receive his medal at the academy awards dinner in London on Thursday 2 June.

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