Vincent Lemort, Honoray Fellow of the Institution of Engineers in Scotland
Vincent Lemort, Professor of Thermodynamics in the Department and Research Unit Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (A&M) of the ULiège School of Engineering has just been awarded the title of Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Engineers in Scotland (IES). An important distinction that underlines the quality of his research in the field of power generation systems based on the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC).
T
he Institution of Engineers in Scotland (IES) has just awarded its highest distinction - the title of Honorary Fellow - to Vincent Lemort, Professor of Thermodynamics at the Faculty of Applied Sciences of ULiège. This distinction was awarded to him in recognition of his work in thermodynamics in the precise field of power generation systems based on the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC), a subject on which he has been working for fifteen years. The Rankine Cycle is a thermodynamic cycle that aims to transform heat into work, as is the case with steam engines. ORCs are a variant of the conventional Rankine Cycle. ORCs are distinguished from steam cycles by the use of fluids characterised by low boiling temperatures. They are particularly well suited to the use of low-temperature, low-power heat sources. The main applications of ORCs are the valorisation of waste heat, geothermal power plants and biomass cogeneration.
Thermodynamics is a fairly old science," explains Vincent Lemort. In fact, we celebrated the 200th anniversary of Rankine's birth last year. Today, thermodynamics and thermal machines are still a very rich field of research and development with a very active community. "The development of thermal machines builds on the development of other areas of engineering, some of which are newer. William Rankine's legacy is still very much present in our technological society: power generation, heat pumps, air conditioning, refrigeration... areas of research that are constantly evolving.
About IES
The Institution of Engineers in Scotland (IES) is a multi-disciplinary professional body and learned society, founded in 1857 in Scotland by William Rankine - one of the pioneers of thermodynamics - for professional engineers of all disciplines and for those associated with or interested in those with a passion for these disciplines. The Institution organises numerous engineering conferences and a series of school events aimed at encouraging young people to consider a career in engineering.
Several famous thermodynamicists have been admitted as Honorary Fellows by IES: William Thomson, James Joule and Rudolph Clausius, among others.
