Dr. Loren F. Stringer

1984 William E. Newell Power Electronics Award Recipient



At the IEEE Power Electronics Specialist Conference at Gaithersburg, Maryland in 1984, Pierre Thollot presented the William E. Newell Award to Dr. Loren F. Stringer as follows. [JF]

"Loren F. Stringer received his B.S.E.E. degree from the University of Texas in 1946, his M.S.E.E. from the California Institute of Technology in 1947, and his Ph.D. degree in applied mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh in 1963. Dr. Stringer joined the Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1947 on the Graduate Student Course."

 

"In 1948, he was assigned to the Steel Mill Section of the Industry Engineering Department at the Westinghouse East Pittsburgh Works."

 

"In 1956, Dr. Stringer was transferred to the Systems Control Division in Buffalo, N.Y. as Manager of the Mill Systems Development."

 

"In 1958, he was appointed Manager, Development Engineering, Systems Control Division and in 1963 he was appointed Director, Thyristor Drive Systems Development Group, with the responsibility for directing and coordinating the Corporate effort involved in the development of high power thyristor drive systems. The immediate result of this effort was a 10,000 HP reversing mill and a 40,000 HP continuous hot strip mill for Alcoa, the world's first thyristor powered continuous mill. In subsequent years, the installed capacity of this and later models, also planned and developed under Dr. Stringer's direction, exceeded several million horsepower."

 

"Following the completion of the above assignment in 1965, Dr. Stringer was appointed Consulting Engineer and Director of Advanced Development, Systems Control Division. In 1972, Dr. Stringer became Division Engineering Manager, Industrial Equipment Division, Buffalo. In this capacity, he was responsible for planning and implementing strategic engineering power electronics programs for both the Industial Equipment and Industry Systems Division. With the formation of the Power Electronics and Drive Systems Division in 1979, Dr. Stringer became the Division Engineeering Manager with responsibility for all design and development engineering for the Division."

 

"In additon to his management responsibilites Dr. Stringer has been a personal contributer in the design and development of power electronic and industrial automation products throughout his career. In 1981, this role was expanded with his appointment as Chief Engineer of the Power Electronics and Drive Systems Division. In 1983, he was assigned the task of directing the completion of the start-up of the micro-computer controlled thyristor drive and automation systems for the China Steel 5 Strand Tandem Cold Mill and the 2 Strand Temper Pass Mill in Taiwan. Dr. Stringer was awarded a Siver Medal by China Steel for his leadershhip and technical contributions that led to the successful completion of the start-up of these two mills with both production and performance exceeding contractual expectations."

 

"In addition to his contributions in the field of Mill Automation, Dr. Stringer has been responsible for the planning, design, and development of many power electronic products such as adjustable frequency, thyristor cycloconverter synchronous motor drive, for the Yankee dryers; 6500 KW wound rotor, thyristor cycloconverter excited, induction generators for load compensation of excavator distribution systems; also pulse width modulated, voltage source, self-commutated, thyristor inverter induction motor drives for machine tools; also a 25 megawatt, 25/60 hertz frequency changer for a steel mill distribution system; also a thyristor converter starting system for a 100 megawatt pumped storage facility; also a 16 megawatt, voltage source, harmonic neutralized, self-commutated thyristor inverter, this perhaps the largest ever built, for a linear induction motor drive; and finally thyristor DC drives for such diverse applications as feed and spindle drives for machine tools, mine hoists, arc furnace electrode hoists, paper machines, rolling mills, uniterruptable power supplies, wire drawing machines, test stands, and many others in the electrochemical and transporation industries."

 

"More recently Dr. Stringer was instrumental in the planning, development, design, and start-up of the adjustable frequency, load commutated, current source, thyristor inverter, 3600 HP synchronous motor drives for induced draft fans that were installed at the Bayshore Station of the Toledo Edison Company in 1979. Since this pioneering effort, the supply of large, adjustable frequency synchronous motor drives has become common place for other generation and industrial applications such as forced draft fans, pumps and compressors. Although the basic principle of this drive had been implemented in extremely rudimentary forms using thyratrons and Ignitrons some fifty years before, this appears to have been the first large scale commercial application in the U.S. of such technology."

 

"Dr. Stringer planned and directed the development of a fully microprocessor based digital controller for static power converter drive systems that included all sequencing, protective, diagnostic, display, gating, and feedback control functions. This control has been employed in over a hundred drive systems, both AC and DC, in the steel, paper, chemical, and utility industries."

 

Dr. Stringer is the recipient of a Westinghouse Special Patent Award, the B.G. Lamme Scholarship, and the Westinghouse Order of Merit. Dr. Stringer holds 24 United States Patents. He is past Chairman of the IEEE Static Power Converter Committee, past Chairman of the N.E.M.A. Static Power Converter Section, Chairman of the Technical Support Subcommittee of A.N.S.I. Comittee C34, and is Technical Advsor to the U.S. National Committee of the International Electrotechnical Commission for many of their committees such as the TC22 (Power Electronics), SC22B (Semiconductor Converters), the SC22D (Single-Phase Power Convertors, and the SC22E (Stabilized Power Supplies). He is also the International Electrotechnical Commission Secretary for SC22G (Static Power Converters for Industrial Drive Systems) and Chairman of the Industrial Power Converter Systems Department of the Industry Application Society of the IEEE. Dr. Stringer was elected a Fellow of the IEEE in 1979 for contributions to the development and application of solid state power electronic systems. Dr. Stringer has been a recognized technical author and contributor to the field of power electronics for many many years."

 

Dr. Stringer served in the Naval Reserve during World War II. He is a member of Tau Beta Pi, the Caltech Varsity T Association, and the New York Academy of Sciences. He is a life member of the Association of Iron and Steel Engineers."

 

"It is with great pleasure that I present you with the 1984 William E. Newell Award for outstanding contributions to the field of power electronics."

Source: Power Electronics Society Historical Archive 0000 0003