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The department’s 2003 Homer H. Lowry Award went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor whose research into combustion science continues to be critical to the design and commercialization of high efficiency, low NOx, combustion systems widely used in the fossil fuel power industry.
Secretary Abraham will present the award and $25,000 to Dr. Beér at an awards ceremony in Washington DC on January 30, 2004.
"Dr. Beér has made pioneering research and development contributions for 45 years to combustion science and technology of coal, oil, and gaseous flames," said Abraham.
"He has also been a major influence on industry through his publications and lectures to professionals at national and international meetings, his leadership with students on university campuses, and his service as a consultant to many power and utility companies both in the U.S. and abroad."
Dr. Beér's research leading to commercial burners that control the fuel/air ratio and temperature during combustion to minimize NOx emissions while maintaining high combustion efficiency has revolutionized many aspects of the technology.
Dr. Beér earned his economics and engineering degrees at the József Nódor University of Technical and Economic Science in Budapest in the 1940s. He achieved his Ph.D. in 1960 and D.Sc. (Tech.) in 1968 at the University of Sheffield, England.
He has headed divisions of several prestigious research facilities, including the Combustion Section at the Budapest Heat Research Institute and The Netherlands Research Station of the International Flame Research Foundation.
He served as Dean of Engineering 1973-76 at the University of Sheffield, England, and as Director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Combustion Research Facility 1976-93.
Dr. Beér is currently Professor Emeritus of Chemical and Fuel Engineering at MIT. He is also a member of the National Coal Council. His participation in this body provides profound insight into clean and efficient transformation of fossil fuels.
The award is named after Dr. Homer H. Lowry, an internationally known chemist who founded the Carnegie Institute of Technology's Coal Research Laboratories and who edited Chemistry of Coal Utilization, first published in 1945, which became the standard work of reference for coal scientists and technologists.
