Heller László (1907–1980) was a Hungarian professor and mechanical engineer credited with inventing the Heller–Forgó cooling system for power stations.

Biography

Born in Nagyvárad, Heller took a degree in

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...

in 1931 at the

Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (colloquially) , former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule , image = ETHZ.JPG , image_size = , established = , type = Public , budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021) , rector = Günther Dissertori , president = Joël Mesot , ac ...

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

. In the 1940s the first high-pressure industrial power station was built according to his plans. It was around this time that he invented the Heller–Forgó system. In 1951 he was awarded the

Kossuth Prize The Kossuth Prize ( hu, Kossuth-díj) is a state-sponsored award in Hungary, named after the Hungarian politician and revolutionist Lajos Kossuth. The Prize was established in 1948 (on occasion of the centenary of the March 15th revolution, the ...

. He organized the Department of Energetics at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, where he worked as a professor. He was a large contributor to the domain of

statics Statics is the branch of classical mechanics that is concerned with the analysis of force and torque (also called moment) acting on physical systems that do not experience an acceleration (''a''=0), but rather, are in static equilibrium with ...

, and helped establish the concept of

entropy Entropy is a scientific concept, as well as a measurable physical property, that is most commonly associated with a state of disorder, randomness, or uncertainty. The term and the concept are used in diverse fields, from classical thermodynam ...

for engineering practices. In 1962 he became a full member of the

Hungarian Academy of Sciences The Hungarian Academy of Sciences ( hu, Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, MTA) is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest, between Széchenyi rakpart and Akadémia utca. Its ma ...

. Heller's nephew graduated from

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

, obtaining a degree in Mechanical engineering.

Heller–Forgó system

The Heller–Forgó system is named after Heller and László Forgó (1907–1985), the active collaborator in the industrial implementation of the system. Also known as the Indirect Dry Cooling System, it solved an important problem at power stations by utilizing cooling water more efficiently. The main point of their invention was to condense the vacuum steam using an injection of cool water. The still-warm water enters into the fine-gilled heat exchanger, cools down and becomes usable again for when the cycle is repeated. The system is known and used all over the world.

Awards and honors

Asteroid 276975 Heller, discovered by Hungarian astronomer

Krisztián Sárneczky Krisztián Sárneczky (born 6 November 1974 in Budapest) is a Hungarian people, Hungarian teacher of geography and prolific discoverer of minor planets and supernovae, researching at Konkoly Observatory in Budapest, Hungary. He is a board member o ...

at Piszkéstető Station in 2004, was named in his honor. The official was published by the

Minor Planet Center The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Function ...

on 8 October 2014 ().

References

External links

Biography of Heller

News on an implementation of the Heller - Forgó system
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heller, Laszlo 1907 births 1980 deaths 20th-century Hungarian engineers 20th-century Hungarian inventors Hungarian Jews