Walter Diesendorf
Walter Diesendorf (1906–1975), was an
Early life and emigration
Walter Diesendorf was born in
Career
In 1939 Diesendorf gained employment as an assistant-engineer for the power-distribution body, Sydney County Council, to make "abstruse technical calculations for high voltage transmission systems which could not be done by an ordinary engineer in Australia or anywhere else". This description was proffered by the County Council to silence criticism of their employment of a migrant Jew. During World War II Diesendorf planned the development of Sydney's 33,000-volt underground-cable network. After the war he designed transmission systems for a major expansion of the New South Wales power industry.[1]
With the establishment of the Electricity Commission of New South Wales in 1950 Diesendorf joined the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Authority as system design engineer and in 1958 was appointed Senior Executive Engineer for electrical and mechanical activities.[1] His joint paper "The 330kV Transmission System in New South Wales"[2] was awarded the institution's electrical engineering prize and was instrumental in bringing about the adoption of the 330,000-volt system in Australia, at a time when the maximum voltage at use worldwide was generally 200,000 volts.[1] Diesendorf lived at this time at Cooma in the Snowy Mountains, with his wife and sons visiting to enjoy mountain walking and skiing holidays.
Diesendorf was a member of the
Death
Diesendorf died of cancer on 29 December 1975 at Camperdown, Sydney, and was buried in Northern Suburbs cemetery.[1]
Awards
- Institution of Engineers, Australia, prize for electrical engineering 1955
- Institution of Engineers, Australia, prize for electrical engineering 1962
Publications
- Walter Diesendorf, The 330kV Transmission System in New South Wales, Journal of the Institution of Engineers Australia, (1955)
- Walter Diesendorf, The Snowy Mountains scheme : phase 1, the Upper Tumut projects, Horwitz, Sydney, (1961)
- Walter Diesendorf, The Snowy Mountains scheme, Horwitz, Sydney, (1961)
- Walter Diesendorf, Pumping for hydro-electric power generation. part 1., fields of application, Monarc Group, Institute of Engineers (Aust.) (1961)
- Walter Diesendorf, Report on remote control and telemetering installations for Murray Development and system control, Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Authority, Cooma, (1963)
- Walter Diesendorf, Overvoltages on High Voltage Systems: insulation design of transmission lines and substations, Troy, New York, Rensselaer Bookstore, (1971)
- Walter Diesendorf, Insulation co-ordination in high-voltage electric power systems, ISBN 0-408-70464-0