Richard Peters has a degree in Electrical Engineering and a Doctorate for research in Vertical Transportation.
He is a director of Peters Research Ltd and a Visiting Professor at the University of Northampton. He has been awarded Fellowship of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers.
Dr Peters is the author of Elevate, elevator traffic analysis and simulation software.
Modern lift dispatchers are designed to optimise passenger waiting and transit times, with a relatively small proportion of the total building population using the lifts in any 5-minute period. In an evacuation scenario, the passenger demand is significantly higher, and conventional dispatching strategies are no longer optimum. I
n this paper, the author explores how to increase handling capacity so that lifts can help empty buildings as quickly as possible. Lessons from round-trip time calculations and traditional dispatcher design strategies are considered to help understand how to optimise lift evacuation.
Risk-based evacuation prioritising floors according to their likely order of being compromised is explored. New user interfaces are needed to inform and reassure anxious passengers waiting for evacuation.
Evacuation dispatching: strategies to get as many people out as possible as quickly as possible using lifts.
Dr Richard Peters.
Peters Research Ltd, UK.