He was an influential professor at the University of Göttingen and at Danzig where he was involved in establishing the training of engineers with sound mathematical and physics foundations.
In 1894 he became an industrial consultant for refrigeration technology and also received a doctorate from the University of Munich for his work on the thermodynamic limits of cooling.
He wrote a textbook on mathematical physics which included work on vibrations, oscillations and damping.
During this period he also worked on the hydrodynamics and turbines although his mathematical approach was criticized by Richard von Mises.
Lorenz's work included the mathematics and physics of refrigeration, the strength of materials, vibrations, fluid dynamics, ballistics and even astrophysics.