The IOR Annual Dinner, which took place in London on 23 February, provided the backdrop for rewarding exceptional individual achievement in advancing the RACHP industry.

Four awards were presented by IOR President Graeme Fox during the evening which honoured individuals at various stages of their careers.

The J&E Hall Gold Medal recognises the most noteworthy practical contribution to the field of innovation in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump technology. This year’s winner is Alexander Cohr Pachai FInstR for his contribution to the growing acceptance of natural working fluids in a wider range of applications – particularly carbon dioxide. Currently the chair of the International Institute of Refrigeration's Safety Working Group and chapter lead author on industrial refrigeration for UNEP's Refrigeration Technical Options Report, he is known for consistently sharing his expertise with the industry through UNEP, the International Institute of Refrigeration and of course the IOR.

The Ted Perry Award for Student Research was given to Henrique Lagoeiro studying at London South Bank University for his PhD research on decarbonising heating and cooling. His work was described by the judges as “original with high potential impact” something that could be “rolled out worldwide and adapted to different applications from data centre cooling to district heating”.  

The IOR’s RACHP Engineering Technician Section makes an award to an individual who has spent their whole career in a hands-on role, having displayed exceptional dedication to their customers, employers, and their sector. This year’s winner is Andrew Christie of J&E Hall Cardiff who started his career as an apprentice over 40 years ago, and now mentors many younger engineers, passing on not just his experience but also his work ethic to help develop future engineers.  Judges who interviewed him remarked “this is an individual who embraces a challenge. He has stepped up to the monumental technological, environmental and regulatory changes he has faced over 40 years in the industry and even welcomed them.”

The Lightfoot Medal awarded for the best IOR Talk and Paper of the 2021/22 session was made to Dr Dermot Cotter for his paper “Carbon Dioxide Hazard Assessments and Safety System Requirements”. The winner of this award is made by vote of IOR members. You can read the paper and see the recording of the presentation on the IOR website

Both Alexander Cohr Pachai and Henrique Lagoeiro have been invited to give talks to IOR members in the next papers programme to share their work in more detail with the RACHP Community.

To find out more about the awards that the IOR makes each year and how to enter for next year, click here.