10th International Conference on Compressors and their Systems, 11-13 September 2017

This biennial conference originated in 1999 as a joint venture between the Institution and City University in London. It was intended as a European counterpart to the longer-running biennial compressor conference, first held in 1972, at Purdue University in Indiana, USA and is held in the alternate years.

I attended several Purdue conferences in earlier years and have been involved with several City conferences, having presented papers at the 1st, 3rd, 7th, 9th and 10th events.  This year, I was particularly privileged to be invited to give the opening keynote address on “50 years of gas compressor innovation”, as it coincided with my 50th anniversary in the sector.

In common with most industries, the focus has changed over the years, with an increased emphasis on improving energy efficiency and using more sustainable materials.  This is important, as air compressors alone are reckoned to consume around 3% of global electricity supply.

Although the institution no longer runs this event, it remains an active sponsor and our President, Carolyn Griffiths, spoke at the networking event on the Tuesday evening, alongside the presidents of the Institute of Refrigeration and the International Institute of Refrigeration.

Compressors 2017 was the most successful of these conferences to date and attracted a larger number of delegates, drawn from around the world, than any of the previous events.