Kovacevic wins J&E Hall Gold
2nd March 2025
UK: Ahmed Kovacevic director of the Centre for Compressor technology at City St George’s, University of London, has been named winner of this year’s J&E Hall Gold Medal.
The award was announced in front of nearly 400 guests at Thursday night’s 125th Institute of Refrigeration Annual Dinner at the Hilton London Bankside hotel.
The annual J&E Hall Gold International Medal recognises the most noteworthy practical contribution to the field of innovation in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump technology.
Professor Ahmed Kovacevic, an expert in compressor technology, is renowned for encouraging knowledge exchange, training future engineers, and advancing the understanding of compressor technology on a global scale.
He received the award for his work blending academic research with industrial collaboration to deliver transformative solutions for high-fidelity numerical modelling of rotary positive displacement compressors.
The J&E Hall Gold Medal was one of five awards presented during the evening.
Eshagh Goudarzi of London South Bank University was awarded the Ted Perry Memorial Award for Student Research for his work on The integration of waste heat and mine water for heat recovery and storage in district heating and cooling. This project which has led to the first scheme of its kind in the UK, uses the ground as a geobattery to store waste heat for seasonal heating and cooling on a significantly large scale.
The IoR’s RACHP Engineering Technician Section Lifetime Achievement award went to Matthew Byfleet of Adcock Refrigeration & Air Conditioning. Byfleet has spent this entire career in a hands-on role, having displayed exceptional dedication to their customers, employers, and their sector.
He is recognised for his expertise in a wide range of equipment and technologies, from VRV systems, to industrial and pharmaceutical applications. A strong advocate for low-carbon, low-GWP solutions, Matthew is dedicated to driving sustainable innovation in the industry. He is also passionate about mentoring apprentices and young technicians, sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm to inspire the next generation and propel the sector forward.
This year, the judges had an outstanding pool of nominees for the RACHP EngTech Lifetime Achievement Award to consider and have also recognised with a Highly Commended award Andy Clarke from Airconuk.
The Lightfoot Medal for the best IoR talk and paper of the previous year went to Dylan Betts of Equans UK for his paper Heat Networks in Rural Areas.
The new IoR Beyond Refrigeration Environmental Award for the project demonstrating achievements in reducing environmental emissions from cooling in the UK was awarded to GEA Heating & Refrigeration Solutions for the Smart Parc Energy Centre in Derby.
The Smart Parc Energy Centre is a sustainable energy management centre, based on an integrated heating and cooling network that redistributes waste heat. It uses an industrial ammonia heat pump to provide cooling as well as zero-carbon heating.
