J&E Hall International Gold Medal
Professor Judith Evans FInstR (Refrigeration Developments and Testing; London South Bank University) received the J&E Hall International Gold Medal for her long-term work on improving energy performance and reducing carbon impact across the food cold chain. Her research covers food processing, cold storage, transport, retail, and domestic handling in both developed and developing regions. Recent studies on raising frozen food storage temperatures to –15°C have been discussed internationally, including at COP28 in Dubai. Professor Evans has also contributed to standards development, industry guidance, road maps, and collaborative projects.
Ted Perry Memorial Award for Student Research
The Ted Perry Memorial Award was presented to Jake Locke (University of Warwick) for his project Investigation of salt mixtures for resorption heat pump cycles. His work examines sorption-based heating and cooling using salt mixtures and ammonia as a low-GWP refrigerant. Judges noted the project’s technical approach, relevance to low-carbon heating, and potential for further research.
RACHP Engineering Technician Lifetime Achievement Award
Andy Clarke (Airconuk) received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the IOR RACHP Engineering Technician Section. The award recognises a career spent in hands-on roles within the sector. Clarke was acknowledged for his involvement in training activities, efforts to support consistent installation practices, and engagement with new technologies through workshops and trade events.
Lightfoot Medal
The Lightfoot Medal for the best IOR Talk and Paper of the previous year was awarded jointly to Catarina Marques FInstR and Dermot Cotter FInstR for Energy Usage in the Industrial Refrigeration Sector: Food, Drink, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Refrigeration. The award is determined by a vote of IOR members. The authors donated their £500 prize to the IOR President’s Fund to support training initiatives. The paper and presentation recording are available on the IOR website.
IOR Beyond Refrigeration Environmental Award
Space Engineering received the IOR Beyond Refrigeration Environmental Award for its Booster Integrated Solution Plus project. The project replaced multiple HFC refrigeration systems and gas boilers with an all-electric CO2-based installation. Reported outcomes included reduced materials use, lower site disruption, monitored high efficiencies, seasonal performance data, and verified lifecycle carbon savings of around 180 tonnes. Judges noted the project’s controls strategy and its relevance to reducing fossil fuel use in retail refrigeration and heating.
Professor Judith Evans, Jake Locke and Space Engineering will present further details of their work in the next IOR papers programme.
More information on the awards and entry criteria for next year is available at https://bit.ly/IORAwards.