Enjoyable 54th Heat Transfer Society Dinner in London

The 54th UK Heat Transfer Society dinner took place in the Grand Connaught Rooms in London on 23rd March, and CALGAVIN^® took a table at the event as usual.

The Heat Transfer Society was founded in 1964 by a small group of heat transfer engineers working in London. They represented the major UK contracting and manufacturing companies and the early meetings were of a purely social nature. They soon began to discuss work and their heat transfer problems and started technical forum presentations on a wide range of topical subjects. An executive committee was formed a year later with a Chairman and a President (elected annually).

The event was started with the traditional toast to her Majesty The Queen before the over 100 guests enjoyed the splendid meal. The company tables included Alfa Laval, Heat Transfer Research Inc, Abbey Industrial Sales, Boustead Industrial Heaters, Graham Hart (Process Technology) and TPG Engineering.

After the meal the chairman Russell Skinner gave out the awards including the Mike Ackrill award to Simon Kretzschmar of Greens Combustion Ltd. The Mike Ackrill Award is given annually to the person who gives the best presentation at an HTS Forum event.

Then the next President of the Society for 2018 was introduced by chairman Russell Skinner. This was Prof. D.Eng. Dr.-Ing. habil Hans Müller-Steinhagen, who proceeded to give a humourous but information presentation of his life in the arena of heat transfer.

Hans is the Rector (i.e. president) of Technische Universität Dresden, one of the 11 German Universities of Excellence. Following a distinguished academic career in Canada, New Zealand and England, he became the Director of the Institute of Technical Thermodynamics of the German Aerospace Centre and Director of the Institute for Thermodynamics and Thermal Engineering of the University of Stuttgart from 2000-2010. Prof. Müller-Steinhagen has been the supervisor of 65 doctoral theses, author or co-author of more than 650 publications, and the recipient of numerous international awards and prizes.

After the well-received speech, Prof. Müller-Steinhagen was presented with the balls of office from last President Stuart Cameron.

The society's aims are to promote all aspects of heat transfer and associated equipment by enabling engineers, designers and researchers in any area of activity involving those aspects, to meet and discuss subjects of common interest.

Past Chairman Martin Gough of CALGAVIN was invited to update the group “It was coincidental that the new President Prof Müller-Steinhagen of the UK Heat Transfer Society for 2018/19 has also links with the UK National Heat Transfer Conference, which has a bi-annual event. This organisation started 50+ years ago by Prof. Geoff Hewitt. This group is intending to have more industrial links for the future.

It is appropriate now that these two organisations are looking to work more closely together, so particularly at this 54th dinner of the Heat Transfer Society we welcome the committee from the UK National Heat Transfer Conference, including Chairman Prof. Tassos Karayiannis and Secretary Dr Francesco Coletti who have taken a table this year, and we hope for future years.

We also welcome Prof. David Reay who organises HEXAG (Heat Exchanger Action Group) which also provides a valuable contribution to the UK industry and academia.

The linking of these groups will be a help to academia, ongoing research and to industry.”