The Centre for Compressor Technology offers world leading research and development of twin screw machines and other rotary positive displacement compression and expansion technologies. The Centre is the hub for scientists, engineers and industrial experts to work together and solve some of the biggest challenges for compressor industry in energy utilisation.

Our vision

To extend the boundaries of understanding of rotary positive displacement machines for compression and expansion processes, thereby:

1. enabling them to operate more efficiently over a wider range of conditions, with aim to achieve Net0 2050 targets by reducing both environmental impact and manufacturing costs;
2. utilising such machines in novel energy systems and improved recovery of power from low grade heat;
3. serving as an aid to industry in the research, design, manufacture and operation of such machines, both in existing and novel forms.

Expertise and capabilities

Funded by industrial contracts and public funding, members of the centre have developed software for improved modelling of both compression and expansion processes, the use of computational fluid dynamics for more detailed studies, including solid-fluid interaction and noise reduction and state-of-the-art test facilities for both air and refrigerant compressors and detailed internal flow measurements.

Apart from its ongoing research activities, the centre is able to investigate and solve industrial problems, offer courses in machine design both to registered students and industrial engineers, license proprietary software and, if required, carry out the complete design, build and testing of prototype machines for industry. We are proud to be closely working with Royal Academy of Engineering and major compressor companies on strategic research projects such as SECRET which is set to make a step change in future oil free compression technologies.

Additionally, the centre organises and hosts a biennial International Conference on Compressors and their Systems, which is sponsored by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), the Institute of Refrigeration (IOR) and leading industrial manufacturers. This has been functioning since 1999 and is a leading forum for academic, research and industrial organisations concerned with the development of fluid machinery.

Centre members have been granted 12 patents, published three monographs, over 100 journal papers, over 200 conference publications and over 200 industrial reports, for which they have received 14 professional awards and prizes.

Key research activities

• Rotor profiling and screw machine performance calculation
• Fundamental research in leakage mechanisms in rotary positive displacement machines
• Utilisation of low temperature heat sources by using screw expanders
• Research in multifunctional and internally geared screw machines
• Multistage screw compressors for high pressure difference applications
• Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in screw machines
• Laboratory investigation of screw machine working processes
• Investigation of multiphase and leakage flows in screw machines
• Noise in rotating machines
• Multiphase flow modelling and experimentation

Services offered

• Fundamental and applied research in positive displacement machines
• Project evaluation and feasibility studies
• Software development
• Fault investigation
• Thermodynamic and fluid flow studies
• Stress analysis
• Instrumentation and control
• Laboratory measurements
• Noise suppression
• Complete product design and development

Software program suites

• SCORPATH – Screw Compressor Optimal Rotor Profiling and Thermodynamics
• SCORG – Industry leading software for design and analysis of screw machines
• DISCO – Design integration interface for Screw Compressors

History

Following three years of collaborative work between Professor Ian Smith, who was attempting to develop screw expanders, for recovery of power from low grade heat, at City, University of London, and Professor Nikola Stosic of the University of Sarajevo, who had significant experience in the development of similar machines as compressors, the centre was established in 1995, when Nikola Stosic was awarded a Royal Academy Professorship, with industrial co-sponsorship by Holroyd, of Milnrow, Lancs.

Professor Ahmed Kovacevic, who had been working on screw compressors since 1986, joined them in 1996 and pioneered the application of Computational Fluid Dynamics to evaluate the screw machine performance. Following success in collaboration with industry, in 2020 prof Kovacevic was awarded Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair in Compression Technologies with industrial co-sponsorship by Howden Compressors of Glasgow.

The Centre was joined by Dr Elvedin Mujic, who made a significant contribution to noise reduction and who now holds a senior position in industry, and subsequently by Dr Ashvin Dhunput, who also now holds a senior industrial position. More recently, they have been joined by Dr Matthew Read now a lecturer in the School of Science and Technology. He makes a significant contribution to integrating expanders into power recovery. Dr Sham Rane joined the Centre in 2011 and since then has made significant advances in CFD modelling of rotary positive displacement machines. The newest additions to the Centre are Dr Thibaud Plantegenet, an expert in tribology and bearing technology; Mr Aleks Krupa our guru in electronics and measurements and Ivona Ivkovic-Kihic, a computer scientist who is working as research project coordinator in the Centre.