SAIRAC President Robert Fox is pictured alongside Bongani Radebe, who won the national prize for outstanding research as a doctoral student of FEBE.
The SAIRAC National Prize is given to the author of the best thesis on refrigeration and air conditioning by a final-year student at any higher institution in South Africa. Furthermore, SAIRAC annually honours individuals make outstanding contributions towards research and/or development in the refrigeration and air conditioning industry, impacting both nationally and internationally.
As a full-time doctoral student in Mechanical Engineering, specialising in Thermodynamics, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Energy Storage, Radebe was recognised for presenting the best thesis among final-year students at various universities in South Africa.
As part of his research project, Radebe invented a new phase change thermal storage unit, enhancing cold chain applications through nanoparticles.
Prof Huan, who has been supervising Radebe since his Master's program, said that Radebe is a highly refined and skilled doctoral candidate with a positive attitude and extensive knowledge of refrigeration and its applications.
He has the necessary qualifications to solve real-world problems, generate new knowledge, and innovate new technologies and products,” said Prof Huan.
Radebe expressed his delight regarding his recent achievement. “I am more than pleased to receive the award from SAIRAC in recognition for my work. I thank Prof Huan for his mentorship and supervision throughout the years, this keeps me motivated to work harder. Through his leadership, I managed to publish ten original research papers in accredited journals and conferences,” said Radebe.
SAIRAC President, Robert Fox, said, “It gave me great pleasure to hand out the award to Mr Radebe in recognition of his research. It is encouraging to see a student doing research in the Heating Ventilation Air-conditioning and Refrigeration industry. I can only hope that we see more students doing research in the industry in the future”.