Ray Gluckman

Ray Gluckman pictureRay Gluckman is an experienced consultant with over 40 years of experience in refrigeration, energy efficiency and climate change. 

Ray studied mechanical engineering at Cambridge University, specialising in thermodynamics and fluid mechanics.  After University he did 3 years of research into 2 phase flow for the UK’s Central Electricity Generating Board.  He started his consulting career with W. S. Atkins in 1978.  In 1985 he moved to March Consulting, where he stayed until 2014.  His 30 year spell was under various owners including March, Enviros, SKM and Jacobs.  Ray set up Gluckman Consulting in 2014.

Ray is a Past-President of the UK Institute of Refrigeration.  He was a Council Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

In 2011 Ray won the RAC Cooling Industry Awards “Gold Award” for his lifetime achievements to the refrigeration industry and, in particular, his contributions related to F-Gas policies. Ray is a Senior Expert on the Technical and Economic Assessment Panel of the Montreal Protocol.

Ray’s work relates to energy efficiency and climate change issues.  He has been responsible for numerous studies for both energy users and policy makers.  This has included practical energy saving and CO2 emission reduction projects in most industrial and commercial sectors. Much of that work has related to GHG emission reductions in the food chain.  As well as being an expert in CO2 emission reductions through energy efficiency, Ray is also a leading authority on reducing emissions of the powerful “F-Gases” (HFCs, PFCs and SF6) that form part of the Kyoto basket of greenhouse gases.

Energy Conservation & Strategy

Much of Ray’s consultancy work over the last 30 years has related to energy conservation and energy use strategy. This has included numerous energy audits and feasibility studies for industrial and commercial energy users. He has had experience of energy efficiency projects in most industrial sectors, including food and drinks, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, iron and steel, cement, paper, textiles and general engineering. He has also carried out energy work related to large and small buildings. Strategy work has included projects for Government, institutional and private clients. Ray has been responsible for energy management studies that have included all stages of investigation, including initial auditing, identification of specific energy saving opportunities, detailed feasibility studies, engineering design and project implementation.

Climate Change Policy and Compliance

During the last 15 years Ray has carried out a wide variety of climate change policy and compliance projects for Government departments, Trade Associations and individual companies.  For example:

UK Climate Change Policies:  Ray has provided advice to the UK Government and to numerous major companies about the development and implementation of a number of climate change policies.  This has included work on emissions trading (UK ETS and EU ETS), UK Climate Change Agreements and the UK Carbon Reduction Commitment.

F-Gases Strategy and Emission Reduction: Ray is a well known international expert in the field of F-gas emissions (i.e. the three fluorinated global warming gases: HFCs, PFCs and SF6).  Ray has supervised a number of projects for the EC, the UK Government and various industrial clients to assess emissions of these powerful global warming gases and to investigate ways in which such emissions can be reduced. 

Refrigeration Systems

One of Ray’s speciality areas is refrigeration and air-conditioning.  He has carried out numerous studies to improve the efficiency of refrigeration systems in a wide range of end use sectors including the chemical industry, food manufacturing, supermarkets and building air-conditioning.  He has helped the UK Government and the EC develop strategies for the phase out of ozone depleting refrigerants and reducing the emissions of the high GWP HFC refrigerants.

Software Tools

Ray has developed a number of software tools to support various projects.  This has included expert systems for refrigeration system fault diagnosis, databases for Energy Monitoring and Targeting and a number of sophisticated spreadsheet tools such as modelling of CO2 emission reduction opportunities, carbon footprinting and assessment of Carbon Reduction Commitment exclusion.

Some Recent Projects

Defra; GHG Emission Reduction from Food Chain Refrigeration. A major investigation of refrigeration use through the food chain, including on-farm cooling, food and drink manufacturing, refrigerated food transport, food retail and food service (which includes restaurants, pubs, hotels etc.).  This project has identified significant opportunities to reduce direct GHG emissions (from leakage of high GWP refrigerants) and indirect GHG emissions (from energy used to operate refrigeration systems).

F-Gas Support.  Ray was Project Director of this important project for Defra.  F-Gas Support was aimed at promoting compliance with the EU F-Gas and Ozone Regulations.  

Climate Change Agreements.  Ray was Project Director for work related to CCAs,  providing strategic and administrative support to 12 Trade Associations that run CCAs for their members.  CCAs are legal agreements between energy intensive companies and DECC (the Department of Energy and Climate Change). 

Papers and Presentations

Numerous papers and presentations on energy efficiency, climate change policy, refrigeration systems, phase out of ODS (ozone depleting substances) and emissions of F Gases (high global warming potential gases, HFCs, PFCs and SF6).