Revolutionary UK compressor inventor nominated for top European award

Lindsey has been nominated for the prize, which is awarded annually by the European Patent Office (EPO), for the development of the Blade Compressor; an oil-free rotary air compressor that is claimed to represent a significant advance over existing systems.

Used in a variety of applications - ranging from manufacturing machines to domestic fridge freezers – air compressors are estimated to account for as much as 10 per cent of Europe’s overall electricity usage. However, despite their prevalence, their design has remained largely unchanged since the 1930s.

Similar to a petrol engine, these compressors use a piston to draw air into a cylinder on the outward stroke and compress this air after the piston has reversed its motion and moves inward. Valves control incoming and exiting air.

However, there are several flaws in this design: a piston air compressor is noisy, valves and seals are never airtight and, crucially, it only compresses air on the piston's down stroke meaning that half of its movement is essentially wasted energy.