"Cieplne Maszyny Przepływowe - Turbomachinery" – some history ….

The publication of the journal "Cieplne Maszyny Przepływowe - Turbomachinery" started in the academic year 1956/57, in the 12th year since the foundation of the Technical University of Lodz. The publication was initiated by Prof. Wladyslaw R. Gundlach, the head of the newly established Chair of Thermal Turbomachines and later the director of the Institute of Turbomachinery in 1970-1991. The first issue was released in October 1956, and the editors expressed their wishes to publish a journal giving an insight into the subject scope, activities and results of research conducted by the Chair of Thermal Turbomachines, Technical University of Lodz, and to make close contacts among research teams working in the related fields easier. The editors hoped that they would be able to create a platform for a further discussion on more important problems. The journal was intended to be published 4 times a year. 

The publication of "Turbomachinery" was preceded and, in some sense, prepared by another, untypical event for those times. In the spring of 1952, an informal Discussion Group on Turbomachinery was formed at the Chair of Steam Turbines, the predecessor of the Chair of Thermal Turbomachines. This group included, apart from research workers from the Technical University, specialists from this not well developed yet field from the whole country. Before the first issue of "Turbomachinery" was published, 49 meetings of that group had been held, at which 69 lectures had been delivered. A visible effect was an introduction of new subjects into the academic programmes, such as "Fundamentals of Automation", "Fundamentals of Machine Design", and also a new insight into traditional core subjects. An example of those changes was, first of all, a recognition of the leading role of physics, which was manifested by lectures devoted to some of its branches as separate subjects, which were still further developed into technological models and applications; next, "Fundamentals of Metrology and Experimental Techniques" were introduced as the first lecture in this series. Secondly, mathematics was attributed the role of the material from which an engineer builds models of phenomena, processes and machines, further executed by the manufacturing technologies from plastics made to new requirements (the knowledge of the steel-coal diagram was not enough any longer). The examples of such ideas and activities carried out with much effort and obstacles can be found in the articles published in "Turbomachinery".

This journal was to fulfill the gap in Polish technical publications and perhaps this aim has been satisfied. Since its beginnings, "Turbomachinery" has had its contents published in English and German and articles have had abstracts in these foreign languages, owing to which the journal could reach foreign readers as well. Gradually papers have started to be published in foreign languages and the number of foreign contributions has increased. In the first period up to 1962, the Chair of Thermal Turbomachines published 42 issues in the A4 size with the circulation amounting from 250 to 300 copies per one issue and covered the total costs of the publication. A significant number of copies reached libraries and foreign subscribers. In reply to a questionnaire sent to readers, answers from numerous well- known professors from Poland and abroad were received. Professor Albring from the Technical University of Dresden wrote: "Ich bedauere nur, dass wir in Deutschland nicht ein Fachblatt fur Stromungmaschinen von ahnlich hohen Rang haben". It was in 1962. 

In 1963, following the suggestions of the Ministry for Higher Education, the journal was included in the publishing plans of PWN (State Scientific Publishing House), which overtook the printing of the journal starting from issue No.43, while leaving the whole editorial and technical work, including typesetting and obtaining the acceptance of the censorship, to the Chair of Thermal Turbomachines. The journal acquired a distinct intercollegiate character, and its Editorial Committee included also professors from the technical universities of Warsaw, Silesia, Poznan. PWN changed its size to B5 and provided a well visible graphic form - a colored chalk overlay paper cover. The circulation of the journal remained the same - 380 copies. The journal had 160 Polish and 40 foreign subscribers and was very advantageously exchanged with foreign publishers and scientific institutions. The column entitled  “Magazine of Turbomachinery", highly evaluated by readers, was published and short informative papers, interviews with representatives of industry, power engineering and science, reports from conferences, comments on important events in the world were included on about 15 pages. It was supplemented with the short column "Current Affairs" from Poland and abroad and the "Newsletter of the Chair of Thermal Turbomachines", which included, among others, lists of graduated students, reports on research and development projects conducted at the Chair, and the information about installations, laboratories, etc. Unfortunately, after 4 years successive limitations started to be imposed: since No. 61 in 1967 the "Magazine of Turbomachinery", "Current Affairs" and "Newsletter of the Chair of Thermal Turbomachines" stopped to be issued, and in 1968, "owing to paper savings", the circulation of the journal was limited and serious irregularities in its publication occurred. The Institute of Turbomachinery established in 1970 after merging of the Chair of Thermal Turbomachines, the Chair of Water Pumps and Engines and the Division of Fluid Mechanics, continued publishing the journal. Following the wishes of the Ministry for Higher Education, "Turbomachinery" was incorporated into Scientific Bulletins of the Technical University of Lodz as a separate series starting from No. 76 in 1973, and Asst. Prof. Ryszard Przybylski, connected with "Turbomachinery" since its beginnings and a member of the Editorial Committee since 1958, became the editor-in-chief of this series. The next break in the publication of "Turbomachinery" occurred after No. 89 in October 1981. The issue No.90 devoted to the 25th anniversary of "Turbomachinery" was published after two years, in November 1983. 

The regular publication of "Turbomachinery" restarted in autumn 1985. In a fewer than 10 years, 20 issues were published, included two having approx. 450 pages. The lack of financial resources caused that some of the reports of the staff working at the Institute of Turbomachinery were published in the low-circulation series of "Reports of the Institute of Turbomachinery, Technical University of Lodz". A majority of numbers of "Turbomachinery" was published thanks to the funds granted for conferences and other events. The proceedings of SYMKOM '87, '91 and '95 were published in 8 issues, the proceedings of MKM'90 and Unconventional Bearing Systems Conferences were published in one issue each; 5 issues were devoted to Conferences and Summer Schools of Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics, and 4 issues - to Conferences of the State Committee for Scientific Research Projects in the field of Fluid Flow Machines and Installations - Energy Processing. 

Some issues of "Cieplne Maszyny Przepływowe - Turbomachinery" " have a special character - they were dedicated to jubilees of people connected with this journal or turbomachines, namely:

The 40th anniversary of the journal was celebrated in its 112 issue published in 1997 and containing a survey of all the authors, titles and fields the papers had been dedicated to so far.

Since issue No.114, according to the decision of the Editorial Board, the journal title has been extended to "Cieplne Maszyny Przepływowe - Turbomachinery".

The journal owns its existence to the efforts of many people, among them Prof. Władysław R. Gundlach who passed away in October 2007. Prof. Gundlach was the founder and he supported the publication of this journal through all his life.

One should mention here also the subsequent editors: Ludwik Lamentowski, MariaTriebe-Serwa, Ryszard Przybylski, and the present Editor - Prof. Dorota Kozanecka whose diligent work, against numerous obstacles of financial character mainly, has resulted in the continuation of "Cieplne Maszyny Przepływowe - Turbomachinery".

CIEPLNE MASZYNY PRZEPŁYWOWE – TURBOMACHINERY …….. today

The scientific journal "Cieplne Maszyny Przepływowe - Turbomachinery" is unique in the field of turbomachines in Poland.

With its long, more that 50-year tradition, it is characterized by a high scientific level of the papers issued due to the works of the Editorial committee who is formed by renowned scientists from Poland and abroad. All papers are carefully revised. Some of them are published in English, especially those that present contributions to international symposia SYMKOM held cyclically since 1967 that gather specialists in the field of turbomachinery from all over the world. The thematic scope of the journal reflects current issues related to power generation, environment protection and renewable energy resources. This is exemplified by "Cieplne Maszyny Przepływowe - Turbomachinery" – nos.123 and 124, devoted to the conference ”Renewable Energy in Poland and Germany”.

The journal is issued twice a year. The Editors focus on a high level of publications included in the journal being a forum for exchange of theoretical and practical experience of those involved in modern power generation.

We invite you to publish in "Cieplne Maszyny Przepływowe - Turbomachinery".