Dr Chris Mills

DR Chris Mills

Senior Consultant

TELL US ABOUR YOURSELF

I’ve had two separate stints at university. Prior to joining TÜV SÜD National Engineering Laboratory back in 2008 as a Project Engineer, I graduated from the University of Strathclyde with an Honours degree in Chemical & Process Engineering. During my time at TÜV SÜD, I have progressed to the role of Consultant, and for the past three years I have been a Senior Consultant. I also attained Chartered Engineer (CEng) status and then in 2015, whilst still in full time employment with TÜV SÜD, I was fortunate to have the chance to study Fluid Mechanics for my Engineering Doctorate with Coventry University. It was certainly a challenge attempting to juggle my doctorate studies with full time work, whilst getting married, buying a house, and then having my little girl, Lily, arrive in 2018. Granted, it was my wife that did all the hard work with the pregnancy!

Throughout my 15 years at TÜV SÜD, I’ve published numerous peer-reviewed journal papers, presented at technical conferences around the world, created and presented training courses, designed, and built new flow facilities, and represented TÜV SÜD on various measurement groups such as EURAMET Technical Committee Flow, BIPM Working Group for Fluid Flow, InstMC, Energy Institute, ISO, BSI and API. I am active in the development of several ISO metering standards and I’m currently the project leader for the creation of a clamp-on ultrasonic standard. I’m also chair of the TÜV SÜD Measurement Focus Group which is a technical forum hosted four times a year across the UK.

My current Senior Consultant role involves consultancy, R&D, training, business development, and technical support.

Why did you choose to apply to TÜV SÜD?

Being from Glasgow and having studied at the University of Strathclyde, I was aware of the interesting work that TÜV SÜD National Engineering Laboratory was involved in. I was really impressed by the TÜV SÜD flow facilities and knew that working at TÜV SÜD would give me a great opportunity to use both my academic and practical skills. Even after 15 years, the access to these world-leading facilities is still one of the best things about working here!

Where do you work?

Since the pandemic, I’ve been working mostly from home. I’m fortunate that I live about 10 minutes away which means, if and when required, I can quickly and easily go into the office or laboratory for a half day or full day. I love the hybrid approach of working and it is perfect for my role. I can quickly get in touch with all my colleagues and clients whilst working effectively from my home office. If anything, my set up at home is better than in the office!

I also often travel to visit clients and to attend conferences and events. I’ve been fortunate to make some friends with measurement folk from all over the world. With the pandemic slowly fading to a distant memory, it’s been great to be able to get back out to events and see everyone in person once again.

What are your main areas of expertise?

I work on a variety of flow measurement projects including government funded research projects and smaller consultancy projects. In terms of my main skills, fluid flow metrology, facility design and metering design with a particular focus on Coriolis meters. This is both theoretical and practical, using our extensive flow measurement facilities.

What does your role involve?

I’m not sure my current role can be narrowed down to just one thing! I represent TÜV SÜD at various measurement committees and groups, deliver technical consultancy, formulate, and complete large research projects, present at conferences, provide training and technical support, along with sales support and business development. It’s extremely varied and that ensures it is always interesting!

What most interests you about your role?

There’s a lot of really interesting work being completed here at TÜV SÜD. I’m really enjoying the transition to cleaner energy that we’re involved in. In particular, I’m working on hydrogen projects and also Carbon, Capture, Utilisation and Storage metrology projects. They are both “new areas” and there’s a lot of really interesting work being completed including metering studies, and new facility developments.

What exciting developments have you seen at TÜV SÜD since you started?

I was heavily involved in the conceptual, design and operation of the Elevated Pressure & Temperature (EPAT) oil flow facility which is one of our newer facilities. Getting the opportunity to formulate, design and build a facility really is exciting and one of the benefits of working at TÜV SÜD. When I go into the lab, it is sometimes funny to think that this extremely successful flow facility was originally my idea.

What future trends do you see developing in your area of work?

Carbon, Capture, Utilisation and Storage and also hydrogen are going to be key areas for TÜV SÜD. There’s lots of flow measurement challenges there that have still to be solved! As the Designated Institute for Flow, industry comes to TÜV SÜD for answers to these challenging problems. With new flow facilities offering both hydrogen, and also carbon dioxide as the fluid medium, it’s great to be part of the team delivering key research and potential solutions.

What is your biggest challenge?

Keeping up to date with all the latest developments in Documentary Standards and Regulations. Flow metrology is a massive area and keeping up to date is crucial to ensure TÜV SÜD can deliver relevant and valuable solutions to industry.

What do you see as the top perk of working for TÜV SÜD?

Getting to travel and present at conferences and events around the world. I’ve been to some pretty brilliant places over the years including Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Calgary, Washington DC, San Antonio, Boulder, Pittsburgh, Austin, Miami, Berlin, Barcelona, Paris, and Lisbon to name anything but a few!

How have TÜV SÜD supported you?

TÜV SÜD have fully supported my career progression throughout both my Chartership and also my Engineering Doctorate.

Describe your fellow workers in five words

Intelligent, driven, helpful, kind, and funny.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking of applying for a role similar to yours?

Definitely apply! I love working at TÜV SÜD and even after 15 years here, I still find the work fascinating. There are so many opportunities here for you to develop and be involved in a really important scientific field.

ADDITIONAL INFO

Papers, research, work published in industry publications, patents, etc.

Open Researcher and Contributor ID - ORCID: 0000-0002-4853-5827 - Chris Mills

Do you sit on any standardisation committees or any other relevant industry committees?

FLOMEKO Vice-chairman
EURAMET TC Flow
BIPM Working Group Fluid Flow
ISO TC30/SC5 Velocity and Mass Methods
Energy Institute HMC-1
InstMC Standards Special Interests Group

TÜV SÜD RESOURCES

Webinar On-Demand: Calibrating and Operating Coriolis Flow Meters at Service Conditions

Webinar On-Demand: Flow Meter Selection

NEED SUPPORT WITH A FLOW MEASUREMENT PROJECT?

Find out more about our flow measurement services and you might also be interested in our flow measurement training courses.