The CIRCUS group was established in 1986 as the Organizing Committee for the IV Symposium on Advanced Energy Systems, held in Roma in July of that year (which gave origin to the so-called “ECOS” conferences): the original name is the acronym of “Centro Internazionale di Ricerca & Calcolo Universitario Scientifico” (International Academic Center for Scientific Research and Computation”, but in the following years the mission of the Center has grown somewhat, so that its name no longer completely represents its mission.

Today’s CIRCUS is a rather flexible, non-profit, academy-based organization located in the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Roma 1 “La Sapienza”, and its activities span a quite broad band of research topics, all in Applied Thermal and Fluids Sciences. The Center consists of a steady core of Italian academics, surrounded by a “nebula” of scientific experts, all with a M.Eng. or a Ph.D. degree, who work on specific projects and are often shared with other Research Centers, Aboth Italian (ENEA, ISPESL, AVIO, U. of Siena, U. of Calabria, U. of L’Aquila, Polytechnic of Torino, U. of Venezia among others) and International (U. of Silesia in Poland, NTNU and SINTEF in Norway, U. of . Birmingham and of Cranfield in the UK, Ovidius University in Romania, St. Cyr Academy in France, MEDRC in the Sultanate of Oman, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the UNDP). This flexibility maximizes the exchange of scientific information among participants, and ensures the attainment and the preservation of a high standard of scientific production.

CIRCUS’ activities can be roughly described as belonging to five different areas, all in the general field of Thermal and Fluid Sciences.

a) Advanced Energy Systems: design, modeling, simulation, evaluation and optimization of energy-conversion processes and cycles; development, modeling, design and testing of innovative components; improvement of cogeneration- and regeneration plants; design and implementation of hybrid vehicles (for railroads, trucks and passenger cars).

b) Computational Fluid Dynamics: simulation and improvement of blade and aileronss profiles, and in general of turbomachinery components; investigation on existing turbulent models and their improvement; development of CFD tools (intelligent meshers, integrated solvers).

c) Applications of AI to the Design of Thermal Systems: design and implementation of Expert Systems (ES) for the design of Turbomachinery; ES for the configuration selection of energy conversion processes; ES for the implementation of Optimal Heat Echangers Networks; ES for the Diagnosis/Prognosis of Thermal Plants;

d) Exergy Analysis: Second-Law based improvement of Energy Conversion Systems; Exergo-economic analysis of industrial Sectors, Facilities and Communities (cities, provinces and entire Nations); extended exergy accounting of Very Large Complex Systems.

e) Technologies for the Third World: development and implementation of technological solutions for underdeveloped areas; improvements/field analyses and field intervention in distressed or environmentally damaged areas; disaster assessment and recovery planning.