Control Automation Feature Library

Operations Engineer's library catalogues editorial features going back five years.

Access to all archive material is free to all, including non-members of IPlantE (the Institution of Operations Engineers) or BES (Bureau of Engineer Surveyors), under the umbrella of SOE (Society of Operations Engineers). However, to discover the many benefits of becoming an SOE member, please click here.

05/02/2019 Comment: Monster of the deep A ‘monster’ fatberg, longer than six double-decker buses, has been found in Devon. South West Water says it’s the largest mass of oil, grease and wet wipes discovered in its service history. » Read More

05/02/2019 A matter of manganese Filtering out the naturally-occurring mineral from potable water in the North East is a new 37.3Mld pressure filtration plant » Read More

05/02/2019 Gas Train The Industrial Gas Operations Accreditation Scheme, designed to provide an independent determination of competence for those working on large-scale gas installations, is two years old. How is it faring? » Read More

05/02/2019 Raising the game Many commercial and industrial processes present widely variable or even intermittent demands for steam. Operations engineers looking to reduce costs and improve efficiency, whilst keeping emissions to a minimum, are turning to the ... » Read More

05/02/2019 Fuel for thought Liquefied natural gas is a relatively new fuel that is available to off-grid consumers. What benefits can this alternative to oil-based energy bring to site? » Read More

05/02/2019 Cleaning up Leaks and uncontrolled releases of diesel can have major impacts on nature and the environment if they aren’t dealt with properly. Luckily there are different measures, products and services available for operators and businesses in ... » Read More

05/02/2019 At sea Oil spills in the offshore oil and gas industry were put under the Health and Safety Executive’s spotlight over the past year » Read More

05/02/2019 Low-cost VOC sensors Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) perform many vital roles as fuels, solvents, feedstock and sterilants, to name a few. Monitoring their concentration is essential because of the potential health and safety risk that they pose. Alternative ... » Read More

05/02/2019 Infrared vessel inspection whatever the scale Thermal imaging is proving to be a quick and easy way of monitoring the integrity and content level of storage tanks. And now there are several infrared technologies that can be employed to sense particular gases, such as VOCs » Read More

04/01/2019 Bright sparks Skanska and Volvo Construction Equipment have been testing the viability of an ‘electric site’ at a quarry near Gothenburg, Sweden. The results are in... » Read More

04/01/2019 Comment: Site to factory Volvo and Skanska’s project to electrify and automate operations in a Swedish quarry is profiled this month. It’s not the first such project for Volvo, which has tested self-driving mine trucks in Norway and South Africa, at least. This ... » Read More

04/01/2019 Brammer signals service focus with Midlands opening Operating 47 branches around the UK, industrial supply house Brammer, Buck and Hickman (BBH) supplies 500,000 parts a year from a catalogue amounting to 5.5 million items. It has opened the first of three new service centres launching over ... » Read More

04/01/2019 Searching for solid ground Performing service and maintenance tasks off-site need not be unsafe. But because risks could be less controlled than in a plant environment, engineers need to take care, and be particularly alert for changing situations » Read More

04/01/2019 ProMOTEed Changes have been made to the MOT, which have impacted on plant operators more than any other sector » Read More

04/01/2019 Sonic boom Ultrasound detectors empower users to track down and repair compressed air leaks. They also deliver the means to predict failures, control energy costs and improve product quality » Read More

04/01/2019 Tight rope Magnetic rope testing is a non-destructive testing method for wire ropes, a vital component on many types of lifting equipment.How does such technology work, and how does it fit into an inspection regime? » Read More

04/01/2019 Exposed to vibration Workers that frequently use hand-held power tools can become exposed to hand-arm vibration. However, this potentially disabling problem can be reduced and eliminated through different ways of working » Read More

04/01/2019 A defining moment A working group behind a ‘plant mechanic’ trailblazer apprenticeship submission seeks approval from the Institute for Apprenticeships » Read More

04/01/2019 Sensing Industry 4.0 Industry 4.0 promises improved performance and enhanced maintenance activities, but many companies are often unsure of where to start. Mike Lomax, electrification manager at Bosch Rexroth, spoke at the Maintec show at the NEC in November ... » Read More

05/12/2018 A cut above The Brent oil and gas field operation is all but over after 40 years. Now the first of its 24,200 tonne ‘topsides’ platforms is in the process of being dismantled, with components recycled, reused and disposed of in a highly complex ... » Read More

05/12/2018 Comment: Game on Video games promote violence and fuel obesity among our young people. That is the message we often hear, but now new research from the University of Surrey claims girls who play video games are more likely to choose physical science, ... » Read More

05/12/2018 Legal Update (December 2018) This page is brought to you by national law firm Weightmans » Read More

05/12/2018 Saving lives In a unique collaboration, a mining equipment manufacturer worked with a charity to adapt its rock crusher technology for destroying elusive land mines in Zimbabwe » Read More

05/12/2018 Signs of safety - quiz answers Health and safety signs are common throughout many sectors. The December magazine issue of Operations Engineer tasked readers with identifying some of these different signs through a health and safety quiz. Below are the answers. » Read More

05/12/2018 Statement of truth Method statements outline the hazards involved in a task and include a step-by-step guide on how to do the job safely. Yet there often remains confusion about their true purpose » Read More