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.

06/02/2012 Electric motor loading Electric motor loading is key to energy efficiency. That's the warning from Marek Lukaszczyk, who wants plant engineers to assess their electric motors as a matter of urgency. Brian Tinham reports » Read More

06/02/2012 Mass production Coriolis mass flowmeters have been improving in sophistication and reducing in cost for at least 25 years, but now the race is on for multi-phase metering. Brian Tinham reports » Read More

06/02/2012 DSEAR hazards Although DSEAR (Dangerous Systems and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations) was enacted back in 2003, its implications for hazardous plant are still misunderstood. Barrie Church explains » Read More

06/02/2012 Bio or non-bio? Bio energy plants are being touted as offering significant economic as well as environmental benefits. Steed Webzell explains the sustainable technologies involved and assesses what plant engineers need to know » Read More

06/02/2012 Power play Combined heat and power, and energy storage plants are the biggest games in town. Brian Tinham looks at latest developments » Read More

06/02/2012 It’s all about engineering As Chancellor George Osborne ramps up the rhetoric on manufacturing, with his 'march of the makers' theme, while Prime Minister David Cameron and much of the coalition cabinet dance to a similar 'rebalancing the economy' tune, British ... » Read More

07/12/2011 Cool and legal Nearly every commercial and industrial building has refrigeration plant. Some is well maintained, some not – until things go wrong. John Cherry updates plant engineers on their duties » Read More

07/12/2011 Pedigree steam traps save Marston’s £60,000 in first year One year after upgrading its steam traps with up-to-date equipment from Spirax Sarco, Marston's Brewery is reporting savings of £60,000 in energy and hot water costs. » Read More

07/12/2011 Pulsar ultrasonics are no slouch to sludge Wessex Water is reporting success with seven new sludge blanket monitors, from Pulsar Process Measurement, at its Christchurch sewage treatment works. » Read More

07/12/2011 Wastewater treatment plant slashes down-time and maintenance Shasun Pharma Solutions is reporting vastly reduced maintenance, zero recalibration, and easier, more accurate and more reliable monitoring since moving to Hach Lange sensor equipment for its wastewater plant. » Read More

07/12/2011 Variable speed drive compressor cuts Celotex energy costs Insulation board manufacturer Celotex is reporting reduced energy consumption and improved air supply quality since replacing its compressor with an Atlas Copco variable speed drive, oil-free unit, equipped with a heat regenerative IMD ... » Read More

07/12/2011 MasoSine pump provides rapid drum unloading at Britvic Britvic is reporting that four MasoSine SPS pumps, from Watson-Marlow, built into a bespoke drum unloading system, are allowing its plant to unload 45 gallon (200 litre) drums of fruit juice concentrate, four at a time, in just two minutes. » Read More

07/12/2011 Extracting rewards Avoiding risk, safeguarding the workforce and complying with health and safety regulations are key goals of dust and fume extraction equipment. But there's also a financial reward to be reaped, reports Brian Wall » Read More

07/12/2011 Maintain your guard Health and safety regulations continue to be breached, with sometimes tragic, as well as costly consequences. David Lewis reviews the legal landscape and some salutary cases » Read More

07/12/2011 Bearing the brunt Long-term performance of plant and machinery owes a great deal to using the right lubricants in the right quantities at the right time. Get it wrong and it could prove very costly, warns Brian Wall » Read More

07/12/2011 Playing it safe The October 2011 arrival of new guidance for the safe operation of steam and hot water boilers gives boiler operators and managers up-to-date advice, and recognised training is a key focus. Brian Wall reports » Read More

07/12/2011 Compressing costs As compressors and associated plant continue to see engineering updates, Steed Webzell examines the cost/benefits for plant engineers seeking to improve operations » Read More

07/12/2011 The case of Mr S The role of an individual acting as, or on behalf of, a 'competent person' under PSSR (the Pressure System Safety Regulations 2000) comes with serious obligations S Moore Holmes takes us through the case of Mr S » Read More

07/12/2011 Adding value Talk to Lean specialists and, surprisingly, they'll tell you the real deal in equipment service is not planned, nor even preventive maintenance. Brian Tinham talks to Dennis McCarthy about how transform engineering » Read More

07/12/2011 Energy efficiency is effective now Just a few short weeks ago, npower raised concerns that, with the UK's wide portfolio of energy regulations, this country simply cannot now raise the investment to build the low carbon future to which it is already committed. » Read More

06/10/2011 ABB controls cut Tata Steel’s oxygen costs ABB control systems are helping Tata Steel cut the cost of iron production at its Scunthorpe plant, by allowing it to use medium pressure oxygen in its blast furnaces. » Read More

06/10/2011 Weg variable speed drive pays back for Rittal-CSM Plymouth-based Rittal-CSM reports completion of the latest stage of its energy saving carbon reduction programme; with Drew & Co installing more efficient pump controls at its paint plant. » Read More

06/10/2011 Gorgon’s Ex-lighting saves local sea turtle population Cooper Crouse-Hinds reports that it has engineered an explosion-proof fluorescent light fitting for the Chevron-operated Gorgon project, at Barrow Island, that specifically minimises disturbance of the local sea turtle population. » Read More

06/10/2011 Swedish tank farm stays safe with Emerson wireless FH Tank Storage is using Emerson Process Management's Rosemount wireless level and pressure transmitters to provide overspill protection at its 13,000m3 68-tank Kalmar storage terminal, in Sweden. » Read More

06/10/2011 On a hire plane When it comes to obtaining new equipment, plant engineers might want to consider renting before – or even instead of – committing to that cost. Brian Wall looks at the cost benefits » Read More