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.

01/10/2009 It’s a (dangerous) gas Gas detection is critical on a wide range of plants, in a wide range of industries. Brian Tinham looks at the issues with installation and particularly maintenance » Read More

01/10/2009 Babies and bathwater Plant, equipment, instrumentation and the regulatory frameworks have all been evolving to meet the challenges of pollution and climate change. Brian Tinham examines the issues » Read More

01/08/2009 The Energy Event 09 What: The Energy Event Where: The National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham When: 9-10 September 2009 How: Go to www.theenergyevent.co.uk » Read More

01/08/2009 Sustainable engineering 'Sustainability': that word is rising up the engineering agenda even faster than 'environmental' did before it. The latest development was last month's release of the Engineering Council's new guidelines on sustainability. Others, however, ... » Read More

01/08/2009 Motor Madness Man enough, simple and lowest cost have been the rules of thumb for specifying electric motors on plant. Brian Tinham explains how the guidelines are changing » Read More

01/08/2009 Mending maintenance Right tools, right parts and engineering team competence are all keys to getting maintenance slick and effective. But alone, they're not enough, as Brian Tinham discovers » Read More

01/08/2009 May the force be with you Would hydraulics and pneumatics feature in a futuristic Star Wars setting? Either way, innovations are ensuring that more of the force is with you, as Dr Tom Shelley explains » Read More

01/08/2009 Life in the old dog yet? Will plant that is specified to run for 20 years do so quite comfortably? Brian Tinham talks to Allianz Engineering's Glyn Amphlett about the real world of plant ageing » Read More

01/08/2009 ICL Plastics disaster With the publication last month of Lord Gill's inquiry report into the ICL Plastics Glasgow disaster, Brian Tinham reviews the lessons to be learned for plant engineers everywhere. » Read More

01/08/2009 Clear vision Selecting the right lighting for a plant or building requires some understanding of current options. Brian Wall explains » Read More

01/06/2009 Safety first When it comes to automated plant, ensuring safety is not just about adherence to the IEC 61508 control system standard or its industry-specific derivatives (IEC 61511 for the process industries, IEC 62061 for machinery etc). It's also ... » Read More

01/06/2009 Safety first When it comes to automated plant, ensuring safety is not just about adherence to the IEC 61508 control system standard or its industry-specific derivatives (IEC 61511 for the process industries, IEC 62061 for machinery etc). It's also ... » Read More

01/06/2009 Pump primer On average, each of us drives past around 1,000 pumps on our daily commute to work. That's all types, including pumps installed in process plants, industrial facilities, construction sites, HVAC equipment - you name it. But wherever and ... » Read More

01/06/2009 Propeller head Ask any engineer about electric motors and most of us visualise low- or medium-voltage three-phase equipment, either precision synchronous motors, driving machines or, more likely, standard asynchronous induction motors running pumps, fans ... » Read More

01/06/2009 Instrument aware Maintenance engineers used to have a lot in common with fire fighters. Now, the job is increasingly about heading off trouble before it starts - and on highly automated plants, this predictive approach is possible, thanks largely to ... » Read More

01/06/2009 Highs and lows Working at height comes with clear - indeed often all too visible - dangers, of which more later. By contrast, in confined spaces, the hazards may be less evident, but nonetheless potentially fatal - with asphyxiation, entrapment, physical ... » Read More

01/06/2009 Hidden hazards Did you know that if dry wire wool - think of discarded Brillo pads - comes into contact with a dead nine-volt battery, it can spontaneously combust? Or that dust - for that matter, even sugar or custard powder - can ignite and unleash a ... » Read More

01/06/2009 Flawed floor? A recent survey of 1,500 IOSH (Institute of Occupational Safety & Health) members revealed that slips and trips are the most recognised safety hazard in the workplace. Yet just 22% of respondents use key preventive measures, such as ... » Read More

01/06/2009 Blowing hot and cold Last summer's government energy strategy - which called for power generation from renewables to rise to 20% by 2020 and for CO2 to be reduced by 60% before 2050 - is going to have a profound effect on plant, and that includes HVAC ... » Read More

01/06/2009 Better crystal balls With a breakdown in plant sometimes so catastrophic (failures of lubrication pumps have resulted in shutdowns of more than a year before new parts could be made), it is astonishing that so few plant engineers make use of increasingly ... » Read More

01/04/2009 Uplifting experience SAFed (the Safety Assessment Federation) care' - which is why SAFed does recommend is still reporting 4.5% immediate defects to HSE after thorough examinations by its members. That's around 14,000 problems with lifts alone that are serious ... » Read More

01/04/2009 The filter factor The benefits of keeping hydraulic fluid and compressed air clean are well known to time-served plant engineers. They include higher system reliability, longer component life and improved efficiency, as well as more responsive plant ... » Read More

01/04/2009 Testing safety valves Late in 2006, an RSA (Royal & SunAlliance) engineer surveyor was involved in the testing of safety valves at a coal-fired power station on a boiler return service. After testing was complete, a major failure occurred on the plant. The ... » Read More

01/04/2009 Protection collection Much more comfortable safety gloves and shoes, ultra lightweight eye glasses and overalls, an ingenious plastic drum barrow and clearer warnings on gas detectors were among highlights at the Health and Safety 09 show at Sandown race course. » Read More

01/04/2009 Lift wire rope corrosion Under instruction, and on making almost my first thorough examinations of lifts, I recall how my instructors stressed the importance of looking for ?rouging' between the strands of the wire ropes. Research soon showed that rouging was the ... » Read More