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.

01/04/2007 Getting the personal touch Nothing can be more important than employee safety: turnover and profit are meaningless in comparison with the well-being and security of staff. If a serious accident, or worse a fatality, occurs as a result of poor safety practice, the ... » Read More

01/04/2007 Engineers under pressure Operations engineers have never been so challenged as they are now. Look at the plethora of new tools, technologies and equipment flooding into industry generally. Look at the heightened requirements of competitiveness and efficiency, ... » Read More

01/04/2007 Biolubricants: not just green but better Around 95% of industrial and commercial lubricant applications can be satisfied by the newer generations of biolubricants derived from crops like oil seed rape and sunflowers - and for many there are now clear advantages in swapping from ... » Read More

01/02/2007 Turning ash into cash 1. Building on its vast experience, Clyde Bergemann has developed a new dry bottom ash system, known as DRYCON 2. Adjustable air inlets are located along the casing 3. Air inlets are also to be found at the system's discharge end 4. ... » Read More

01/02/2007 The Main Chance Timetable What: Maintec 2007 Where: 20-22 March, NEC, Birmingham When: Tuesday 20 March 10.00-16.00 Wednesday 21 March 10.00-16.00 Thursday 22 March 10.00-15.00 For some 30 years, the Maintec event has been focused on ... » Read More

01/02/2007 Saluting those on the front line While London sleeps, there can be up to 5,000 people carrying out maintenance and renewal activities to ensure the Underground network is returned to safe service in the morning. » Read More

01/02/2007 Safety that boosts the bottom line In a world where the failure of even a modest-sized steam boiler can cause millions of pounds' worth of damage, as well as injuries and even fatalities, the management of risk should always figure high on the agenda of any business. » Read More

01/02/2007 Risks unmasked There has been a succession of advances in dust and fume control in recent times, resulting from better equipment, improved modelling packages - to ensure that the dust and fumes actually go where they are supposed to go and smart systems ... » Read More

01/02/2007 Laser-guided track to safety The increased loading of the rail network, along with the greater speeds of modern trains, has led to higher stressing of the rails. The track itself is therefore the most important safety aspect and so needs to be inspected regularly to ... » Read More

01/02/2007 Health check-ups reap big rewards In the age of lean, condition monitoring of capital equipment is an obvious aid to efficient operation, as opposed to waiting for something to break down. As Chris Haines, Rockwell director of customer support and maintenance UK and ... » Read More

01/12/2006 Turning on the sun offers bright future Increasing demand for photovoltaic solar cells has taken production at Sharp's factory in Wrexham from producing just 200 working modules in the first month of production in March 2004 to 2,400 panels per 24 hours on three production lines ... » Read More

01/12/2006 Stepping into a brighter future Committing yourself to a long-term professional career is a major undertaking in itself. Sustaining and developing that career through a myriad of changes and challenges is quite another. Without the latter investment, such a career may do ... » Read More

01/12/2006 Smoothing the way While many new developments now allow lubricant quality to be monitored continuously in situ - as well as various kits and portable equipment that enable tests and measurements to be carried out on site - it is still general practice for ... » Read More

01/12/2006 Plugging the cost of compressed air leaks New products are now available that step up the efficiency of compressed air systems - especially compressors - finding and attacking leaks, and improving the management of pneumatic systems, while slashing energy losses and costs by up to ... » Read More

01/12/2006 New trains of thought on lifting Every so often lifting equipment fails, generating the kind of headlines that no one wants to see. These unfortunate incidents occur despite safety checks carried out by the manufacturer and further regular checks undertaken by the end ... » Read More

01/12/2006 Harmonic approach to gear technology Much of today's plant machinery uses high-ratio planetary gearboxes to provide a wide range of operating speeds and output torques for use in applications such as turbo systems for compressors and pumps, mobile equipment and machine tools. ... » Read More

01/12/2006 Cleaning up at Sellafield British Nuclear Group is a specialist site management and nuclear clean-up business. Part of the BNFL Group, it delivers accelerated nuclear clean-up programmes safely and cost effectively for customers in the UK and overseas. Experienced ... » Read More

01/10/2006 Waste water gets the treatment Regulations relating to reducing pollution from industrial activities have been around in the UK for more than 150 years, while the present Pollution Prevention and Control regulations came into force in 1999, with a transitional process ... » Read More

01/10/2006 Surface Preparation - It's a blast! So what exactly is industry's hang-up with surface preparation? Unfortunately, it's that the process doesn't add any value to the finished component. However, ignoring this important operation is likely to be a very costly decision, if it ... » Read More

01/10/2006 Process Heating - All fired up Eliminating bottlenecks in the heat-curing phase of any assembly process, thereby increasing the efficiency of the whole operation, is an essential goal for any business - nowhere more so than at Hepworth Building Products. » Read More

01/10/2006 Monitor this situation Yorkshire Water (YW) has 4.7 million customers - a lot of people to let down, if a piece of equipment fails. OFWAT ranks YW as 'the most capital-efficient company'. At YW, therefore, monitoring of the equipment that is used so extensively, ... » Read More

01/10/2006 Maintain power With the cost of unscheduled downtime for some engineering and manufacturing companies running into hundreds of thousands of pounds a day, plant engineers are under pressure to ensure continuous production. Yet with more pressure being put ... » Read More

01/10/2006 Energy Efficiency - Powered for change The government is now aware we have to take drastic steps both to save energy and find new sources of supply. There are many ways to achieve these goals. Top of the list has to be to take advantage of government-backed schemes that provide ... » Read More

01/10/2006 Alarm ringing for new regulations The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced earlier this year that the new fire safety rules affecting all non-domestic premises in England and Wales would come into force on 1 October 2006. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, ... » Read More

01/08/2006 Don't stand for pain The position of standing is one many of us take for granted in our daily lives. It is not until we start to feel the odd ache and pain that we become more aware of how much pressure the standing posture creates on our bodies. Although it ... » Read More