Energy and Environment 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.

01/08/2007 Green choices More and more organisations are hoisting the environmental flag and flying it proudly over their businesses as the move to greater corporate responsibility - and potentially punitive legislation - takes a tighter hold on industry's ... » Read More

01/04/2007 The old ones are the best ones Most worthwhile energy-saving techniques have been around for years, but, as increased energy prices, newer legislation and growing public awareness around emissions all force users to reconsider fuel consumption, many are now re-surfacing ... » 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 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 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 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

01/08/2006 Sustaining the future - making it happen Ever a practically-minded body of men and women, the SOE's annual conference in Birmingham was particularly well worth attending, because it was not so much about the threats to the world environment and the nation's energy supply as it ... » Read More

01/08/2006 Foot on gas to alternative fuels Whereas there has been much recent publicity about running motor vehicles on biologically-derived liquid fuels, an increasing number of enterprises, from very large to very small, are turning to gas as a feedstock, presently mostly derived ... » Read More

01/08/2006 Environment for change In 1952, the Great Smog of London caused nearly 2,000 deaths above the norm for that period. This resulted in the Clean Air Act of 1956, which marked the beginning of effective environmental legislation in Britain. » Read More

01/04/2006 Go with the flow Energy efficiency is near the top of every industry's list of business priorities, especially given its impact on the cost of operations and product margins. In addition to conventional means of gaining productivity improvements, in many ... » Read More

01/02/2006 What lies beneath Presentations at a recent seminar revealed the enormity of the tasks to be addressed if carbon capture and sequestration is ever to become a reality. » Read More

01/02/2006 The wrong mix Since The Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) Regulations 2001 came into effect, much debate has ensued regarding oil storage, and the challenges of avoiding water contamination in particular. But what are the real ins and outs of oil ... » Read More

01/02/2006 Pollution Solution Whether you look at the heavy engineering manufacturers, pharmaceutical, petro-chemical, or continuous process industries, copious volumes of dust and fumes are generated. These fumes and dusts have to be processed before they can be ... » Read More

01/12/2005 Fuelling the debate With the price of fuel soaring in the UK - and diesel hovering around the £1 per litre mark - the time may well be right to look at viable alternatives. Biofuels seem to be attracting the headlines, so Plant Engineer felt it would be worth ... » Read More

01/10/2005 The self generation society There is a growing movement towards generating electricity from wind and water locally, with rooftop wind turbines, small hydroelectric plants and solar photovoltaic cells. » Read More

01/10/2005 All fired up Fortum O&M (UK) operates and maintains the Grangemouth combined heat and power plant (CHP), which supplies power and steam to BP's Grangemouth complex, Scotland's largest industrial site and one of the biggest, most integrated oil and gas ... » Read More

01/08/2005 Process Optimisation - A framework that can't be overlooked By 2007/8, some 4,500 installations regulated by the Environment Agency under the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) regime brought in by the EU IPPC Directive should finally have completed the permitting process. The ... » Read More

06/06/2005 Environment - Powered up for the green challenge Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station was constructed during the late 1960s, with the final unit being commissioned during 1970. All units have achieved over 230,000 running hours; at present they are required to operate to a mixed running ... » Read More

05/04/2005 Waste Treatment - Turning pollutants back to rock By treating waste containing calcium compounds (lime) with carbon dioxide, it possible to quickly and inexpensively convert materials to substances closely resembling limestones or other natural rocks. » Read More

05/04/2005 CIWM Preview - Time to raise the standard According to the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), the discipline of waste management is entering its third age. The first age was concerned simply with disposal, while the second age was also about removing waste swiftly ... » Read More

04/04/2005 Energy Efficiency - Technology advances make for energy saving There are many ways in which plant and factory operators can improve energy efficiency. Some are simple, but many rely on taking advantage of the latest advances in technology. » Read More

01/02/2005 Space Heating - The heat is on Heating large premises is a major challenge for employers seeking to ensure comfortable working conditions for employees, as well as the protection of the building's contents (such as stock or equipment) and fabric. » Read More

01/02/2005 Pollution Control - Don't get caught by COP According to the Environment Agency there are more than 5,000 oil incidents reported every year. In 2000, one sixth of all pollution incidents affecting the environment involved oil: most incidents were caused by oil leaking from tanks ... » Read More

01/02/2005 The key to 'greener' energy - advanced plant It is increasingly obvious that only a combination of engineering technologies is likely to be able to meet the world's growing energy needs in the near term without totally destroying its climate and environment. » Read More