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.

18/02/2021 Spill stop While there is no perfect way to treat large oil spills, a number of techniques have proven effective in mopping up much of them » Read More

28/01/2021 Stage V engines in construction A major change in the legislation on mobile plant engines is coming this year. The EU Stage V emissions requirements will mandate dramatic reductions in pollutants such as particulates and oxides of nitrogen (NOx), for plant of almost any ... » Read More

17/12/2020 Disposal: reducing waste Shredders and balers can help reduce packaging waste volumes. How can plants select the most-suitable machinery, and what are their maintenance/service requirements? By Steed Webzell » Read More

05/11/2020 Solar lighting for industrial buildings - UPDATED 26 January 2020 With unpowered light systems gaining popularity in the domestic market, is there scope for production environments to enjoy the same advantages? By Steed Webzell » Read More

05/11/2020 Retrofitting motion controls in commercial building lighting Retrofitting workplace spaces with motion-controlled lighting conserves power and helps slash energy costs. But can you keep the existing lights or is it a matter of ‘rip and replace’? By Brian Wall » Read More

24/09/2020 Use the force: magnetic separators Magnetic separators are often installed in arduous conditions. How do they work, and what are their maintenance requirements? By Adam Offord » Read More

17/09/2020 Water leaks and the ‘jaws of death’ Water demand in the UK will exceed supply in just 25 years, the head of the Environment Agency has warned – with part of the blame falling on leaking pipework. What can be done to avert this? By Brian Wall » Read More

02/09/2020 Winded: new approaches to offshore wind turbine maintenance Not only are offshore wind turbines a long way from shore, their rotating machinery is housed tens of metres above the surface of the water. The financial incentive to minimise the need to perform inspections and carry out maintenance has ... » Read More

24/08/2020 Smart moves Jody Muelaner explores how a building management system works and the range of equipment and systems with which it can work » Read More

24/08/2020 Community spirit The Environment Agency, along with a variety of partner organisations, is celebrating 10 years of successful soft engineering along rivers in Cumbria, England » Read More

20/07/2020 Flowing smoothly in the field Operations Engineer explores what mobile workforce management software is and the benefits that it can bring to the field » Read More

18/05/2020 Electric motors shake-up A radical overhaul of the regulation governing electric motors is forecast to bring big cost savings for industry, along with a significant reduction in environmental impact » Read More

20/04/2020 Bearing the brunt Seismic isolation bearings decouple structures, such as buildings and bridges, from the ground. This allows such structures to behave more flexibly during seismic activity » Read More

23/03/2020 Hidden gems Vibration sensors can monitor the health of different assets, including motors, pumps, compressors and fans. These small, low-cost devices can be a godsend to operators by highlighting potential catastrophic failure via data » Read More

04/03/2020 Pump it up A heat pump, in simple terms, is a device that transfers heat from a source to another location. With the rising popularity of renewable energy sources, they have become effective alternatives to fossil fuels and can even reduce utility ... » Read More

04/03/2020 Comment: Uncharted waters The headline figure from the recently released Subsea UK Business Activity Review for the fiscal year 2018/19 was that the UK underwater engineering industry is set to recruit nearly 9,000 people in the next three years, suggesting ... » Read More

05/02/2020 Comment: Floating cities The November 2019 issue of Operations Engineer featured an interview with new SOE patron Sir John Parker, a near 60-year veteran of industry who started his career in shipbuilding. Among other comments, he said: “Ships have every ... » Read More

08/01/2020 Sweet tricks Operations improvement manager for energy, Chris Mayhew, has witnessed energy management change during his 30+ year career at British Sugar. He explained more to delegates at the Energy Management Exhibition (EMEX) in November, about the ... » Read More

12/12/2019 Increased range Thermo-pressure hydrolysis uses heat and pressure to pre-treat food waste before anaerobic digestion. This increases the methane yield while improving the process tolerance to contaminants. It also dramatically increases throughput, ... » Read More

01/11/2019 Show business Energy efficiency and sustainability movers and shakers meet at The Energy Management Exhibition (EMEX) – a free to attend annual event – from 27-28 November at ExCeL in London » Read More

01/11/2019 Emission impossible? We are at a defining moment in the war on global warming, but the good news is that the sector is playing its part in mitigating the impact of climate change » Read More

07/10/2019 Motor switching Last year, a guide from the Carbon Trust into the energy efficiency of plants suggested many ways to improve environmental efficiency. One suggestion was to switch off continuous motors when they are not used » Read More

06/09/2019 Comment: Tick tock There are just 20 Fridays until Christmas. That is the post that popped up on my social media newsfeed during August thanks to my mother-in-law. (Shakes head in despair). I jest of course, but knowing that Christmas is just around the ... » Read More

06/09/2019 Solar powering industry High-temperature solar power has been used in a demonstration project to produce liquid hydrocarbons from CO2 and water. This breakthrough is expected to lead to new renewable solutions from energy-intensive industries » Read More

06/09/2019 Unwrapping the enigma At this year’s Siemens Digital Talks conference, TrakRap CEO Martin Leeming told the story of how the SME is disrupting the packaging industry– one sheet of plastic at a time » Read More