Maintenance, Repair and Operations 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.

12/12/2019 End of life Electric vehicle (EV) use is soaring and with it the growing issue of how to dispose of a large volume of expensive batteries. There are two major strands of thought – repurposing or recycling. Both offer an opportunity to recover residual ... » 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

12/12/2019 A sticky situation An on-site trial at a ciabatta bread bakery has demonstrated that it is possible to successfully pump viscous, sticky dough products, even when they are mixed with baked bread. Seepex UK’s customised enclosed, automated waste removal ... » Read More

01/11/2019 Steady on the tiller The SOE’s new patron is Sir John Parker, a near 60-year veteran of industry. He sat down with OE to reflect on his career in shipbuilding and heavy industry and to state the importance of carrying on learning » Read More

01/11/2019 Comment: Diversity is key The cover story this month comes from an interview with new SOE Patron Sir John Parker – a man that has held many roles for nearly 60 years. » Read More

01/11/2019 Building a better way A ‘golden thread’ of core information throughout the lifecycle of a building lies at the heart of a new building safety regime, in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire. A vital part of that thread will be the building safety manager » 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

01/11/2019 Let there be light Solar lighting sounds like an oxymoron, but the rapidly decreasing cost of photovoltaic cells for solar power and growing lighting efficiency makes it a viable option – particularly where mains electricity is difficult to find » Read More

01/11/2019 Job done A maintenance department may range from a single operative to a full team of personnel. Keeping on top of pending, upcoming and surprise tasks can be made easier by displaying and sharing information » Read More

01/11/2019 Exposed An oil and natural gas producer was hit with a significant fine earlier this year following an offshore gas blast resulting from corrosion under insulation (CUI). But what exactly is CUI and how can it be prevented? » Read More

01/11/2019 Coiled to strike Not all pump or gearbox performance issues are caused by mechanical problems, such as bearing failures. Damaged motor windings could be at fault. OE explores how coil damage occurs and how coil rewind works » Read More

01/11/2019 Avoiding the trap What are some of the ways in which operators can protect themselves from the dangers of purchasing counterfeit spare parts? » Read More

07/10/2019 Going to great lengths The Historic Dockyard Chatham, situated on the River Medway in Kent, has been handed funding for conservation and repair works to machinery within its working Victorian Ropery. OE’s deputy editor made his way along the ropewalk to find out ... » Read More

07/10/2019 Comment: Welcome Welcome to Operations Engineer (OE) magazine issue #12. A strange introduction perhaps, but this is a number that I have been counting towards all year. Why? Because OE has now completed a whole one-year cycle since it was relaunched from ... » Read More

07/10/2019 Military to civil The 2018 Engineering UK report stated a shortfall of between 83,000 and 110,000 engineers across all engineering disciplines in the UK. Are technically trained service leavers part of the solution? » Read More

07/10/2019 Maintec 2019 – it’s show time When? 30-31 October 2019 | Where? National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham, UK, B40 1NT » Read More

07/10/2019 Fighting a lost cause How do you keep track of assets that could be easily lost or pilfered on a large or complex site: too big to sit on a shelf, but too small to be permanently installed. OE examines the technological options » Read More

07/10/2019 Gently does it Bringing together information from sensors has significantly reduced unwanted movement in extended booms and crane jibs when lifting materials » Read More

07/10/2019 Getting vocal Voice assisted technology has become very popular in the consumer market, with the likes of Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. It is now starting to make inroads into the industrial market too » 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

07/10/2019 Defence snapshot The Defence & Security Equipment International (DSEI) exhibition aimed to connect governments, national armed forces, industry and the global defence & security supply chain. Highlights are below » Read More

06/09/2019 The wheel deal Bucket wheel reclaimers/excavators are among the largest machines ever built, shifting vast amounts of stored solid material – and all at remarkable speed. Operations Engineer gets up close to these Leviathans to find out more » 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 Getting Europe connected The UK recently energised its latest power interconnector, this time connecting Britain with Belgium. It is just one of a swathe of new interconnector projects that are set to transform the UK’s generation portfolio – and that of our ... » Read More