Plant Equipment 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.
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
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20/07/2020
Air upgrading
Midas Pattern Company has recently had a compressor system audit carried out at its premises in Bedford, UK, as part of a green initiative project. This has led to an equipment upgrade and has also helped the company to achieve energy ...
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06/07/2020
Getting air
Hemel Hempstead-based company Atlas Copco celebrated a century of UK operations in November. A few months on – and during the UK lockdown over Coronavirus – OE spoke to Alexander Pavlov, general manager at Atlas Copco Compressors UK & ...
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15/06/2020
Cutting effects
Testing, inspection and compliance services provider Socotec discusses the health risks associated with respirable crystalline silica (RCS) and how best to protect against its harmful effects
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15/06/2020
Driver not required
Prototypes and concept designs are demonstrating the potential of commercial vehicles that are operated without one component traditionally thought to be operationally important: the driver. Although not all necessarily ready to go to ...
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01/06/2020
A national effort
The UK, like many parts of the world, has been constrained by the on-going Covid-19 pandemic. However, in such a time of need, UK industry has stepped up once again and continues to play a key role in the fight back
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01/06/2020
Lifting (global) standards
The Lifting Equipment Engineers Association published the ninth edition of its guide to lifting safety last year. Who is it aimed at and what has changed?
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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
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18/05/2020
Controlling the risks
The Health and Safety Executive recently reminded companies to protect the health of workers by controlling the risks from welding fume. What measures can be put in place?
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11/05/2020
Heave-ho
Heave compensation systems are used to reduce the influence of waves upon offshore operations. We explore how these systems work and the benefits that they bring
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04/05/2020
Plastic fantastic?
At the one-day Engineering Solutions Live show in March, Matthew Jones, senior applications engineer for northeast EMEA and wider EMEA at Stratasys, described the benefits that additive manufacturing can bring to industry in terms of ...
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28/04/2020
Opinion: Compressor care in times of crisis
This opinion article comes from Alexander Pavlov (pictured), general manager at Atlas Copco Compressors UK & Ireland, and discusses the importance of not overlooking industrial compressors during Covid-19.
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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
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20/04/2020
Ride along
The complex task of designing and specifying mobile plant can be simplified by using an online configurator. These systems vary in sophistication and detail, but ultimately allow users to design and customise to individual need. OE takes a ...
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30/03/2020
The cobots have landed
The UK has been lagging behind much of Europe when it comes to embracing collaborative robot (cobot) technology. But that is rapidly changing as the productivity gains such investment can bring become clear
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23/03/2020
Hidden gems
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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
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16/03/2020
Manchester makeover
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Atlas Copco has recently upgraded compressed air and vacuum systems for Manchester-based brick maker Wienerberger, resulting in energy cost savings, along with reduced CO2 emissions and production downtime
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10/03/2020
Safe cleaning with gas
A series of vehicle explosions has prompted the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to issue guidance for mobile oven cleaning businesses that use LPG to heat dip tanks. While much of the advisory may be considered common sense, raising ...
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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 ...
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04/03/2020
Clearing the air
Using air to dry, cool or clean can be achieved using both compressed air and blower-operated systems. But what are the principal differences and benefits of each system?
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05/02/2020
Ship shape
From the advanced polar research vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough to the new £6.2 billion Queen Elizabeth Class carriers, on-board water systems are playing a vital role at sea
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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 ...
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05/02/2020
Joining plastic pipe
High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is the polymer used for water and wastewater pipes. In thicker formulations, the same material is also used for buried gas lines. Sections can be joined together under heat and pressure, and there are ...
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05/02/2020
Protecting nature
Water companies need to adopt efficient ways of reducing phosphorus levels in water, in order to banish harmful algae from rivers and lakes
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