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.

09/01/2025 Intelligent motion control

Specifying an embedded motion control system for gantry-based applications. Gerard Bush, engineer at motion specialist INMOCO, discusses motion system specification for gantry-based applications » Read More

28/08/2024 Drive forwards

Nord Drive Systems believes that there are numerous advantages of decentralised drive solutions with controlled frequency inverters. The company has recently written a white paper on the subject, which is summarised below » Read More

12/10/2023 Reducing harmonics from AC drives

Generally speaking, a harmonic is a sinusoidal wave with a frequency that is a whole number multiple of the fundamental frequency of a periodic signal. In an electrical system, a harmonic is voltage or current disturbance with a sinusoidal ... » Read More

16/05/2023 Breath of fresh air for electrical panels

Electrical components such as drives and PLCs are sensitive to high temperatures and contaminants. What options are available to keep electrical panels cool and clean? » Read More

28/01/2022 Driving for more efficiency

The optimisation of energy usage by electric motors can lead to environmental benefits as well as reductions in operational expenses (OPEX). Forward-looking businesses interested in reducing their motors’ energy use can now go further than ... » Read More

19/01/2022 Feedback devices for VFD and servo applications

One issue that often arises when designing closed-loop applications is the type of feedback to use on the motors. This article describes the different types of feedback devices for variable frequency drives (VFDs) and servos, as well as ... » Read More

09/09/2021 PLM for automation components

Purchasing criteria for automation products should not only include performance and price. Buyers should also ensure they ask suppliers how long their product will be supported and their position in the product lifecycle. By Jonathan ... » Read More

09/09/2021 Walking the high wire

How do you balance replacing older or already-obsolete drives and controls against maximising their service lifespan – and what are the other key influencers at play? By Brian Wall » Read More

08/10/2020 Drive up installation success

Selecting a drive based on specification alone does not guarantee its successful installation. Indeed, many potential pitfalls await the unwary » Read More

08/10/2020 Deep-dive drives

Intelligent drives are coming to operational equipment. Smart and networked controls can help to transform the landscape of engineers who have previously only dealt with local control of motors and equipment. » 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

01/08/2009 Motor Madness

Man enough, simple and lowest cost have been the rules of thumb for specifying electric motors on plant. Brian Tinham explains how the guidelines are changing » Read More

01/04/2009 ISIS or Oracle

What has the opening of the £200 million second target station (TS2) at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory's ISIS pulsed neutron source got to do with plant engineers? More than most mere mortals - apart, that is, from the world's ... » Read More

01/04/2009 Cut the energy hype

Although oil prices have come down, the recession is forcing organisations of all kinds to keep on cutting energy costs. One consequence is increasing numbers of companies seeing energy saving as a business opportunity - and hence the ... » Read More

01/04/2009 Compressed energy

Electric motors use two-thirds of all electricity consumed by industry, so any technology capable of cutting this drain on resources has got to be a good thing. Yet, despite proven and significant savings from variable speed drives (VSDs) ... » Read More

01/08/2008 Driven world

Unless you're heavily involved in project work, chances are your experience of drives, motors and controls is wide - after all, it's bread and butter stuff - but not as wide as it could be. So a quick update would be useful. Especially if ... » Read More

01/08/2007 Control freak

Let's talk about drives, motors and controls - no, not just the technologies for linear or rotational motion control, important though those are, but also control engineering in, for example, transportation, the process sector and the ... » Read More