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.

20/03/2023 Making power networks greener Now there are several approaches to reducing or eliminating global warming gas SF6 in electrical installations led by switchgear manufacturers and high-profile customers such as National Grid » Read More


23/09/2022 Chance of a second life There’s an untold quantity of used batteries ‘out there’, abandoned and unwanted. Now the race to give many of these renewed purpose – a second life – is gathering pace amongst suppliers By Brian Wall » Read More


07/12/2021 Guidance for maintaining ageing electrical assets EEMUA 227, Management of ageing electrical assets, is new guidance from the Engineering Equipment and Materials Users Association aimed at providing electrical engineers with a coherent, proactive system for managing ageing electrical ... » Read More


04/11/2021 Four steps to better electrical resilience Manufacturing sites depend on a reliable, failsafe power supply. Too many businesses use outdated and potentially unsafe electrical assets for their critical power needs, putting people, operations and their bottom line at risk. When it ... » Read More


21/07/2021 Four steps to better electrical infrastructure resilience Manufacturing sites depend on a reliable, failsafe power supply. Too many businesses use outdated and potentially unsafe electrical assets for their critical power needs, putting people, operations and their bottom line at risk. When it ... » Read More


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


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


16/10/2018 Arc-breaker on the way New recommendations to install Arc Fault Detection Devices (AFDDs) in final AC circuits are aimed at cutting the chances of an electrical fi re in higher-risk locations. It’s early days, but the benefits of installing AFDDs are already ... » Read More


06/02/2012 Shock tactics About 1,000 accidents at work involving electric shock or burns – of which around 30 prove fatal – are still reported to the HSE annually. Brian Wall investigates procedures that could prevent needless deaths » Read More


01/12/2008 Discovery machine CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) - the planet's most powerful subatomic particle accelerator - made it into the record books when, at 10.28am on Wednesday 10 September, in front of the world's hyped-up media, the first beam was ... » Read More


01/10/2008 17th edition wiring The 17th Edition Wiring Regulations (BS 7671 2008) came into effect on 1 July, following publication back in January - and engineers and technicians are being warned that, this time, there are significant changes. » Read More