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.

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07/11/2024 Stay in control

In industrial facilities, electric motors drive everything from conveyor belts to fans and compressors. Now, with the cost of energy rising, manufacturers are trying to find new ways to reduce consumption – and motors are in the spotlight. ... » Read More

08/03/2024 Understanding variance

Mains power is supplied with voltage that varies by the time of day and by location. Most machinery can cope with the variation, but not all. Dr Jody Muelaner reviews causes of variance, how it affects common equipment such as motors and ... » Read More

08/08/2023 Hydraulic motors

Rotating assemblies apply the movement of incompressible fluids to mechanical advantage in many different ways, reports Toby Clark » Read More

21/06/2023 Specifying a precision motor

Gerard Bush of motion control equipment supplier INMOCO discusses the principles of motor selection for precision motion applications » Read More

20/03/2023 Motors: the long and winding road

When National Grid faced maintenance issues with two motors installed at critical gas booster station sites in England, it approached Sulzer. Delivering turnkey redesigns and rewinds for the complex 16 MW units, Sulzer has helped National ... » Read More

20/02/2023 Four steps to prevent motor failure

Arming maintenance engineers and technicians with the right tools and knowledge can help reduce overall downtime costs. By Markus Bakker, field application engineer, Fluke Corporation » Read More

09/01/2023 Heartbeat of a motor

Electrical signature analysis (ESA) is an adaptable, powerful and non-invasive approach to condition monitoring in electro-mechanical equipment such as electric motors and generators. It can provide comparable diagnostic information to ... » Read More

14/02/2022 Motors: decode your nameplate

Whether you are looking to replace or repair a motor, when talking to your supplier or service provider, it is important to give them accurate details of the motor you currently have. The most relevant information should be recorded on the ... » Read More

16/12/2021 Motor testing

Regular motor checks and inspections form a fundamental part of predictive maintenance strategies By Steed Webzell » Read More

15/12/2021 Decode your motor’s nameplate

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

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

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

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 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

04/07/2019 Smart moves

Intelligent drives have evolved beyond simply providing high performance for a connected motor. They also offer detailed diagnostics information that can be an essential tool for maintenance. OE reviews the capability of standard equipment » Read More

01/03/2010 Pump prediction

Modern non-invasive motor condition monitoring equipment is proving its worth at Wessex Water. Brian Tinham talks to operational services manager Dave Durkin » Read More

01/03/2010 Game,set and match

The famous Wimbledon sliding roof is often held up as a triumph of engineering ingenuity. Brian Tinham takes us behind the scenes, with its designers » Read More

01/01/2010 Seeing is preventing

An ability to anticipate mechanical breakdowns before they impact plant performance can be invaluable in minimising unplanned downtime. Dr Tom Shelley reports » Read More

01/01/2010 Maintec 2010 show

Getting maintenance right, and squeezing that bit extra out of existing and new plant, is the name of the game for 2010. Brian Wall suggests taking a day at Maintec 2010 » Read More

01/08/2008 Motoring clinic

Given current low prices for electric motors, compared with high costs of plant downtime caused by a failure, making a repair-versus-replace decision should be easy, shouldn't it? In theory, yes, but while there's no contest for motors ... » Read More

01/08/2008 Greener world

Most plants have already implemented a wide range of energy-related programmes - from switch-off campaigns to intelligent production scheduling at lower time-tariffs; and from installing energy-efficient equipment to improving maintenance ... » 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

01/02/2008 Global warning

For some engineers, questions about how much money could have been saved if a major failure had been predicted, trigger thoughts about the cost of expensive process interruptions and downtime. For others, it's all about avoiding ... » 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

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