Test and Measurement 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.

24/06/2022 Delivering high-quality solids – without any mix-up Ever present in the chemical processing industry, solid mixing and blending are among the most crucial operations that influence end product quality. By avoiding under- and over-processing, manufacturers can deliver superior chemicals ... » Read More

19/02/2021 The dual-channel principle Through a new approach to sensor information transfer, manufacturer Leuze explains how modern digital connectivity is changing the nature of electronics control. » Read More

30/04/2018 Meeting energy-efficiency expectations Using a digital twin can help manage energy efficiency across sectors, as Mark Venables reveals. » Read More

20/03/2014 Born again Instrumentation continues to evolve, offering better ways to monitor and control plant operations – and hence improve product quality and yield. » Read More

15/04/2013 Sense of purpose It's instructive to find that, even in 2013, new sensing technologies are being developed that can transform industrial measurements. » Read More

05/10/2012 So much more Intelligent instruments have been with us for years, but although many more plants are installing them, they're still missing some important tricks, says Brian Tinham » Read More

07/12/2011 Pulsar ultrasonics are no slouch to sludge Wessex Water is reporting success with seven new sludge blanket monitors, from Pulsar Process Measurement, at its Christchurch sewage treatment works. » Read More

06/10/2011 Taking control Plant engineers wedded to particular instrument and control types might do well to widen the net. Brian Tinham examines recent developments in instrumentation and control » Read More

06/10/2010 Instruments for control Help is at hand for plant engineers facing up to the challenge of handling instrumentation and control. Brian Tinham reports on recent developments » Read More

07/06/2010 Manifolds cut time and cost of dp level installation by 85% A highly integrated manifold concept is offering plant engineers a radically simpler means of installing level measurement instrumentation to process tanks and vessels. » Read More

01/10/2009 Babies and bathwater Plant, equipment, instrumentation and the regulatory frameworks have all been evolving to meet the challenges of pollution and climate change. Brian Tinham examines the issues » Read More

01/06/2009 Propeller head Ask any engineer about electric motors and most of us visualise low- or medium-voltage three-phase equipment, either precision synchronous motors, driving machines or, more likely, standard asynchronous induction motors running pumps, fans ... » Read More

01/02/2009 Electric Engineers It's often said that one of the biggest differences between plants in, say, the chemical or pharmaceutical industries, as opposed to those in power generation, is that the former are developed in a laboratory pilot (where the learning is ... » Read More

01/12/2008 Virtuoso performance It won't have escaped your attention that instrumentation and control is encroaching inexorably into our bailiwicks. It started in condition-based maintenance, with plant engineers using, for example, portable ultrasonic flowmeters, ... » Read More

01/12/2008 Hospital robots The robot revolution is underway and will be happening in a hospital near you very soon. So says Dr Patrick Finlay, director of Prosurgics, the company he founded back in 1995 to build medical robots. And he adds: 'Within the next 20 ... » 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

01/06/2008 Magic bullets Maintenance of the all-new Hitachi trains for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link - the first consignment of which is now in the UK - is going to be a challenge. It's not that this fleet, which is based on the iconic Japanese Shinkansen bullet ... » Read More

01/04/2008 Fuel for fire Converting corn into fuel ethanol is a fast-growing business, responsible for one of the fastest plant-building programmes in the world. But it's not been without its challenges, particularly in terms of process optimisation. So it's well ... » Read More

01/10/2007 Testing the waters No one likes being overburdened with regulations, and plant engineers are no exception - fact. However, in a world forced into a rather late, reactionary effort to clean up its act, pollution in the waste water and effluent sector was ... » Read More

04/04/2005 SED Preview - The great outdoors If you want to see construction plant and machinery demonstrated in as near as possible realistic working conditions, as opposed to simply static displays, Site Equipment Demonstration (SED) is the show for you. It has the largest assembly ... » Read More