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Pole position |
06/02/2012
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| Although control valve, actuator and positioner technologies develop only relatively slowly, there have been advances that offer practical, diagnostic and cost/benefit issues. Brian Tinham reports |
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Welsh Water improves efficiency with new gearboxes |
06/02/2012
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| Welsh Water is reporting improved efficiency at one of its sewage treatment works since replacing old worm gear drives on six half-bridge scrapers with planetary gearboxes that were a direct fit for the original boxes. |
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Cement fan solution keeps plant in production |
06/02/2012
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| A design fault on a large centrifugal fan that could have caused Hanson Cement's plant in Clitheroe to stop production, due to a failure to comply with emission regulations, has been resolved by Brammer. |
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Really Useful Products’ makes really useful savings |
06/02/2012
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| International plastics manufacturer Really Useful Products says it is enjoying a 10% increase in productivity – equating to an extra £3 million of turnover – yet without investment in additional machinery. |
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Maintec 2012 |
06/02/2012
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| With this year's Maintec show just a few short weeks away, Brian Tinham takes a lok at what engineers, technicians and mangers can expect to find |
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Plant & Asset Management 2012 |
06/02/2012
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| Does the industrial maintenance sector need another exhibition? The organisers of MACH, Drives & Controls, Air-Tech and IFPEX clearly think so. Brian Tinham looks at the line-up |
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Shock tactics |
06/02/2012
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| 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 |
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Electric motor loading |
06/02/2012
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| Electric motor loading is key to energy efficiency. That's the warning from Marek Lukaszczyk, who wants plant engineers to assess their electric motors as a matter of urgency. Brian Tinham reports |
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Mass production |
06/02/2012
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| Coriolis mass flowmeters have been improving in sophistication and reducing in cost for at least 25 years, but now the race is on for multi-phase metering. Brian Tinham reports |
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DSEAR hazards |
06/02/2012
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| Although DSEAR (Dangerous Systems and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations) was enacted back in 2003, its implications for hazardous plant are still misunderstood. Barrie Church explains |
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Bio or non-bio? |
06/02/2012
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| Bio energy plants are being touted as offering significant economic as well as environmental benefits. Steed Webzell explains the sustainable technologies involved and assesses what plant engineers need to know |
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Power play |
06/02/2012
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| Combined heat and power, and energy storage plants are the biggest games in town. Brian Tinham looks at latest developments |
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It’s all about engineering |
06/02/2012
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| As Chancellor George Osborne ramps up the rhetoric on manufacturing, with his 'march of the makers' theme, while Prime Minister David Cameron and much of the coalition cabinet dance to a similar 'rebalancing the economy' tune, British industry is seeing a gradual resurgence. |
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Cool and legal |
07/12/2011
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| Nearly every commercial and industrial building has refrigeration plant. Some is well maintained, some not – until things go wrong. John Cherry updates plant engineers on their duties |
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Variable speed drive compressor cuts Celotex energy costs |
07/12/2011
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| Insulation board manufacturer Celotex is reporting reduced energy consumption and improved air supply quality since replacing its compressor with an Atlas Copco variable speed drive, oil-free unit, equipped with a heat regenerative IMD dryer. |
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MasoSine pump provides rapid drum unloading at Britvic |
07/12/2011
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| Britvic is reporting that four MasoSine SPS pumps, from Watson-Marlow, built into a bespoke drum unloading system, are allowing its plant to unload 45 gallon (200 litre) drums of fruit juice concentrate, four at a time, in just two minutes. |
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Extracting rewards |
07/12/2011
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| Avoiding risk, safeguarding the workforce and complying with health and safety regulations are key goals of dust and fume extraction equipment. But there's also a financial reward to be reaped, reports Brian Wall |
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Maintain your guard |
07/12/2011
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| Health and safety regulations continue to be breached, with sometimes tragic, as well as costly consequences. David Lewis reviews the legal landscape and some salutary cases |
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Bearing the brunt |
07/12/2011
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| Long-term performance of plant and machinery owes a great deal to using the right lubricants in the right quantities at the right time. Get it wrong and it could prove very costly, warns Brian Wall |
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