Forum: Readers' viewpoints

PE Story: Workers left in limbo at BP Saltend

Vivergo Fuels Ltd on 11 March terminated a contract with Redhall Engineering Solutions Ltd (RESL) for the fabrication and installation of pipework for a new £200-million bioethanol plant on the BP Saltend site, near Hull. RESL had fallen significantly behind the agreed contractual delivery programme, Vivergo said 21 March. The mechanical & piping works, it said, should have been 100% complete by February 2011, but to date, the construction work is only 69% complete. Full article

Readers’ comments:

There is no mention of the young apprentices [at Vivergo] … now left with no qualification having not finished their training. The dole queue is their next step.Debbie Suddaby

I have worked at installing maintaining process plant in the UK and overseas, but you can’t get site work in the UK because it is a big clique with workers and companies. They are complacent is the attitude to doing the job … George Johnston

PE Story: Apprentices

At a recent meeting of the Chemical Industry All Party Parliamentary Group, industry apprentices Sarah Porter and Richard Davies gave MPs an insight into what a modern apprenticeship is like. They also urged MPs to do more to transform the image of apprenticeships and to campaign for a shakeup in careers advice to ensure that apprenticeships are better promoted to school leavers and sixth formers. Full article

Reader comment:

As chemical engineering graduate, I sympathise with the views expressed here. As a portfolio manager at City & Guilds, I’m pleased to read about apprentices here and would be happy to talk to anyone about requirements/opportunities in the chemicals, oil and gas and wider engineering sectors.

Matt Simmons

PE Story: Process blind spot

A TUV NEL research team is currently trying to resolve the sometimes costly problems encountered when metering non-Newtonian fluids. Despite many important industrial uses information on the flow metering of non-Newtonian fluids is very limited and their performance not fully understood - particularly as flow meters are normally calibrated using Newtonian fluids such as water, oil or gas … (Full article)

Reader comment:

These are just the sorts of applications where volumetric meters may be a better choice. Positive displacement meters are very accurate at measuring volume flow. The problem comes when measuring highly aerated fluids that while you know the volume accurately, you don’t necessarily know how much of that volume is entrained gas. The approach to solving this problem is to use the volumetric meter in conjunction with an entrained gas density meter …

Jon Watson

PE Story: Yokogawa weighs in

The race to establish wireless sensor technologies in the process industries has moved up a gear with an announcement by Yokogawa Electric Corp that it has developed “the world’s first” field wireless devices based on the ISA100.11a industrial wireless communications standard … End-users, including the influential German-based automation users group NAMUR, have expressed dismay at the continuing wireless standard battles. As Bart Schaminee, global strategic procurement manager (PA/EI) at SABIC, commented “they are stupid fighting among themselves,” adding that the dispute is adding unnecessary costs to the technology ….

Read comment: (Details supplied)

I agree not with Van Loon, but with Bart Schaminee who could see the insight of this Wireless Standard … (Full comment, add your viewpoint)

PE Story: CRC - Penny has yet to drop

The CRC scheme offers significant payback for companies at the top of its performance league table, through financial rewards, energy savings, brand value and enhanced market standing. However, with the September registration deadline - and fines - looming, the Environment Agency has reported that fewer than 10% of companies have signed up to the scheme. This is being linked to a widespread confusion about the scheme, while it is also believed that many companies are genuinely struggling to get to grips with … (Full article)

Reader comment:

In my recent experience that is exactly what has happened. There has been rush of newly appointed “Energy management and Carbon Reduction Managers”, some of whom have no experience and little knowledge of the legisaltion and utilities - [and who need] advice and help to register …