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For further details about this year's event, please visit the event website.
For further details about this year's event, please visit the event website.
Please could you briefly explain your role, involvement, and experience with regards to Nuclear Ventilation and the IMechE’s 11th Nuclear Ventilation Conference?
Alistair Brooks (AB): I am the Principal Engineer at Wozair Limited and have been involved with the manufacture and supply of ventilation equipment to the nuclear industry for over 35 years. My experience of equipment manufacture has allowed me to contribute to the preparation of industry standards.
What, in your experience, has been the biggest roadblock for utilising innovative technologies in your sector?
AB: Ventilation in nuclear applications can be a critical process and must be available 24/7. It has to be reliable and proven, and redundancy is often designed into the ventilation system to ensure continuous availability. Innovative technology needs time to be proven and there is no quick shortcut.
What key topics are you excited to discuss at this year's conference?
AB: It is exciting to give the conference an insight into the manufacture of high integrity air handling units on a current project.
What would you say are the technologies or applications to watch for the future?
AB: For future air handling unit design, we see a move towards the use of air source heat pumps (ASHP) for heating demand to reduce reliance on generating steam or hot water in piped heating systems. However, the duty demands will typically be significantly greater than the commercial market where this technology is already gaining momentum.
New refrigerants are regularly being developed with reduced GWP to meet international targets and regulatory requirements on greenhouse gas emissions. It is challenging for the manufacturer to design equipment with a refrigerant that will remain available for the project lifetime.
Who else are you most interested in hearing from on the programme?
AB: I would be interested in Martin Crouch’s presentation on Nuclear Containment Ventilation role in Fire Boundary Integrity.
Why is it important for engineers to join this conference?
AB: As engineers are visiting manufacturing facilities less frequently, it provides a good opportunity to understand how an air handling unit is designed and manufactured and the challenges to address.
The Nuclear Ventilation 2023 conference will take place on 14-15 November 2023 in Manchester.
Taking place every two years and now in its 11th successive iteration, this two-day conference is the only event of its kind that enables power industry professionals and engineering practitioners from all sectors of the nuclear community to stay abreast of developments in nuclear ventilation within the UK.
For further details about this year's event, please visit the event website.