Institution news
Ahead of his presentation on day one, we spoke with Gareth Hughes, Senior Consultant Engineer at FM Global, to find out what he is personally looking forward to at the forthcoming user group and some of the challenges currently facing engineers in this industry.
Q: Please can you briefly explain your role and any involvement you have with the Institution of Mechanical Engineer’s Steam Turbine and Generator User Group?
Gareth Hughes: I first attended the user group in 2018 and am now returning as a speaker on behalf of FM Global where I work to assist clients with reducing the physical and operational risks associated with steam turbine generators.
Q: What is the number one challenge for those using or benefiting from these technologies in today’s current market?
GH: With the drive to extend campaign lengths and reduce planned outage times I believe a significant challenge is to ensure that the required turbine and balance of plant maintenance, including safety device testing, is satisfactorily planned and completed.
Q: What would you say is the most exciting development in this field currently, either within your organisation, the in the industry in general or both?
GH: The improvements in non-destructive testing, condition-based maintenance and reliability modelling to predict future asset integrity and campaign length.
Q: Where do you see the future of these assets going in the next 5 – 10 years?
GH: In the next 5 to 10 years I believe there will be a significant departure from large utility applications to a greater number of smaller more distributed units.
Q: What other topics are you looking forward to hearing about and discussing at the upcoming user group?
GH: I am looking forward to hearing operational experiences from other attendees and how they use risk management to operate and maintain their units.
Q: Why do you feel it is important for all engineers and professionals involved in these technologies to join the user group in 2020?
GH: As with anything, working in isolation is not a good idea. It is important that there are opportunities for an open exchange of ideas between all interested parties and this user group is the ideal place.
Steam Turbine and Generator User Group 2020
Taking place on 18-19 March 2020 in Manchester, the Institution's annual Steam Turbine and Generator User Group offers attendees two days of high-level technical content and knowledge sharing to support all engineers involved with steam turbine and generator equipment.
With more than 100 delegates joining in 2019, this is THE event for all those involved in the design, manufacture, operation, management and maintenance of these assets to stay up to date and benefit from the shared experience of the turbine engineering community.
The full programme is now available, with organisations presenting in 2020 to include:
- Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
- Viridor
- World Energy Council
- SSE
- Doosan
- GE
- Siemens
and many more.
Early bird ends 26 January 2020: for full event details and to book your place please visit the event website.