I m p e r i a l ENGINEER

PRINCIPAL INTERVIEWED MARINE ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENTS ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT CLIMATE DEBATE CONTINUES

ISSUE ELEVEN AUTUMN 2009 For members of The City & Guilds College Association and The Royal School of Mines Association ISSUE ELEVEN AUTUMN 2009 In this issue... 18

NEWS & REVIEWS ENGINEERING NEWS 3 Presidents report 8–9 Engineering developments 4 London walks restart 8 EPSRC funds light-fuelled research 4 Top engineer recognised 9 Magnetic fridge future 4 Recruits to editorial board 5 Bo visits IoW 5 Meet two new presidents FEATURES 5 Engineering Geology centenary 10–11 Logistics survey finding 5 Rooftop greenhouse 12–13 Hydrogen economy 6 Diary dates 14–15 Assessment scheme advantages 6 CGCA AGM 16 Puzzled by patents 6 Association trust reports 17 Historic cofferdam 7 Faculty principal interviewed 18–19 Scottish marine energy developments 22–27 Alumni news & views 20 Book and conference reviews 26–27 Obituaries 21 Alumni share their views

COVER PICTURES: Imperial Engineer’s tribute to Charles Darwin, designed by Slim Smith. See 7 22 24 Bill McAuley’s editorial on page four.

Imperial ENGINEER

EDITORIAL BOARD CORRESPONDENCE and ENQUIRIES Bill McAuley (Managing Editor) Teresa Sergot and Rosie Tipples Bill Bradford Engineering Chapter Peter Darling Level 2, Faculty Building Paul Holmes Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ Chris Lumb Tel: +44 (0) 20 7594 1184 Teresa Sergot Fax: +44 (0) 20 7594 1185 Colleen Shilstone Richardson Emails: [email protected] Rosie Tipples [email protected]

PRODUCTION EDITOR Chapter website:www.imperial.ac.uk/engineering/ Lynn Penfold about/alumni/ CGCA website: www.cgca.org.uk PRINTING Bishops Printers, Portsmouth RSMA website: www2.union.ic.ac.uk/rsm/rsma/

STORY IDEAS FOR THE NEXT ISSUE BY FEBRUARY 8 2010. FINAL COPY DEADLINE BY MARCH 26 2010

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2 IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 WHEN I completed my time as a student at Imperial, and moved from London to start my industrial career I expected that that was the end of my contact with the College. So after years working in various parts of the UK and Europe it was a sur- prise to find myself moving back to South Kensington. While much has changed, the culture of excellence and ambition remains and it is, as ever, an invigorating atmosphere in which to work. It has also given me the op- portunity to serve this year as president of CGCA which has proved in the first few months to be a rewarding and rich experience. At the President’s Evening in May the principal speaker was Professor Nigel Brandon, director of the Energy Futures Lab and EPSRC Senior Energy Research Fellow. His authoritative review of the world’s John energy challenges sparked a vigorous and engaging discussion. It was also the op- portunity to thank my predecessor, Professor Dame Julia Higgins for her excellent contributions as president over the previous year. Loughhead CGCA continues to connect alumni with today’s students and is supporting the Faculty Networking event in October. We shall also welcome students to the Annual Dinner on March 16 at Carpenters’ Hall, which again promises to be a great occasion. Our speaker will be Dr Paul Golby, CEO of E.ON UK, a key figure in the public debate over future electricity supply. I look forward to meeting many of you there. Last year, Dame Julia spoke of working to ensure CGCA became even more relevant to alumni, and I’m pleased to tell you that we are continuing those efforts, with the support of the truly dedicated members of the CGCA committees. I think it fitting that I close by thanking them all, on your behalf, for their efforts. PRESIDENTS REPORT

ONE OF the unique characteristics of the Royal School of Mines is the close connection between its students, staff and alumni. Students and graduates of RSM come from various backgrounds and ultimately end up working all over the world. It is not unusual for me, when travelling for business, to meet someone who has studied at RSM. Straight away there is a sense of familiarity or connection. This is attributable to the sense of pride individuals feel at having had the opportunity to be part of an institution that not only provides world class education, but where the importance of developing relationships amongst students, staff and the alumni are fostered. The basis of these relationships are often created by the social events organised by the student body and the alumni. For a lot of us in the mining and related industries, the past year has been a turbulent one. In times such as these, the importance of a good network cannot be underestimated. We are fortunate to have the RSMA, which organises numerous events where members of the RSMA can network. I would encourage you to sign up to www.linkedin.com where RSMA has over 150 members already signed up. You canensure your contact de- Coen tails with the Chapter Office remain current and you can continue to be kept up to date with the activities of the RSMA. Over the next year, the RSMA Committee will continue to focus on promoting events that create networking opportunities enabling fellow RSM Louwarts alumni to meet and develop those all important relationships. We will keep you up to date on future events by email and through this magazine. A key focus of the RSMA Constitution is to support students and the RSM both financially and in other ways. Over the past year there has been a significant increase in student loans, bursaries and hardship payments. To enable the RSMA to continue to support students the decision was taken to increase membership fees. After I wrote to you in August, it was very encourag- ing that a significant number of alumni contacted the Chapter Office to update their payments. If you haven’t done so already, please use the enclosed form or contact Teresa or Rosie at Imperial College to do so. This year’s Annual Dinner, on November 20, will be the RSMA’s 125th. We are aiming to get 125 attendees and tickets are selling fast. This will be a great opportunity to get in touch with your contemporaries and I am looking forward to meeting many of you there. As I take over from Kurt Budge, the challenge will rest with me to continue the progress he made in refreshing and rejuve- nating the Association and its link with members. This couldn’t have been done without the efforts of the RSMA Committee and Trust members who enthusiastically volunteer much of their time in the interests of the RSM. I would also like to extend special thanks to Kurt for the excellent work he has done over the last two years and, of course, Teresa and Rosie in the Chapter Office who are critical in keeping the RSMA going.

IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 3 NEWS & REVIEWS EDITORIAL London walks take next steps EVEN though he’s not ‘WALKS with a Past Presi- Saturday 21 November. It will Please make your book- one of our own (he dent’ through London and its cover the City bridges from ings with John, including a cheque studied at Edinburgh and environs, run so successfully for Millenium to Tower Bridge. made out to CGCA and send Cambridge), we have many years by David Hattersley All those taking part should to Dr John Backhurst, Sharrow chosen to use our cover (Civils 55), is being revived. meet at St Paul’s tube station Point, Pembury Road, Tunbridge to tip our hat to Charles As John Backhurst (Chem booking office at 10.45am. Wells, Kent, TN2 4NE. Tel: 01892 Darwin in this anniver- Eng 56), the new organiser, says: The walk will end at Wether- 822925 and mobile 07941319495. sary year. It is a tribute ‘We enjoyed each other’s com- spoon’s pub, Tower Bridge, at [email protected] to his extraordinary pany while, at the same time, about 1pm. For the schedule of Saturday achievement in learning from registered City The cost of any walk is £10 walks from now till next June, revolutionising the way guide, Malcolm Dick, how Lon- for CGCA and RSMA members, see Diary Dates on page six of in which we look at the don has developed both socially £9 for current IC students and this issue. development of life on and structurally’. £11 family and friends; includ- All suggestions, for future our planet. The first walk of a new ing the cost of a drink of your venues, themes and even repeats, Our knowledge is series has been arranged for choice at our destination. will be gratefully received. constantly expanding and many of his original speculations have been modified over the last Top prize for Imperial engineer 150 years. Nonetheless, THE GOLD Medal of the Insti- ices to structural engineering. into the floor beneath it, caus- he ranks with Newton tution of Structural Engineers’ David is currently research- ing the building to plummet and Einstein as one of – its highest accolade – has ing a phenomenon called ‘pro- to the ground. We have been the intellectual giants of been presented to Professor gressive collapse’. As he ex- devising new methodologies scientific discovery. David Nethercot, head of the plains: The World Trade Centre that will enable engineers to His eclectic career Department of Civil and En- is an example of a building that better manage how buildings (medicine, theology vironmental Engineering. He progressively collapsed; where withstand impacts to prevent and natural history) is has been honoured for his serv- each floor fell like a pancake them from collapsing’. echoed in our mix of articles in this edition where we review the Students and alumni enjoy networking prospects for UK wave FOLLOWING the Engineer- CGCA, provided an informal was positively buzzing. Stu- power, the hydrogen ing Careers Fair on Thursday social environment for stu- dent KaChun Liu said ‘it was economy and the man- October 22, the Engineer- dents of all levels of study awesome’. Amir Latifi (Mech agement of engineering ing Chapter held its annual to meet alumni and talk to Eng 90), Imperial’s university activities. Networking Reception for them about their career ex- team leader for Baker Hughes These are ongoing engineering students and perience and insights. was equally impressed with themes to which we will alumni. Over 100 students and the organisation and the di- be returning in future This evening, sponsored 52 alumni attended the re- versity of alumni and students issues. by Baker Hughes Ltd and the ception and the atmosphere present. This time, we’re also taking a look at alumni jobs which seem far-removed from their Two join editorial board degree subjects. More experience added to Imperial Engineer’s production team Helped by the internet, Imperial’s com- AFTER taking an HND at the Camborne School lives in Norfolk. For details, munications department of Mines, Peter Darling (below) spent nine years go to his website www.pe- and Teresa and Rosie, as an engineer in the oil industry. He returned to terdarling.co.uk the News and Reviews the UK to do his BEng(Hons) at the RSM. Latest recruit, Bill Brad- sections are as lively Peter then worked as a technical editor for ford (MinTech 57) has al- as ever. Thank you also several industry publications including: Interna- ready had articles published to those who supplied tional Mining, Engineering and Mining Journal, Tunnels in Imperial Engineer, includ- the alumni news. Our & Tunnelling, International Construction and finally ing some in this issue. A metals specialist, Bill (right) Letters page crackles Cement. He travelled extensively (and frequently) has published papers and articles on a range of with comments on our before becoming subjects over the years. One, on precious metals previous features. press officer for refining in the South Pacific, was implemented a I hope you find this Rio Tinto. few years later in eastern Australia. a good and informative He is now a Bill has worked for a number of employers, in- read. As always, please freelance technical cluding GEC, Federal Nigerian Government, UNDP, keep your contributions writer specialising Selection Trust, Seltrust Engineering, Mitchell Cotts coming! in oil, gas, mining, and Matthew Hall. He was a flying officer in the Bill McAuley quarrying, tunnelling, RAF and a consultant and tutor for the Open managing editor heavy construction University. He is a governor of a local school and and engineering. He active in Rotary.

4 IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 NEWS & REVIEWS Bo on holiday Meet the TAKEN at Fishbourne, new presidents... IoW, ferry terminal on August 25. (Picture by John Loughhead Chris Lumb). Bo toured FRUSTRATED chef and wine the island and exhibited lover John Loughhead is CGCA at the Isle of Wight Steam president for 2008-09. He was Show. Present were current an undergraduate and postgrad- driver David Hankin, previ- uate student in Mech Eng from ous driver Rik Smith, and 1967-75 before a long career Robert Carter and Bob with GEC. Goodwill. Other alumni This included developing a joined them. The aim was wide range of mechanical, elec- to test Bo’s reliability after tronic and control systems for a recent engine rebuild, energy, transport, defence indus- and renew an old tradition tries and space vehicles. Before of making tours. the last five years as executive director of UK Energy Research Engineering Geology 100 years to be celebrated Centre, based at Imperial, John also worked coordinating ma- IN 1910, Dr Herbert Lapworth 9–11 2010. wwAll Engineering information of when booking jor European programmes for presented a series of 10 lectures Geology graduates are invited to becomes available, please reg- energy and transport systems, on Engineering Geology to stu- attend, so save the date in your ister your interest at: rosemary. while VP at Alstom. John’s job dents at Imperial College. This diaries to return to the College [email protected]. An applic- now plays a central role in re- marked the beginning of what for this special occasion. stion form is on www.imperial. search for future energy systems next year will be 100 years of The programme for the re- ac.uk/NetComm unitySSLPage. here and abroad. continuous teaching of the sub- union is currently being finalised aspx?pid=1145&srcid=1145 John is a fellow of a number ject at College. but is anticipated to include lec- Please pass on news about of engineering bodies and the To celebrate this centenary tures, tours and a gala dinner. If the reunion to colleagues who Royal Society of Arts. He lec- a reunion is scheduled to take you are interested in finding out may no longer be in touch with tures at Cardiff University and place over the weekend of July more about this event, including College. Rosie Tipples Queen Mary and is a Freeman of the City of London. In his limited free time, John Glasshouse built aloft on Imperial maintains his old MG and per- suades plants to grow. A FUTURISTIC £1m rooftop biofuels from willows; studying to aphid attack. It is hoped that ‘greenhouse’, which opened in tomato stress resistance and a better understanding of plant April, is enabling Imperial scien- sequencing the tomato genome, defence will help breed resist- ...Coen Louwarts tists to grow large quantities of and studying how aphids inter- ance into plants which are not RSMA’s president for the next plants for experiments ranging act with plants. naturally resistant. two years is Coen Louwarts, from developing new sources Willows are a good po- who is from the south of the of biofuels to helping sequence tential biofuel crop because Netherlands. He started study- the tomato genome. they contain a large amount RSMA reaches ing mining engineering in Delft, The new GroDome, the of sugars and can grow quickly a milestone where he was vice-president of only rooftop facility of its kind in the UK’s climate and in a the Mijnbouwkundige Vereen- in London, provides plant scien- variety of soil types. However, NOVEMBER 20 sees RSMA iging, the Delft equivalent of tists with over 200m2 of tem- getting the sugars out of their hold its 125th Annual Dinner. the RSMU, before coming to perature and light-controlled woody stems is difficult. Although the first annual din- RSM in 1995 for his last year’s growing space, allowing them Research on tomato plants ner was held in 1873, breaks study. Here, he started playing to carry out large-scale plant is concentrating on producing over the two world wars mean rugby (not successfully). experiments in an urban loca- superior crops which are bet- that we are only now reaching Through the RSM, Coen tion for the first time. ter able to survive in today’s the 125th. Guest speaker is was offered a chance to work Three projects have already changing environment. It is David Weston, technical direc- for BHP in Australia which he taken root. They are producing also involved in an interna- tor for Anglo American. took up for about four years. A tional project to sequence the fulltime MBA followed, before Online reading tomato genome, because the returning to London where he tomato is a good model plant Felix mascot worked on the privatisation of High levels of contribu- for studying traits in all fleshy helps London Underground. tions mean that some fruit-bearing species. Rio Tinto offered him an op- articles have been ab- The third research group College team portunity back in mining which breviated. If there is an has planted small legume AIDED by the reassuring pres- he jumped at. Coen is now with asterisk * at the end, go – medicago truncatula or ence of mascot Felix the Cat, Rio Tinto’s copper and diamonds to www.imperial.ac.uk/ barrel medic – to investigate Imperial students sailed through product group, working on its how plants defend themselves their first University Challenge engineering/about/ copper joint venture operations against aphids. Particular varie- round with an impressive 175 alumni/imperialengineer such as Escondida and Grasberg, ties tend to be either highly points compared to the Univer- two of the largest copper mines to read them in full. susceptible or highly resistant sity of Southampton’s 135. in the world.

IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 5 NEWS & REVIEWS Associations Dame Julia hands over at CGCA DIARY AFTER the financial reports, various pathways to sustainability continue John Loughhead was unanimously (conservation, renewables, nuclear DATES elected president at the CGCA’s and the other usual suspects), he support... AGM in May. Over 50 members concentrated on the transport present watched past president sector as a major area for im- 2009 ...at CGCA Julia Higgins transfer the badge provement since this represents Friday November 20 CGCA ‘s Old Centralians’ Trust of office to him. The election of about 25% of the total, with road RSMA 125th Annual Dinner, continues to generously sup- other officers followed and the transport alone accounting for Ballroom, Polish Club Ognisko, 55 port students on the UROP meeting was adjourned shortly 80% of this, or 20% of the total. Exhibition Road. 19:00 for 19:30. programme. In addition, its Stu- after 6pm. The two major avenues for Sat’day November 21 dent Activity Award for 2009- Following the meeting, mem- tackling this challenge are obvious- Walk – City Bridges, meet St 10 is supporting a third and a bers enjoyed an illustrated talk by ly technological and behavioural Paul’s tube booking office, 10:45. fourth year students from each Dr Nigel Brandon, Shell Profes- change (better journey planning, For all walks contact John Back- of the nine departments within sor of Sustainable Development lower driving speeds). Professor hurst at johnsheilabackhurst@ the Engineering Faculty. in Energy. Brandon guided us smoothly tiscali.co.uk Each of those selected from His talk, ‘Engineering our through the facts and the options Sat’day November 28 a long list of applicants, received Energy Future’, started with an and, whilst offering no panaceas, CGCA Decade Reunion Luncheon, £700 at the start of the autumn elegant dissection of the primary left his audience with the feeling that progress is possible. Polish Club Ognisko (as above), term. contributors to CO2 emissions in 12:00 for 12:30. Everyone who applied had the UK. He then discussed what Bill McAuley to convince tutors, heads of might be done to meet the ‘quite Th’sday December10 department and the Dean of challenging’ government target of Julia Higgins with John CGCA Christmas Lunchtime Engineering, that he or she 80% reduction by 2050. Loughhead and senior vice Seminar,170 Queen’s Gate, 12:00 needed the award to help them After a broad review of the president Chris Hankin. for 12:30. in their considerable commit- 2010 ment to social and academic Saturday February 6 life. The money is helping them Walk round Smithfield, meet St live closer to College and be Paul’s tube booking office. closely involved in activities that would be difficult for them to Tuesday March 16 organise or support if they lived CGCA Annual Dinner, Carpenters’ further away. Hall, 18:45 to 22:4. See booking form inserted in this issue. ...and RSMA Saturday April 10 JONATHAN Phillips, a first Walk in Clerkenwell, meet Far- year research postgraduate in ringdon tube booking office. Materials won the RSMA an- Tuesday May 25 nual essay competition which CGCA AGM & President’s Evening, is open to all students in the Read Lecture Theatre 17:30. Faculty of Engineering. Supper venue tbc. His essay, under the pre- Imperial alumni in the club scribed 2,000 words and on any Saturday June 5 A LEAGUE table of the earning cludes medical graduates from topic making a link between the Walk round Old Shoreditch. Meet power of university degrees seven institutions including environment and engineering Old Street tube booking office. has revealed an elite of courses Imperial, and graduates from was entitled ‘How can layered whose graduates go into jobs Imperial’s Departments of Tuesday June 15 double hydroxides be employed paying an average of more than Mechanical Engineering and Faculty of Engineering Teaching to remedy current global envi- £30,000. The ‘£30,000 club’ in- Computing. Awards Ceremony and Reception. ronmental issues?’. Jonathan re- Venue tbc. ceived an engraved silver medal Thursday June 24 and cheque at the Final Year RSMA AGM/Final Year barbecue. Students’ Barbecue which was,, WE NEED YOUR NEWS Venue tbc. once again, a great success. The RSMA continues to Let us know your news and stories. award loans and grants to assist Or have you an idea for a feature? students in financial difficulties. For more Editorial assistance is available! information and It also sponsored three stu- dents on the UROP programme Contacts are Teresa or Rosie booking for any of for 50% of their maintenance ([email protected] these events, costs for 10 weeks over the contact summer vacation. [email protected]) the Chapter Office The recently inaugurated (as page two) Peter Harding Memorial Prize, or phone awarded for outstanding service STORY IDEAS FOR THE NEXT ISSUE BY FEBRUARY 8. 020 7594 1184 to the RSM was awarded post- FINAL COPY DEADLINE BY MARCH 26 2010 humously to Bill Harman.

6 IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 NEWS & REVIEWS Consensus not dictating is the the way I’VE BEEN principal of the Engineer- down boundaries and study other sub- ing Faculty now for 10 months and 13 jects. It doesn’t have to be in engineer- days and I love it. ing either, it can be any subject that So Stephen Richardson (CTEC 69) interests them. began a description of his present With engineering you need to job. Apart from four years at Cam- know your basic stuff and then you bridge, he has spent all his years from need to get the student to understand schooldays at Imperial. His PhD was the social engineering that this entails. in chemical engineering: his thesis being: Numerical Solution of the 3D When did your interests change from Navier-Stokes Equations. thermoplastics to blowdown research? By accident. My colleague, Dr Graham How did you like Cambridge after Saville, and I got an enquiry from John being at Imperial? Brown from just across the Park, asking I liked it very much, although I was if we would do a little job on a blow- born and educated in London, which down problem. has a buzz about it. In Cambridge you We realised that nobody really under- tend to meet the same people in the stood this blowndown area so, when evening as you’ve met during the day. the following year Shell said they had £150,000 to spend on research, we Tell me what your thoughts and ac- Professor Stephen suggested the blowdown problem. tions have been since you have been Richardson talks to That was in 1985. Principal here? The thermoplasic industry was Against the ethos of previous princi- Colleen Richardson disappearing in the UK at this time. pals, I am a consensus person and try (no relation) about It was going bankrupt faster than any to keep telling people what to do to a other industry in the country, so we minimum. being principal of the were very happy to change to some- It’s far better to have a group Engineering Faculty thing else. discussion where you refine the ideas We told Shell that we had identi- and then better ideas come out of it and his views on other fied the blowdown problem, which such as setting up a new course or subjects was the rapid depressurisation of a ves- something like that. sel or pipeline. This was to reduce the risk posed by a process emergency. know what algebra is about – they The computer program we devel- What about so many foreign stu- can do the machinery and the process dents? Do they cause a problem? oped, called Blowdown, can simulate but they don’t realise that it’s just a and predict what happens during Several years ago there was a small symbol. It’s very easy to teach people blowdown. It has been used to provide problem where a group of chemi- techniques but it’s harder to teach evidence in major accident investiga- cal engineers called themselves ‘The people what is behind it – like why tions, such as those following the Brits’, but that has completely disap- are you doing any of it? incident at Piper Alpha and Longford. peared now and it’s great. Imperial is You need to be able to talk across cosmopoliton in the best sense: multi the boundaries. As usual it’s all about You talked about first year students international in the best sense. balance. For instance, if you become learning the basic stuff about engi- totally deep in one area, that’s fine, but neering, do you find them receptive to Do you see a change in the students you’ll never be able to talk to anyone other disciplines? at Imperial over the last 31 years? about it. Not at first. Engineering is still fairly Yes and no. They are as bright as they The example I would give is my compartmentalised but we are trying ever were but now they can do some Blowdown computer program. I to break this down. 1st year students things less well than I could. But in need to know chemical engineering get a load of lectures about eminent some ways they are better than I was. to know what is going on inside the people looking at big problems of I could do maths far better than they pipes, vessels or whatever; enough which they have already heard about. can when they come here, but on the about materials and mechanical engi- So they realise that this is not just other hand I couldn’t have made a neering to know what’s going to hap- chemical, mechanical and electrical presentation to somebody. They are pen with the containment; something engineering but is engineering with a more confident and can put a case about the atmosphere, and a little bit of social interruption, because in together: they can stand up in front of about the law. the end you’re going to affect how hu- people and sound pretty convincing. Here, we give fourth year students man beings and the rest of the world On the other hand they don’t a ‘flexible Friday’, where they break behaves.

IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 7 ENGINEERING NEWS ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENTS IN & AROUND IMPERIAL

College comment... Speed of light to fuel computers THE ENGINEERING and Physi- The £6 million research pro- tailor-made to interact with light ...on air storage cal Sciences Research Council gramme will use nano-plasmonic in an unusual and highly control- ‘STORAGE technology is good, (EPSRC) is funding Imperial and devices whose key components led way. This means they could but it will be expensive to build Queen’s University to establish are tiny nanoscale metal struc- one day be used to build new and still more expensive than fos- a world-leading research pro- tures – more then 100 times kinds of super high-speed ‘optical sil-fuel power’, comments Bikash gramme to develop computers smaller than the width of a hu- computers’. Pal (EE), speaking about technol- which can use light to process man hair –w that guide and direct At present, the speed with ogy to use electricity from wind large amounts of data faster than light. which computers process in- farms to compress air and store ever before. The structures have been formation is limited by the time it below ground. When the skies it takes for information to be are still, it can be released to drive transferred between electronic turbines and generate electricity. Computing tool is gene genius components. Currently this is ‘If there was a way of capturing done using nanoscale metallic wider socio-economic benefits, RESEARCHERS in Computing at Imperial are developing a new tool to help scientists predict how plants will react to wires that transmit the signals it would make a big difference to as an electric current. the scheme’s economics.’ different environmental conditions, in order to create better crops. The prototype can analyse in a matter of minutes, To speed up the process, the instead of months, which genes are responsible for differ- scientists hope to develop a way ...on oriental risk ent processes inside a plant, and how different genes work of sending the signals along the CHINA and India both have together. Professor Stephen Muggleton says: ‘We believe same wires in the form of light. strong appetites for develop- our computing tool will revolutionise agricultural research The project is also support- ing low carbon technologies, by making the process much faster than is currently pos- ed by INTEL, Seagate, Ericsson, contrary to popular belief, says sible using conventional techniques. We hope that our new Oxonica, IMEC and the National Professor Nigel Brandon (ESE), technology will ultimately help farmers to produce hardier, Physics Laboratory. a leader in the UK’s drive for longer lasting and more nutritious crops.’ international collaborations in the energy sector. ‘China False bone knows that it is at risk of being Robot use for real-time one of the countries impacted A ROBOTIC device to enable surgeons to control an gives hope at an early stage, not so much endoscope remotely while a patient is inside a magnetic IMPERIAL researchers have from rising sea waters but from resonance imaging (MRI) machine is now in prototype in been comparing the ‘bone-like’ rainfall and access to water’. Mech Eng. This will give real-time images of organs during material grown in laboratories gastric procedures and prostate biopsies. using three different commonly ...on blackouts ‘We are trying to produce complex machines to replace used cell types. They have dis- SEVENTIES-STYLE blackouts surgical hand tools’, says Dr Mike Rustic. ‘It’s like when indus- covered significant differences may be looming, due to a pre- try moved from a chisel and hammer to machine tools.’ between the quality of bone-like dicted 3,000 megawatt hour material formed. shortage of energy supply by Professor Molly Stevens 2017. Dr Jon Gibbins (Mech Eng) (Materials): ‘Many patients who says the UK has left it too late to Calculations don’t add up have had bone removed be- start approving new nuclear sta- IMPERIAL’S Centre for Environmental Policy has warned that cause of tumours or accidents tions and an over-reliance on gas- UN negotiations aimed at tackling climate change are based on live in real pain. By repairing fired stations makes it vulnerable substantial underestimates of the costs to adapt to its impacts. bone defect sites in the body to the whims of countries such Real costs are likely to be two to three times greater. Lead with bone-like material that best as Russia. Policies at the mo- author of the Centre’s report, Professor Martin Parry says it mimics the properties of their ment just look like somebody would be fair to say they were based on back-of-the-envelope real bone we could improve in a Government office making calculations. The numbers don’t stack up. their lives immeasurably’. up numbers, he says. ...on new Sun Deforestation bad for Amazon communities SUN specialist Dr Joanna Haigh CLEARING the Amazon rain- ably because people capitalise One of the authors, Imperi- says: ‘If you thought the Earth was forest increases Brazilian com- on newly available natural re- al’s Dr Rob Ewers says: ‘Along going to warm up because of more munities’ wealth and quality of sources, including timber, min- with environmental concerns, solar activity, you might perhaps life, but these improvements are erals and land for pasture, and the fact these benefits are not expect it to get warmer every- short-lived, according to new higher incomes and new roads sustained is another good rea- where. This is not the case’. She research published by Imperial lead to improved access to edu- son to restrict further deforest- has found an apparent connection and Cambridge University. cation and medical care. ation in the Amazon. ‘And’, he between solar activity and regions The researchers’ analysis New results suggest that im- says ‘in areas that are currently of warming around Earth’s midsec- revealed that the locals’ quality provements are transitory. Qual- being deforested, the process tion and is furthering her research of life – measured by income, lit- ity of life pre- and post-deforest- needs to be better managed while the Sun is at its lowest activ- eracy and longevity – increases ation was substantially lower than to ensure that, for local people, ity for nearly 100 years. quickly during the early stages the Brazilian national average and boom isn’t necessarily followed of deforestation. This is prob- has not changed. by bust.’

8 IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 ENGINEERING NEWS ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENTS IN & AROUND IMPERIAL Magnetic development story of ‘green’ fridge IMPERIAL researchers are a could provide a ‘green’ alterna- improved materials that provide efficiently when a magnetic field step closer to making ‘magnetic’ tive to energy-guzzling fridges highly efficient cooling at normal is applied and removed. refrigerators and air conditioning and air conditioners. room temperatures, so that the This is an exciting discov- systems a reality. They have dis- The technology, based on technology can be rolled out ery because it means they may covered the pattern of crystals research funded in the UK by the from the lab to people’s homes one day be able to tailor-make inside different alloys – known Engineering and Physical Sciences and businesses. a material from the ‘bottom up’, as their microstructure – has a Research Council (EPSRC), has The scentists developing starting with the microstructure, direct effect on how well they proved possible in the lab but the technology are looking for so it ticks all the boxes required could perform. Such technology researchers are still looking for a material that can heat and cool to run a magnetic fridge.

Plants show Acid in meteorite College comment... the way Biomass doubt ‘IF THE leaf can do it, we can key in Earth’s kitchen GOVERNMENT support for do it, but even better.’ So says FORMIC acid, a molecule im- Professor Mark Sephton, power produced through Professor James Barber of Im- plicated in the origins of life, whose team has recently been biomass may be encourag- perial about mimicking green has been found in levels four studying formic acid found in an ing an increase in the amount plants’ ability to turn carbon times higher than previously Australian meteorite, says: ‘It is of plant and organic waste dioxide to oxygen while pho- recorded on other meteorites, likely to have been an important imported into the UK, poten- tosynthesising. He adds: ‘But it on one that fell into a Canadian ‘ingredient in the kitchen on tially undermining the benefits doesn’t mean you try to build lake in 2000. Earth before life began’. of using the low carbon fuel exactly what a leaf has’. The particular types, or Formic acid is known to act in place of coal or gas. In fact, his Imperial team isotopes, of hydrogen that are as a reducing agent – acting as a According to consultants believes a process could be found in the formic acid show magnet for oxygen atoms dur- Ernst & Young, the UK would even more effective than plants that it most likely formed in the ing chemical reactions – and fa- need about 25 million tonnes in creating a never-ending sup- cold regions of space before cilitate the conversion of some of biomass to fuel the power ply of clean power. our solar system existed. amino acids into others. plants now planned, but only a ‘Cub’ robot fraction of that could be pro- duced within UK borders. WORLDWIDE a humanoid Imperial inspiring In addition, Professor robot the size of a three year Richard Templer, director of old child, is being used by re- space-age generation Imperial’s Porter Institute searchers trying to understand IMPERIAL is organising a contest be inspired and see that there for Sustainable Bioenergy how humans learn and think. to select a UK team to enter are many exciting and varied Research, comments: ‘With At Imperial, Professor Mur- the 16th Annual International career opportunities in science importing, you don’t know ray Shanahan (Computing) is Space Settlement Design Com- and engineering’, says Dr Randall if the trees are being logged teaching his iCub to carry out petition. Perry (Earth Science and Engi- sustainably, or if they are being basic motor tasks, such as mak- ‘The winning UK team will neering). ‘Who knows, we could replanted’. ing circular hand movements, get the chance to talk to world- be inspiring the next generation using a network of artificial neu- leading scientists at NASA who of engineers who will actually rons. He believes it is a more are at the cutting edge of space design real space settlements for Aussie aid biologically plausible model than exploration. We hope they will colonists of the future.’ ‘TRYING to interpret what typical networks – one in which happened in the early solar the temporal dynamics of neu- system without knowing rons is also modelled. where meteorites are from is NOWHERE UK like trying to interpret the ge- Health imaging A NEW Royal Academy of ‘The UK missed out in the ology of Britain from random A CHEMICAL imaging tech- Engineering report has called 1970s microchip revolution rocks dumped in your grden’, nique for use by doctors to for a minimum investment of because the government and says Dr Phil Bland (ESE). characterise the chemistry of le- £350m over 10 years in syn- decision-makers were not fully However, the new Desert sions and identify the ones that thetic biology – the science of informed by experts about its Fireball Network in Western are likely to rupture and cause engineering genes to transform potential’, lead author Pro- Australia will help solve this heart attacks and strokes is be- micro-organisms and poten- fessor Richard Kitney (Bio- problem. It has four robotic ing developed in the Depart- tially create new ones. engineering) comments. He cameras spread over roughly ment of Chemical Engineering. adds: ‘Academics in the UK 250,000 square kilometres, Lead author, Professor Sergei The source of some are probably number two to which record bright meteors, Kazarian said: ‘Atherosclerosis of these articles and the US in synthetic biology. or fireballs, falling through can be dangerous and our hope some of the words But in terms of industry we’re Earth’s atmosphere. It has al- is that our approaches could come from Reporter, nowhere’. ready found a rare meteorite ultimately be used to determine newspaper of Imperial Read about synthetic biolo- that may have been born in which patients are most at risk College. gy research at Imperial: www3. Earth’s neighbourhood. of complications’. imperial.ac.uk/systemsbiology

IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 9 FEATURES

This time our feature articles take us from current engineering topics to those from alumni involved in fields far removed from their degree subjects.

BASED on a survey of more than 1,500 supply chain executives from 10 in- dustries in 21 countries, the Accenture High Performance Supply Chain study Closing the gap is among the most extensive research efforts ever conducted in the arena of A survey of UK logistics professionals finds supply chain management. responses to the recession at variance with best practice Covering six supply chain functions – fulfillment, manufacturing, planning, sourcing and procurement, service man- by Rup Banerjee agement and product development – it changing market conditions effectively. events of the sort that have characterised defined supply chain ‘masters’ as those Right across industry sectors, the recent months. As a result, they continue organisations that were in the top 10% story was the same: too much working within each specific functions. to effectively balance supply and demand capital was tied up in stagnant inven- In conjunction with the Chartered at optimum inventory levels. tory – either simply too much product Institute of Logistics and Transport (UK), in relation to current demand, or worse, Accenture has now surveyed a group of the wrong type of product as well. A true partnership? predominantly UK-based logistics, supply In theory, today’s more rigorous ap- chain and transport executives, probing Given that the ability to manage proach to service provider selection and the effect of the present recession on working capital effectively is a major de- procurement should have resulted in their operations, and identifying those terminant of business viability, this was organisations enjoying strong partner- responses to the downturn that best ena- worrying. And, of course, surplus inven- ships with their providers, resulting in bles organisations to tackle the adversity tory adds to operating costs, as well as levels of flexibility and responsiveness they face. tying up financial resources. That said, that help meet the challenges of the The outline findings make for som- nearly three-quarters of respondents present downturn. bre reading. Without doubt, the speed In fact, the survey found that half the of change and the far-reaching effects – 74% – reported that actions were respondents indicated that their supply of the current global economy have underway to rectify the situation. chain agreements with service providers adversely impacted UK supply chains on Those changes included: did not in practice facilitate extraordi- a significant scale. l Selling-off inventory, which nary changes, and were consequently But while the majority of organisa- provides short-term relief, but which more inflexible than they would wish. tions surveyed are indeed attempting may condition customers to expect Typically, it turned out, organisa- to adapt their supply chains to chang- tions are contracted to and tied-in with ing market conditions, they do so deep discounting service providers for specific periods handicapped by three challenges: excess l Reducing lead time and of between one and five years, together inventory, inflexible contract frameworks boosting flexibility by sourcing closer with those contracts’ fixed fees, volumes, with logistics service providers, and a to home, albeit at the cost of further predetermined activities and operat- limited understanding of how customer investment in supplier qualification ing models. These are constraints that needs have changed. in the current market are undoubtedly In short, there is a significant gap exercises challenging, given the importance of between the current supply chain l Reviewing and changing flexibility and adaptability to business capabilities of many of these organisa- suppliers or wholesalers – making survival. tions and those capabilities that Accen- strategic vs tactical decisions, in other Yet the evidence is that it’s possible ture has found representative of supply words, based on guarantees of supply to go much further towards meeting chain ‘masters’ – organisations that enjoy or the ability to serve customers flexible, lean and dynamic supply chains, current market conditions. Leading with end-to-end collaboration and vis- Will these tactics work? Supply organisations, the survey found, put con- ibility, and which continually deliver su- chain ‘masters’, which not only tend to siderable effort into building flexibility perior customer service and operational turn over their finished goods inventory into their supply chain contracts, with supply chain ‘masters’ working collabo- cost performance. four times faster than supply chain low- The issue, then, is how big is this gap ratively with logistics service providers performers, but which also achieve a 5% – and what can be done to close it? to develop flexibility within their supply better performance in customer order chain operations. Right Inventory, fill rates, offer some pointers. Right Place, Right Time? Rather than operating along purely Meeting Inventory management is an obvious functional lines, successful organisa- customer expectations? problem area. Nearly two-thirds of tions operate with truly cross-functional In today’s economy, meeting customer survey respondents reported that the processes and management structures. expectations is more important than level of inventory in their organisations Equally, supply chain ‘masters’ plan for ever. And more than ever, ‘on time in was inhibiting their ability to respond to – and rapidly respond to – disruptive full’– the key metric for logistics opera-

10 IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 FEATURES tions – involves defining precisely what ‘on time’ and ‘in full’ actually mean to RUP BANERJEE graduated in 1992 from the multiple customer segments, particularly RSM with a BEng (Hons) in materials science and when different customers have different engineering. His career has taken him from Esso needs and a different cost-to-serve. Petroleum in multiple roles across the down- Yet ironically, this service differen- stream supply chain to Accenture (UK) Ltd. which tiation has become more difficult to he joined in 2000. Rup is a senior manager within undertake. Customer bases have been its Supply Chain Management practice and is a segmented, and service offerings cus- chartered member of the Chartered Institute of tomised to a point which in some cases comes close to constituting a unique Logistics and Transport (UK). A longer version of offering. this article appeared in its June Focus magazine Evidence of this clearly appears in Rup maintains close contact with the RSMA and is hon treasurer of the RSMA. the survey: while most organisations Reach him at [email protected] reported that they were able to partly segment and quantify the cost of serving examining their costs to serve, under- are turning to traditional cost-reduction their customers, only 39 percent report- standing their customers’ strategic value initiatives rather than carbon-centric ed being able to fully adjust their offering and establishing their customers’ ability ones. Here lies danger. Although many and service levels to the requirements of to respond to supplier service changes. organisations are de-emphasising their their customer base. In turn, this process delivers additional green initiatives, they must be careful. A In contrast, Accenture’s High Per- benefits as organisations come to better properly-managed green initiative often formance Supply Chain study shows that understand the need to rationalise dis- cuts costs as well as cutting carbon supply chain ‘masters’ have a channel tributors, improve operational efficiency, emissions. strategy that is driven by product and cus- and increase their focus on key custom- Accenture’s High Performance tomer needs, and that these organisations ers and accounts. Supply Chain study demonstrates that actively manage the trade-off between the supply chain ‘masters’ understand all cost and service for each channel. As a too well the link between such carbon- result, ‘masters’ on average achieve an ‘on Sustainable performance? reducing tactics as route optimiswation time in full’ performance that is some 13% Despite the present downturn, the and improved load factors, and the better than low-performers. issue of environmental responsibility consequent impact on overall logistics Of course, adjusting offerings and hasn’t gone away. Again and again, we costs. Taking established and proven service levels in an environment con- hear of a heightened boardroom focus technologies and initiative – including strained by an over-supply of inventory, on the ‘carbon agenda’. streamlined vehicle design, centralised inflexible supply chain contracts and Yet ironically, the present eco- transport planning, and low-resistance volatile ever-changing customer require- nomic conditions force organisations tires – they deliver carbon benefits ments is challenging. to justify the expenditure and effort alongside undoubted improvements in Yet the good news highlighted by the spent on new initiatives based only operational performance. on the most tangible of returns. Conse- survey is that despite the increased com- And, in truth, delivering cost-jus- quently – and unsurprisingly – half of plexities of customer segmentation, there tifiable carbon initiatives need not be the survey respondents indicated that complex. They are easily integrated into is evidence that organisations are starting they were unable to quantify the sav- to respond to the need to improve their ings achieved through carbon traditional cost-reduction initiatives, and ability to differentiate their offerings. initiatives. as such can be considered as a missed Organisations are reviewing and As a result, 67% of the survey opportunity in the current operating redefining their service offerings by re- respondents indicate their organisations environment.

WHAT picture emerges, then, from this slowly to market changes brief snapshot of UK logistics practices Conclusion l Customer offerings are not at a time of major economic upset? easily adjustable to changing market First, there can be no doubt that mistake, given the positive impact on tradi- conditions changed market conditions have had tional cost-cutting initiatives that can come The stark message is that in an a major impact on the physical supply from actions to reduce carbon emissions. increasingly volatile and multi-po- chains of UK businesses. Most organisa- In short, organisations are missing out on lar world, the organisations that are tions have recognised the imperative an opportunity to develop operations that succeeding in the logistics arena are for rapid changes, and have put actions are more sustainable as well as more cost- precisely those that have the charac- in place. While some of these actions effective. teristics associated with supply chain have had a positive effect on the ability Third, the survey concluded that while ‘masters’– lean and flexible supply chains, of organisations to operate effectively, the majority of organisations are taking end-to-end visibility across those supply others have been less effective – gener- action to make changes in the way they chains, fair-but-flexible contracts with ally as a result of the limited capabilities operate, obstacles still remain. In particular: service providers, and an understanding still evident within some areas of the l Excess inventory is making of how best to harness carbon-based supply chain. change painful and impacting cost and initiatives to the broader operational Second, the downturn has seen service levels agenda. The trick, for those not so a reduction in the focus on carbon l Current supply chain agreements fortunate, lies in learning how to emulate initiatives. This may well prove to be a are not flexible and as a result adjust only them – and quickly.

IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 11 FEATURES THERE CAN be few people in the With his expertise in the production and developed world who have not heard of the potential of hydrogen as a clean marketing of gases, Professor Keith Guy (Chem Eng ‘fuel’ which used in ‘fuel cells’ or burnt 70) writes about a subject of supreme interest in internal combustion engines, would produce power with only water as a by-product. More correctly, since hy- The drogen has to be extracted from hydro carbons, rather than extracted from the Hydrogen Economy earth, it would be an energy carrier, like electricity, rather than a fuel. the energy need could be met, but There are a number of challenges In which case, what is wrong do not comment on how the energy to be met. with electricity? The simple answer would be distributed. Many of the Most fuel cells use hydrogen to is that whilst electricity can be made sources shown also have problems of generate electricity, and hydrogen in a variety of ways that would reduce seasonality or diurnal changes. The is the least dense gas. A tonne of emissions, it is very difficult to store in wind doesn’t blow all the time and, hydrogen has a volume of more than any large quantities and, unless battery even in deserts, night falls on solar ar- 11000m3 at atmospheric pressure, technology undergoes a step-change rays of all types. compared with about 800m3 in the in energy density, it is not conven- This emphasises the need to pro- case of air and just over 1m3 in the iently portable. vide an energy storage system. case of a liquid fuel like gasoline. Even The other trend that needs to be allowing for the fact that hydrogen de- Versatile dealt with is that with development livers more than three times as much Hydrogen has been viewed as having comes increased ownership of private energy as gasoline by weight, it is obvi- the potential to provide both a means transport and this becomes a signifi- ous that one of the main challenges is of transmitting energy and of being cant source of emissions, particularly in storage. both storable and transportable. the urban environment. The modern story really starts One proposed solution to this is to Chemical or physical in California in the late 1980s when use ‘fuel cells’ where hydrogen com- Many research programmes are under- legislation was proposed to reduce bines with oxygen from the air to pro- way to identify storage systems that are pollution from urban transport against duce electricity in an efficient manner. better than high-pressure cylinders or some key deadlines. Since then billions The concept was invented by Sir liquid hydrogen, the current main op- of dollars have been spent both by William Grove in 1839 and first used tions. Systems studied are either chemi- governments and private organisations in the Apollo Space programme in the cal or physical. In the former, hydrogen to identify and test the best techno- 1960s. Significant progress has been is reacted with a carrier to produce a logical solutions. made in recent years in increasing stable solid or liquid and this is then The driving force for much of the the compactness of fuel cells, increas- converted back to the carrier and effort was not just the huge current ing their lifetime and thus reducing hydrogen by some combination of energy demand, but the prospective their evaluated cost. Most major car catalysis, heat and pressure change. demand as developing nations im- manufacturers, energy companies and The carrier can either be recycled proved their standard of living. Few of numerous technology companies have or replenished. Typical carriers are us realise that over 1.6 billion people been involved in joint venture activi- metals like nickel which form hydrides, have no access to electricity and 2.6 ties aimed at one of two ends; automo- chemicals like benzene which can be billion have only biomass for heating tive systems or distributed stationary made into hydrogen-rich cyclohexane and cooking. Projections look at how power systems. and simple molecules like nitrogen (to ammonia) and carbon monoxide (to methanol). KEITH GUY went up to Imperial in 1962 and stayed Many of the carriers proposed have and stayed. While chairman of the entertainments undesirable safety, health and envi- committee for three years, he had the pleasure of ronmental side-issues, carry too little putting on many of the top acts of the day, including hydrogen or have poor economics. Hendrix’s last concert at the Albert Hall. Nonetheless a number of them have In1970, he persuaded oil refineries to remove found niche applications. The poor sulphur from most of their products and developed hydrogen density of nickel hydrides an expertise in production and marketing of large volumes of hydrogen, primarily for sale to oil compa- may be unimportant in stationary use nies. This developed into an interest in the hydrogen or in ships where it could replace bal- economy and 15 years later he’s still writing articles about it. last. The boron hydride system, which Keith left Air Products after 28 years to start an industrial gas consultancy offers good potential for disposable business. He says the last 10 years have been wonderfully unpredictable, plug-in cartridges, has obvious benefits advising major companies about industrial gases and industrial gas companies for military applications and may be about their customers’ needs. Best of all, he has become a visiting professor at Imperial and chaired a number of university spin-off companies through their developed to larger scale applications. early years. The physical systems generally in- No two days are ever the same and that’s the way he likes it. volve the adsorption of hydrogen onto

12 IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 FEATURES or into a micro- or nano- porous body. Fortunately, many of the demon- nately this is also the least economic In spite of hype about carbon nano- stration projects have shown that it is method. tubes, the weight ratio of most systems possible to provide hydrogen filling On the other hand, large steam re- fall significantly short of the 9% target stations which can operate safely and former hydrogen production facilities set by the US DOE and do not compare reliably. The first US public hydrogen with gas or liquid transport to filling with cylinders. However a recent de- filling station opened two year ago in stations offer the best economics and, velopment, at the Technical University Washington DC and there are now with certain techniques for carbon of Denmark, has found a way of storing many more worldwide, particularly dioxide capture, acceptable envi- ammonia which is an excellent but in California and Japan. ������������A recent an- ronmental impact, but they still use toxic carrier of hydrogen, on magne- nouncement in Germany, of a hydrogen hydrocarbon feedstocks. The worst of sium chloride tablets. This produces a infrastructure by 2015, is a key step all worlds is using fossil-fuel-generated safe storage system that holds 9.1% of to a Europe-wide hydrogen filling electricity to power electrolysis at the hydrogen by weight. It is now attracting network. filling station. significant interest. The most common way that on-pur- The graphs show the cost per kilo- The second major challenge to pose hydrogen is produced today is by metre of fuel cell system light vehicles the development of the hydrogen economy is the cost of fuel cells. Cur- rently they cost about $1600+ per kW depending on type. Whilst this is acceptable for demonstration projects, the additional cost for a 40kW car drive system is clearly unacceptable. The costs need to fall to $60-$100 per kW for them to become acceptable for significant market penetration in the transport system. Significant progress continues to be made and fuel cells are finding ap- plications in niche applications, compared such as secure power systems for with untaxed remote telecommunications cen- gasoline, using tres and urban transport demon- feedstock strations. Fuel cell sales, in 2004, costs that are were 3000 units and, by 2008, aligned. The about 11000 units world-wide, so various op- clearly there is a long way to go. tions consid- The final challenge is how to ered include generate and deliver hydrogen in the average an economic manner, compared size of the with conventional fuels, and be filling station moreefficient over the whole and, in the energy cycle – ‘well to wheel’. case of small There are clearly many ways of local steam delivering hydrogen to fuel cells. reformers, Significant research has been how many spent on ‘on-board’ processing of have been fossil fuels, like gasoline, to produce steam methane reforming or a variant built, since this influence the capital hydrogen for the fuel cell drive system. of this. Smaller amounts of hydrogen cost. The second chart shows the Similarly, attention is focused on a new are produced by electrolysis or by the carbon dioxide emissions per 1000 generation of high temperature fuel dissociation of ammonia or methanol. kilometres for various supply schemes cells that could process hydrocarbon If hydrogen is produced centrally, then all of which, except electrolysis from fuels directly. the additional cost of transporting it grid power, have lower emissions than However, none of these offer the to the filling site and storing it has to gasoline. same reduction in environmental be less than the economies of scale So when will all of this come impact that would be available from compared to local production. In addi- about? Optimistic, early 21st century hydrogen produced from benign or tion the environmental impact of any announcements by the motor industry renewable sources or from fossil fuels chosen scheme has to be minimised. promised the first mass market hydro- with carbon capture technology. Much Studies have been made of the cost gen powered vehicles in 2008-2010. of this research was to unlock the and environmental impact of a number The Honda Company has just leased ‘Catch-22’ problem of no fuel, nobody of schemes. The least impact comes 200 fuel cell powered vehicles in Cali- buys fuel-cell cars: no fuel-cell cars, from wind generation driving electroly- nobody builds fuel stations. sis at the filling station, but unfortu- (Continued on page 16)

IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 13 FEATURES

What is CEEQUAL? CEEQUAL is the assessment & awards scheme for improving sustainability CEEQUAL assesses environmental in civil engineering and public realm projects. Its objective is to encourage the attainment of excellence in environmental and social performance on such projects, and social quality of engineering through improved project specification, design and construction. CEEQUAL Awards Professor Roger Venables outlines CEEQUAL – the Civil Engineering are achievement awards, rather than the Environmental Quality Assessment and Awards Scheme. He reports on result of a competition, and can be applied its recent progress and explains how CEEQUAL is improving sustain- for atany time. ability on civil engineering and public realm projects. CEEQUAL is not, in the strict definition of sustainability, a ‘sustainability assessment any size or description. An award is ment; energy and carbon; material use; waste tool’. It does not assess a client’s economic given to schemes that have been as- management; transport; effects on neighbours, and financial analysis, nor does it judge sessed and verified against 200 scored and relations with the local community and whether planning permission was a wise questions organised in 12 sections. other stakeholders. decision. But with exception of health and Awards are made to projects for which Five types of award are available: safety performance, CEEQUAL ❑ Whole Project Award does assess all environmental (WPA) – the most-used Award, issues on civil engineering and for a joint application by the public realm projects and many client, designer and principal of the social issues affecting contractor; neighbours – see the chart, right. ❑ Client & Design Award CEEQUAL was developed – for a joint application by the between 1999 and 2004 by a client and designer; team led by the Institution of ❑ Design Award – for princi- Civil Engineers (ICE). CEEQUAL pal designers only; Ltd now operates the Scheme ❑ Design & Build Award and is owned by a group of 15 – for a joint application by the organisations actively involved contractor and their designer; in originating the project. They ❑ Construction Award – for nclude the ICE, the Association principal contractors only. for Consultancy & Engineering, In addition, the Client & (Out- the Civil Engineering Contrac- line) Design Award is available tors Association and the Chartered Institu- clients, designers and constructors can as an integrated interim award en route to a tion of Water & Environmental Manage- demonstrate, with evidence, that they Whole Project Award. ment. It is presently a tool for the UK and have gone beyond legal and environ- CEEQUAL has made significant progress the Republic of Ireland, with discussions mental minima to achieve distinctive in uptake in the five years since it was underway with possible collaborators for environmental and social standards in launched for public use in mid-2004. Further the development of CEEQUAL schemes, or their work. details are available at www.ceequal.com, equivalents, in a number of countries or CEEQUAL has 12 sections for as- from where the Scheme Description & Proc- regions outside the UK. sessment – project management; land ess Manual and the Assessment Manual for use; landscape issues (includes rural Projects Version 4 can be downloaded. Who can get a CEEQUAL Award? landscape and townscape); ecology and Progress with the CEEQUAL Scheme CEEQUAL Awards can be applied to civil biodiversity; the historic environment; includes these key achievements. engineering and public realm projects of water resources and the water environ- ● 208 project teams have applied to use the formal Scheme for verified assessments. ● 45 projects have completed verified ROGER VENABLES, BSc(Eng) DipM CEng CEnv FICE MCIM ACGI, was at Imperial from 1966 to 1969, where he met (and married in assessments and received awards, with an ad- 1970) fellow student Jean, who is president 2008-9 of the Institu- ditional 14 interim awards presented. tion of Civil Engineers (ICE). ● A further 160 or so projects are being With Wimpey, when it was still a major civil engineering com- assessed. pany, he then spent 15 years at CIRIA before joining Jean in their ● The total construction value of all own firm, Venables Consultancy in 1989. In 1994, they established projects that have been, or are being assessed, Crane Environmental with friend and ecologist John Newton, to now exceeds £12.5 billion. assist construction-related organisations improve their environmental and sus- tainability performance. ● CEEQUAL is being used for all types and In 1999, Roger triggered the start of an ICE-led project to develop what sizes of civil engineering and public realm turned into CEEQUAL. It went fully operational in 2004. He is now its chief ex- projects, from a £50,000 canal bridge refur- ecutive, on a consultancy basis through Crane Environmental. Roger is also Royal bishments, through a wide range of water Academy of Engineering visiting professor in engineering design for sustainable and wastewater projects to £1bn motorway development at Queens University, Belfast.

14 IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 FEATURES

coalmining town. The S-shaped footbridge, 4 metres wide and spanning more than CEEQUAL assesses environmental 130 metres across the River Aire, features innovative engineering solutions adopted during its design and construction. The construction of the river piers was one and social quality of engineering of the most high-risk activities of the project. The three piers had to be con- structed within 8 metres of an existing, How does CEEQUAL work? fast-flowing weir and in river depths that CEEQUAL is a self-assessment process, carried out with a trained varied from just 0.5 metres to 7 metres. CEEQUAL assessor. The completed assessment is then independ- The project team gained a CEEQUAL ‘Very ently verified by a CEEQUAL-appointed verifier. Good Award’. Applying for a CEEQUAL assessment early in the project is best, so that the The Cross Valley Link Road is key infra- CEEQUAL questions can be considered by the project team at the most appropriate structure for South West Northampton. The stage and a CEEQUAL file of evidence (physical or electronic as the assessor chooses) scheme provides a direct 1.45-km road can be compiled as the project progresses. But retrospective assessments and awards link connecting the A45 Weedon Road are also possible. An interim verification and award is also available after some or all of the design has been completed. from Daventry to the west and the A45 Upton Way/Danes Camp Way heading to upgrades and the circa-£2bn Forth Replace- sion to structural elements necessitating Towcester to the south. It links residential ment Crossing. works beyond routine maintenance to and employment land being developed on ● CEEQUAL has gained a contract from ensure public safety. either side of the River Nene floodplain the Olympic Delivery Authority for all of the The restoration works, costing and is aimed at contributing to the regen- infrastructure and public realm projects at the around £700,000, included eration aspirations of English Partnerships, Olympic Park to be assessed and verified, as – restoration and repair of structural West Northamptonshire Development Cor- well as individual related projects such as the elements affected by corrosion; poration and Northamptonshire County Orient Way Carriage Sidings Depot Project. – strengthening structural elements; Council. ● Version 4 of the Scheme, which now – replacement of the bridge deck; The engineering design is for a B-road includes questions on carbon performance – restoration and refurbishment of with 40mph speed and 7.3 metre-wide as well as other significant upgrades to the the handrails, decorative features; carriageways, incorporating a three-span Scheme, was published in December 2008. approach pilasters and concrete bridge across the River Nene and two fur- ● A term contracts version is under devel- detailing at the top of the piers and ther flood-relief bridges within the flood- opment. abutments; plain. The project team gained a CEEQUAL – replacement and restoration of lighting. Excellent Award with a score of 84.8%. Benefits of a CEEQUAL Award The project team gained a CEEQUAL More details of many CEEQUAL awards made so far are at www.ceequal. com/ Applicants for awards report a range of ben- Excellent Award with a score of 75.8%. awards.asp. These summaries demonstrate efits from having their project assessed under The Castleford Footbridge, a £4.8 that many civil engineering project teams CEEQUAL. For example: million landmark structure. This is the do ‘go the extra mile’ on many environ- ❑ Reputation-building and good PR; final and most ambitious of 11 schemes that form The Castleford Project, This mental and social issues and, as a result, ❑ Enhanced team spirit; is a ground-breaking urban renewal are improving the sustainability of civil ❑ Demonstrating commitment to the environ- scheme that aims to spark regeneration engineering in the UK. mental agenda; and a new confidence in this former [email protected] ❑ Improvements to projects and best practice.

Example projects CEEQUAL Awards have been made to a very wide range of projects – water and wastewater treatment plants, flood alleviation schemes, roads, motorways, railway works and canal improvements. The following brief examples illustrate the range of projects we have cov- ered so far. At the smaller end of the scale, the Victoria Footbridge in Hereford (pictured right) is a Grade II Listed structure and was built in 1898 to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The three-span suspension bridge carries a public footway and cycleway over the River Wye. Detailed inspection carried out without mechanical plant, on foot and using rope access, revealed significant corro-

IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 15 FEATURES

MANY patent agents now give fixed Domain names price quotes for drafting and filing It is often worth buying several similar patents. Budget £2,500 for Britain, domains – including popular mis-spell- and ask for search and examination PUZZLED ings – and pointing them to a single together. One year later, budget £3,000 website. Try using hyphens. puzzled- for Europe and £3,500 for America. by-patents.com makes more sense than Alternatively, file a PCT patent. This BY puzzledbypatents.com. The cheapest acts as a ‘staging post’ for overseas filings domain providers have no telephone and gives you another 18 months to support. think about most places (not all) where PATENTS? However, if someone rings or you can file abroad. A PCT filing costs emails you and tells you that someone about £3,500. These are filing costs Ken Strachan wants to buy a domain very similar to – prosecution costs (persuading the ex- (Mech Eng 81) offers yours – then offers to sell said domain aminer that you have an invention) can to you instead – hang up politely. Repu- be twice as much in the USA. pithy advice on table traders will never name such Renewals will also cost at least as intellectual property a third party; and will often charge much as filing if you keep patents for the of several kinds. less for domains than cold callers do. full 20 years. Beware of renewal invoices Beware also, of people trying to hijack from anyone other than your agent – your domain renewals. filing the mark in Britain. Trade marks they could be a scam. are also divided into classes – a previ- ously registered mark for fan belts KEN STRACHAN, Trade marks principal consultant at shouldn’t stop you getting the same Several national trade mark offices KIROS IP Consultants, mark for toothpaste. Both patents and offer free internet search facilities for was born 18 years after trade marks should be used to prevent his parents met at identical marks. Be prepared to use competitors applying for revocation. Imperial. He gradu- some lateral thinking – SMITH and ated in Total Technology (mechanical SMYTH are identical legally, but not engineering with management) in 1981 according to a search engine. Journals and followed his mother into the jet The Madrid Protocol is to trade Many companies – often with surpris- engine trade, starting his career with marks what the PCT is to patents – a ingly similar letterheads – offer to Rolls-Royce in Derby. Later motor industry employers included Lucas, ‘bulk discount’ for ‘almost global’ filing. publish details of your patent or trade Bosch, and Breed. Five years in the UK You can file in some 108 countries for mark in journals. They sound official, Patent Office gave him the back- about £12,000. but they aren’t. Real, official, journals ground knowledge to manage the IP Trade marks can be renewed for publish your applications as a statu- portfolio for Gibbs Technologies Ltd, as long as you like – often at 10 year tory duty. They don’t ask you first; the makers of the Aquada amphibious car. intervals. Unlike patents, an identical fees will have already been paid by Contact on 07790 777709 or enqs@ trade mark filed overseas is no bar to your agent. kirosipc.com.

(Continued from page 13) Another relevant fact is that modern current project in Abu Dhabi, are based cars have a very long life and any change on benign production of hydrogen from The Hydrogen Economy to alternate fuel sources will be a slow fossil fuels which is then burnt in gas fornia for $600 per month with more process unless legislation forces the turbines. Such plants could also provide to come. The storage on these cars is change. Such legislation would be politi- merchant hydrogen for transport systems. still compressed gas, but they have a cal suicide. Government would be better Finally, even if the global politi- range of more than 300 km and can be advised to focus on regional standards for cal will was there to drive the use of refilled in a few minutes. Comparable the supply of hydrogen and uniformity in hydrogen as an energy vector, it would electric vehicles have half the range regulations and restrictions. still take generations. The longevity and take several hours to recharge. Currently a hydrogen-powered vehicle and replacement cost of many current We can also expect to see further would not be allowed to use the Channel energy system components inhibits progress in the urban transport sys- Tunnel and even if it could there would change. At best, it would take at least tems as the price of hydrogen powered be no guaranteew that the systems at the 25 years for hydrogen to play any buses comes down. Stationary power other end would be compatible, in spite of significant role in the global energy systems will also continue to find new concerted activity by the European Union. scene and the reduction of global applications. There are, however, many positive warming. However in the meantime The challenge and opportunity developments in storage, fuels cells and hydrogen can have a beneficial impact is awesome. If the total volume of small hydrogen delivery systems. There on atmospheric and noise pollution hydrogen sold today by the indus- is also an additional emphasis on the in selected urban environments. it can trial gas industry were used for fuel potential of hydrogen in the strong politi- provide benefits in niche stationary cell energy generation it would cal push for renewable power sources, power generation and storage, and at only represent about 110GwH com- many of which will need energy storage the same time can begin to make a pared with the 180 million GwH and back-up systems. Carbon capture small contribution to the reduction of being used world-wide today. technology power generation, such as the carbon dioxide emissions.

16 IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 FEATURES

is likely the upper connections were The Oak Island made before raising took place. Tren- nels (wooden dowels) were used to fix the lower connections with the cofferdam longitudinal thrust beam. It is possible they were used also for the upper Graham Harris adds recent findings of 18th connections on the kingposts. With century engineering on a ‘treasure island’ to his article the necessity of ensuring vertical- published in Imperial College Engineer in 2002 ity of the kingposts, any adjustment could be made by installing the lower OAK ISLAND and its ‘mystery’, off Nova remains of a horizontal U-shaped log trennels after the kingposts had been Scotia’s coat, has intrigued generations structure carrying remnants of inclined positioned. Since the inclined struts since signs in 1795 indicated ‘some- timbers marked with Roman numerals, are likely to have varied in length from thing’ lay buried in the island’s depths. and fixed in place with dowels. The ex- one kingpost to another, they may have The underground workings on the cavations were open for a limited time, been marked by a chisel - crude Ro- island comprise two markedly dis- before being inundated by the sea, man numerals would have sufficed. similar elements – a vertical shaft (The and did not extend to any great depth. The third stage in construction Money Pit), about 13 feet in diameter Therefore, it is certain parts of the would have been to place the horizon- and 200 feet deep, tal timbers (5), often referred and a 500-foot-long to as walers, behind the tunnel (The Flood kingposts, and caulk the Tunnel) 2.5 feet gaps with oakum or coconut wide by 4 feet high, fibre This was used in the connecting the shaft construction of the filter to the sea. At the drains inside the cofferdam. seaward end of the These wall timbers may have tunnel there are filter been lashed to the kingposts. beds which formed Excavated spoil from drain part of the inlet excavation would have but- works, and evidence tressed the timber wall. of an ancient cof- To ensure the coffer- ferdam constructed dam wall was watertight, to protect the inlet access to its outside at low works during construction. foundations of the ancient cofferdam tide was essential for recaulking. Cross- The excavation of the Money Pit were never uncovered. Nevertheless, members (6), joists (7) and walkway has been linked to Sir William Phips the constituent elements that were planking (8) were, therefore, neces- (1651-95), who discovered the wreck disclosed have been used to recon- sary. Finally, to limit scour from tidal of the Concepción from which he struct how the original cofferdam may backwash, which might undermine recovered 25 tons of silver. Circumstan- have looked, based upon the obvious the structure, a protective skirt (9) was tial evidence links Phips to Oak Island resemblance to palisade walls in forts provided in the form of a wide board as one of those conspiring to fund the constructed by the British military in securely fixed to the bottom section revolution in England. North America. The overall height of of the inclined struts, with its leading Treasure not used by the 1688 the cofferdam is open to conjecture. edge buried as deep as possible. invasion force of William, Prince of The first stage in construction A number of cofferdam details Orange – gemstones, plate, Ming and would have been to install the king- are likely to remain unknown without other Chinese goods – was confined post foundation beams (1) within the further exploratory work. It has been to the imagined security of the depths inter-tidal zone at as low a level as concluded the project was carried out of Oak Island. The excavation of the could be attained. These beams would under the control of Captain John Bas- Money Pit can be dated to 1688, but have been massive baulks of timber, tide, chief engineer for North America the treasure was to be lost because with precut slots to accommodate the (later Lieutenant-General). He played of a ‘blow out’ within the underlying base of the kingposts (2). A longitudi- a prominent role in many important gypsum/anhydrite bedrock. nal thrust beam (3) would have been engineering works, including the A number of attempts appear to placed outside the intended line of construction of Halifax Citadel and have been made to recover the trea- seaward side of the cofferdam. Such Halifax Harbour defences. Engineer in sure from 1690-97, but it appears to a beam would mobilize the passive charge of cofferdam construction was have lain neglected until the mid-18th resistance of the soil to resist the William Cowley. Labour was from the century. The Flood Tunnel and ancil- thrust of the soil stockpiled behind the 47th Regiment of Foot under Colonel lary features, including the cofferdam, timber wall. Peregrine Lascelles. can be dated to 1752-54. It shows the The second construction stage For more detail, read G Harris & hallmarks of a military engineering would have been to position and fix L MacPhie: Oak Island and its Lost project conducted in secret. the inclined struts (4) at the same Treasure, Formac, 2005. Excavations in 1967 revealed the time as the kingposts were raised. It [email protected]

IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 17 FEATURES Firth among equals Scotland sets out to meet tough climate targets by Louise Smith, Pentland First Marine Energy Project manager

THE PENTLAND Firth Marine En- to help support the sustainable growth wave device, Oyster, at EMEC is Edin- ergy Project, the successful regional of this new industry. burgh-based Aquamarine Power. initiative for wave and tidal energy Other key organisations such as Oyster is a hydro-electric wave developments in Scotland, is led by a the Highland Council, Orkney Islands energy converter, consisting of an os- co-ordination committee comprising Council, Scottish Natural Heritage and cillator fitted with pistons, fixed to the representatives from Highlands and Is- the Nuclear Decommissioning Author- sea bed. Waves passing the oscillator lands Enterprise (HIE), the regional de- ity (NDA), who have a socio-economic pump high-pressure water through a velopment agency, The Crown Estate, remit in the region, help to guide the subsea pipeline to onshore, conven- who own the sea bed, and the Scottish Pentland Firth Marine Energy Proj- tional, hydro-electric generators, gener- Government. In September 2008, ect through its Stakeholder Advisory ating electrical power. The Crown Estate announced that Group. A Developers’ Forum will also The advantage of Aquamarine the Pentland Firth and waters around be formed by the successful bidders Power’s technology is that it utilises Orkney – the Pentland Firth Strategic for the seabed leases, providing a co- proven conventional hydro-electric Area – are the first areas in the UK to ordinated view of infrastructure and components easily accessible and be made available for commercial-scale supply chain requirements. maintainable onshore. It is designed marine energy developments. The region is already home to to be deployed at depths of 10 to 12 Scotland has set itself climate the European Marine Energy Centre metres, using the more consistent change targets well above those of the (EMEC) in Orkney. Opened in 2004, near-shore wave climate. EU and the UK. With less than 1% of and backed by Scottish and UK govern- Aquamarine Power’s installation the EU population, Scotland benefits ment funding as well as additional of Oyster in Atlantic waters at EMEC from 10% of the EU’s wave and wind support from local agencies and the involved working with 27 different businesses in Orkney and Caithness, with more than 70 people from both sides of the Pentland Firth working with Aquamarine Power’s seven- strong team. In addition, the device was fabricated utilising 60 staff from Ross-shire engineering company, Isle- burn at its Nigg facility. Aquamarine Power was recently honoured with the ‘Best Green Indus- try SME Award’ at the Scottish Green Awards, held in Glasgow in October. Earlier this year, it also won the ‘In- novator Award 2009’ at the British Renewable Energy Awards. Supplementing and also working with EMEC are Heriot-Watt University resource, and 25% of the tidal energy EU, EMEC is the world’s first grid con- and the UHI Millennium Institute. resource making its 2020 target of 50% nected, independently verified test Significant studies involving of its electricity from renewables a facility for new technologies involved resource assessment, flow data and realistic ambition. in converting the power of waves the marine environment have already To meet this challenge, the and tidal currents into electricity. The been undertaken by the Environmen- Scottish Government has led the wave and tidal test sites have already tal Research Institute (ERI) (part of formation of two driving forces, the seen landmark achievements for the UHI Millennium Institute) and the Marine Energy Spatial Planning Group industry through the testing and con- North Highland College and the Inter- (MESPG) and the Forum for Renew- nection of cutting-edge marine energy national Centre for Island Technology able Energy Development in Scotland technologies. EMEC’s niche position (ICIT) (part of Heriot-Watt University) (FREDS) Marine Energy Group (MEG) has been further supported by the as well as local businesses which are who are providing the road map and summer 2009 announcement of a involved in ground-breaking data col- framework for Scotland’s lead in further £8 million investment package lection and environmental studies. the field. MESPG is leading on envi- from the Department of Energy and Local research capabilities are ronmental monitoring, developing a Climate Change (DECC). growing considerably, enhanced by programme for environmental studies One company that is trialling their the summer 2009 announcement of

18 IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 FEATURES

OPPOSITE PAGE: The Oyster hydro- electric wave energy converter is towed into place at EMEC. LEFT: Oyster complete in the factory.

2009 ‘Grid Options Study’ by Xero Energy examines the grid connec- tion works required and helped open a dialogue between the project and the transmission network operators, putting the need to connect marine renewables in the north and west of Scotland on the map. HIE also commissioned Orkneybased consultants Aquatera to carry out a study involving the collection of data and infor- mation on data sources for the Pentland Firth region. It supports the MESPG which is leading on the co-ordination the £14 million investment at all involve members from each of the of environmental monitoring, with the North Highland College in Thurso. The project partners. pre-commercial arrays to provide early planned £3 million Centre for Energy The Pentland Firth Grid Group feedback on environmental effects. and the Environment (CfEE) will be a involves the project partners working According to some developers, teaching facility offering postgraduate with Scottish and Southern Energy pre-commercial array deployment qualifications and provide space for (the transmission network opera- is expected from 2011/2012 with the ERI’s future development. This will tor) and National Grid to investigate commercial arrays from 2014/2015. sit alongside a £7 million engineering options for grid connections in the They will bring exciting opportuni- skills centre which will become a hub region, which is at the limit of the land- ties and interesting jobs to the local of vocational skills training for science based grid transmission system. Subsea communities. The first seabed leases and engineering developments across transmission cables are likely to form are expected to be awarded during the North. part of the solution, hopefully help- winter 2009/2010 with subsequent In addition, the £4 million Marine ing the associated infrastructure work work likely to make the region the UK, Renewable Energy and Environment obtain planning approval. if not EU and worldwide, focus for the Research programme (MaREE), headed Highlands and Islands Enterprise marine energy industry. by the ERI and the Scottish Association has also been involved in leading two We shall be following these devel- for Marine Science (SAMS) will create key pieces of work – HIE’s January opments with interest. Ed 17 jobs looking at grid constraints, de- sign expertise, environmental impacts and synergies between the oil and LOUISE SMITH (Civ- projects at Dounreay. renewable industries. ils 85) comes from Over the next 10-15 the county of Caith- All of this comes in addition to years, this will mean ness which borders the the loss of about 2,000 the investments made by industry Pentland Firth. She built jobs. This socio-eco- and the public sector in ICIT’s Marine a successful career as a nomic factor is hugely Renewable Energy Development in bridge engineer working significant to the area Scotland (MREDS) programme. This for consultancies includ- and marine energy has programme’s aim is to overcome the ing Ove Arup, Hyder Consulting and the additional benefit of being able technical, social and environmental Jacobs Babtie. to provide significant skilled jobs over Returning to Thurso in 2004, challenges which could hinder the the same timescale. she initially pursuing her interest in Her next job, with a local com- development of marine renewables. renewable energy through volun- munity group, resulted in the suc- The Pentland Firth Co-ordination tary work and helped establish the cessful set up of Caithness Energy Committee drives eight project work- Caithness Renewable Energy Forum. Advice, a service for householders streams, some led by HIE and some With the Caithness Energy Alliance, and community groups, tackling fuel by The Crown Estate. All include rep- which united Caithness companies to poverty. It attracted £140k funding resentation from all partners. These target renewable energy opportuni- for four energy advisers. and was also include a Pentland Firth grid group, ties, she was involved in organising a runner up in Energy Action Scotland’s includingplanning and consents, re- key marine energy industry confer- Energy Savers Award 2007. ence, ‘Marine energy and the Caith- Louise’s latest post, aimed at search and development, stakeholder ness economy’ in February 2008 with bringing the marine energy industry management and communications and Scotland’s First Minister as keynote to the area, is co-funded by the NDA supply chain. speaker. and HIE, a good example of how lo- Four of the workstreams are led by Her first job back north involved cal agencies working collaboratively HIE and four by The Crown Estate, but her in nuclear decommissioning can provide a catalyst for change.

IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 19 NEWS & REVIEWS

THE INDIAN STEEL ing during INDUSTRY: Market projections the period to and strategies for steelmakers out BOOKS & 2015. to 2015 REVIEWS At close Published by Metal Bulletin Research to £7,000 a (MBR) September 2009 copy, this is To find out more, visit global economic, political and financial a corporate www.metalbulletinresearch.com and uncertainty, with growth rates in indus- buy. MBR has www.chrglobal.com trialised countries likely to be low for a history of several years. Steel executives are faced producing THE INDIAN steel industry has had a with a scenario that very few of them excellent somewhat mixed press in the UK over have experienced before. analysis under the last few yearr. Possibly some of this ● A number of countries/areas are its Head of Research, Brian Levich, who follows on from negative feelings at the the probable sites for new primary has a deep personal knowledge of the decline of much of the domestic British steelmaking capacity – China, India, global steel industry. steel industry. There can, however, be Brazil/Latin America, SE Asia, Russia Co-author is Satyabir Bhattacharyya no denying the emergence of India as (CIS), and the Middle East. Each has its (above), a graduate of Imperial’s Busi- one of the economic movers and shak- own characteristics, eg fuel availability/ ness School. He also studied operations ers of the early 21st century. type/quality, iron ore availability/quality, research at the LSE. Satyabir has 30 Over 25 years ago, I presented a scrap metal supply. years of rich experience in manage- paper on iron ore processing at a steel ● India has a very low per capita ment consulting and industry, mainly conference in Frankfurt organised by domestic consumption of steel in in India. His CV includes spells with Metal Bulletin so reviewing this study comparison with Europe (overall well Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), brought back pleasant memories. MBR below 10% of the EU usage). KPMG and IBM as well as a prestigious has produced what is essentially a ● Much new Indian production capac- list of domestic Indian associations global investor guide. Chapters cover ity is planned for the immediate future, including Tata Motors, Mahindra British country market projections and strate- but it is unclear whether all the planned Telecom, Tech Mahindra and Jet Airways. gies covering the period to 2015. expansions will be implemented as He is currently director of management The Executive Summary includes scheduled. consulting business at CHR Global. the following points: ● There is a possibility of a steel Bill Bradford ● We are facing an extended period of production capacity overhang develop- Contact [email protected]*

CLIMATE CHANGE learned and applied the importance of and Kyoto (1997) on climate change BY JOLYON NOVE analysis, forethought and recognition produced only limited agreement An e-book available for purchase as a of the engineering and financial and and implementation, although they download or CD from www.climate- human relations realities in the long- did much to encourage debate. The changethebook.com. term impact of climate change’. Vintage edition of ‘Cool It’ is Lomborg’s It was also given as a paper, The Business [email protected] most recent summary on the matter. of Climate Change at EcoForum April Bill McAuley There is an extended version with the 2009, in Australia COOL IT same title, published by Cyan. They NO PRIZES for guessing the subject BY BJORN LOMBORG could be regarded as his input to the matter here, but Jolyon Nove (Civils Vintage Books UN climate meeting in December 2009 60) takes the apocalyptic view that glo- ISBN 978-0-307-38652-6 in Copenhagen. Much of their content bal efforts to control greenhouse gases THE best-known contributions to is an update on or restatement of his will fail and in about 50 years time will handling climate change debate have earlier report, Global Crises, Global be replaced by local solutions – for probably been An Inconvenient Solutions, published in 2004. those of us who survive, that is. Those Truth by Al Gore (a politician) and One matter should concern us all. survivors will need to be in sustain- The Skeptical Environmentalist by We are talking of the possibility of poli- able clusters with self-sufficient food, Bjorn Lomborg (an economist). Not ticians spending very big public money, energy and water supplies surprisingly they are in many respects of the order of trillions of US dollars. A long-term resident of Australia, contradictory, since the skill sets and Most of this would come from taxes; Jolyon believes that the country is well viewpoints of the two authors are private finance is unlikely to show placed for the survivable future and very different. There are, however, in- much enthusiasm unless subsidised. coastal cities will be the best places dications that their recommendations I would not claim that Lomborg for these clusters. His preference is are beginning to converge. A straw in propounds the whole truth, although I for greenfield sites but he recognises the wind is the recent appointment of feel he and his associates are rigorous in the political reality that modifications Cambridge academic David Mackay as their approach. Economics is after all an to existing conurbations will be more an advisor by the UK Government. He inexact subject. What I can say is that likely. is reported as saying on the subject of I find his economic arguments more In his own words: ‘the Australia of energy supply, “I’m pro-arithmetic”. persuasive than political anecdotes. the future will be a continent that has Meetings at Rio de Janeiro (1992) Bill Bradford

20 IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 ALUMNI VIEWS Alumni share their views... Alumni share their views... long before humans had any influence. Reactions read with alarm As a scientist I look at data and draw conclusions, not join a group think FROM STEPHEN QUIN ( ESE 80) of issues, especially some as important because it is popular. as global climate change. [email protected] * UNFORTUNATELY, I missed Lord Mon- In respect of climate change, there ckton’s original article on the causes are many respected and reputable See Stephen’s letter on the website of climate change but did read some scientists who disagree with aspects (address on page 2). It includes illus- of the reaction in your most recent of the current climate change debate. trations of subjects which contribute issue, and with some alarm. When did Recently there was an advert in one to the debate. scientific theories become no longer of the large US newspapers signed by open to debate? dozens of Ph.D. scientists taking excep- The whole basis of science is to tion to the direction of the US policy Disappointed evaluate data, present analysis and on the climate change issue. There are FROM CHRIS JOSEF (Civils 72) present conclusions based on the many respectable scientific publica- author’s interpretation. The debate tions questioning the relationships I AM disappointed that Imperial Engi- cannot be ‘had’ until the interpretation between emissions (and especially neer gave the space for Lord Monckton is indisputable and even then, more human based emissions) and climate to express his views. That was a poor knowledge can redefine even those change. I do not know which position editorial decision. items…look at Newton’s Laws of Mo- is right but I am encouraged by healthy [email protected] tion through to Einstein’s theory of debate. And what I do know, as a relativity and beyond. I find it disturb- geoscientist, is that climate change has Editorial policy is to publish both ing when scientists reject open debate been happening on a geologic scale sides of any argument. Ed Climate change cat among pigeons With not enough room to publish Charles Brindley’s (Civils 78) complete article and because we thought it unfair to paraphrase , we start his argument here and continue it on the website (address page two) ORDINARILY, I choose to sit on the sidelinesDeep and listen whenever disposal intensity, storms of nuclearincreasingly destructive violence. It is suggested global warming is debated, but in view of your last issue, I shall that this latter combination of factors, all attributable to mankind make an exception, foolishly perhaps. A cat let loose amongst the also, may be the more significant of the two. pigeons can sometimes cause a mildly amusing stir of no lasting However we may apportion the blame, allowing even a rela- consequence. tively small increase in average ambient temperature to continue Climate Change: Global Warming, or Cooling? unchecked may be crucial to whether we survive or perish. It To an ignorant bystander, the general consensus seems to be that could be prudent, perhaps, to engage the problem on both fronts. current climate change is largely attributable to the increasing I have not the remotest idea as to how we shall fare as regards

amount of CO2 in the atmosphere causing the earth to warm up curbing our seemingly insatiable demand for more and more at an alarming rate, and giving cause for great concern of impend- power, to what extent we may be able to convert to ‘clean’, ‘green’ ing catastrophic consequences for mankind and most, if not all alternative energy sources, by how much we shall succeed in other life on our fragile planet. reducing the size of our ‘carbon footprint’, nor how long we shall Whatever may be happening in the short-term, and whatever need to pursue such a quest, nor at what cost. But I imagine we may be the causative factors, it is important to appreciate that it is could make an immediate start in the right direction by being far only the surface of the earth to a very small depth that may, on bal- less needlessly extravagant, more thoughtfully economical in our ance, presently be warming, together with the lower atmosphere use of power generally. All this may entail a drastic change in ‘life- in contact with it. As this thin shell, however, does constitute most, style’, materially less rewarding, but, who knows, greatly enriched if not all, of the ‘biosphere’, we do have reason to be alarmed. spiritually, perhaps. It is suggested that ‘global warming’ should more accurately I would tentatively suggest that we could turn our thoughts be regarded as a steepening of the thermal gradient across the more towards tackling our global problem of a deteriorating ‘biosphere’ as a consequence of possible changes to the thermal biosphere on the second front with more certainty of some suc- conductivity of the atmosphere. An alternative causative factor, cess within a time scale of half a century, and a significant tangible whether secondary or primary, may be direct heating of the improvement within twenty years, possibly sooner. This approach surface, itself, by insolation, as a consequence of increasing areas of restoring our tropical rainforests to their pre-1940 extent, re-af- denuded of vegetation, especially tree cover, desiccation, desertifi- forestation of all upland catchments, major and minor, re-greening cation and urban expansion, resulting in lesser overall cloud cover our prairies, savannahs, and other grasslands, cleaning up our rivers, and a drier, less humid atmosphere, rains less predictable and lakes and oceans, and allowing sorely depleted animal species to of shorter duration, greater extremes of temperature difference, recover... * increased atmospheric instability, torrential rainfall of disastrous NOW READ ON [email protected]

IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 21 ALUMNI NEWS & VIEWS Digital age Calling no problem ALUMNI all Chaps JEFFREY Borinsky (EE 78) has THE CHAPS CLUB needs to won a competition organised by update its members’ contact list Digital UK to find Britain’s old- NEWS & VIEWS as many of the current details est working TV. The aim was to are incorrect or are missing’, show that you can convert any reports Daniel Hill ICU deputy set, no matter how old, to work president (finance & services) with digital transmissions. Six pages of who’s Can all members send The TV is a Marconiphone current contact details (email, 702 and was probably used to doing what and where postal address and phone) to watch the start of BBC trans- the new club email address missions from Alexandra Palace – chapsclub@imperial. ac.uk in November 1936. An ordi- Even if you have received nary Freeview box feeds a spe- the Chaps Club newsletter re- cial ‘Aurora’ converter which cently, they’d still like to hear gives the 405 line signal needed from you. by TVs made before 1964. The Other current officers are 12 inch CRT is so long that it is Ali Philpott (president 2009– mounted vertically and viewed 2010) and vice president Ben through a mirror. Hanson. Jeffrey (right) BSc(Eng) ACGI CEng FIEE is a con- sultant engineer. See website Award for www.borinsky.co.uk leading statistician

Paff tells of part in Battle of the Beams A WRITE-UP in issue nine of waffe had the ability to use radio rientate the next bomb aimer Imperial Engineer instigated a beams to guide their bombers with its ear-splitting, howl, rather website connection for a BBC to targets all over Britain. like the sound of a microphone correspondent to contact one Paff and team, and a track- turned up too high. of the last members of the team ing station in nearby Highgate, The jamming system may at Ally Pally (Alexandra Palace) used the BBC’s transmittor and have been relatively crude but which fought the Luftwaffe. radio wave scanner to block the it’s claimed that no more than Paff (Wilfred Pafford, EE 31) enemy’s Y-Gerat system. 25% of bombers on the Y-Gerat is now 101 and living in a nursing By good fortune, the Y-Gerat raids released their load. home in Sussex, but, in Octo- system worked within the same Very little is known about ber 1940, as a BBC engineer, fequency spectrum (40-50MHz) this life-saving operation, so if ADDING to his already consid- he returned to the previously as the Ally Pally one. you can add anything, please erable list of awards and publica- mothballed Ally Pally. He had Once the operators at contact the addresses on page tions, Tony Greenfield (above) worked there since 1932 and Swains Lane, Highgate decided two. Read the BBC article on has been awarded the Box Medal was to head the top-secret Op- that the Luftwaffe navigator had http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/lon- by the European Network of eration Dynamo. missed his opportunity to iden- don/hi/people_and_places/his- Business and Industrial Statistics This was formed following tify his target, Ally Pally returned tory/newsid_8231000/8231874. (ENBIS). Britain’s discovery that the Luft- to standby. It was ready to diso- stm This, and the American So- ciety for Quality Statistics 2004 William G Hudson award recog- nises his life work, contributing Music gives life lessons to top CEO to the development and applica- MEHER Pudumjee (right) has been named ‘CEO of the Year’ by tion of statistical methods the Business Standard, India’s leading business newspaper. Tony (Mech Eng 52), formerly Meher, chair of energy and environmental engineering head of process computing and company Thermax, was recognised for steadily increasing its statistics at the British Iron and sales and profits without compromising on corporate ethics. Steel Research Association and She took the top job in 2004, having joined Thermax in 1990 professor of medical computing as a trainee engineer after completing her postgraduate studies and statistics at Queen’s, Belfast, in chemical engineering at Imperial. Her progression through is a visiting professor to the In- the company included a stint managing Thermax’s UK subsidiary, dustrial Statistics Research Unit, before returning to India in 1996 to join the board. the University of Newcastle- Meher is a keen piano player and an enthusiastic member upon-Tyne and past president of of the Pune Choir Group Chambers. She believes music has a European Network for Business lot of lessons for life in general. and Industrial Statistics. Tony is on [email protected]

22 IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 ALUMNI NEWS & VIEWS Tales to tell of Min Tech alumni? The Mineral Technology Department existed for around 40 years. Bill Bradford (Min Tech 57) calls for previously unrecorded information about its graduates and their careers. OFFICIAL records of Min Tech ments of the RSM. It was a It produced its first gradu- in the Vatican. John Bramley and are buried in the College ar- course of the type now becom- ates in 1956, when the Depart- others collected information chives: many achievements of ing fashionable again; tailored ment was called ‘Mineral Dress- some years ago on his early its graduates are not. I think it’s to meet a specific market. As ing’. For a short period of time mining-related life for a biogra- well worth collecting them be- economically-attractive depos- in the 1960s, I personally held phy being written after Bren’s fore the memories are lost. its became more mineralogi- the job title of ‘Ore Dresser’. death. The Department was cre- cally complex in character, the The most unusual graduate Can you match or add to ated in the early 1950s, as an technology needed to create was probably Brendan Soane, that? Contributions (or ques- offshoot of the well-established a profitable mining operation who graduated with me in 1957. tions) please to Bill Bradford at Mining and Metallurgy Depart- became more sophisticated. He ended up as a senior cleric [email protected]

A CHRISTMAS Antarctic visit took Philip Varley’s (inset) total of countries Now it’s on to Annapurna visited to 80 and continents to seven. The number is now 83. He writes: ‘My next long trip will be to hike the Annapurna Circuit, next October. I’m in training here in the Colorado Rockies to ensure I can do the daily mileage at above 11,000 feet. Philip (Chem Eng 79) was a char- tered accountant and worked with Andersen before emigrating to the US to gain an MBA . ‘ I’m now a turna- round specialist with The Barrington Group, acting as interim CEO or CFO for private equity groups who want to enhance the performance of their port- folio companies.’ [email protected]

Engineer exercises his right to drive sheep over London Bridge IF IT were not for the foresight tered engineers. To become and commitment of our 19th liverymen, they have also to century forebears in the City be fellows of a recognised en- of London Corporation, 16 gineering institution or of the livery companies, and the City Royal Academy of Engineering. & Guilds of London Institute, The number is limited to 350. we would not be here today. So, what has all this to do writes CGCA past-president with driving sheep over London Barry Brooks (EE 71). This in- Bridge? Not a lot, really, but it vestment in engineering educa- is an excuse to do what livery tion is all the more impressive companies do – raise funds when there was no engineering for charity. In this case, Barry Still seeking ‘Jim’ and that team livery company in 1878. (the one with the Australian It was not until 1983 that bush hat!) is an assistant to the After two successive snippets in Imperial the Worshipful Company of En- Court of the Engineers’ Livery Engineer, Dave Goodman (Min Eng 61) writes: gineers was established with the Company and supported the THE JIM’S TEAM in my recol- very formidable. There was one strong support of the Lord May- Lord Mayor’s Appeal, with a bit lection, only 50 years ago (gulp!) common talent however; they or of the City of London and of fun (for the spectators) and was one ‘organised’ by Jim Cart- could out-drink any team in the Alderman Sir Peter Gadsden, without cruelty to animals (or er who was in Aero 55 or 56 home counties. the founder master. the sheep drovers!). onwards. Jim was an all-rounder, I would be very interested As a modern livery com- If you are interested in join- as I remember, having played soc- to hear of any ‘sightings’ of Jim pany, with a royal charter, the ing the Livery, take a look at cer and hockey too. Jim’s rugby over the years. There is anoth- Engineers Livery Company has www.engineerscompany.org. team was a real mixture, many er one of Jim’s team out here some specific entry criteria, re- uk/ and ask Barry about the of them accomplished athletes in California, Duane Johnson quiring engineers to be freemen privileges, responsibilities, net- in other sports, which made it (Petrol 60). of the City of London and char- working and other benefits.

IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 23 ALUMNI NEWS & VIEWS Excitement, friendship and challenge for £53 TURN back the clock almost I was lucky to be able to exactly 50 years and you find consult ex Guildsman Mike two third year mechanical en- Monaghan, then technical di- gineering students contem- rector of Ricardo for advice. plating an abandoned vintage First results were sufficiently Lagonda, parked for the last encouraging to try my hand two years in the middle of at a vintage hill climb. Queens Gate. This has led on to circuit racing and further engine de- The start velopment, to the point where ‘You’re keen on vintage cars, the car can keep well up with you should buy this’. These its peer group, albeit at the words from my fellow student back of the field. Dick Ainger began an owner- All this work comes at a ship which over the years has cost. It is, therefore, fortunate brought me adventure, excite- that the Lagonda is an ideal ment, friendship, engineering wedding car and can earn its challenge, and now a modest keep. retirement income. And all for £53! The finish My first trip with Dick Transporting pretty girls round Lance and Barry Coleman was in your vintage car can’t be to Brighton, following Bo in the Tim Wadsworth (Mech Eng 51) reports a bad way to earn a bob or annual Veteran Run. Bo made on a 50-year affair with a Lagonda two. Although they do express it; we didn’t. The bitter cold I some surprise when I tell them endured being towed back from that the week after their wed- Brighton behind Chris Pack’s Ri- ding, I’ll be racing the same car ley has never been forgotten. at Silverstone or some other After graduation, I spent six which we did, but somehow got early retirement that has really circuit. months on a major rebuild (the ourselves back home. allowed me to make full use of I am now celebrating 50 first of many) and then set off Over the years my wife the Lagonda. years of ownership with the with total abandon and a full and I have made many more The Lagonda is a heavy car car going faster, and looking load of passengers for the south overseas trips, even going as with a modest two-litre engine better, than ever - if only the of Spain. We had no idea what far as Greece one year for an but its twin-cam design is capable same could be said of the driv- we would do if we broke down, international rally, but it was of considerable development. er! [email protected] Can you name these journalists? JOHN POWNALL (Min Eng 55) has sent in these pictures of the Felix editorial board in 1954 (top) and 1955 in the hope that someone will be able to identify those pictured. As John writes: ‘In both photos I’m the person seated at far left and standing behind me (red hair and beard) is Bill Hudson (also RSM). In the 1955 photo, seated far right is John Bramley (Min Tech 59). The chap in the middle of the back row in the 1954 photo is Dinesh Kale (RSM 55). The 1954 editor’s name was tures editor and wrote a regular Geoff, but I have forgotten his gossip column called Nelson’s surname. Column (very corny!). ‘I was on the editorial board ‘Incidentally, I’m pleased of Felix in the mid-1950s, al- that this email correspondence though concerned with the has given me John Pownall’s commercial aspects rather than whereabouts.’ editorial content.’ Can anyone out there sup- John Bramley’s memory ply any other names or contact also fails him but writes: ‘I was addresses. Email john.h.pownall editor of Felix in part of the ’56- @btinternet.com or jvbsh- ’57 year. In ’55 I think I was fea- [email protected]

24 IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 ALUMNI NEWS & VIEWS Bourton Plowman writes... AFTER graduating from Guilds in ticularly in the Heads of the 1945 and service in the Sappers, River. Charlie was pleased to Professor Pippard arranged for see us back but claimed there

John Plowman to join the new were too many****** ex-majors Concrete Department for a who didn’t wish to train or post grad concrete technology listen! course. He gained a DIC and I don’t know if there are any then his doctorate. of Pippard’s or Baker’s students ‘I rejoined the Boat Club left, but best wishes to them all.’ where I had rowed during the John lives in Bourton on the Wa- war years’, writes John, ‘par- ter and is on 01451 822611.

SINGAPORE MP since 2001, Siew Kim Wee, receives a cer- tificate proclaiming him a fellow of City & Guilds from its chairman Michael Howard (right). Mr Wee, who graduated with first class honours in aeronautical engineering in 1984, is also deputy CEO and president (defence business) with Singapore Technologies Engineering. (Picture City & Guilds) New group in Windy City Septuagenarian sensation John Head (Min Eng 70) Contact call has written to say there’s QUICK as the lime that has three hours, clocking a 2:59:10. now an Imperial alumni from Canada been part in his working life, In 2004, he bettered his record Ed Whitlock (Min Eng 52) is 13 with the current men’s 70-74 group in Chicago and they VOLUME One of Parvez Kumar’s times running age group, world world record, a mind-blowing held their first meeting in bio/autobiography, which covers June. The first speaker was record holder. And now, depite 2:54:49, aged 73. He followed his days at Imperial (Aero 62) and Professor ‘Dot’ Griffiths of being told by a doctor it was that up with successive 75-79 with the Gliding and Rifle clubs, was Tanaka Business School ‘game over’ for him, he has just world records. published in September 2008. Any RSM or Guilds completed a half marathon in His personal bests of 4:31 He says that details can be alumni who want to be in- the fastest time for someone for the mile at 17 and 14:54.4 for seen at www.trafford.com/08- volved in the group should over 78 years old three miles were fast for their 0858 if anyone is interested. ‘A get in touch with me’, says Famous doesn’t begin to day. He also ran against Chris mention of it might get me back John. [email protected], describe Ed’s star status. His Chataway and even beat Gordon in touch with ex-colleagues’, jhead@continentalplacer. 2:52:47 at the age of 69 in 2000 Pirie in cross-country. says Parvez, who now lives in com ABOVE: Jennifer and made him the oldest person The jaw-dropping perform- Scott Beall, Cathy Morley Canada. to break three hours in the ances haven’t been without their with Ted (Imperial’s roving Contact Parvez at parvezk@ marathon. Three years later, after challenges. On top of arthritis teddy bear) and Dot. telus.net nearly a two-year layoff with ar- in both knees, Ed has struggled thritis in his left knee, Ed became with a nagging Achilles injury the first person over the age of since youth. 70 to run a marathon under Although working life took Ed away from running for around 20 years, and to Canada, he was back in time for the masters movement when it caught on in the 70s. Running against oth- ers in his age bracket, he rose through the world ranks. Runners say he floats along, hardly seeming to touch the ground and his running form seems to come naturally to him. Alumni fund new scholarship And even if he never achieves his Yok Pongthunya, Earth Science PhD student (second aim of another marathon, Ed has left), has won the inaugural John Archer award, valued no plans to give up running yet! at £5,000. This award was set up by ex-students of John [email protected] * Archer, a former Professor of Petroleum Engineering in ESE. He was then dean, then pro rector and deputy rec- tor in College before becoming the head of Heriot-Watt Ed running recently (left). University. The award is to assist students in financial Inset, in1952, representing hardship to complete their PhD studies. Imperial.

IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 25 ALUMNI NEWS & OBITUARIES

Arup chairman PHILIP DILEY (Civil 76,) Kevin’s Boys Own life remembered has been appointed as Both The Times and The Tel- his famous crevasse rescue and tica he began a teaching career chairman of Arup. The po- egraph paid tribute to a remark- played a prominent part in the and taught workshop engineer- sition covers Arup’s global able life when Kevin Walton (Civls work of the Antarctic Survey. ing at Oundle School, the Royal operations. 39) died on April 13. Here we try He scaled several previously Naval College, Dartmouth, and PHilip is a fellow of the In- to sum up his life. unclimbed and is commemo- at Malvern College. He was stitution of Civil Engineers ‘ENGINEERING and mountain- rated by Mount Walton in Brit- one of the original instructors and a member of IStrucE. eering were prominent themes ish Graham Land. at the Outward Bound Moun- Some of his landmark for much of Kevin Walton’s var- Kevin received the Polar tain School and later became projects include Kansai ied life, and it was in the latter Medal and, in 1952, its Clasp involved in the construction International Airport (89- sphere that he won his Albert and Silver Commendation for of a nuclear power station in 94), the Ashmolean Muse- Medal for rescuing a member a further crevasse rescue, and Wales and also in British Vol- um refurbishment (92-96) of an Antarctic survey team, t.he Queen’s Commendation. untary Service Overseas’. He and the Scottish Parliament from a crevasse in 1946. ‘After return from Antarc- wrote a number of books.* (98-04). More recently, he Kevin served 10 years in has been involved in Bish- the Royal Navy, joining as an ops Square, Spitalfields and engineer officer in 1939 and T5 at Heathrow. was aboard the Rodney during the decisive action against the Flying higher Bismarck. He later served in ANDREAS Mogensen (Aero destroyers and took part in the 99) is one of six new astro- Barents Sea action. The Ons- nauts selected by the Europe- low, where Kevin was engineer an Space Agency out of over officer, was holed. He received 8,400 candidates. He is part the Distinguished Service Cross the first group of new recruits after being lowered on a rope to join the European Astro- to put out the fires. Kevin was naut Corps since 1992. also mentioned in dispatches while aboard HMS Duncan in Aussie welcome the North Atlantic, BILL MACMILLAN (Chem In 1945, Kevin sailed for Kevin with son Jonathan, also a holder of a Polar Medal, Eng 62) would like to hear the Antarctic and carried out at the CGCA’s 2007 dinner. when any student is pro- vided with funds to deliver Journey from a paper in Sydney or else- A truly mechanical man where in NSW. That goes dockyard to for alumni as well. Friend of the family Michael Gourd remembers ‘We would be delight- colleague Harry Threlfall (DIC 56) who died on April 3. the Ministry ed to offer them hospi- I MET Harry Threlfall in 1966 a number of years of consolida- FROM apprenticeship in Port- tality during their time when I joined Langley Alloys’. tion when Harry spearheaded smouth Docks to assistant direc- in Sydney. We should also German subsidiary – Deutsche the introduction of Langley’s tor for the Ministry of Defence be able to provide a ‘cheer Langley Alloys. Harry was sales FERRALIUM Alloy 255. It was at Chatham, via a scholarship squad’ at their presenta- director at its Langley foundry so successful that it was used and honours degree at Imperial, tion’. Contact Bill by email and works and was responsible in the centenary refurbishment summarises the life of George macmillanw@bigpond. on the main board for the Ger- of the Statue of Liberty. Brombley. As was said at his man operation. A management buy-out funeral it was equivalent to the MBA through As part of restructuring occurred in1985 and Harry rank of rear admiral. Not a bad Sainsburys operations in1968, Harry and I became joint managing direc- for a lad who started as a dock- became joint general managers tor of Langley Alloys Ltd and JONATHAN McCallum, has yard apprentice. of the GmbH with Harry based chairman of the supervisory been awarded a scholarship The tributes also mentioned in Langley and me running the board. He remained in this to study for an MBA at the his early career at English Electric German day-to-day operation. capacity until early retirement elite INSEAD Business and John Booth & Co, Birming- Harry and I worked closely to look after his wife, Doreen. School. He has worked for ham and the 61 year marriage together and I can say I found Harry was by nature, as in Mott MacDonald in Singa- which started in Stafford. his leadership inspiring. Indeed, calling, a ‘mechanical man’ who pore since completing a During his time at Imperial, we discovered that we shared had the ability to analyse com- masters in civil engineering George rowed for the College a passionate interest in music plex commercial problems so in 1999, He’s one of several (it was the only sport you can do (jazz), humour and cars. that the way forward appeared talented young engineers sitting down!), leading to a life- When ownership of Lang- to be the most logical of all so- who have benefitted from long attendance at Henley. ley Alloys passed to the Scot- lutions and readily understood more than £290,000 in fund- George (EEE 44) died on tish company Low and Bonar by all involved.* ing awarded by the Royal July 22, aged 88.* in 1982, the Langley premises, Academy of Engineering on were sold and others rented Complete versions of the obituaries, marked at behalf of the Sainsbury Man- in Slough where the rolling mill the end with an asterisk *, can be found on the web- agement Fellowship. site address published on page two. was relocated. There followed

26 IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 OBITUARIES

In at Friend of 73 years remembered ALEC MACDONALD (Mech During the war, Alec reached REME start Eng 37) died, aged 94, on June the rank of squadron leader. ELECTED as a member of Link 20, in Ascot, where he had lived Alec had some difficulty get- in 1929, Major-General Denis for nearly 50 years. ting a job because he had little Redman (EE 30) joined Midland We were both elected to industrial experience. However, Electric Light and Power after his the Links Club and he was cap- he was selected by Production course in electrical engineering tain of the Motor Club who Engineering (PE) to be one of at Imperial. He found his niche looked after Bo. Alec was an its management consultants. He when he was commisioned usher at my wedding and I credit was so successful that he stayed Geologists’ geologist into the Royal Army Ordnance the Links Club and the Guilds with them for 32 years, retiring AFTER graduating in mining ge- Corp, transferring to REME on for starting a friendship of 73 in 1982. ology in 1968, Steve Bugg joined its formation in 1942. He died years Alec had five children, who Shell for its push into mining. He on August 10. After college we went to between them got six schol- spent three years exploring for Distinguished service in the the Engine Division of the Bris- arships to public schools and base metals in Western Australia. Middle East in WWII, lead to two tol Aeroplane Co for a two-year Oxford. None is an engineer! An MSc in applied geophysics mentions in dispatches. He also post graduate apprenticeship Robby Robinson and a PhD on lead/silver depos- helped set up REME there. its in Kenya followed. After time in the War Of- A long stint in pioneering fice as AQMG, Denis moved to Enthusiastic and devoted teacher exploration for gold in the Tan- REME Training Centre. He spent DAVID Hardwick, a former devoted teacher and supporter zanian Shield followed, with wife a year as deputy director of elec- senior lecturer in hydraulics of the students, and will be Corinne and their young family. trical and mechanical engineer- in Civil Engineering, died on sadly missed. Steve correctly predicted Tan- ing for 1(BR) Corps in BAOR, May 18. He retired three years David had been ill for some zania was to become one of the before taking up the same ap- ago having served as senior time, spending his last weeks world’s great gold provinces. pointment for the whole Corps tutor for many years. in hospital, where he died with Back in Australia, Steve ex- at the War Office. In 1957, He was an enthusiastic and his family at his bedside. plored for gold in the Solomons Denis became Commandant of before going to Indonesia as ex- the REME training centre ploration manager for Domin- After retiring from the Army Sad return to England ion Mining and later for Barrick in 1962, Denis was military ad- Gold. Steve was one of the first viser to Sperry Gyroscope, and PROFESSOR John Oldfield electrical and computer engi- to seriously question the claims later charman of the civil service (EE54) died on July 6 while neering at Syracuse University of a major gold discovery in Ka- selection board. Colonel Com- visiting the UK. He was 76. New York. limantan. mandant of the Corps from John and his family settled He leaves Julienne, his wife, Steve suffered severe head 1963-68, he was appointed OBE in the USA in 1978 and until his two daughters and two sons. injuries in a car crash while in in 1942 and CB in 1963. * retirement he was professor of David Baker (Min Eng 61) charge of proving up the im- mense Rosia Montana gold de- Mech Eng first posit. Tragically, he had a bad fall Electronic pioneer this year, from which he never CHARLES Sandbank (EE PhD In 1984, Charlie (as he pre- RAYMOND Sargent of regained consciousness. 56), a world leader in the devel- ferred to be alled) became BBC Thornbury, South Gloucester- A geologist’s geologist. Ste- opment of electronics, telecom- deputy director of engineering. shire, died on December 24 ve was always the adventurer, munications and digital broad- As head of research, he initi- 2008. He graduated with first climbing Kilimanjaro (above) and casting, died last December 15. ated the use of Nicam stereo class honours in mechanical many epic safaris among his ex- Born in Vienna in 1939, sound. He was later broadcast- engineering in 1949. ploits. John Horsburgh Dr Sandbank’s career included ing technology adviser at the helping develop the first semi- Department of Trade and Indus- conductor integrated circuits in try and helped develop ITU-T Relaxed and always laughing home near Brentwood. It turned Europe. He was responsible also J.2, a global standard approved FOLLOWING a brief mention out to be a pre-fabricated house for the team that pioneered op- by the International Telecom- of the death of Lt Col Geoffrey he had built in amongst the trees tical fibres for communications munication Union. It supports Wood, CBE, FCGI, FREng (Civil on steel columns. He’d discov- and, in 1976, built the world’s the development of interactive 32) on June 30 2008, we have ered that the planning regula- first wideband digital optical fi- television content. found a few more details. tions didn’t prevent doing this. bre communication system. In 2000, Charlie was co- He was president of the chairman of the European Digital CGCA in 1975-76, and had Subsequently he added a ground Cinema Forum, lobbying govern- a distinguished 10-year Army floor. Eminent ancestor ment-backed bodies to invest career. During 30 years in part- ‘I also remember he said he PATRICK (Bob) Tillard, who in electronic digital projectors nership with Ove Arup, he re- always took a nap in the office took his electrical engineering for cinemas. membered particularly working after lunch. He said it made him degree in 1938, died on April He was a Royal Academy on the Sydney Opera House. more efficient at meetings in the 8 aged 93. He was a self-em- of Engineering visiting profes- Geoffrey had an independ- afternoon and he could then ployed consultant towards the sor in the principles of informa- ent mind and a relaxed manner continue business and social end of his career. Bob was a tion systems design at Bradford and was always laughing, says meetings late into the evening. descendant of the Earls of University which gave him an Rod Rhys Jones. Geoffrey died in New Zea- Chesterfield. honorary degree. * ‘I once visited him at his land, aged 96.

IMPERIAL ENGINEER Autumn 2009 27