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The Institute of Power Engineers is a professional organization made up of Power Engineers and people working in related fields.

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Our Mission

 

The BC Institute of Power Engineers is dedicated to the promotion of
workplace safety and training involving boiler and pressure vessel systems.


To view the Code of Ethics, click here.


 

March Mini-Conference a Success

 

The Vancouver Branch of the Institute of Power Engineers hosted a one day conference on March 19, 2011 at St. Paul’s Hospital. The three topics presented focused on Energy, Energy Efficiency and Conservation. The first presentation was given by Fred Konkle on the topic of “The Role of Nuclear Energy.” This topic included a brief look at the recent events which happened at the nuclear plant in Japan with some explanations to the problems resulting from the quake and following tsunami. The presentation also explained the Molten Salt Reactor and the use of Thorium for nuclear energy production. Fred explained how the Thorium (Th232) reactor and Uranium (U233) reactors were developed at the same time, but the reason there are 433 reactors up and running today in the world and they are all U233 is the resultant plutonium. More than 75,000 nuclear warheads have been produced from the plutonium since the Second World War.

The Thorium process is inherently safe and the Chinese may be developing it at this time. Next month there will be an announcement at the 3rd Annual Thorium Convention in Washington, DC.



The second presentation was given by Marcus Bellot from Steam Specialty Sales Ltd along

with Al Dierks from Dierks Equipment Sales Ltd. and Ryan Jefferson, also from Steam Specialty Sales. This presentation topic “Steam traps, Steam energy, and equipment efficiency” described how to save money with the proper sizing, maintenance, design, and new technology in controls of current market equipment. The presenter issued a handout of the presentation in the form of notes pages. The third presentation was give by Fred Konkle on the topic of “Refrigeration Energy Conservation.” This presentation offered a great amount of information on the history, use, efficiency, changes in technology and advancements in the use of ammonia refrigeration as the cheapest medium for refrigeration. It also touched on the HVAC system and air conditioning utilized by chiller operations. More than 40 Power Engineers and friends found the full day session interesting and informative. Thanks to Dave Paulin, PE for putting the conference together.

 

Safety Review

 

Boiler-blast trial put off to May

 

 
    Court proceedings into the October 2009 boiler explosion at a downtown steam plant that killed one man and injured two others have been set over until early May. Late last fall, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada laid charges against another department, Public Works, in connection with the explosion at the Cliff Heating and Cooling Plant on Fleet Street, near the Supreme Court of Canada on Oct. 19, 2009. The blast killed stationary engineer Peter Kennedy, 50, and injured two ther plant workers. The cause of the boiler explosion remains unknown. Kennedy was apparently turning a natural gas valve when the front of the valve of boiler No. 1 blew off. The blast threw him over a railing and burned him badly. Kennedy, a father of four, died a day later in hospital. Following the explosion, union officials raised concerns about a reduction of staffing and problems with training.
 
    The eight Canada Labour Code charges against Public Works include failing to properly train its employees, failing to provide adequately trained supervision, and failing to develop acceptable emergency procedures. The offences carry maximum penalties of two years in jail or $1 million in fines, but no individuals have been charged. That means that even if Public Works is convicted, no one can be sent to jail. However, criminal charges could still be laid against supervisors or former Public Works ministers under Bill C-45, which imposes penalties for workplace health and safety violations that result in injury or death. The 40-year-old boiler in the plant, which provided heat to about 50 downtown buildings, including the parliamentary complex, was inspected at least once each year by the TSSA, or the Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company of Canada, according to the reports obtained by the Citizen. Kristy Nease, Ottawa Citizen
 

Hydrostatic Testing

 

Every now and then you get reminded why you hydrotest and why you try to minimize how often you do NDE in lieu of hydro. 
 
 This incident occurred 4 May 2011 On a pipeline project during a hydro-test of new piping. The fabrication, consisting of 24" sch. 30 (.562 wall) pipe & fittings, was in the process of being hydro-tested when the failure occurred. There was approximately 80 linear feet of piping included in the test. The piping was to be pressurized to 2160 psi. When the test pressure reached 1740 psi, there was a loud noise, similar to a gunshot. Four of workers were impacted by the water pressure release. Two were thrown under a truck, one received a bad contusion when he hit the under-carriage of the truck with his head, and the other worker received a severe laceration to his cheek. A third worker lost several teeth when he was hit in the mouth by test equipment, which was propelled by the rush of water. Luckily, the fourth worker was not injured. This is a very sobering situation considering the number of hydro tests we administer during Construction. It is very easy to get lulled into a false sense of security after looking at hundreds of hydro & pneumatic tests. It is easy to begin thinking, “I've looked at a thousand tests - nothing's going to happen..." It is easy to become complacent with hazards you have in your job every day.