Event Reviews

Innis Wilkinson the Stakeholder Manager for the Stack Demolition Project kindly gave a talk on the ongoing demolition of the First Generation Reprocessing Plant stack. The following information is a summary of Innis’ presentation.

The First Generation Reprocessing Plant (FGRP) (Figure 1) was constructed and commissioned in the 1950’s and sits within the most crowded area of the Sellafield Site which in itself is one of the most congested industrial sites in the UK. The FGRP stack was an authorised gaseous aerial discharge outlet for a number of operational and decommissioning buildings. Standing at 120m above the ground the stack consisted of a reinforced concrete windshield with stainless steel flue liner. The seismic withstand of the structure was significantly below the allowable criteria for historic nuclear plants which could have resulted in a collapse of the stack if the region experienced and average earthquake. The consequences of this would be potential damage to a number of Nuclear Facilities and a high public dose from possible radiological release.

Figure 1

Companies and experts Nuvia Ltd., Delta International and Alimak alongside Sellafield Ltd. came together to produce a three tier Self Climbing Platform (SCP) which ascends to the top of the stack and provides a platform for the demolition teams to work from. The platform was built and tested off site before being carefully labelled, dismantled and exactly rebuilt on site.

Unlike Battersea Stack the FGRP stack has an internal steel flue, is externally tapered and assumed to be radioactive. A structure was designed and developed which connects friction bands to the floor, roof and external standard. Fourteen of these surround the stack and make up the SCP, (Figure 2). An Alimak hoist system was added to facilitate personnel access and controlled waste removal.

Figure 2

The SCP is bound by 3 friction bands, two restraining bands and one lifting band, Figure 3. 

Figure 3

Levels one and two need to “shrink” as the SCP climbs to ensure the floor plates remain in contact with the concrete wind shield. The methodology developed by the design team is similar to the shutter on a camera.

The descent of the SCP worked in reverse to the ascent meaning levels one and now need to expand with the growing stack taper to ensure the floor plates do not crash with the concrete windshield. Level three has to expand with the growing SCP but the inner circumference has to remain static against the parallel sides of the inner flue. This was achieved by sliding a second set of plates from under the fixed inner floor plates to ensure the floor was able to stay in contact with the inner flue. The gap between the concrete windshield and the steel flue expands with the taper of the windshield against the parallel steel flue. During demolition this gap must be filled to prevent demolition rubble falling down the annulus and falling down the stack to the building below.

 

Part of the stability of the SCP is provided by the rigidity of the interaction between the roof, the flue liner platform and the outer framework (Figure 4). The roof is supported on the outer framework by lockable bearings to allow the SCP to grow under the roof while maintaining the central core.

Figure 4

Figure 5

The platform climbed to a height of 58m up the stack in 52 increments having started 9m above the stack base. The platform was configured with level three and the roof to take the highest point of the platform to over 63m above the stack base which itself sits 60m on top of a building (Figure 5). In January 2019 the SCP had descended 29 increments removing both concrete windshield and steel flue liner as it goes. It is predicted to be finished in the next twelve months leaving 9m of stack left having significantly reduced the risk of the stack falling on surrounding buildings were as seismic event to happen (Figure 6).

Figure 6

 

 

 

Threlkeld quarry first opened in the 1870’s to supply railway ballast to the Penrith-Keswick line. It also provided granite for; railway ballast on the Crewe-Carlisle line, roadstone, kerbing and for facing buildings with dressed stone. The narrow-gauge railway was built so that steam engines could be used to carry wagons of rock from the work face down to the crushers. The quarry eventually closed in 1982 and demolition contractors removed everything of value from the site. In 1992, Lakeland Mines and Quarries Trust negotiated a lease to develop a museum on the site. Following a significant effort by members of the trust to repair the buildings and landscape, the museum is now run and maintained by a group of volunteers.

 

The tour started in the museum which contained artefacts, plans and photographic records of explorations of many local mines. There were numerous displays showing the different types and ages of rocks and minerals that can be found across Cumbria and there was a section on lighting, drilling and explosives.

 

We then took the narrow-gauge steam railway up to the quarry faces. The train was pulled by Sir Tom (pictured below). Sir Tom, named after Sir Tom Callender of British Insulated Callender Cables, was first made in Stafford in 1926. It worked at BICC in Kent until 1968.  After 30 years of standing idle it was sent to Threlkeld Mining Museum in 2001, and has since undergone a complete restoration. Since 2010 it has been used to haul passenger trains up to the quarry daily during the summer holidays and on weekends.

On each journey along the railway, members of the group were invited to ride on the engine in pairs. Whilst riding on the engine, the driver demonstrated how to drive the steam engine, identified all the main components and explained the purpose of each of the valves and levers.

 

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After arriving at the quarry face, the driver first gave a basic explanation to a group of children about how the steam engine worked. He then provided a more thorough explanation of the process to us. The engine was then moved to the back of the carriages before the journey back down to the museum. This gave those who hadn't already been on the engine an opportunity to do so.

 

We were then taken back to the engine shed at the museum for a talk on the history of the quarry. Following the talk, we got back on the train and were dropped off at a platform halfway between the engine shed and the quarry. This was where the vintage excavators site was.

 

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The vintage excavator trust obtains, restores and maintains vintage excavators from around the country. We were showed around their entire collection. The oldest excavator on site was first made in 1909, whereas the newest in the collection was made in 1983. Finally, we were treated to a demonstration of a fully working vintage excavator.

Philip Howarth, Event Organiser

Vivek began by introducing himself and his technical background. He touched upon his time at university and time spent at headquarters helping to develop a novel inspection system for railway track. This was followed by a discussion on the position Vivek currently holds as Senior Technical Officer (Track) and a brief background to the technical grades that sit around this position.

Vivek then proceeded to briefly summarise the technical duties which were split between Control of Engineering Work and undertaking detailed specialist inspections.

The individual subject areas were then approached and a mixture of detailed analysis to a broad appreciation progressed throughout the main bulk of the talk.

Areas explored:

Sidewear and Headwear
Platform Surveying
Structure Monitoring with various survey methods
Manual Track Recording
Assessment of Rail Corrosion
Level Crossing Profile
Renewal of Ironwork
S&C Regaining
Alignment Survey
Levelling Survey
Mechanised Maintenance
Stressing
Verse
Other Engineering Support

Vivek ended the evening by summing up the talk and also showed his first broken fishplates joint he found a week before Christmas, demonstrating how immediate safety of the line takes precedence over all other duties on the railway. The talk was well received by all and many questions were fielded to the speaker both during and after the end. The chairman/secretary/etc. called the audience to show their thanks for the speaker.



Vivek Vilay, Event Organiser

During February, the West Cumbria Young Members organised a visit to Forth Engineering in Maryport to learn about the company and see first-hand the projects that they are developing.

 

Starting off manufacturing hoses to customer specifications, Forth Engineering has not only expanded its product range, but also its capabilities to include mechanical, electrical, electronics and CE&I design services. The company is now able to produce designs for components, sub-assemblies, full rigs, instruments and systems, whilst supporting the full project lifecycle. Forth Engineering has also become a leader in development and supply of innovative remote engineering solutions such as hydraulic cutting systems, radiation tolerant cameras and remotely operated vehicles.

 

During our visit we saw first-hand ‘Latro’, an impressive robotic spider with six hydraulically actuated legs and two arms for carrying large grippers and cutters. ‘Latro’ will be used in the monitoring and decommissioning of both dry and wet nuclear storage facilities to cut, sort and retrieve material. We also learnt about and had a demonstration on ‘Mona’, an open-hardware/open source robotic platform that has been developed to be used in swarm robotic scenarios.

 

Following the presentations, the group were also given the opportunity to test their skills in driving a range of remotely operated vehicles, both on the ground within the rig hall and underwater in the depths of the ‘pond’. This gave us some great appreciation of the skill required to use these craft. It certainly looked easier to drive a submersible than it really was!

 

A huge thank you to Martin Lewis and Farshad Arvin for their hospitality on the evening and for telling us about the projects that they were working on.

 

Andras Kaldos, Event Organiser

 
The Workington Transport Heritage Trust are a charitable organisation made up of volunteers with a mutual interest in restoring and preserving forms of public transport, particularly those with a direct link to the local area. The historic ties to the former Leyland Works in Lillyhall have led to the group acquiring and painstakingly restoring buses that were built and operated in West Cumbria.

 

Currently based in the old Workington Fire Station, the group meet weekly to work on all aspects of the vehicles.  From wiring to upholstery, the work is carried out by volunteers.  The group welcomes all comers, from those with an enthusiasm for buses who just want to see if they can help to local mechanical apprentices looking to get some extra spanner time to help their own development as well as bring their skills to a different type of engine than they’d be used to seeing in more modern vehicles.  However, sometimes good-will isn’t enough and replacement parts need to be paid for. In order to help fund this, a number of the buses have been put through their MoT and the WTHC have obtained a licence to hire them out privately as well as provide bus cover for the railway in the event of a train being unable to run.  The proceeds from this are invested back into buying parts and acquiring new vehicles.

The WCYM’s organised a visit on a chilly November evening where we were give a talk and presentation on the history of bus production in West Cumbria and the work carried out by the Trust by Ian Dunn, chair of the WTHT.  This gave the opportunity for the 16 members and non-members who attended to quiz Ian both local history and his own experiences.  After the talk, Ian unlocked the fire station and allowed us to examine the Trust’s work for ourselves. As well as the buses, the Trust also has a vintage fire engine and pump that they are working on.  They also have a host of technical drawings from the old Leyland factory and an extensive collection of related magazines and books dating back decades. 

Everyone that attended agreed it had been a thoroughly entertaining and fascinating visit and a few of the attendees were spotted talking to Ian afterwards about volunteering themselves!  If you’d like to know more about the WTHT and its activities, information can be found on their website: www.wtht.co.uk.

Simon Walsh, Event Organiser

Tyres in contact with a road surface give you a contact patch. This patch is what keeps both you and your car on the road. The tyre contact design, quality of materials and manufacture are just a fraction of what a tyre manufacturer has to take into account, in order to keep all us drivers safe on the road.

Pirelli was founded in 1872 in Milan, Italy by Giovanni Battista Pirelli.  The company began diversifying its products well ahead of its time, by producing insulated conductions for telegraph communications, submarine telegraph cables, a range of technical items and investing in the automotive industry.

It is not surprising now that Pirelli became the 5th largest tyre manufacturer in the world, employing approximately 1,700 people just in the UK.

The Pirelli site tour in Carlisle organised in October 2016 turned out to be an amazing experience for all the Mechanical Engineers and other guests who joined us.
The amount of hours that go into designing a tyre, invested by very talented and highly committed engineers, can be considered a worthy example to follow by a lot of other companies. What makes Pirelli even more special is that it is led by engineers!

Compared to other tyre manufacturers, Pirelli are currently investing 7% of the profit back into research and development; what we managed to see at the site in Carlisle was a massive amount of automation, with a quarter of the factory having brand new, bespoke and state-of-art automated machinery. Most of them were still being commissioned, however we still got a chance to see some of them in action – the automated inspection machinery, the batch stacking and control systems were just a few examples of amazing engineering in action!

Andrei Jelescu, Event Organiser

On Thursday 21^st of July the Young Members organised a tour of the prototype vessel Tenacity moored in Whitehaven harbour.  Tenacity has been developed to deliver personnel and equipment to offshore windfarms and thanks to its innovative design it offers significant improvements to the vessels that currently fill this role.

We were shown around the vessel by Stephen Beadsmore of Wave Access who explained thoroughly about the design evolution of Tenacity and meeting the challenges that influenced that process. This has resulted in a unique design that is capable of operating in seas much rougher than current vessels with a much better fuel economy.

Stephen led us into the interior of the vessel to view the crew compartment and engine room, answering technical questions on all aspects of the Tenacity’s performance and construction.  With 10 of us on the tour, the boat was at near capacity but we all still managed to get a good look inside and out.

Simon Walsh, Event Organiser

On Friday 8^th July 2016 the Young Members attended a tour and presentation at the James Fisher Nuclear (JFN) Facility in Egremont. JFN is an established supplier of specialist engineering, manufacturing, and technical services for applications within challenging, high integrity environments.

The afternoon started with a presentation giving a brief overview of JFN and the Egremont site, and a summary of the work currently being carried out at site. This was followed by a tour of the large rig hall facility where most of the current projects were being trialled and tested.

The Egremont site mostly specialises in submersible remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), bespoke long reach tooling, and suitably adapted commercial off the self (COTS) components. The rig hall showed a wide variety of equipment and trials displaying the diverse projects that JFN are involved in.

Catherine Anthony, Event Organiser

The IMechE West Cumbria Young Members had a great visit to the Ravenglass and Eskdale Steam Railway train rail shed including a run out on the train.

Peter Van Zeller gave a comprehensive tour of the current fleet as well as the latest acquisition - the 1929 German Krauss Pacific locomotive No.8457 "train from Spain". He covered the technical complexities as well as the legislative issues surrounding running the smallest public rail service in the UK. Peter took us through the rails history, including taking us around the speed record holder, a model T ford powered train which averaged 40mph delivering on postal runs (many years ago!).

Peter ran us through the (lottery funded) next heritage steps of the railway, including the new buildings which, subject to some land acquisition will display the railways heritage carriages and engines for members of the public.

I'm sure the young members will be visiting the railway again in a few years’ time to see the train from Spain in action and visit the new heritage displays.

Robin Pickford, Event Organiser

 

The West Cumbria IMechE Young Members Christmas social took place at the Lake Distillery, beautifully located at the edge of Bassenthwaite Lake. The event was also open to members of the West Cumbria Area Panel and there were a total of thirteen attendees.

The date coincided with the start of the Cumbria December floods and after wading across the Distillery’s flooded courtyard, the tour could begin. It started with the story of where the water that the distillery uses for its whisky comes from. It showed the route the water takes from Styhead Tarn all the way to its mouth at Workington. This was shot from a helicopter and it gave a unique view of the changing landscape from source to mouth.

We were then led into the distillery and met with the large fermentation tanks and maze of pipework, valves and instrumentation that filled the room. The tour guide described the processes of making the whisky, gin and vodka from raw materials to the finished product.

The tour then went into the warehouse of the distillery, which was filled with oak barrels, aging the whisky to maturity.

The tour ended with a tasting session of the whisky, gin and vodka, before we were led to the restaurant for an excellent Christmas dinner.

Ethan Guthrie, Event Organiser
 

 
The fastest British craft on water, Bluebird K7 broke numerous water speed records during its lifetime. Dr Keith Mitchell, contributing author to the book 'Donald Campbell - Bluebird and the Final Record Attempt',  presented his analysis of the craft from design through to actual performance on the water, including the final runs before its fatal crash in 1967. This was a fascinating look into hydroplane theory using evidence gathered through video and documentary archives to demonstrate the effects of some of the phenomena.

Such a delicate and complex balance of power, weight and strength, it was unlikely that the reason for the accident would be simple, which is why it lends itself to much controversy and speculation. Dr Mitchell's well presented evidence concludes that the crash was likely to be a combination of the craft being at its theoretical limit, damage to one of the sponsons and the lack of thrust from the engine cutting out, which put the craft in an unstable condition from which it could not recover.

Matt Cleaver, Event Organiser

For further information:

• BluebirdK7.com
• Donald Campbell - Bluebird and the Final Record Attempt, Neil Sheppard, 2011, The History Press

 

You can read all about the IMechE President's visit to the area, organised by Jen Corbett from our Young Member panel here.
 

 

On the 30th March 2014 the West Cumbria Branch of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers sponsored a STEM day at Cockermouth school organised by a group of Nucleargraduates. The event was energy themed, with pupils considering the different energy sources available to ensure there is enough electricity for future generations. A similar event sponsored by the IMechE was held in Barrow in 2013 and we are pleased to be able to do the same again.

Sixty year nine pupils attended the day and each was awarded a 'CREST Discovery Passport' to allow them to demonstrate their participation in the event to future employers. The morning consisted of four workshops in which groups of 15 pupils circulated with help from a nucleargraduates 'team buddy'. One workshop involved using balloons to demonstrate nuclear power and the effect of control rods on a nuclear chain reaction. Another explained the carbon cycle through a hands on activity and investigating the impact of the industrial revolution on atmospheric carbon. Resources provided by the IMechE gave pupils the chance to build hydrogen powered cars; this was combined with an explanation of different renewable energy sources. The final workshop was a 'Million Pound Drop' style quiz covering a range of topics all relating to energy.

During the afternoon pupils were given a challenge designed to combine all the information gained during the morning as well as developing research and presentation skills. In teams of 6, each with a nucleargraduate on hand to assist, pupils were asked to prepare a 2 minute presentation on a specific energy type. Each group was given a different energy source, for example biomass, coal and wind, on which to focus their research and presentation. The presentations were judged by a panel pretending to represent the environment, local community and local council. To add to the challenge the time allowed for research was limited and during preparation the judging panel approached each team to quiz them on their proposal.

All ten teams worked excellently and presentations ranged from brightly coloured posters to a dramatised demonstration of biomass! The presentations were of brilliant quality and the judges struggled to choose a winner, the top three teams were awarded prizes including solar powered kits and remote control helicopters.

The event received very positive feedback, with the teacher involved saying all pupils were 'vocal in their appreciation, having really enjoyed the day'. Cockermouth School have already expressed an interest in working with nucleargraduates and the IMechE again and it hoped a similar event will become an annual occurrence.

Sarah Morgan, Nucleargraduate & Event Organiser

Over four months teams of two or three pupils at Keswick and Beacon Hill high schools have been attending Young Engineering Clubs after school once a week. In the club the pupils have been designing and building mechanical buggies that are able to complete a series of challenges including football, an obstacle course, a bumpy road and a hill climb. In the junior category buggies were controlled using an umbilical cord but in the senior category the task was made harder with remote control buggies being required. A team of STEM ambassadors, currently on the nucleargraduates scheme, organised a 'Challenge Day' with the support of IMechE to test the buggies and award prizes to the best teams. Team Black Adder and Apex were really pleased to win remote control helicopters as the winners in the junior and senior competition. Team Jerry won the 'Best in Show' award for designing the highest scoring buggy in teams of aesthetics, quality of build, innovation and using recycled materials - winning solar powered remote controlled robot kits. Additional team building activities were run by the volunteers including building a bridge from k'nex (with the Institution of Civil Engineers) and racing against another team to using robotic grabber arms to separate blocks (with Sellafield Ltd). The day was a great success and teams were already looking at the changes they'd make to their buggies for next years event! Thank you to the volunteers and teachers who supported this event and to IMechE for the funding for the venue and fantastic prizes.

Kimberley Williams, Nucleargraduate & Event Organiser

Sixth form and college students took the opportunity to pick the brains of a wide variety of local engineers at the recent Engineering Your Future careers event. The careers day, led by the IMechE, was held at West Lakes Science Park on Friday 22nd November giving 62 Cumbrian students an insight into the world of engineering. A variety of engineers from Sellafield Ltd, James Walkers & Co., Jacobs and other local companies provided inspiring presentations alongside activities run by leading engineering bodies such as the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) and the Institute of Physics (IoP) in order to demonstrate the skills required to succeed in each industry.

Stands were also set up by local companies and educational organisations showcasing education, training and work opportunities available to the students.

We had really great feedback from the students. Four out of five students agreed that the event had influenced their choice of career and nearly nine out of ten would now consider following an engineering related career path.

A large number of local engineers gave up their time to support the event and the IMechE would like to thank them for their time and positive attitudes on behalf of the students that attended.

Matt Cleaver, IMechE West Cumbria Education Officer

The 19th & 20th November saw IMechE West Cumbria taking part in what is becoming a regular event in the science and engineering calendar - the ‘Big Bang’ event organised by STEM Cumbria.

The high demand generated by the events of previous years meant that this year separate events were held in North and South Cumbria to make sure everyone could experience all that was on offer. IMechE West Cumbria was pleased to attend the two - day North Cumbria event, held at Energus Lillyhall, providing an interactive stand for over 900 primary and secondary school students who attended. Exhibits were provided by Cumbrian businesses and Industries, Further Education and training providers with hands - on science, technology, engineering & maths (STEM) activities delivered by practicing scientists and engineers. The demonstrations, hands - on activities and competitions were aimed at reinforcing the need for students to think about a STEM career and demonstrate to everyone that STEM will be an increasing part of everyday life.

Excellent feedback was received from the students with the majority of students leaving with a better understanding of science and engineering education and careers, a quarter were more likely to consider a STEM career and almost all had a great day's experience.

Matt Cleaver, IMechE West Cumbria Education Officer

On Saturday 16th November, the annual Engineering Awareness Day took place at St Benedict’s School. The event was supported by local further education and training providers, engineering employers and engineering Institutions, all providing stands and activities showcasing local engineering careers. IMechE West Cumbria provided provided financial support for the event and had a large stand manned by the both the Area and Young Member committees providing advice, guidance and literature to the students on the available routes into an Engineering career, as well as hands-on activities using Lego Mindstorms Robots.

The day was a successful one for IMechE West Cumbria, with many students and parents seeking some advice and finding out more of what we can offer to engineers of all ages. Mandy Pattinson, Marketing & Publicity Officer at St. Benedict's School stated – “Another successful event with pupils attending from as far as Keswick, Silloth and Millom. This annual event could not happen without the support and dedication of local companies and we would like to thank them all.”

IMechE West Cumbria are delighted to continue to support this invaluable engineering careers event. It offers an opportunity for local West Cumbrian secondary school students to come and talk to local employers about potential engineering careers, and to further/higher education providers about college and university course options, as well as representatives from professional Institutions like the IMechE to provide straight forward advice about professional career development.

Matt Cleaver, IMechE West Cumbria Education Officer

Teleportation devices, floating houses and everyday energy from cow manure... Just a few of the exciting ideas generated by Year 8 students at St Benedict’s School when asked the question ‘What will we be using in 2050?’

Our World In 2050 is designed to get students thinking about how our world will change over the next 40 years. What will our world be like? Will we be affected by climate change? How will technology be developed? The limits of imagination coupled with STEM subject developments means that possibilities really are endless!

The day started with an ideas session where there was an ‘anything goes’ attitude. All students were encouraged to bring their suggestions to the group and from those, one idea was chosen to be taken forward.

Following the decision, a concept design was produced. Colours, sizes, technology and materials all chosen; marketing material produced and presentations written! Students presented their concepts and competed to be included in the final round where 8 groups would contend for the overall prize.

The standard of presentations and ideas was excellent with all students showing a high level of understanding, interest and determination.

Claire Sedgwick, Event Organiser

On 13^th July, following the successful “Girls in Engineering” event, the IMechE Young Members Board ran their biggest event of the year attended by over 85 people. Steve Bennett, the owner and Managing Director of Starchaser Industries gave a public evening lecture. Steve described (and showed videos of) his personal journey from building small rockets in his garden to those capable of carrying a person to the edge of space.

The lecture was a good family event, well attended by children and adults alike. An extended question and answer session followed, which reflected the interest that had been stimulated by both the subject and the presenter. Steve’s ability to answer questions from ‘Why do we built rocket ships’, to “What do you think the carbon footprint of space tourism will be?” illustrated what an engaging and thought provoking speaker he was. He reminded us all, that the space tourists of the future and the school students of today.

We wish Steve Bennett and Starchaser Ltd all the best and hope they will be able to launch the NOVA 2 rocket soon.

The IMechE West Cumbria Young Members would like to thank the Samuel Lindow Foundation for sponsoring the venue and running the booking system for the lecture.

Claire Jones & Matt Cleaver, Event Organisers

The tour started off at the village hall with a great introduction from Ian about the physics of gliding and how the club formed 5 years ago. We continued to the airfield to learn about the topography of how the mountains affect flight and how the gliders are rigged. We witnessed a glider be taken apart for storage and heard how it was bought for a mere £600 before being restored to become flight worthy. Niall allowed us to fly the simulator he had built over the winter from a damaged glider, but only a few of us managed to land it successfully! 5 of us also had the opportunity to climb aboard a real glider for a 25 minute trail flight. We all enjoyed the visit and those who could stay a little later joined Ian in the Fox Inn for some dinner before returning home. A big thank you to everyone at Eden Soaring for putting on a great event for us!

Jen Corbett, Event Organiser

On the 2^nd May the Young Members had the privilege of going behind the scenes at Whitehaven Marina. The group were able to get up close to the boats in the boatyard, learning about the different vessels and their maintenance.

The team then climbed up into the lock control tower, just in time to witness the lock being operated to allow the boats to pass through. This control tower not only monitors the traffic in and out of the harbour, but also the locations of all the boats within the harbour walls.

We learned about the mechanisms that drive the lock gates open and closed, and their yearly maintenance where the gates are dammed and the water pumped out so the gates can be inspected or repaired. It was interesting to hear about all the treasures that are found at the bottom of the lock that people have dropped!

The panel would like to thank Tony Taylor for his enthusiastic and informative tour of the marina! We hope to return for another visit!

Andras Kaldos, Event Organiser

On April 13^th, the West Cumbria Young Members set off on the southbound train, fully in support of the Institution’s commitment to use of public transport as a means to tackle a number of challenges ranging from fuel consumption to road congestion.  The destination was Foxfield, home to the Foxfield Brewery incorporated into the Prince of Wales pub. There the WCYM’s met members from the newly formed South Cumbria Young Members Panel. The event had been chosen specifically to allow members from both area panels the opportunity to meet each other at a convenient location and get to know each other.

Once introductions had been made the tour commenced.The brewery itself is laid out over a number of floors in the Prince of Wales, being designed out of the necessity to fit in the available space. This has led to a mix of gravity feeding and pumping to move the liquid around the brewery for the next stage of the process. The equipment itself is a mix of parts that were previously installed in other breweries and some that were custom built specifically to meet the requirements of Foxfield Brewery. The limited space in the brewery meant that the layout and design had to be carefully considered in order to make the best use of the space while also ensuring the equipment was workable. The Head Brewer had recently acquired a new fermenting vessel designed to produce Belgian style ales and was considering how best to incorporate this into the existing setup, a process that will require no small amount of engineering given the constraints.

Once the tour was completed, it dawned on us that by happy coincidence our support of the Institutions standpoint on the use of public transport meant that we could spend some time evaluating how successful the design of the brewery was at delivering an end product. We used this time to get to know our counter-parts from the south a bit better and discuss the potential for future joint events.

The WCYM Panel would like to thank the Landlord, Landlady and all others at the Prince of Wales for their hospitality and a thoroughly interesting tour and also the SCYM Panel for helping to make the event a success.

Si Walsh, Event Organiser

On the 19th April 2013 a group of eleven nuclear graduates, organised a STEM day for eighty Year 9 pupils at Furness Academy. This event, sponsored by the West Cumbria branch of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, focused on energy and climate change.

The day was split into two; the morning included 80 pupils from both north and south site and centred on groups of 20 pupils circling four different workshops whereas the afternoon was a competition for the best pitch to a 

council to build a new electricity generating facility in Cumbria. Workshop 1 focused on the carbon cycle; Workshop 2 was about weather, climate and climate change; Workshop 3 looked at energy mixes and a challenge to decide what percentages of which energy resources we should be using; and finally Workshop 4 was a challenge to build the tallest tower out of very simple building materials.

The afternoon catered for 40 pupils and was a structured role play debate focusing on four types of energy sources; biomass, wind, 

nuclear and hydropower. Each team was given a pre-prepared resource pack containing information about the chosen energy source and a company profile that they had to take the role of. The task was to create a 5 minute presentation with a range of resources to present to a council made up of members of the nuclear graduate team and a teacher from the school.

The main points students needed to cover in the presentation were the environmental impact of their form of energy and what plans they are going to put in place to give back or help the Cumbrian community, which allowed them to use knowledge gained throughout the morning. The prize for the best presentation was a remote control helicopter for each member of the team!

There was some fantastic feedback from the school, Barrow Engineering Project and the nuclear graduates as well as some great connections with the nuclear graduates for future STEM projects in Cumbria which can be achieved through sponsorship and working with the IMechE.

Helen Blue, Event Organiser

The success continues as the second Girls In Engineering event goes with a bang

Balloon popping, a real rocket ship, Olympic cycling helmets and questions that would challenge Jeremy Paxman, were all features of the second “Girls in Engineering” event that was organised by the West Cumbria Young Members Board. The event took place over a school day and was held on 13th July at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) Samuel Lindow Building, on the Westlakes Science and Technology Park. The event attended by 60+ year 9-11 (14-16 year old) female students, and their teachers from 7 different schools who were identified and nominated by their schools as having the potential to be successful in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) related careers.

How do you beat the potential land speed record breaking car Bloodhound SSC that was the main attraction last year? You have a real rocket, 30ft long, produced by a British company, Starchaser Industries, in the north of England who are competing with Richard Branson and Virgin Galactic to bring Space tourism to the masses!

The purpose of the day was to show students the variety of careers open to them in engineering thorough a wide and varied programme, from designing and building rocket ships to bridges, they saw it all! The students took part in a number of hands on engineering challenges, learned how to develop a rocket company, to create plasma in a microwave, learnt about the fundamentals of team building and personality styles, heard case studies from successful engineers - Sellafield Engineering Director Dawn James and Senior Project Manager Eleanor Billson, and grilled a panel of female engineer’s (who had come through different educational routes), questions in a Q&A session.

Activities were provided by the IMechE, the Association of Project Management (APM), the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and Starchaser Ltd, and were designed to showcase the wide scope of engineering. The unique blend of volunteers on the day, from both the above organisations and through STEM Cumbria, meant that the students and teachers were able to ask questions throughout the day and the volunteers were able to network and experience the rocket ship and other engineering challenges.

The organisers are very grateful to companies who directly sponsored the event, Samuel Lindow Foundation for the venue, Sellafield Ltd for the Rocket and Sika Plastics for the cost of St Johns Ambulance, and to STEM Cumbria for helping us find the all important volunteers.

An exciting and interactive day paves the way for girls to become the engineers of tomorrow.

A Girls in Engineering event held on Thursday 23rd June allowed over 75 girls and teachers from the West Cumbria area to draw on their creative talents and apply their scientific skills at a workshop held at Energus, Lillyhall. The event, organised by Claire Jones and Jen Corbett, gave 15-16 year old girls the chance to discover more about what engineering is really like, and how they can apply what they learn to the real world.

Claire Jones, event co-organiser said: “The students engaged really well. We really wanted to get the girls thinking about what they enjoy at school and how applying this to engineering can be genuinely fun and interesting. They were really positive about School and genuinely interested in what they can do when they leave.”

The day focused on workshops and activities run by female engineers from Jacobs, NNL and Sellafield. These had been set up to expose the girls to learning in a group environment, allowing them a hands on practical engineering experience that they might not normally get at school. Some of the workshops included:

• Team challenge: This saw teams compete to design and build towers whilst keeping costs down
• Fuel cells: Students built hydrogen fuel cell cars and learned how they work
• Design: Engineering drawings and designing a robot
• Manufacture: They learned about manufacturing methods when teams competed to build models against the clock
• Programming: This gave the girls a chance to programme Lego robots using ladder logic

IMechE Deputy President Professor Isobel Pollock, who helped run the afternoon workshops, said “It is important for the students of today to understand what goes into the engineering of tomorrow. Today has opened their eyes into the exciting career opportunities available to them"

The event also gave the girls an opportunity to ask questions about engineering specific course, but also a chance to quiz women professional engineers about their engineering roles and how they got there.

As an added bonus, the Bloodhound SSC (Super Sonic Car) paid a visit to Energus, giving all involved a great glimpse of a current cutting edge engineering project.

The organisers would like to thank all those who attended and helped on the day, as well as Nuclear Management Partners for sponsoring the event, West Cumbria IMechE Young Members for their help and support and local companies and charities; The React Foundation, STEMNET, Sellafield Ltd and Jacobs. 

Claire Jones & Jen Corbett, Event Organisers