British Energy is the United Kingdom's largest generator, producing one fifth of the country's electricity. They employ over 5,000 personnel in the UK and 3,000 in Canada. British Energy's core business is nuclear power generation and the company owns eight nuclear power stations in the UK, and one coal-fired power station in East Yorkshire.

Market Sector:
Power Generation

Application:
Condition Monitoring

The Problem:
Prior to Torness Power Station having an electronic data collection system in place, several difficulties existed with the previous system of written records. If a reading was outside of usual limits, there was no immediate warning of potential problems. Identification relied upon the operator recognising that a reading was outside usual levels. No electronic records were stored unless the information had been re-entered on a PC and, therefore, no proof was retained to show that the information had been correctly collected in the first instance. Hand-written documents did not help either.

The Solution:
TransForm provided the ideal solution. Its flexibility allowed electronic replication of existing paper forms, giving operators immediate familiarity. In conjunction with their current handheld terminals (2MB Psion) it allowed Torness staff to collect information on the plant electronically. A key factor in the decision to purchase TransForm was the fact that the choice of handheld terminals is not limited to any particular manufacturer.

The Benefits:
TransForm provides operators with an immediate warning if a numeric entry is outside acceptable limits, allowing immediate investigation to take place. A complete, electronic audit trail provides detailed historical records, proving compliance with safety regulations where this is applicable. TransForm also allows the operators to interrogate the data from the plant, saving money in the costs of repairs and plant non availability. If Torness decide to change their handheld terminals in future, TransForm will not restrict their choice of new handheld terminals due to its platform independence.

Customer Relationship?
When asked how helpful Alan found Terrington Data Management to be, his reply was: "I have always found Terrington Data Management to be very helpful, they have always tried to adapt the product to suit the customer and involve the customer before changing the product. I have always found Terrington very helpful in providing solutions to my problems, either on the telephone or by e-mail - whether it be a commercial or technical problem I always receive a cheerful welcome and a prompt reply."

Comments By:
Alan Muir, Operations Departmental Training Co-ordinator, Torness Power Station