Steve Vick Design Engineer Wins South West Heat In IGEM Young Persons Paper Competition

Matthew Maclennan, Mechanical Design Engineer with Steve Vick International (SVI), won the South West nomination for IGEM’s Young Persons Paper Competition in Cardiff on 21st March.

Matt won the title for his Paper on the development of the Wireless Pressure Tester, a product developed as an NIA project for Wales and West Utilities (WWU), in which he played a key role amongst other members of the design team. His Paper was one of seven considered by the judges.

In summarising the new pressure tester, Matt said, “This is a product that gives the engineer a highly accurate pressure sensor connected to a Smart Phone App, developed specifically to test gas installations and mains for tightness and strength”.

The sensor provides pressure readings up to four times a second using Wireless connectivity. It has an on-board calibration certificate that is downloaded and checked every time the sensor is connected to a smartphone or tablet.

The App uses the latest IGEM standards and when a test is complete, the data is transmitted to the back office where test certificates can be generated and a live map of test activity viewed.

IGEM’s annual Young Person Paper Competition (YPPC) allows young engineers, managers and students in the gas industry to showcase their skills. The overall winner will receive an all-expenses paid trip to the World Gas Conference 2018 in Washington DC.

The YPPC event was shared with IGEM Wales and IGEM South West Sections and was held at the Coldra Court Hotel, Cardiff. Judges were Simon Ayley of WRc, David Morgan of Synthotec and Terry Woods, Head of Control Room Operations at WWU.