17 March 2015

Costain Process Engineer, Adam Jones, had an encouraging reception from his peers when he presented a paper to a Gas Processors Association (GPA) Young Professionals event at Manchester University recently.

The GPA – specifically, the European chapter of the organisation (GPAE) – is the premier forum for the gas processing industry on the continent. Its aim is to promote technical and operational excellence and to serve as a forum for the exchange of ideas and information for the industry sector.

Manchester-based Adam is a Young Professionals (YP) co-ordinator for the GPAE. In this role he is responsible for helping organise training and networking events for the benefit of YPs within the industry.

Adam, who helped organise the event, was accompanied by eight colleagues from Costain, and he presented a version of his paper on a new process for the production of liquefied natural gas, for which he won the prestigious 2013 Aungier award.

The event at Manchester was a free training day consisting of technical papers aimed both at YPs and students, with a mix of presenters from academia and industry giving their audience a combination of theoretical knowledge and examples of the application of those principles in an industrial context.

“This was the first dedicated YP event we’ve held,” he said. “Traditionally there’s an additional afternoon of YP-focused training attached to one of the main GPAE conferences. However, we’ve trialled a new format of a dedicated YP and student training session in partnership with a university. We chose Manchester as it is one of the leading universities in Europe for chemical engineering, a key discipline within the gas processing industry.”

The level of interest in the event could be seen from the fact that it outstripped the venue’s 120-person capacity, said Adam. “We’re thrilled with how this first event has gone. Our intention at the GPAE is to reflect on the feedback we’ve received and to consider making this a regular event. The aim is through these events to inspire and educate even more YPs and students.”

How did the event go down with the audience? “We’ve had a lot of positive feedback from the attendees, and the audience seemed to benefit from the combination of academic and industrial presentations and the broad range of subject matter.”

Adam is currently working on a FEED project to upgrade two compressor stations for National Grid.

 

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