Mike Askwith

• HND Metallurgy
• ONC Electrical and Mechanical Engineering

• Lloyds Register IQAL ISO 9000 Lead Auditor 2005 (Sheffield University)
• Confined Space Training 2005
• TWI Corrosion Management and the selection of Materials
• Welding Institute Welding Engineer 2003/2004
• Ameron Painting and Protection 14 day training (Holland 2002).
• Member of the Welding and Joining Society (WJS)1985 to 2010
• Company Member of the Welding Institute (TWI) Kvaerner Boving/GE Energy. 1992 to 2010
• Senior Welding Inspector Training (TWI) CSWIP 3.2
• Steel Casting Reach Association. Computerized Method and Foundry Technology.
• NDE Operator Qualification Castings/Forgings & Fabrications
• ASNT NDE Ultrasonic Examination Level 3
• ASNT Radiographic Interpretation Level 3
• ASNT Magnetic Particle Examination Level 2
• ASNT Dye Penetrant Level 2

• Balfour Darwin (1961-1978), later to become (Darwin Alloy Castings and Fabrications) as Metallurgy Technician. Attended Granville College for 5 years to qualify as a metallurgist, including a 1 year course at Steel Casting Research in Sheffield. Developed career further by attending Richmond College to take an ONC 4 year course in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering.
  Throughout employment with this company, developed skills in Welding Metallurgy at the Welding Institute and attained NDE Qualifications for Castings and Forgings from Steel Casting Research. Received training and NDE qualification for fabrications from the Welding Institute. Promoted several times from Technician to Senior technician to Chief Metallurgist/Quality Manager and finally Technical Manager.
  Many of the castings produced were for the Energy and Oil industries and included Nuclear Power. 1971 awarded CEGB approvals for NDE and Quality approvals. These were maintained until the CEGB was broken down into various businesses.
  Nominated to join the technical specification review board jointly run by BSI/SCRATA (Steel Casting Research)
• Boving & Co Ltd (London) (1978 -1984) Inspection Surveyor responsible for Technical/Quality and Inspection. The role included the responsibility of all external Inspection and Quality related issues in the UK and overseas. This also involved the development of new suppliers. Boving & Co Ltd (London) were designers of Hydro Turbines/Turbine Inlet Valve, Butterfly/Special Valves and Control Equipment. All the manufacturing of this equipment was out sourced.
  1984 I was promoted to Chief Inspector with the same responsibilities as above.
• In 1984 the Boving Group was purchased by Kvaerner (Norway).The Company was re-named Kvaerner Boving Ltd.
  1989 promoted to Chief Quality Engineer of Kvaerner Boving Ltd. Responsibilities were expanded to include the role of Welding Engineer and to be part of the team to develop the Companies Quality System to gain accreditation to meet BS 5750: part 1 specification. This was achieved in 1990.
• 2000 Kvaerner Hydro Group was acquired by GE Energy, my position was Hydro Quality Leader for Europe, also one of the three nominated welding engineers for the Hydro business.
• In 2008 GE Hydro business was sold to Andritz. I stayed with Andritz until my retirement in 2010.
• Joined KGAL 2011.

• Member of numerous project teams responsible for the Technical/Quality requirements and Inspections. Given the task over the years of finding and developing new suppliers around the world to expand the manufacturing base and reduce costs and also maintaining the product quality.
• Over the years I have been responsible for many other smaller projects ie. Turbines (All Types), Valves, Gates, Cranes, Control equipment.
  • Sabiya 1000 Butterfly Valves 100mm to 3m.
  • Renun Losutoe Turbines/Valves
  • Muaun Iran Turbine/Valves.
  • Owen Falls Uganda Wheel Gates (Manufactured in Malaysia)
  • Sizewell Nuclear PS Butterfly Valves/Strainers and CW/ACW/ESW Pipe work.
  • Chendaroe HEPP (Malasia2off Kaplan Turbines and Valves.

Relevant Project Experience

Wuskwatim HEPP, Monateba, Canada - Andritz Hydro
3 off Vertical Kaplan Turbine equipment, all manufactured in China. Workshop based and responsible for the welding machining NDE and all the procured castings for the Hubs Blades etc, manufactured in China.

Caruachi HEPP, Venezuela - GE Energy UK Ltd
12 off 8.3M diameter Discharge rings all manufactured in South Korea. 12 off Turbine Shafts manufactured in Italy. Responsible for the complete manufacturing, assembly and testing of this equipment.

Esti & Bayano HEPP, Panama - GE Energy UK Ltd
Chief Quality Engineer responsible for manufacturing/assembly and testing 5 off 6m span x 10m deep culvert type radial gates, hydraulic hoists, maintenance stoplogs and diversion tunnel wheel gate. These were manufactured in Thailand at a new supplier. Also responsible for the manufacturing of various sizes of Butterfly Valves manufactured in India.

Nathpa Jhakri HEPP, India - GE Energy UK Ltd
Appointed Chief Quality Engineer responsible for the $20mil of gates, and $10mil of Turbine Valves for the NATHPA JHAKRI HEPP project for the manufacturing/testing and assembly for client SJVN. This comprised of a total of 54 gates of all types. The scope included 24 off 0.7m span x 1.8m deep x 70m head high-pressure bonneted slide gates, 15 wheel gates of all sizes, 5 off 7.5m span x 8.3m deep x 38m, head dam sluice radial gates, 2 off automatic spillway gates operated by ropes and counterweights along with numerous maintenance stoplogs/bulkheads. 3 off 4.9M valves, the total assembled weight of the valves for pressure functional testing was 350 tonnes.

Banimboola Power Station, Australia - GE Energy UK Ltd
Supervised the supplier delivery of 3 Intake wheel gates/Intake trashracks with a trash-raking machine and 3 sets of Draft tube slide gates with operating equipment.

Changi EP1 Water Reclamation Plant, Singapore - GE Energy UK Ltd
Appointed as Chief Project Quality Engineer and fully responsible for the Technical/Quality and testing on this multi million pound contract. This included the new product conceptual design of 37 stainless steel bonneted knife gate valves ranging in size from 1.4m to 3.6m dia and 6 bar rated. Eleven of the 3.6m dia knife gate valves were hydraulic cylinder operated and fully submerged in 25m raw sewage, these were manufactured in Italy. The remaining valves were rising screw, electric actuator operated and manufactured in the UK. Extensive shop pressure testing and shop functional testing of operating gear drives was carried out. One of the demanding issues was to establish and prepare a suitable heat treatment procedure to remove the residual stress from the full penetration welds.
Meetings were held between the Welding Institute/GE Energy Project to formulate a heat treatment procedure that would not impair the mechanical or the corrosion properties of the Stainless Steel material. This would be due to the high heat treatment temperature that had to be applied to the Valve Bodies/Bonnets.

Scientific Centre, Kuwait - Kvaerner Boving Ltd
Responsible for the manufacturing/assembly of the dock entrance flap gate for the Scientific Centre. The nominated gate specialist consultants were Mouchel and KGAL. The gate was 11.3m span x 7.5m deep and operated by a single hydraulic cylinder and designed to seal in both directions.

Redcar Energy (BSC)Recovery Project - Kvaerner Boving & Co Ltd
One off 15MW Gas Turbine manufactured in Japan. Several large diameter gas isolation valves manufactured in Germany and Pipe ducting. Responsible for the inspection/assembly and testing of this equipment.

Pergau Hydro PS, Malaysia - Kvaerner Boving & Co Ltd
Quality Leader in the Project Team responsible for the Quality/Technical issues, together with Customer Inspection liaison in the UK and Malaysia. The 4 off Francis Turbines and Inlet valve and control equipment were manufactured in the UK and the Gates were manufactured in Malaysia. This project was extremely complicated as it required co ordination between several different parties. The Technical and Quality requirements were of a very high standard together with a high level of documentation.

Uri Hydro PS, India - Kvaerner Boving & Co Ltd
4 off Turbine/Main Inlet Valves, several sets of Gates and Penstocks which were manufactured at site in India. Quality representative for the Project Team, responsible for technical support, manufacturing testing and inspections. Site inspections were carried out with regards to the manufacturing of the penstocks and welding support for the site welding of the Spiral Casings.

Mrica Hydro PS, Indonesia - Boving & Co Ltd
4 off Francis Turbines/Main Inlet Valves, Radial/Diversion/Draft Tube Gates, Penstocks etc. Responsible for the manufacturing, shop assembly and testing of this equipment.

Victoria Dam, Sri-Lanka - Boving & Co Ltd
4 off Francis Turbine/Main Inlet Valves. Radial/Intake Wheel/Bulk Head Gates. Responsible for the manufacturing, shop assembly and testing of this equipment

Arnold Air force USA - Boving & Co Ltd
1 off 10.3M Diameter Butterfly valve and 2 off 4.8M Diameter Butterfly valves. Inspection Engineer to oversee the manufacturing, assembly and testing.