The first batch of 11 students (1 EEE, 5 MPE, 4 CE and 1 ME) had the opportunity of doing their Industrial Attachment in UK at BG plc’s Gas Research & Technology Centre at Loughborough.  Some of them have put together a photo story of their experience:

It just seemed like only yesterday when I received a letter from the OPA to notify me of my successful IA application to British Gas plc.  I was ecstatic, and even though it was still in the midst of the exams, I couldn’t help thinking about it.  There were 11 undergrads that were chosen for this attachment, all from various engineering fields. It was the largest group from NTU to be accepted by an overseas company.

The company British Gas plc owns and operates one of the largest gas transportation systems in the world and plays a key role in the introduction and management of the world’s largest fully competitive gas supply market.  The attachment location was at to be at the Gas Research and Technology Centre (GRTC) which provides consultancy and support services to customers worldwide.

We gathered at Changi Airport for our flight to the UK on the day before the start of the IA semester.  It was a long and packed flight but anxiety and excitement kept us awake for the entire journey.  Before we knew it we had already arrived in Heathrow Airport while winter was still in season.  There was a chauffeured coach waiting for us at the airport to whisk us from bustling London to the Midlands where the GRTC was located in a secluded town called Loughborough.

When we arrived at the GRTC we were greeted by Dr Bob Tucker who had liaised with NTU for our attachment here.  He took us to our new homes. We unpacked and tried to settled down. Everything seemed to impress us - from the century-old fire places to three-wheeled cars on the road.  We couldn’t wait to venture around town even though it was already dark after 4 p.m. and air was freezing.

On the first day of work we arrived at the GRTC early and Human Resource representatives took us for an on-site tour. After that we were introduced to our respective supervisors in the conference room.  We then broke off from our group in which we had felt so secure in this new domain to venture into a different realm of working life.  Being alone in unfamiliar territory makes one feel very vulnerable, but soon after being introduced to everyone, I guess the confidence slowly seeped in.

For 6 months I collaborated with the gas cooling team to conceptualise solutions for a LiBr Absorption chiller for office building aircons.  There was the initial conceptualisation stage where many designs were dropped as soon as I could come up with them.  It was a European Union funded project; so, once a month we met up with the French and German partners to address problems and discuss solutions.  After narrowing them down to several designs, we had to analyse and evaluate every single one of them.  As I was doing that I was concurrently developing computer programs to simulate different tubings to be used in the LiBr generator.  I tried to gather some insight into other projects as well; the ones which particularly interested me were the Natural Gas Vehicles which ran on natural gas. BG Technology were the forerunners in this field.  I guess working here was different in the sense that work was mainly research based.

During the weekends, there were bountiful attractions to be seen in every part of UK.  The splendor of some medieval castles and cathedrals is truly a magnificent sight to behold.  English Pubs are worth a visit; they are really conducive places if you like horizontal bodybuilding.  Each Pub has its own unique character and interiors are laviousy decorated with antiques while the bar counter is lined with different types of beer which are still traditionally hand pumped.  The typical fast food around there would be fish and chips or kebabs served up in generous portions drowned in vinegar.

Once spring blows over, there are numerous outdoor activities for those who are starved of space in Singapore to participate in, from mountain trekking and parachuting in the highlands to car rallying at any of the famous racing tracks around the UK.  There are various amusement parks too; I would personally recommend a visit to Blackpool pleasure beach where there the world’s highest, fastest roller-coaster is located.

As the last month drew nearer, we touched up on our final reports, and prepared an oral presentation to all the supervisors on what we had been working on for the past 6 months.  And as for me I had to finalise the design proposal for submission to the European project committee.  On the last day of work, everyone was given a lunch treat by their respective supervisors for a job well done.

So what’s it like to have completed an overseas attachment?  Well I would say that I really felt a deep sense of satisfaction for having contributed to a real-life project that would be in the market one day.  It was a worthwhile experience to have been there and to have done it. We would like to thank Mrs Loh and staff of OPA for the excellent supervision of our affairs while we were there, our respective tutors, supervisors over in the GRTC and Bob Tucker for this chance of a lifetime.  Cheers!