AWARDS AND CERTIFICATION
Since its inception in 1983 P S Analytical has received a number of Awards from Industry and Learned Societies. |
|
Professorship at the University of PlymouthWhilst not strictly an award, the offer of a visiting chair at the University of Plymouth in the Department of Environmental Sciences is seen as a great honour for PSA’s MD Prof Peter Stockwell. From its creation in 1983 PSA has had strong links with universities worldwide and with Plymouth in particular. |
|
2009 Accreditation to Quality Standard ISO 9001:2008 for Quality ManagementSystems applied to the provision of complete solutions from sampling through to measurement systems for the ultra-low level determination and speciation of mercury and the hydride forming elements and consultancy services. |
|
2008 CITAC Award
|
|
2007 Accreditation to Quality Standard ISO 9001:2000 for Quality ManagementSystems applied to the provision of complete solutions from sampling through to measurement systems for the ultra-low level determination and speciation of mercury and the hydride forming elements and consultancy services |
|
 |
|
2003 Department of Trade and Industry Smart Award
|
|
2003 Laboratory News Award
|
|
2002 Laboratory News Industry Award
|
|
2002 - Best Environmental Business Award (Winner) and Winner of Winners - Best of the Best (Winner)This project was the groundwork for the development of P S Analytical’s Excalibur detector system. The judging panel felt that PS Analytical, winners of the Best Environmental Award were a strong contender for every category of the BoBs 2002. P S Analytical’s research, development and production of the world’s first fully automated mercury analyser, and latterly a continuous mercury emissions monitor. They have also made a significant contribution to learning and research by the provision of support to graduate researchers in the field of environmental sciences. These successes have earned them the Royal Society of Chemistry Industrial Team Award. Hugh West, CMD managing Director and Chair of the Judging panel announced that, “P S Analytical has nearly doubled its turnover in two years and increased its direct sales turnover in US tenfold in the past three years. As well as the Best Environmental Business, PS Analytical is an outstanding Winner of Winners, the Best of the Best in the South East Region.” |
|
  |
|
1999 Royal Society of Chemistry Industry Affairs Division - Industrial Innovation Team AwardWinner for a project on The Determination of Mercury and its Forms in Petroleum Products, Particularly Natural Gas and Condensates, conducted in collaboration with the Environmental Science Department of the University of Plymouth (UK) and Petronas Gas (Malaysia) The Royal Society of Chemistry Industrial Affairs Division Team Award has been won by a group comprised of the Environmental Science Department of the University of Plymouth (UK), Petronas Gas (Malaysia) and P S Analytical Ltd (UK). The team worked on a programme to accurately determine mercury and its forms in the Petrochemical Industry. Following a visit in 1992 to Petronas in Kuala Lumpur, PSA were approached with a view to undertaking a research programme to unravel the problems, ensuring a mass balance between the level of mercury found in petrochemical products. Analytical results on both the gas liquid phases failed to explain the additional mercury found in various sections of the plant which often results in stress fractures and subsequent plant failures. PSA's experience in the field of mercury measurements and its contacts with universities world-wide, especially with Plymouth, appealed to Petronas as a way of solving this important dilemma. In 1996, a mature student, Azman Bin Shafawi, was despatched to PSA from Petronas on a 3 year secondment to study for a PhD and to work on this problem. Dr Mike Foulkes and Prof Les Ebdon from the University of Plymouth provided the academic training. Prof Peter Stockwell, and Dr Warren Corns from PSA provided the instrumentation and the industrial insight and awareness of the commercial analytical needs. The programme of research looked at problems of both analytical measurements in both gaseous and liquid media. The major breakthrough that provided the effective analytical solution sprung from work being carried out in a similar field; stack gas emission measurements. In this work acidic gases such as HCl and SO2 can cause problems by interfering with the mercury and mercury species being trapped onto P S Analytical's gold amalgam traps. Dr Corns' research had shown that the traps retained mercury efficiently at elevated temperatures of up to 200°C. Excess gases are then purged with argon before the release of mercury for measurements. This provided the schematic means of analysing mercury in liquid hydrocarbons. Samples are vaporised at 400°C and then collected on a trap held at 200°C in a simple but effective procedure. The research team provided a simple demonstration of the ability of this procedure to work and PSA then set about the task of building a commercially viable instrument. The resulting system provides valid analytical measurements of liquid hydrocarbons with detection capabilities of 50ppt. Using this instrumentation, mercury removal strategies can be fully validated and subsequently save the supplier from possible shut downs and incurred costs etc. A further development by the team was to measure the individual species present using a gas chromatograph atomic fluorescence system (GC AFS). Knowledge of the speciation profile of mercury provides a route to establish a specific mercury removal strategy. First hand experience of the problem and a background in analytical work concerning mercury, teamed with good academic training has paid off, with a complete solution to a difficult problem in the development of a useful instrument and of course the recognition of these achievements with the presentation of this award. |
|
1999 Solotec Achievers Award
|
|
1997 Solotec Achievers AwardManufacturing Industry - Highly Commended Entrant for the Established Business Success Award |
|
1997 Metrology for World Class Manufacturing Award
|
|
1996 Metrology for World Class Manufacturing Award
|
|
  |
|
