Royal Institution Discourse

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  • Release Date: 27th February 1986
  • Asset ID: 801025
  • Synopsis: Also titled BP Sunbury At The Royal Institution. Professor John Cadogan, science researcher at BP Sunbury, gives lecture at Royal Institution.
  • Shotlist: C/U lettering on exterior of Royal Institution building in London, zoom out to show columned frontage. Titles: 'Discourse by Prof. John Cadogan - February 14th 1986'. Interior of Royal Institution with people milling about and finding seats. M/S of clock reading 1 minute to 9 o'clock. Bell rings, applause from audience. Professor John Cadogan comes to a table laden with scientific equipment and instruments. He starts his lecture by talking about BP as a 'Business Orchestra' with the Chairman as conductor, and oil, gas, exploration, chemicals, Scicon, nutrition, ventures, coal, minerals, detergents shipping, BPFI as the players. Research is the composer/arranger. Prof Cadogan talks about Alaska Pipeline, Magnus Field, dwindling hydrocarbon resource and needing to be better at exploring, producing, converting and conserving. Graphics show the continents of the world forming and moving from pre-historic to modern times; plate tectonics. This research and reconstruction helps scientists to see where energy sources might be. Demonstration and explanation of obtaining oil. Gas into gasoline. Graphics and model of catalyst. Materials developed by BP - glass fibre composite. Composite flywheel used in bus; Kinetic Energy Storage system. Plastic that doesn't burn and doesn't give a smoke when heated. Organic materials that look and act like metals. Oil spills; Rigidoil is the substance that can gel oil on water. Video shows Rigidoil being used on water in tanks and on sand. Film of Rigidoil being tested at sea. Epok 300 coatings; used for tank roofs and internals, transformer cooling fins, splash zone/jetty piles. Footage of an enormous fire at oil refinery (not BP, says Prof John), to illustrate why it's important to seal off a vapour leak in the top of a tank. Diagram shows how the blaze started. Another BP product, Acurin (?) is used for teeth molds and compressions. Aquaprint is the underwater impression system developed by BP. Short video shows a diver squeezing Aquaprint material into part of an oil platform leg, underwater. She then peels off the doughy substance to show the imprint on the material. A man called Steve shows the machine that applies the substance. Professor John peels off a bit of Aquaprint in a tank that Steve prepared earlier, and shows the audience the imprint is of a heart with BP written on it and an arrow shooting through it. Applause from the audience.
  • Production Company: Greenpark Productions
  • Licensing Restrictions: None
  • Viewing Restrictions: Public
  • Format: Other
  • Alternative Language Notes: None