SA Mechanical Engineer February 2016 by Promech Publishing

S MECHANICAL A ENGINEER February 2016

Publication of the South African Institution of Mechanical Engineering, incorporating News of Associate Organisations

NO MORE FUDGING OF ISO STANDARDS OFF-GRID FOR PRODUCTION FACILITY

AN ENGINEER’S VIEW

An Appreciation of the Contribution by John Walmsley Our long serving Members will recall the articles written each month by John Walmsley who for many years was a member of one of the SAIMechE’s specialist groups, the SA Institution of Nuclear Engineers which operated as a branch of the UK body.

ohn passed away in October last year with complications arising from asbestos exposure in his early days. It is suspected that it could be a result of working with the type of piping insulation used in power stations. He qualified as a Nuclear Physicist in England prior to joining Eskom where he played a major role in the nuclear department and in the Koeberg Project. John had a visionary view on the role of nuclear power which was the main content of his regular articles, expressed in his skillful and erudite manner. He was an excellent writer, the quality of which was commented on by most readers. Writing a regular feature for a monthly journal with its unforgiving deadlines is a major commitment, especially when done as a free service and when it becomes an element of the publication that readers turn to with great expectation.

Magnitude

He saw a definite role for nuclear power in the SA mix but certainly not in the magnitude as currently

Chris Reay

Chairman of the Working Committee: Communications (SA Institution of Mechanical Engineering)

identified by government. Disappointed at the closure of the PBMR project, he hoped that other developments in nuclear would emerge of the same scale. With his background in nuclear physics, he was able to give some in-depth evaluation on the various technologies that are available and that are being researched and tested at present. John was involved in promoting and encouraging the development of engineering resources for a future nuclear programme and had addressed many aspects of this including the following: • Promoting teaching, research and innovation capacity in South African universities in strategic areas in the nuclear field • Facilitating nuclear skills development through skills transfer programmes as part of technology acquisition from local and international suppliers • Creating a continuous pipeline of high school learners into the nuclear industry • Developing a critical research and skills base to support the nuclear programme. John retired to Fishhoek with his wife Susan and was a regular player at the Clovelly Golf Club. We had some memorable sessions quaffing good wine at the Waterfront pondering over the state of nuclear and the issue of having the local SA branch of the UK Institution becoming an independent SA Institution which in fact never materialised. John will be remembered as having a sense of notable intellectual humour. His contribution to”The SA Mechanical Engineer” was significant.

John Walmsley

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER

VOL 66 February 2016

S MECHANICAL A ENGINEER On the Cover Energy Training Foundation

February 2016 VOLUME 66 NUMBER 2

Contents

Tel: 084 622 4770

www.energytrainingfoundation.co.za

Cover Story

10 Customised Training

SAIT

Company Profile 13 SEW Eurodrive

28 Call for Representation: DST Work Group for Lubricant Selection, Standards Development and Quality Control

Pipes, Pumps and Valves

ISO Standard

14 Making Sensible Choices 16 Here to Stay

POWER GENERATION TODAY 19 Solar Winery 21 Power Generation News

Hackers

27 Gym Dodgers

29 Putting Quality Back in Quality Management

Regulars 3 6 9 31

An Engineer’s View Institution News Keeping it Professional Market Forum

All rights reserved. No editorial matter published in “SA Mechanical Engineer” may be reproduced in any form or language without written permission of the publishers. While every effort is made to ensure accurate reproduction, the editor, authors, publishers and their employees or agents shall not be responsible or in any way liable for any errors, omissions or inaccuracies in the publication, whether arising from negligence or otherwise or for any consequences arising therefrom. The inclusion or exclusion of any product does not mean that the publisher or editorial board advocates or rejects its use either generally or in any particular field or fields.

The monthly circulation is 3 947 Produced by: PROMECH PUBLISHING, P O Box 373, Pinegowrie, Official Publication of 2123, Republic of South Africa THE SA INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING and endorsed by: Tel: (011) 781-1401, Fax: (011) 781-1403 Email: samecheng@promech.co.za, www.promech.co.za  CORROSION INSTITUTE OF SA Managing Editor Susan Custers Editorial Contributors  SA PUMP SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION (SAPSDA) DTP Lindy Fobian / Anne Rotteglia Liesl Venter and Andrea Müller  SA VALVE AND ACTUATORS MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION Circulation Catherine Macdiva  THE SA INSTITUTE OF TRIBOLOGY

Subscriptions Please email us at accounts@promech.co.za  NUCLEAR INSTITUTE if you wish to subscribe to “SA Mechanical Engineer” at R550,00 (excl  SA INSTITUTE FOR NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING postage and VAT) per year; R1 380,00 per year for Africa/Overseas.  NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK ENGINEERS  INSTITUTE FOR CERTIFICATED MECHANICAL AND Disclaimer PROMECH Publishing and The South African Institution of Mechanical Engineering ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS as well as any other body do not take responsibility for the opinions expressed  SOUTH AFRICAN ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERS by individuals.  THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN ASSOCIATION FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY (SAEE) Printed by: Typo Colour Printing, Tel: (011) 402-3468/9  THE SA CAPITAL EQUIPMENT EXPORT COUNCIL FSC (Forestry Stewardship Accreditation)

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VOL 66 February 2016

SA INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Council 2014 - 2016

Company Affiliates

Office Bearers President................................... KK Nyangoni (Kudzai) Vice President................................... E Zawilska (Ewa) National Treasurer............................... A Roos (Andre)

Branch Chairpersons Central .............................................. C Kruger (Carel) Eastern Cape......................... G van den Berg (Gideon) KwaZulu Natal .............................R Walker (Raymond) Mpumalanga Highveld .......... PJ Jansen van Rensburg (Jansen) Vaal........................................ Prof LM Masu (Leonard) Western Cape .............................. S Pietrangeli (Sven)

Portfolios: Communications/ Strategic Planning/ Specialist Groups . . .................................. CD Reay (Chris)

Autodesk as represented by Worldsview Technologies Ainsworth Engineering (Pty) Ltd Alstom Power Service SA (Pty) Ltd Babcock Ntuthuko Engineering (Pty) Ltd Bateman Projects (Pty) Ltd Bosch Projects (Pty) Ltd DCD Rolling Stock A division of DCD Group (Pty) Ltd

Company Affiliates. . .....................................R Mills (Bob)

ELCIME Engineering (Pty) Limited

To be confirmed.................... Prof JL van Niekerk (Wikus)

Festo (Pty) Ltd

Professional Development Programme........................................ M Black (Malcolm) Technology Programme.. ...................... SZ Hrabar (Steve)

Chief Executive Officer: Vaughan Rimbault National Office Manager: Anisa Nanabhay

Megchem Mod-U-Flow CC Osborn Engineered Products SA (Pty) Ltd PaCMan Projects & Maintenance PPS Insurance Co Limited Rotek Engineering S.A.M.E Water (Pty) Ltd SA Power Services (Pty) Ltd Sasol Technology (Pty) Ltd SEW Eurodrive Siemens Ltd Spirax Sarco (Pty) Ltd

Fluor SA (Pty) Ltd GEA Air-cooled Systems (Pty) Ltd Hansen Transmissions SA Hatch Goba (Pty) Ltd

PO Box 511, Bruma, 2026

MBE Minerals (SA) (Pty) Ltd

Tenova Takraf Africa – a division of Tenova Mining Thyssenkrupp Engineering (Pty) Ltd

Tel: (011) 615-5660 Fax: (011) 388-5356

Howden Power

Ultra-Flow Engineering Services CC

Email: info@saimeche.org.za

Howden Projects

Vital Engineering (Pty) Ltd

Industrial Water Cooling (Pty) Ltd

Weir Minerals Africa

Website: www.saimeche.org.za Membership Email: membership@saimeche.org.za

Winder Controls (Pty) Ltd

2015 Postgraduate Conference on Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering - Feedback SAIMechE Western Cape once again organised a one-day conference showcasing local postgraduate research in mechanical, materials and manufacturing engineering, hosted on 5 November 2015 at CPUT’s recentlyopened SARETEC (South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre) in Bellville.

his annual event, which started in 2012 with funds donated after the dissolution of the Cape Initiative in Materials and Manufacturing (CIMM), has since its inception been a dynamic forum for CPUT, UCT and Stellenbosch University postgraduate students to present their research work. It provides a lively platform for the students to discuss their work with each other, identify areas where collaboration can benefit their research and for industry attendees to be inspired by the mature and innovative research being conducted

by our young engineers. Our group was privileged to be able to use SARETEC’s excellent conferencing facilities and enjoyed a most engaging day. There were 45 technical presentations spanning topics such as Materials Design and Optimisation, Mechanical Engineering Design, and Energy and Renewable Energy. Over 60 delegates attended the conference with academics and industry-based engineers enjoying the presentations alongside the students. The technical level of the presentations is always excellent. Considering the

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February 2016

tough times South Africa is facing in all spheres, this is definitely a beacon of hope for the future of engineering in our country. After running for four years, the initial funds donated by CIMM are dwindling. SAIMechE WC would love to continue running this excellent event, but we will be looking for sponsors for the coming years. Any members wishing to support this endeavour, please contact Bev on saimeche.wc@vodamail.co.za. Also remember that this is probably one of the most enjoyable ways to earn 1 ECSA CPD point!

SA INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

SAIMechE Forthcoming Workshops Bookings and enquiries to Carey Evans, Tel: +27 (0)31 764 7136 & carey@saimeche.org.za

3-day Machinery Failure Analysis and Prevention Workshop

3-day Pump Design, Operation, Maintenance and Troubleshooting

Gauteng

Durban

Cape Town

Gauteng

Durban

Cape Town

8-10 Mar 2016

28-30 June 2016

5-7 July 2016

12-14 July 2016

26-28 July 2016

19-21 July 2016

The workshop will:

DAY 1

• Examine the key approaches to Preventive and Predictive Maintenance • Identify the most frequent failure modes in rotating equipment and understand how parts fail • Discuss prediction and prevention of such failures • Use a systematic approach to conduct Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) on failures, to prevent repetition • Develop an understanding of continuous reliability improvement • Develop an approach to optimise lubrication of rotating equipment

• Introduction to pumps  Pump Categories and Classification  Pump Terminology and Theory • Centrifugal Pumps  Pump Curves  Characteristics  Pump Hydraulics  NPSH  Viscosity Effects  Cavitation • Centrifugal Pump Types  Single-Stage Pumps  Multistage Pumps  Split-Case Pumps  Wastewater Pumps  Submersible Pumps  Borehole Pumps  API Pump Categories

DAY 2

• Pump Installation and Alignment • Mechanical Seal Components and Functions  Balanced and Unbalanced Seals  Seal Face Material Combinations  Seal Performance and Seal Failures  API Seal Plans • Operation and Troubleshooting of Centrifugal Pumps • Condition Monitoring of Pumps

DAY 3

To do this it will cover:

• • • • • • • • •

• Positive Displacement Pumps  Reciprocating and Rotary Types • Maintenance of Pumps

Understanding Maintenance Preventive Maintenance Predictive Maintenance Failure processes and modes Typical bearing, seal, gear and other component failures Lubrication Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) Reliability Centred Maintenance and Continuous Improvement Performance Measurement and KPI’s

Denzil Bazley, Developer and Presenter of SAIMechE’s Machinery Failure Analysis and Preventions Workshop and Pump Design, Operation, Maintenance and Troubleshooting Workshop.

Pressure Vessel Design, Construction, Maintenance and Troubleshooting Gauteng

Durban

Cape Town

5 April 2016

9 June 2016

5 May 2016

The workshop will explain:

• • • • •

The applicable design codes of pressure vessels How to specify pressure vessels. How to design and manufacture a pressure vessel. Selection of materials for pressure vessel manufacture. The systems related to the operations of pressure vessels • How to safely operate pressure vessels

To do this it will cover:

• • • • •

Pressure Vessel Design Codes Vessel Geometry & Construction Strength of Materials Vessel Specifications Materials of Construction

• • • •

Pressure Vessel Design Rules Fabrication, Inspection and Testing Maintenance planning and control Safety aspects considered for pressure vessels Doctor Herbert de Vries, Developer and Presenter of SAIMechE’s Pressure Vessel Design, Construction, Maintenance & Troubleshooting Workshop

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VOL 66 February 2016

► EIA Process

► Environmental Risk Assessments

► Geographical Information Systems

► Agricultural Assessment and Advise

► Project Managment

► Wetland and Riparian Services

► Natural Resource Services

► Visual Impact Assessments

► Ecological/Biodiversity Services

► Public Participation Process

► Application Assistance

► Game Ranch Management

► Developement Research, Monitoring and Evaluation

N2 Mnini ECO Duties

Plant rescue

Durban Coal Terminal Site Inspection

Ohlanga Pump station ECO Duties

Freightpak Warehouse Site Audit

Public participation Makhabeleni

Ballito Interchange Botanical survey

Site assessment Sundumbili pipeline

l Tel: (031) 303-2835 l Fax: 086 692 2547 l l Email: info@afzelia.co.za l www.afzelia.co.za l Skills on Site

Septmeber 2012

SA INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Keeping it Professional We’ve got a full 2016 calendar with our regular activities like the John Orr lecture, training courses, and a few special events such as the Bloodhound Project; but our main thrust for the year remains professional development, and the implementation of our Professional Development Programme (PDP).

he PDP (details on our website) is there to facilitate the development of engineering professionals towards professional competency. It is based on the same 11 learning outcomes required by ECSA, and is thus ideal for those who wish to register. The PDP curriculum sets the benchmark for developing professional competencies and is not readily available elsewhere. Continuous development remains the responsibility solely of the professional, and the PDP has been created with this in mind.

Professional development is a DIY exercise

As we start a new year, what thought have you given to your professional development this year? How would you like to improve yourself in 2016? Do you have specific objectives in mind? Learning outcome 11 of the competency standard requires professionals to identify their own development needs, and then to implement a plan on how to achieve them. Do you have a development plan? If you do have a fairly detailed development plan, then the next step is to consider how your membership of SAIMechE can be leveraged to achieve your plan.There are a number of ways to achieve this, but there’s no point in discussing them until there is a plan, so get your plan down on paper and then think about SAIMechE.

SAIMechE exists to serve the interests and needs of its members - that’s our primary objective, clearly stated in the Constitution SAIMechE exists to serve the interests and needs of its members - that’s our primary objective, clearly stated in the Constitution. If that’s not happening for you, then you are missing out. Professional development is a do-it-yourself exercise. We cannot sit back and wait for someone else to develop our skills. SAIMechE is here to benefit our members and meet their needs.In 2016 we encourage our members to ask - how can the Institution help me achieve my professional development objectives?

Mentoring programme

Mentoring is an important part of building the profession, and professional development. Many graduates need guidance as they move from student to professional. We have spent a lot of time setting guidelines for our formal mentoring programme, and will shortly be publishing details on the website, along with a call for mentors. If you are interested in becoming a mentor, please

request to join the Mentors and Mentoring professional Vaughan Rimbault interest group on our site. Please also consider adding your CV/ resume to the Career Centre, selecting Mentor as at least one of the categories.

Identification of engineering work

The identification of engineering work received a setback when the Competition Commission declined ECSA’s application to exempt engineering work from the requirements of the Competition Act. As such, we still do not have a clear identification of engineering work. This appears to be a setback, but we also need to look at it as an opportunity to really get our profession in order. We need to rethink how we define engineering work. We have to put competency requirements, codes of conduct and ethics in place to further our profession. We need to do this because we don’t want an environment where anyone can act as an engineer, and we need to protect our hard-earned professional status.

Bloodhound Project

The Bloodhound Project continues to enjoy mixed fortunes. Recent reports on the flooding of Hakskeen Pan is good news for the track, but funding issues continue to slow progress. The Project recently announced that the first tests at Hakskeen Pan are now only likely in 2017.

Council elections 2016 is an election year at SAIMechE. In addition to the Branch Chairpersons, who are ex officio members of Council, we elect seven Council members every two years. We are always looking for new perspectives on our profession and fresh ideas. Serving on Council is a good opportunity to be involved in the profession at the highest level, and to gain a very broad exposure to the important issues affecting the Institution. Nominations are open to Members and Fellows, and we will call for suitable nominations in the second quarter. There are various roles in the Council specified in our Constitution, and Council meets formally four times a year. Keep updated with the latest news from SAIMechE on our website www.saimeche.og.za, and let us know how we can best benefit you, our members. Vaughan Rimbault, Chief Executive Officer, SAIMechE

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER

VOL 66 February 2016

COVER STORY

Customised Training The Energy Training Foundation collaborates with clients by aligning their training to the clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; needs, and we encourage integrating ISO50001:2011 Energy Management Systems together with training to create exceptional value add. It all starts with a workshop in Energy Management System implementation in accordance with ISO50001:2011.

uring the past year, we have customised training for government departments, municipalities, engineering consulting groups, manufacturing industries, energy regulators in Africa, mines and shopping centres.

The basics and fundamentals of energy and energy efficiency are taught while the managers review their companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current systems and processes Cape Town The City of Cape Town has over the past three years utilised our services for the ongoing customised training of their personnel. This training has been one way in which personnel prepare for Certification training with the AEE. Also the course outcomes are highly beneficial as personnel apply this knowledge to optimise the operations within their facilities.

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VOL 66

Zimbabwe

The EnTF was awarded the contract to train 90 Certified Energy Managers (CEM) for the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA). In 2015 the first 30 were trained in Harare, to be followed by 30 in Bulawayo in April and the last 30 in Mutane during May 2016.

Neogesi

Non-technical personnel were trained with customised material at the popular Neogesi energy auditing firm. The basics and fundamentals of energy and energy efficiency are taught while the managers review their companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current systems and processes, so as to develop energy auditing methodologies and systems for their company to trade optimally. The training was highly successful with positive feedback and major improvements in staff skills and company processes. February 2016

COVER STORY

Limpopo

A proud association with a government department in Limpopo has seen EnTF customising its training to meet the Limpopo Green Strategy implementation requirements. For two years, we have trained and upskilled learners from the province through customised training sessions, practical implementation and mentoring sessions. Currently, we are mentoring the learners while employed in their positions to implement ISO50001:2011 and the related projects. Limpopo Province should be commended for this initiative. The students have in total received 10 ECSA CPD credits and are also working towards their EWSETA credits for Building Energy Auditing (BEAT). These are just a few examples of the customisation you can expect from the Energy Training Foundation.

The best trainers in southern Africa

With 15 top qualified trainers, the Energy Training Foundation boasts the top trainers in the energy industry on the continent, and according to our international learners, they are the best in the world. All our trainers are qualified and highly experienced in their field, they are academically active on a continuous basis, and all have to renew their international trainer status every three years with the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), as well as with the Efficiency Valuation Organisation (EVO); EVO is the custodian of the Measurement & Verification protocol globally. So with us, you learn from the masters.

About the Energy Training Foundation

The Energy Training Foundation (EnTF) was estab-

lished in 2002 as the training division of Energy Cybernetics. Energy Cybernetics is a South African company established in 1998 with three offices: Pretoria, Potchefstroom and Port Elizabeth. In 2014 Energy Cybernetics became an EOH company. EOH has a staff complement in excess of 10 000 and is represented in all provinces in Southern Africa, as well as operating in Africa.

All our trainers are qualified and highly experienced in their field, they are academically active on a continuous basis The Energy Training Foundation is the affiliated training provider of the Southern African Association for Energy Efficiency (SAEE) and the sole training partner of the US-based Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) training programmes in the Southern African region, has the licence to present US-based Northwest Energy Efficiency Council’s (NEEC) Building Operator Certification (BOC) programme, and is an accredited training provider with the Energy Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA) in South Africa. All courses are CPD accredited in accordance with Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) requirements through the University of Johannesburg (UJ). We are BBBEE compliant with a Level 2 status and a value added supplier. Energy Training Foundation, Yolanda de Lange Tel: 084 622 4770, Email: info@entf.co.za www.energytrainingfoundation.co.za

“We train and certify energy professionals in the Southern African region.” EnTF

Schedule 2016 Standard training sessions in South Africa For training sessions in Kenya, Zimbabwe and Uganda enquire at info@entf.co.za

Certified Energy Manager (CEM®)

5 days - 5 CPD credits with ECSA Pretoria - 30 May - 3 June by Prof LJ Grobler Cape Town - 30 May - 3 June by Louis Lagrange Pretoria - 17 - 21 October by Louis Lagrange

Certified Measurement and Verification Professional (CMVP®)

3 days - 3 CPD credits with ECSA Cape Town - 30 May - 1 June by Denis van Es Pretoria - 13 - 15 June Christo van der Merwe Pretoria - 12 - 14 October lecturer tbc

Measurement & Verification Training for South Africa (MVT-sa)

2 days - CPD credits pending, EWSETA credits pending Pretoria- 12-13 May by Christo van der Merwe

Certified Energy Auditor (CEA)

4 days - 4 CPD credits with ECSA Cape Town - 30 May - 2 June lecturer tbc Pretoria - 6 - 9 June lecturer tbc Pretoria - 24 - 27 October lecturer tbc

Renewable Energy Professional (REP)

4 days - 4 CPD credits with ECSA Pretoria - 24 - 27 May by Sean Poole Port Elizabeth - 20 - 23 September by Sean Poole

CEM and CEA Examination Preparation

Pretoria - 11 October by Louis Lagrange

Fundamentals to Energy Management Training (FEMT) prep for CEM and CEA

3 days - 3 CPD credits with ECSA Pretoria: 11 - 13 April by Louis Lagrange Cape Town: 18 - 20 April by Louis Lagrange Pretoria: 12 - 14 September

Carbon Tax 101

1 day - 1 CPD credit with ECSA Pretoria - 14 April by Adam Simcock Cape Town - 21 April by Adam Simcock Pretoria - 15 September by Adam Simcock Port Elizabeth - 19 September by Adam Simcock

Building Energy Auditor Training (BEAT)

EWSETA accredited Pretoria-based training, or in-house with a client group 20 days to 11 months options available. This training is presented on request only to info@entf.co.za

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VOL 66 February 2016

HAVASWW64627/E

HOW AN ATTORNEY IS HELPING TO BREAK THE CYCLE OF POVERTY AND ABUSE.

2012: Cindy Ross, attorney at law, is fed up with the crime, alcoholism and abuse of women and children in the Diepsloot community. Her smart solution is to create The Diepsloot Mountain Bike Academy. Cindy gathers a support group of other concerned professionals and together they provide disadvantaged and disillusioned youth with a positive outlet of expression, through cycling, life skills programmes and enterprise development. The young cyclists in the programme are turning the wheels of opportunity for themselves, achieving both locally and internationally. The spin-off? A community with reduced levels of crime and abuse. Cindy is another PPS member who uses her professional acumen as a transformational tool. Her story proves to us once again that professional thinkers are a unique breed with the power to change the world. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why at PPS we pride ourselves on our 75-year track record, understanding the world, needs and wants of graduate professionals like Cindy Ross, so that we can tailor solutions that match their needs.

For more inspirational stories like this, visit pps.co.za

Life Insurance

Investments

Financial Planning

Short-Term Insurance

Medical Aid

PPS offers unique financial solutions to select graduate professionals with a 4-year degree. PPS is an authorised Financial Services Provider

COMPANY PROFILE

Where There is Motion... In this new monthly column, we will feature one of SAIMechE’s company affiliates (list on page 6). We kick off the year with SEW Eurodrive.

EW-Eurodrive is present wherever there is motion. The company’s gear units and motors have always set the trend and established new standards in drive technology. There is hardly any industry in the world that does not utilise complex and complete drive technology solutions.

The company is also sponsor of the ‘PneuDrive Student Competition for Innovation in the Field of Mechatronics’ The quality label ‘made by SEW-Eurodrive’ has become a hallmark of quality in the drive industry. Market-orientated products developed and manufactured in-house, as well as uncompromising quality, are the cornerstones of the company’s success. SEW-Eurodrive boasts an excellent understanding of customer requirements worldwide, and the company continues to strive towards its goal of remaining a

Raymond Obermeyer, new MD of SEW-Eurodrive

market leader through constant development and outstanding commitment.

‘Think global, act local’

SEW-Eurodrive has abided by this principle long before it became a common expression. Assembly plants and offices in 46 countries are staffed with specialists from the respective area, combining technical expertise and services of a global player with the specific insights of a regional partner. Having established its South African operation in 1986, the company locally employs 220 people across four assembly plants in Johannesburg, Durban, Nelspruit and Cape Town, in addition to a service and distribution plant in Port Elizabeth. The company’s customer base includes industries such as; food and beverage, mining, paper and pulp, automotive, chemical and pharmaceutical, construction materials and ceramics, environmental and recycling, bulk materials handling, water treatment, airports and harbours. SEW-Eurodrive is a Level 4 BBBEE contributor that places an emphasis on social responsibility and skills development. It hosts various training programmes at its Drive Academy in Johannesburg, and is also sponsor of the ‘PneuDrive Student Competition for Innovation in the Field of Mechatronics’.

PneuDrive Robot

SEW-Eurodrive, Tel: +27 82 770 8796, Email: info@sew.co.za, www.sew.co.za

find out if you qualify to #joinourtable at pps.co.za PPS is an authorized Financial Services Provider.

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VOL 66 February 2016

PIPES, PUMPS AND VALVES

Making Sensible Choices Bespoke solutions might seem to be an expensive solution, but not in the long run. “SA Mechanical Engineer” speaks to Gert Schwacke, managing director of Ernest Elektro Engineering, about how even the smallest of customisations can make a big difference.

ngineering does not lie. Says Gert. “If you do not engineer properly, whatever the product, at some point it will fail. Maybe not immediately, in fact it could take years, but fail it will, because engineering is a science, not an art.” It’s therefore far more sensible to invest in solutions than just trying to save money. Established in 1964, Ernest Elektro Engineering prides itself on delivering exactly these customised solutions that make a difference. “We started off stocking and distributing electric water pumps and are now the largest stockest of electric pumps and borehole motors in the northern areas of Gauteng. As specialists in rewiring of electrical motors from fractional up to 300 H, our submersible motors and electric water pumps are well-regarded.”

“We have seen savings between 20 and 25% in electricity usage compared with using the usual centrifugal surface pumps.” Most importantly, Gert adds, is knowing all the in’s and out’s of the products in order to deliver solutions that fit a customer’s specific needs.

Bespoke solutions

Cost has come to play a big role in the modern business environment. “Because we really under-

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER

stand our products and their capabilities, we are able to customise to customers’ requirements,” he enthuses. “The goal is to be cost effective in the long run. And it can be done.” Gert and his team have been responsible for major electricity savings for example by taking a borehole pump and using it to extract water from a river. “We have seen savings between 20 and 25% in electricity usage compared with using the usual centrifugal surface pumps.” The company has installed such a pump in the Kruger National Park at least two metres under a riverbed which is proving to be just the ticket. “Finding a good pump is not necessarily difficult. Many farmers across the country are pumping water from rivers for irrigation purposes, but their electricity bills are excessively high. By taking a slightly different approach, major savings can be realised.” Gert tells us the savings from using submerged borehole pumps are nothing short of astounding. “A 45 kilowatt pump saves our customers 20% and more on their electricity costs.”

Innovative approach

According to Gert, experience in the industry goes a long way, but so does innovation. “We made a big effort to find a company that manufactures proper borehole pipes to install with our pumps. As a result, customers enjoy a two-year warranty which makes them less concerned about the price of installation

VOL 66 February 2016

PIPES, PUMPS AND VALVES

A unique stainless steel pipe solution introduced into the local market

as they know that maintenance costs are going to be low as the pumps and pipes have been installed correctly and in harmony with each other.” This innovative and thorough approach led Ernest Elektro to being appointed the sole agency for Southern Africa for a unique stainless steel pipe with long lifecycle benefits, complemented by easy installation and operational efficiencies. It does not rust and can handle acidic water.

A real understanding

Ultimately the same method is used for seawater reverse osmoses as for river water. Gert explains, “We don’t clean river water, but we do keep the sand out of it. Borehole pumps are often hung on plastic pipe when installed, but over time the pipe stretches resulting in the pumps landing in the mud and being destroyed. With the stainless steel pipe

we install, the weight of the pumps can no longer pull out the cables.”

“We made a big effort to find a company that manufactures proper borehole pipes to install with our pumps.” He concludes, “Bespoke solutions such as these may cost a bit more upfront but this initial investment highlights that a cheap solution is not going to pay off in the long run. By taking the time to understand their real requirements and needs, the customer can enjoy significant long-term benefits.” Ernest Elektro Engineering Gert Schwacke, Tel: (011) 792-9550 Email: eeeaman@mweb.co.za www.ernestee.co.za

Gert Schwacke of Ernest Elektro Engineering.

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PIPES, PUMPS AND VALVES

Here to Stay A well-known name in the local pump industry, SPP Pumps was bought by pump manufacturer Kirloskar Brothers International (KBI) in 2004. “SA Mechanical Engineer” talks to managing director of the Southern Africa operation, Graham Cooper, who took over in January 2015, just after the move to a new plant and the merger with Braybar Pumps which was also purchased by KBI in 2007.

The new Chloorkop premises for SPP Pumps

raham has overseen a complete system overhaul underlining the Group’s commitment to the South African market, its focus on future developments, and the importance of new technology in managing costs. KBI is the flagship company of the US$2billion Kirloskar Group. In its home country India, KBI has eight manufacturing facilities, with a further seven manufacturing and packaging facilities across the globe, including the UK, USA and South Africa. Graham kicks off, “KBI is here to stay backed by investment in facilities, people and systems. Global players in the local market are often viewed with some scepticism. Questions are asked: Are they here to stay, will they bring skills to the local market, or will they ignore development needs?”

“We buy the raw castings, do all the machining, building and packaging, as well as assemble and package according to local standards and to US and UK standards.” The investments at the company are proof positive that an international player can not only develop local skills, but also invest in local businesses to the benefit of the industry, even in the difficult business environment. This international player ticks a number of the skills, development and commitment boxes.

Investment and commitment

First is their new head office and plant in Chloorkop. KBI purchased land in Isando to build this new facility, and more is in the pipeline. Going forward,

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Graham says there are plans to develop a full test facility onsite. Although smaller in size than the USA operation, the local operation of KBI is important to the Group and one of the few manufacturing and packaging sites outside of India. In South Africa, at the Chloorkop premises, Graham advises that SPP is doing far more as far as complexity is concerned, and a lot more than some other facilities in the US. “Although the US operation is six or seven times our size,” he comments, “there, they only assemble pumps. In South Africa we are making local pumps from scratch. We buy the raw castings, do all the machining, building and packaging, as well as assemble and package according to local standards and to US and UK standards.”

SAP skills

The second box KBI ticks is investment in software and systems. The old system, although functional, dated back to the 1990s. For good customer service, an overhaul was essential. “A new SAP management system was installed,” says Graham. “The customised SAP system is designed to meet our business needs, and ensure that processes flow quickly and efficiently through our supply chain. “Product-related software is connected to a selection of products and processes to optimise duties, benefiting both customers and our staff as SAP skills remain one of the most desirable in the marketplace. We have invested in people and dedicated an enormous number of hours to training. In fact, SAP skills have been acquired by a number of personnel who were previously barely computer literate.” Graham adds. February 2016

PIPES, PUMPS AND VALVES

Inside the new factory

For the long haul

He also tackles the ‘here to stay’ story head on. International players can be temporary visitors and create an uncertain environment but KBI’s presence in the region is strong and the South African operation is also the base from which business in Southern Africa will be conducted. Although Graham concedes that doing business in Africa is a lot more difficult than the rosy marketing pictures out there, he nevertheless believes there are opportunities. “There is potential in Africa,” he comments. “We have increased our marketing efforts to these countries and we do get enquiries from these regions.”

Technology that reduces costs Then there’s the matter of technology. New generation pumps are efficient. Although built with more expensive materials than old generation pumps, the costs savings are significant. How soon do the savings materialise? Graham states that the difference between an old and a new pump with a 20-year lifespan should be paid off somewhere between two and five years. But these savings are not always readily available from other market players. To emphasise the cost benefits, Graham cites an example of a pump bought two generations ago. The pump and installation would probably be around 87% efficient on day one. The materials are poor, and the construction wears out quite quickly. Four years after purchase, efficiency would be at 70% or lower. New generation pumps start off with a higher efficiency and last much longer at higher levels of efficiency – hence the relatively quick payback.

A ‘free’ pump

“Efficiency degradation of a standard pump is much quicker than that of an LLC (low cost life) pump,” says Graham. “For example, if you were to ‘buy’ an old generation pump but only pay for maintenance, wear and tear; you would effectively be getting a ’free’ pump? But it’s not the cheapest deal, because your old pump will still cost more than the new generation pump you really buy over its lifetime.”

“Product-related software is connected to a selection of products and processes to optimise duties, benefiting both customers and our staff as SAP skills remain one of the most desirable in the marketplace.”

Graham Cooper, managing director of SPP Pumps

Yet getting customers to fully appreciate these benefits can still be a hard sell. “New generation pumps are really only popular among the big customers in Europe and Australia at the moment,” he asserts. “Although the cost savings are significant on these pumps, they have yet to garner real support. You need to show the customer where they save money. A lot of people listen, but when it comes to the crunch and the wallet has to come out– there is a high market hurdle and an element of reluctance to overcome,” Graham concludes SPP Pumps, Graham Cooper, Tel: (011) 393-7177 Email: graham_cooper@spppumps.com www.spppumps.com

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POWER

GENERATION PROMECH PUBLISHING Tel: (011) 781-1401 Fax: (011) 781-1403 Email: samecheng@promech.co.za Website: www.promech.co.za Managing Editor: Susan Custers Advertising: Louise Cresswell Editorial Contributors: Liesl Venter and Patricia Holburn Circulation: Catherine Macdiva DTP: Lindy Fobian/ Anne Rotteglia Disclaimer PROMECH Publishing does not take responsibility for the opinions expressed by individuals.

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SAEEC

T O D A Y

Solar Winery A R14 million solar plant investment in the Cape Winelands will allow wholesale wine producer, Douglas Green Bellingham (DGB), to take its largest production facility off-grid when the 800kWp solar plant comes on line in March 2016. “SA Mechanical Engineer” was at the launch of the programme.

GB exports to more than 70 countries with four to five million litres of wine going through its largest production plant in Wellington. “Delivering world class wines requires a world-class operation,” says CEO, Tim Hutchinson.

countries if you want to do business you have to be able to give them details about your footprint,” Tim adds. “It’s also simply the ‘right thing to do’ by building a sustainable business as it contributes to a sustainable country in the long run.”

“Our global competitors don’t care about labour issues, strikes at ports or expensive electricity. No-one owes us a favour in South Africa and so if we want to compete on a global scale, we have to invest in our facilities.”

One of only a handful of municipalities in the country that has a net metering embedded generation tariff available to the public

While the estimated cost savings and protection against electricity outages was a big driver of the project, environmental aspects are just as important. “On the international stage, there is an increased focus on environmental initiatives. South Africa to a certain extent is still behind the curve, but in many

At an estimated cost of R14-million, a seven- year break-even has been calculated at current electricity rates. “We have been extremely conservative in our estimates. If electricity rates go up at all, the projected seven-year ROI reduces immediately. Taking

Tim Hutchinson, CEO of DGB with Joschka Thilo, senior engineer from Terra Firma Solutions.

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SAEEC

The first solar panels go up on the DGB facility in Wellington

into account the requested tariff increase is 17% for 2016, our ROI should be significantly shorter.”

Catering for weight

“As the country’s largest independent wine and spirit producer and distributor, it makes sense, taking the locality of our production facilities into account, to make use of the sun to generate the necessary energy,” says Ree du Toit, DGB Production Director. The 800kWp solar installation is the single largest rooftop solar photovoltaic plant on any wine producing facility in South Africa. Designed and installed by Cape Town-based Terra Firma Solutions, it will be made up of almost 2 600 solar panels and built across four different roofs at the DGB Facility covering an area of over 6 200m² to distribute the weight.

What makes the technology so unique, however, is that there are no moving parts in the system at all The plant will produce an average of 160 000 kWh in the sunny months of January and December. In June and July, an average of 50 000kWh is expected. Annually the system will generate a total of around 1.2 gigawatt’s of electricity - the total domestic supply for about 3 000 people a year. Given the 25-year lifespan of the project, DGB will be protected from significant increases in electricity prices which are set to escalate in the near future. Ree elaborates, “With the implementation of solar power, we are expecting to save around 1 265 tonnes of CO2 per annum from being emitted to the atmosphere, making us wine industry leaders in the field of renewable energy. ”This saving in carbon emissions is about the equivalent of driving a small car from Cape Town to Johannesburg 5 550 times per annum.

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Back to the grid

“The project is not only an amazing opportunity to improve the environmental performance of the company but it also makes sound financial sense from a capital investment point of view,” she adds. Preliminary calculations show that the plant will for all intents and purposes be off the grid. “But because the system only produces power in the day there will still be the need to purchase power from the municipality for evenings. Due to the nature of solar, however, there will be times when we will be able to export power back to the grid.” With the Wellington’s Drakenstein municipality one of only a handful of municipalities in the country that has a net metering embedded generation tariff available to the public, the system will not only be able to export power back to the grid, it will do so at the same Rand per kWh rate at which DGB pays the municipality. The company is expecting to ‘sell’ back electricity when the plant reaches its peak power.

No moving parts

For the most part, the technology being used in the system is relatively simple. Standard solar photovoltaic panels are being used that convert sunlight into electricity. What makes the technology so unique, however, is that there are no moving parts in the system at all. This makes it possible for the system to have a guaranteed lifetime of 25 years with very little maintenance required during that time. According to Tim, the project paves the way for additional solar plants across the company’s facilities, “This plant will produce over 1.25 million kWh’s in its first year of full operation. With the environmental and financial benefits from investing into projects such as these, we are keenly investigating renewable energy opportunities across the group.” DGB, Ree du Toit, Tel: (021) 864-5300 Email: reed@dgb.co.za, www.dgb.co.za

February 2016

POWER GENERATION NEWS

A Different Type of Grid Small Projects South Africa would get a much better return on its energy investments if it planned a smarter and more flexible electricity grid, says Institute for Security Studies (ISS) researcher, Steve Hedden.

The 5.8MW Adams and 5.8MW Bellatrix solar projects are the first Independent Power Producer projects in the DoE’s program that will be locally developed, designed, funded, constructed and operated.

In his new research paper called “Gridlocked” Steve says, “It doesn’t make sense to invest heavily in generation capacity without also rethinking transmission and distribution. Grid planning can’t be an afterthought. It has to be built in from the start.”

The projects are being sponsored by the Aurora Power group, founded in Cape Town in 2009 by engineering brothers Simon and Chris Haw. Sola Future Energy, a locally owned solar PV engineering and construction firm, will design, construct and operate the plant. The Industrial Development Corporation of South African (IDC) and local black-owned company Mergence Investment Managers have signed a termsheet to provide debt to the project company.

Planning the grid was much easier when a few big power stations provided energy mostly to a few big cities, with one organisation responsible for the entire system. In South Africa it was Eskom producing electricity at coal-fired power plants in Mpumalanga, the largest net supplier, and delivering most of it to the economic heartland of Gauteng, the largest net consumer. The source of power is shifting. By 2040, Limpopo’s new coal-fired plants will make it the largest net supplier; and new gas and renewable capacity will make the three Cape provinces net producers. Planners must also now consider the rise of renewable energy, and the addition of independent power producers (IPP). On top of this is small-scale residential generation as frustrated citizens install their own rooftop solar panels. The grid used to handle only a one-way flow of power from producer to consumer. Now it has to accommodate potentially

millions of small-scale producers feeding energy into the grid. Small-scale residential power generation from solar panels could account for 30 GW of electricity-generating capacity in South Africa by 2050, but its contribution today is retarded by an absence of clear policies and regulation. “A more intelligent grid would be the result of investments in grid efficiency, and better electricity planning, operations and policies,” Steve concludes. ISS, www.issafrica.org

World’s Largest Gas Recovery Project Emerson Process Management has provided automation and engineering services for a Qatargas project that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1.6 million tonnes annually. Now fully operational, the Jetty BoilOff Gas (JBOG) recovery facility is the largest of its kind and one of the largest environmental investments in the world. It is expected to recover more than

600 000 tonnes of liquefied natural gas per year - equivalent to the energy supply for more than 300 000 homes. The facility is designed to recover the gas flared during liquefied natural gas (LNG) loading at the six LNG berths in Ras Laffan Port. The gas is compressed and sent to the Qatargas and RasGas LNG production facilities for use as fuel or as LNG. Emerson won this multi-million dollar contract based on its leadership in oil and gas automation technologies, services, and expertise. Emerson specialists managed key elements of the project including automation engineering, configuration, startup, training, commissioning support and other services. Emerson Process Management Michael Eksteen, Tel: (011) 451 3700 Email: Michael.Eksteen@Emerson.com www.Emersonprocess.com/MEA

“We’re very excited to finally have a completely locally controlled, financed and constructed project,” says Chris Haw. “Up to now our participation has been limited by the size of the projects and the competition experienced from internationally-backed IPP companies. Although we’ve developed 245MW of successful IPP projects with excellent partners over the previous rounds of bidding, we have had to sell or partner with larger international companies to meet the requirements of lenders and the market. “Most of the engineering and construction has been done through foreign companies, despite our having the requisite skills and experience. Now everything is being done by local firms, which means all the benefits remain in South Africa” “Despite the delay in announcement, we are delighted to have received the formal appointment as a preferred bidder and we are progressing to financial close,” adds Simon Haw. “Going forward we hope that the process timeframes are adhered to as smaller projects of this nature are sensitive to delays.” Bidding the project requires years of preparation in order to obtain the necessary land use and environmental approvals. Compiling a bid requires the detailed completion and submission of more than 15 000 pages of relevant material relating to each project. The projects will each generate approximately 190 million “carbon-free” kWh over the life of the plant, enough to power 1 000 middle income households. As well as creating around 50 local jobs the projects will be providing a certain percentage of the revenue towards local community socio-economic benefits. Aurora Power Solutions, Tel: (021) 421 9764 Email: chris@solafuture.co.za www.solafuture.co.za

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POWER GENERATION NEWS

Steel for Thermosolar Plants SSAB is delivering a total of 25 000 tonnes of metal-coated, high-strength steel to the Spanish company Cie Egaña, to be used to manufacture support arms

for parabolic reflectors in thermosolar plants. The technology employed in these projects has been developed by the Spanish company Sener. Cie Egaña

will deliver support arms for the parabolic reflectors for the Noor II thermosolar plant in Morocco and a thermosolar plant in Kathu, South Africa. SSAB’s deliveries began in December 2015 and will continue until October 2016. The support arms of parabolic reflectors are constantly exposed to extreme weather conditions. The high-strength steel delivered by SSAB has a thick Galfan coating which will prevent corrosion and prolong product lifetime in plants like these, which can produce electricity for decades. These metal-coated, highstrength steels enable the manufacture of stronger, lighter support structures. The Noor II thermosolar plant to be built in Morocco will have an output of 200 megawatts and the Kathu plant to be built in South Africa will have an output of 100 megawatts. When the Noor II plant is completed, the two plants together will have a combined output of 360 MW. The Kathu thermosolar plant will provide electricity for around 80 000 homes.

Sener’s thermosolar plant

SSAB, www.ssab.com

Lexus has completed a full and final reveal of its innovative hoverboard following a successful testing phase in Barcelona. The Lexus hoverboard technology features two “cryostats” reservoirs in which superconducting material is kept at minus 197 degrees through immersion in liquid nitrogen. The board is then placed above a track that contains permanent magnets. The magnetic field from the track is effectively ‘frozen’ into the superconductors in the board, maintaining the distance between the board and the track - essentially keeping the board hovering.

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This force is strong enough to allow the rider to stand and even jump on the board.” “I’ve spent 20 years skateboarding, but without friction it feels like I’ve had to learn a whole in order to ride the hoverboard,” says Ross. Up to 200 metres of magnetic track was transported to Barcelona to lay beneath the hoverpark to create the dynamic test, offering Lexus the opportunity to demonstrate tricks no skateboarder could perform, such as travelling across water. Toyota South Africa Motors, Clynton Yon Tel: (011) 809-2810, Email: cyon@tsb.toyota.co.za

February 2016

POWER GENERATION NEWS

Intelligent Bearing Technology SKF has begun to apply SKF Insight, its revolutionary bearing health management technology, in several high-end industry applications. The technology, which uses a selfpowered, intelligent wireless sensors in the bearing to provide instant condition monitoring data via the internet, is undergoing trials in challenging projects in the wind turbine and railway industries. Applying bearing health management algorithms to the data provided by SKF Insight allows for an ‘adaptive’ approach to maintenance. While traditional condition monitoring detects bearing damage, Insight spots the abnormal conditions that cause the damage and can take preventative action. “It goes beyond current ‘sensorised’ bearing technology by integrating a broader range of sensors, and could include self-powering and intelligent wireless technology,” says Ronnie Spolidoro, Business Development Manager SKF Insight “These bearings are connected to the SKF Cloud, giving customers access

to a range of our diagnostic and support services, which ensures complete bearing health management.” Insight monitors dynamic parameters such as vibration, temperature, lubrication condition and load, and informs the user when conditions are abnormal and can threaten to cause bearing damage. When it was launched, at Hannover 2013, SKF Insight was a technology concept – a way in which maintenance engineers might improve condition monitoring by keeping tabs on bearing health. Three years on, it is a fully functioning solution running in customer pilots, capable of supplying data directly to diagnostic centres for better condition monitoring via the SKF Cloud using SKF @ptitude. From here, dashboards and reports can be supplied to the plant operator, machine manufacturer, or any other authorised person with internet access.

the main bearing on a wind turbine is so expensive that it undermines the business case for building the turbine in the first place. Used here, SKF Insight could monitor loads and lubrication conditions in service, giving plenty of time to prevent the development of damaging process conditions. SKF, www.skf.com

One of the most promising areas of application for SKF Insight is in wind turbine monitoring, because of the huge cost of maintenance. In some cases, changing

Training for Drone Pilots UAV Industries, a Cape Town born and bred business, is the first drone/UAV business certificated by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in the Western Cape to provide training to UAV pilots.

to provide a training platform that will assist in making sure UAV pilots have the necessary skills to be able to undertake this complex task.”

Braam Botha of UAV Industries says, “Being able to train UAV pilots against international best practice is critical for South Africa to enforce our leadership in this field.” UAVs will undertake various tasks in emergency response, search and rescue, anti-poaching, agriculture, utilities and of course camera work for various productions such as movies, TV series and advertising. Braam continues, “The UAV industry is a nascent industry that combines the actual aviation industry and the tech industry all in one. Bringing together the manned aviation space and the unmanned is a complex task, but not impossible. Leveraging and applying the detailed legislation and standards that CAA has brought about allows UAV industries

UAV Industries has a backlog of students wanting to be trained and is confident that this industry will provide many jobs in South Africa, Africa and globally. More than 1 million UAVs were sold in the USA in 2015 which illustrates the challenge and opportunity facing the industry. UAV Industries, www.flyuavi.com

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POWER GENERATION NEWS

Gas Crucial to SA Growth

Natural gas must play a major role in SA’s future energy mix, according to a new report from Econometrix. Gas is the cheapest alternative to coal and nuclear, offering security of supply at competitive prices.It would supply reliable power for peak demand periods or when renewables are not generating electricity.

For each location, developing a natural gas industry with R15bn annual turnover could see downstream annual turnover up to R50bn, with R26bn total added economic value. Average upstream and downstream potential employment created could peak at 70 000 during the mature phase of the project’s life. Econometrix, Tel: (011) 483-1421, www.econometrix.co.za

Communications company MTN has embarked on a project to ensure its operations are impervious to the variations of municipal electricity supply with a ground-breaking natural gas project. Master Power Technologies has been tasked with the implementation and maintenance of the project. Dave Warren, senior sales engineer at Master Power Technologies explains that the larger MTN office blocks, switches and exchanges consume large amounts of municipal power for lighting, heating, and ventilation and transmission equipment. However, in Gauteng and other major centres, Egoli and Sasol have piped, natural

ABB has won an order from Socabelec East Africa Ltd to design, supply and install a PowerStore flywheel-based microgrid stabilisation solution for the Marsabit wind farm in northern Kenya. The renewable energy sector in Kenya is among the most active in Africa, and the country possesses some of the continent’s most abundant and consistent wind resources.

It is technically and commercially feasible to rapidly start gas-fuelled power generation at Coega in the Eastern Cape, and Saldanha Bay or Mossel Bay in the Western Cape. Other potential locations are Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal, and Sishen in the Northern Cape. Mbombela in Mpumalanga has the potential to be supplied by a pipeline from Mozambique.

Tri-generation

Microgrid Solution

Today’s electricity supply for the area relies on diesel generators and two 275 kilowatt (kW) wind turbines. ABB’s containerized, 500 kilowatt (kW) PowerStore stabilization system will be integrated into the existing power network and will interface with existing diesel power station controls. This will maximise renewable energy penetration by stabilizing the grid connection and utilizing any excess wind energy generated. The project is scheduled for completion in 2016. ABB PowerStore is a compact and versatile grid stabilising generator. Its primary purpose is to stabilise and protect power systems against fluctuations in frequency and voltage. This dynamic flywheel-based system can inject or absorb power up to its nominal rating, and helps to integrate intermittent renewable energy into a grid, so customers can operate their hybrid plants in an optimal way. These rugged, proven systems are today successfully at work, often in harsh and remote environments, in locations around the world. ABB Ltd, www.abb.com

methane gas available for commercial and industrial use. Tri-generation, which utilises gas to produce electricity and utilises the engine waste heat to either generate hot water or take the hot water through a heat absorption process to produce chilled water, are employed to reduce the running cost significantly. “The major benefit of moving to gas as a utility is that MTN will be able to run independently of municipal power and will therefore not be affected by rolling black-outs and load shedding in future,” says Dave. Once up and running, the gas generator sets Master Power is installing will operate 24/7 as base load units. The company is able to offer custom-

Not Everyone Prepared According to non-profit global environmental disclosure organisation CDP, large mining operations have not prepared for a transition to a low-carbon economy. In their recently published report, “Making the grade: are some miners chasing fool’s gold?”, CDP assessed whether large mines are taking meaningful action to combat or mitigate climate change impacts. These include setting targets to reduce emissions, conducting water stress evaluations, and preparing for the

expected tightening and expansion of carbon regulation, which is set to emerge from COP21. However, the CDP report found that nine out of the 11 large mining companies analysed oppose new climate regulation. This is probably because any carbon-reduction decisions from COP21 will have a direct influence on the cost position of mining operations. CDP, www.cdp.net

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February 2016

ers gas generator systems ranging from 15kW up to 50MW (while meeting higher demand through multiple set configurations) for base load operations. Due to the abundance of dry (90%) methane gas in Africa and the surrounding oceans, the company presently focuses on products that burn this composition most efficiently. “MTN will increase its power generating efficiency from 40% to about 90% by recovering heat from the generator. MTN will therefore be able to reduce the cents/kW/hour by over 50%. The complete Tri-generation package delivers cheaper power than supplied by the local municipality,” Dave concludes. Master Power Technologies, Rory Reid Tel: (011) 792 7230, Email: rory@kva.co.za www.kva.co.za

POWER GENERATION NEWS

Pebble Fuel The STL group has acquired the Steenkampskraal thorium and rare earth mine in the Western Cape Province from GWMG by purchasing the entire issued share capital of Rare Earth Extraction Co. Ltd (Rareco). STL plans to mine, process and refine thorium for nuclear fuel applications currently being developed by Thor Energy, STL’s associated company in Norway. Trevor Blench, chairman of STL, says the mine is expected to begin production in about 24 months. STL plans to use the thorium to manufacture pellet and pebble thorium fuels used in water-

cooled reactors and gas-cooled reactors respectively. “There are about 360 water-cooled nuclear reactors around the world that presently use uranium fuels. Some of these reactors could use the thorium fuels that we are developing,” he adds. In South Africa, STL is designing a small modular pebble-bed reactor, the HTMR-100, which is a Generation-4 intrinsically-safe reactor. This type of gas-cooled reactor cannot melt down like the water-cooled reactors at Fukushima. STL is also designing a factory to make the pebble fuel for this helium-cooled

reactor. Thorium has physical properties that make it a better and safer fuel than uranium. STL’s first revenue stream will begin with the sale of the rare earth products. Later plans are to earn revenue from the sale of thorium-based pellet fuel for water-cooled reactors and pebble fuel for gas-cooled reactors. The company will also promote its HTMR-100 small modular, pebble-bed reactor. Steenkampskraal Thorium Ltd David Boyes, Tel: 083 630 9067, Email:david.boyes@thorium100.com www.thorium100.com

Reliable Gas Operations

Energas Technologies carries Honeywell’s RMG 5020 gas pressure regulator as a solution for gas pressure reduction in municipal distribution, gas transmission as well as industrial plant applications. “The RMG 5020 also features stateof-the-art external pilot operation for accurate and safe control of outlet pressure and represents the benchmark for dependable performance in this sector,” comments Laetitia Botha, product engineer for Energas Technologies. The regulator offers highly precise and reliable pressure reductions for a host of operations in the gas sector. “The RMG 5020 improves on existing technologies with its precision grid plate design, versatile flow options and wide operational pressure range. The regulator also boasts easy in-line service and maintenance capability,” notes Laetitia. “With this technology designed simply for longevity, users can enjoy a range of benefits, including: a small number of moving parts; high sensitivity and accuracy; precise control of set outlet pressure; ability to handle flow variation; low maintenance requirements; and low differential pressure requirements.” In the process of fuel gas and commercial or industrial service applications, the RMG 5020 is very useful in maintaining a precise reduced outlet pressure, while ensuring the necessary flow to answer to demand downstream. “This is a tough, reliable piece of equipment that delivers smooth operation, tight shut-off, and has a long life.” Energas Technologies, Laetitia Botha Tel: (0)11) 397 6809 Email: laetitia@energas.co.za www.energas.co.za

Hydrogen Production and Storage For Tshwane-based specialised engineering company, RTS Africa Engineering, hydrogen-based technologies have exciting implications for a more energy-efficient future. The company is the sole agency for leading global hydrogen technology company, NEL Hydrogen in sub-Saharan Africa. “Hydrogen is potentially the energy carrier of the future. By transforming electricity to hydrogen through water electrolysis, energy can be stored for later use. It is also considered one of the important fuels of the future as it provides clean and emission-free fuel for transport,” says Ian Fraser, Managing Director of RTS Africa Engineering. NEL Hydrogen, a Norwegian company, has been at the forefront of hydrogen production through water electrolysis (the process of splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using an electrical current) since 1927. The company produces electrolysers for large-scale hydrogen production; as well as for hydrogen storage of renewable energy and has installed more than 500 electrolyser units around the world.

In Africa, these include installations in Kenya, Egypt, Algeria and Nigeria. Locally in South Africa, these include installations in Saldanha Bay and Sezela in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). These units are extremely robust and reliable, requiring almost no maintenance. The hydrogen production plants have an extremely long lifecycle of 40 years or more. “The technology itself is very simple, stable and safe, providing a reliable, ongoing supply of hydrogen. The only ‘maintenance’ required is an overhaul of the electrolyser cells, which is recommended every eight years.” RTS Africa Engineering was the first of NEL Hydrogen’s representatives to become a service agent. “Service at a distance - in this case Norway - can be a challenge. I am pleased that NEL Hydrogen has entrusted us with local service and support. Our customers expect a 24 hour service and we have been able to fulfil that requirement,” Ian concludes. RTS Africa Engineering Tel: (012) 993 9620, www.rtsafrica.co.za

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Graduate Employability Rankings QS Quacquarelli Symonds has released the pilot edition of their new Graduate Employability Rankings, designed to provide new insight into how universities are preparing their students for employment. The rankings are the result of an extensive research project that began in October 2014. Detailed consultation with both students and employers were designed to provide a new approach to the increasingly important issue of graduate employability. This process saw QS choosing five key criteria:

 the reputation a university has among employers (weighted

at 30%),

 alumni outcome (20%),  employer partnerships (25%),  employer presence on campus (15%), and  graduate employment rate (10%). The new methodology takes into account not simply the end product – whether a student is employed – but how successful a university is in creating a process conducive to that end product. It allows students to understand precisely how a university succeeds in making them employable – the opportunities they provide, the networks they create, and the reputation they have among employers. Quacquarelli Symonds, www.iu.qs.com QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2016 Top 15 2016 Rank

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER

Institution

Country

Stanford University

United States

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

United States

Harvard University

United States

University of Cambridge

United Kingdom

Yale University

United States

University of Oxford

United Kingdom

Princeton University

United States

University of California, Berkeley (UCB)

United States

Tsinghua University

China

Ecole Polytechnique Paris Tech

France

Cornell University

United States

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

United States

University of Pennsylvania

United States

The University of Sydney

Australia

Peking University

China

VOL 66

February 2016

HACKERS

Gym Dodgers

It is still possible to stroll into a gym, do no exercise at all and stroll out, while gaining ‘points’ for exercising from your health insurer’s wellness programme. However, a bunch of students may just have busted this option altogether.

The team from left to right: (Back): Wald Bezuidenhout, Kyle Welsh and Michael Brooke (Front): Waseem Nabi and Ross Guy

ecently five young men demonstrated how exercise machines can ‘tell’ a gym-goer’s mobile phone just how much exercise really happened in-between gym entry and exit. The mobile phone then ‘tells’ the wellness programme’s computers what is really going on. The occasion was the Discovery GradHack Hackathon held at the JoziHub in Milpark last year. Team ‘Red Hot Techie Peppers’, all third-year software engineering students from the University of Johannesburg, walked away the overall winners. They demonstrated a working fully-integrated industrylevel project centred on a cloud database with a back-end API within the cut-off time.

A lot of the other teams had their Honours [degrees] already and we didn’t know what technologies they had up their sleeve Live feed

“We think the tech we used was a big reason why we won. We could show everyone how swiping an Android phone on a machine’s NFC tag fed the exercise stats into our live website feed. They could see a live dashboard of exercise stats on the mobile Android app as well as the browser front-end,” says Michael Brooke, co-leader of the student team. “It was intimidating walking into the GradHack,” admits Michael. “A lot of the other teams had their

Honours [degrees] already and we didn’t know what technologies they had up their sleeve.” The five had walked into the challenge self-taught on mobile development and the languages they used, since their UJ course emphasises the principles of software engineering and design techniques, says Frans Blauw, lecturer at the UJ Academy for Computer Science and Software Engineering.

On the fly “Using these principles and techniques for desktop development, students can then go out, learn any language and build a system. The software world changes so quickly, we can’t teach them everything. They learn to go and find out instead.” Competing in a hackathon is a good proxy for working in industry, says Frans. “You need to be able to adapt to your environment. Let’s face it, when you go work for a new company or on a new system, you have to adapt to their processes. And you need to be able to work under pressure in a team and not get too grumpy towards each other: a hackathon is about being thrown in the deep end.” Lack of sleep was a formidable foe for the Red Hot Techie Peppers, despite frequent caffeine deliveries in various formats from GradHack staff. As it turns out, catching an average three hours of sleep over more than 48 hours was worth the effort for the team. Frans Blauw, Tel: (011) 559-3241, Cell: 083 468- 9150, Email: fblauw@uj.ac.za

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SAIT

Call for Representation:

DST Work Group for Lubricant Selection, Standards Development and Quality Control The focal point of this group will be an up to date, systematic approach to improve and standardise lubricant quality and management. We urgently require support from industry for this critical group.

he group will be composed of anyone involved in plant lubrication or fluid management issues ie, Oil producers, Equipment manufacturers, Tribology organisations and key end users such as Eskom, Transnet etc. Comprehensive industry standards for many industrial and automotive lubricants are notably lacking for modern machinery. These standards are of great importance to end users in reducing the time and expense associated with using incorrect lubricants or inferior quality products. Product specification management is becoming increasingly important, not only for worker health and process productivity, but for environmental and energy conservation. Performance standards pose a challenge as these are continually changing to meet increased performance demands and environmental changes.

The many inferior products on the market demand strict quality control The current outdated South African National Standards covers a broad base of lubricants and are not meeting the current equipment supplier’s minimum quality criteria. These standard quality profiles are based on 1980/1990 performance profiles. The standards cover hydraulic fluids, gear lubricants, automotive oils, and greases among others. The many inferior products on the market demand strict quality control.

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It is critical for an end user to define the properties of the fluids and lubricants used in their plants, to routinely check that the correct product is being delivered, and to carefully and consistently maintain it. These processes are critical to protecting worker health and safety, providing quality parts, optimising equipment life and minimising undesirable environmental effects.

Standards Development and Quality Control

The Work group will develop comprehensive standards to submit to the South African Bureau of Standards for adoption into the local market. The standards will be developed to meet the current equipment requirements, including conformity and compliance without prejudicing new entrants into the petroleum sector. To compile these specifications, we need to align our standards with equipment manufacturers’ minimum performance and quality criteria. The specifications will comply with international best practices by making use of already published norms from standard authorities such as the American petroleum industry (API), Japanese automotive standards authority (JASO) or the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association or Association des Constructeurs Européens d’Automobiles (ACEA). These performance standards such as API CJ-4 and API SN define key parameters that address performance and quality. Thomas Surmon, SAIT President If interested please email details to: secretary@sait.org.za

February 2016

ISO STANDARD

Putting Quality Back in Quality Management Significant updates to the International Standards Organisation (ISO) ISO 9001 quality management standard will have a major effect on the way quality is measured and managed within companies across the globe.

lthough changes are designed to streamline and simplify the system, it will nonetheless need to be implemented carefully and changes will need to be made within companies over a period of three years to comply with the new ISO 9001:2015 standard. Standards expert Christel Fouché, CEO of Advantage ACT and AGO Certification, says that among the most significant changes will be a shift of responsibility to senior management rather than being the domain of companies’ quality management representatives.

Necessary for trade

Christelle Fouché of AGO Certification

and safety standards and pave the way for easier implementation of integrated SHEQ management systems. As a result, the implementation and auditing of management systems will be run on a similar template which will make it easier and faster to implement the different standards without duplication. Although this streamlining will benefit companies in future, companies with existing management

“In fact quality management representatives are no longer an explicit requirement of the new standards, nor a requirement for compulsory procedures. Rather, businesses will be required to walk the talk and be able to prove the steps that are in place to ensure quality. “Auditors will also have to adapt and will be required to interview senior management at CEO and similar level in order to ensure that standards are being upheld. While this may seem an onerous task, it is an absolute necessity for businesses as it is very difficult to do business without ISO9001 certification,” Christel adds.

Auditors will also have to adapt and will be required to interview senior management at CEO and similar level in order to ensure that standards are being upheld She explains that the penalty for not maintaining proper quality standards can be severe with damage to brands and reputations being far more costly than any financial losses that may be incurred.

Faster to implement

The new ISO 9001:2015 standard has been developed on the foundation of the new Annex SL document. This document will set the new quality standard in line with ISO14001 environmental and OHSAS 18001 health THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER

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ISO STANDARD

systems will be faced with a number of challenges, according to Christel. “Firstly the system will rely on input from senior management and auditors will have to be comfortable communicating at that level. With the correct questions and information requests, CEOs and the management team should however be able to show compliance. “Another challenge for companies that think they can run their quality management system as a ‘paper exercise’ is that the new system will need to be managed 365 days a year and not just the week before an audit. New quality management systems will be more transparent and not as easy to fudge. Quality will have to become “a way of life”.

Summary of changes

 The system has changed to a higher level of management.  Core structure of quality standards is now in line with environmental, health, safety and all other standards  Several new clauses have been added and need to be studied  The system will follow a process approach  Mention of preventative action has been removed as the system should automatically take care of issues  The term product is replaced by product or services  Mention of continuous improvement has been changed to “improvement”  Mention of purchasing has been replaced by externally provided products and services  No longer refer to quality manual, documented procedure and records have been removed - specific reference to documented information is now done  Numerous wording changes have been made in order to make it easier to interpret  3 new informative annexes have been included.

Another challenge for companies that think they can run their quality management system as a ‘paper exercise’ is that the new system will need to be managed 365 days a year and not just the week before an audit. New quality management systems will be more transparent and not as easy to fudge Although no longer a requirement, Christel recommends that quality management representatives be maintained and work hand-in-hand with senior management to implement quality requirements. Likewise, she recommends that quality manuals also not be thrown out even though it is no longer a requirement. “Remember, when you are out of quality you are out of business,” she concludes. Concrete Manufacturers Association, Frans Minnaar, Tel: (011) 805 6742, Email: director@cma.org.za, www.cma.org.za Advantage ACT, Tel: (012) 809-4210, www.advantageact.co.za

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MARKET FORUM

Water Tractors BBBEE Start-up Agreement The Egyptian port of Alexandria has placed orders for a total of four new additional port tugs, equipped with Voith Schneider Propellers (VSPs), with two Egyptian shipyards. These will complement the Port Authority’s existing fleet of nine Voith Water Tractors (VWTs). Two VWTs with a bollard pull of 40t are equipped with two VSP 26R5/195-2 each. The vessels, with a length of 29m and a beam of 9.5m, reach speeds of 13 knots. The remaining two VWTs have a bollard pull of 50t. These are propelled by two VSP 28R5/210-2, ensuring safe and reliable manoeuvring in port. With a length of 35m and a beam of 11.5m, they are also designed for a speed of 13 knots. VWTs have been deployed in the port since 1989. The first of the new VSPs were shipped to Egypt at the end of 2015, well in time for the new port tugs to be launched by the end of 2016. Voith, Terry-Lynn McIntosh Tel: (011) 418-4036 Email: Terry.McIntosh@Voith.com

Pictured at the enterprise development agreement signing are (back): Ralph Palphramand, Hytec Regional Manager; Mike Harrison, Hytec General Manager; Vusi Mashele, BNP Financial Manager; Frikkie de Klerk, Hytec Branch Manager, Witbank. (Front): Patrick Mgidi, BNP Technical Manager; John Wingrove, Hytec CEO; and Piet Makama, BNP Managing Director.

Hytec has entered into an enterprise development agreement with a Level I Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) company, BNP Industrial Solutions (BNP), effective November 2015. BNP was established by managing director, Piet Makama, and partners, Patrick Mgidi and Vusi Mashele. This agreement will provide access to the Hytec Group’s entire hydraulic and pneumatic range and enable BNP to expand its hydraulics products distribution in Mpumalanga to the power generation and mining sectors. Hytec will provide BNP Industrial Solutions with the skills, product training and

technical support from both its Witbank Branch and technical department in Spartan, to enable BNP to grow into a significant player in the hydraulics market within the Mpumalanga region. “We would like to see BNP grow into a substantial and sustainable partner,” says Hytec regional manager, Ralph Palphramand. “This initiative will create employment within the region, while simultaneously building additional channels for our products.” Hytec, Ralph Palphramand Tel: (011) 975-9700 Email: ralph.palphramand@hytec.co.za www.hytecgroup.co.za

Custom-designed Evaporator MechCaL has teamed up with l-CAT to develop a custom designed evaporator using one of MechCaL’s patented fan designs to create a high energy efficient unit with the first completed units destined for Douglas Colliery.

applied in reducing excess wastewater at mines. After thorough research and development undertaken in conjunction with the environmental department at I-CAT, a prototype of the I-VAP 500 was designed and built for trial use.

The two companies have entered into a MOA with I-CAT being designated as the sole distributor. Six evaporator/ fan units were produced at MechCaL’s manufacturing facility in Pretoria during October 2015 and final assembly of the units with the intelligent weather control system was undertaken by I-CAT at their facilities.

The I-VAP 500 is capable of handling 500 cubic metres of water per twelve-hour day. The evaporation rate is measured as between 60% – 65% depending on ambient weather conditions. In order to ensure that the unit is light, durable and mobile as well as being resistant to rust, it must be constructed from composite materials.

The I-CAT I-VAP 500 was originally developed following the identification of a need for an effective and environmentallysafe evaporation system that can be

The high energy efficiency unit will have an inlet cone and nozzle configuration that is made from composite materials. The nozzle itself is designed using CFD

coding to assist in an optimum flow pattern and droplet throw distance. The MechCaL manufactured I-VAP 500 will also incorporate the company’s patented nose and tail cones and Stator design that improves air flow by reducing turbulence and assisting in laminar flow being achieved. The units are designed to be ‘fit-forpurpose’ with an emphasis on energy, evaporative efficiency and noise reduction. Working within harsh environments, the I-VAP 500 will ultimately manage excess water through evaporation but will also be adaptable for use in dust suppression as well as potential fire fighting applications by changing the water nozzle and pump configuration. MechCal, www.mechcal.co.za I-CAT, www.i-cat.co.za

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MARKET FORUM

Kraatz Engineering, situated in Walvis Bay, Namibia, has installed an augmentedreality welding simulator supplied by Sangari SA. The simulator is being used to upskill trainee welders without incurring the cost of expensive material such as welding rods, steel plates and oxygen. “The Soldamatic provides a safe environment with no need for special clothing or ventilation. Welding can be carried out in any environment and it is 100% safe, simply because it is a virtual welding environment and has no gas emissions,” says Dirk van Niekerk, MD of Kraatz Engineering. “The system is sophisticated in providing augmented-reality 3-D vision in a workshop environment. Payback for a large training institution is about 18-24 months. The quick ROI period is achieved because no consumables are used and there is no wastage.”

The simulator consists of a hardware unit the size of a standard PC, with a built-in screen that allows the trainer to view the student’s progress in real-time, while it is being recorded. The trainee wears the virtual-reality headgear which simulates a real welding environment. The headgear generates realistic welding graphics such as the weld pool and beam. It emits simulated smoke and sparks and simulates heating of the affected area, all through the student’s headgear. It also simulates cracks, filler material, gravity and undercutting. “Welding skills can be trained for specific

applications and the student’s performance measured in a fair, reliable and unbiased manner. The unit includes 93 different training lessons and customised lessons can also be added,” Dirk concludes. Sangari, Bez Sangari, Tel: (011) 466-1440, www.sangari.co.za

Variable Speed Compressor

Shoring up Fuel Supply

Ingersoll Rand, through its Kenyan distributor Car & General, recently supplied British American Tobacco Kenya Limited with an oil-free rotary screw compressor. The compressor will supply compressed air for the pneumatic controls and plant machines within the plant.

Independent tank storage provider Vopak SA, and Reatile Chemicals, took into operation the first phase of their strategic expansion programme in Durban, late last year.

The compressor will meet the plant’s pneumatic requirements with maximum energy savings. In addition to the energy-ondemand nature of variable speed compressors, an Energy Recovery System (ERS) was installed which will recover the heat generated by the compressor and distribute it to different areas of the factory where it is needed. Water heated during the cooling of the compressor will be reused as process water where such heated water is needed. The compressor also requires minimal maintenance, further reducing the plant’s Opex. Ingersoll Rand, Donald Good, Tel: (011) 565-8615 Email: donald.good@irco.com, www.ingersollrandproducts.com

Vopak South Africa’s decision to increase and enhance its fuel storage capacity at its Durban Island View operations came about in 2012 in the wake of SA’s decision to realise Transnet’s New Multi-Product Pipeline (NMPP) between Durban and Gauteng. The NMPP is designed to service the transport needs of refined petroleum products such as petrol, diesel and jet fuel along the DurbanGauteng corridor. The coastal end of the NMPP is adjacent to Vopak’s Island View tank farm, thus enabling easy flow of fuel from the port via tanks into the pipeline. However, land availability in the Port of Durban is limited and the lateral expansion of Vopak South Africa’s facilities at the Farewell-King site was not feasible. Therefore, the company was forced to increase its storage capac-

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ity on the land that it was already leasing. In addition to the expansion project at Farewell-King site, Vopak has plans to replace tanks at its Fynn site at Island View. Tanks that presently have a total of 9 000 cbm capacity will be replaced with petroleum tanks with 64 000 cbm capacity for distribution locally and through the NMPP. At Lesedi near Heidelberg, which is the inland terminus of the NMPP, the company is conducting a feasibility study to construct a terminal. At Richards Bay, Vopak is conducting a feasibility study for the construction of a multiproduct chemicals terminal, which would also include a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage facility. The Reatile Group was founded by Simphiwe Mehlomakulu and Sizwe Hopa in 2003. With their extensive knowledge and expertise in the energy, mining and chemical sectors, they have been an invaluable partner for Vopak’s expansion in South Africa. Vopak South Africa www.vopak.com

MARKET FORUM

Maritime Engineers DCD Marine Cape Town has recently enhanced its in-house engineering capacity through a strategic collaboration with 6Sigma Naval Architects & Offshore Engineering (Pty) Ltd. Established in 2012, 6Sigma provides specialist engineering services for ship building and repair yards.The company is enjoying a growing portfolio, while DCD Marine is able to leverage off 6Sigma’s scarce skills set, and have more influence on the design process. This is according to Jako Laubscher, Director at 6Sigma. “The outcome of the collaboration, while mutually beneficial, is to be able to offer our clients a better service. Being under one roof now enables the client access to one dedicated engineering office, and full 24/7 engineering support from 6Sigma, without being subject to any contractorsub-contractor limitations,” explains Jako. 6Sigma offers a variety of design services for steel and aluminium boats, ships and offshore structures, including FEA (finite element analysis), stability analysis, propulsion estimations, vessel modification; as well all elements of overall design including concept, basic and detail design. “Six Sigma focuses on identifying and eliminating potential engineering errors, being closer to the ‘shop floor’ and therefore being able to offer a better engineering solution and service,” adds Jako. “Being quality-focused, our two companies share a common vision, mission and direction, and therefore it was a good fit going forward. “We are is focused on ‘breeding’ the best maritime engineers in South Africa. We invest in training and we encourage self-development. We also give back to the country by sharing knowledge and supporting universities in gaining insight where needed,” he concludes. DCD Marine Cape Town, Tel: (021) 460-6000 www.dcd.co.za

Large-scale Pumps KSB Pumps and Valves is supplying eight ultra-efficient pump sets for Rand Water’s Palmiet pumping station near Alberton to help boost potable water supply to the Gauteng region.

diameter suction, discharge diameter of 700mm and an impeller larger than one metre in diameter. Each of the eight pumps weighs 8.9 tons with individual sets (pump and motor) weighing up to 20 tons each.

The large diameter pumps are to be installed in tandem on four pumping lines, each delivering 200Ml/day at a head of 206m. This is achieved with the use of four slow speed suction pumps. To keep NPSH requirements down, these pump directly into the four booster pumps which boost the pressure to the required 20 bar. The pumps are driven by two motor sizes, 2 080kw for the suction pumps and 4 130Kw for the boosters.

“These are among the largest splitcase water pumps sold in South Africa in recent times and upon installation will go a long way to take pressure off the existing system. Despite the massive pumping power of the pump sets, the overall average efficiency of 92% exceeds the original quoted efficiencies by a considerable margin and will result in a significant saving of electricity consumption,” Dale concludes.

Dale Croker, KSB Fluid Systems manager, says the pumps are large by any standards with a 800mm

KSB Pumps and Valves, Annett Kriel, Tel: (011) 876-5600, Email: Annett. Kriel@ksb.com, www.ksbpumps.co.za

Formal Agreement

ELB Engineering Services is pleased to announce that a formal exclusive Distribution Agreement has been entered into between Centrifugal & Mechanical Industries LCC (CMI) from Saint Louis, Missouri (USA) and ELB Engineering Services (Pty) Ltd (ELB), for a three-year period, extendable by mutual consent. This new agreement will enable ELB to offer its clients a highly efficient, robust centrifuge product for dewatering coal. Currently 14 such units are installed in the Witbank / Middelburg area. ELB and CMI are also in discussions to include rotary breakers and vibrating screens, as additional product offerings to the RSA market. ELB Engineering Services Cornel Charlton, Tel: (011) 772-1509 Email: cornelc@elb.co.za

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Sorting Silt Launched less than twelve months ago, the innovative SlurrySucker Dredge Unit is capable of extracting high tonnages of silt and built-up sediments at a fraction of the money required to shut down downstream and upstream processes to clean out water storage facilities on a plant or mine. Available on either short or long-term hire contracts, or as an outright purchase, the unit is simple to use and two standard units are available. The Mini is capable of extracting 120m3 per hour of slurry/ water mixture, equating to 30 to 40 dry tons per hour, while the larger Maxi will remove between 70 to 80 dry tons per hour. The SlurrySucker Mini has a 100mm

discharge and the SlurrySucker Maxi has a 150 mm discharge. The units are manufactured using locallyproduced components and incorporate pumps from the respected Grindex slurry and dewatering range. During the development of the innovative dredging system, use was made of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to optimise and validate the design. This gives customers absolute peace of mind, as does the track record of the units which are currently in operation. Engineered as a robust, compact dredging unit, the SlurrySucker Dredge Unit can be easily transported on a standard road trailer, making it simple to move

The Association is also nearing completion of a year-long study to understand the imports and exports of stainless steel finished products. This research will help to identify possible import threats and whether trade remedies should be considered. In addition, potential export market hotspots for stainless steel finished products will be revealed which will guide the future direction of the outward bound missions and participation in trade shows with the Department of Trade and Industry (dti). Sassda, Tel: (011) 883-0119 www.sassda.co.za

Another significant advantage is that the unit can be used on plastic lined dams without any damage to liners. This is very important from an environmental perspective as there is no risk of the liner being cut and water leaking out. Integrated Pump Rental, Lee Vine Tel:072 627 6350 Email: lee@pumprental.co.za www.pumprental.co.za

Hot Spots

Staying Positive Sassdaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (SA Stainless Steel Development Association) investment in education, training and skills upgrading has been identified as one of the most important factors in determining the successful growth of the industry. To address the skills gap in the industry, Sassda has engaged with project houses to conduct lunchtime presentations on stainless, with the aim of demystifying stainless steel, and making sure that engineersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; concerns when specifying stainless steel are both fully understood and addressed.

from pond to pond on a mine site. The units are engineered to be operated by a single person and, where the necessary manpower is not freely available, Integrated Pump Rental undertakes the pond or dam cleaning on a turnkey contract basis.

RS Components (RS) has announced availability of the new AX8 from Flir, which is the most cost-effective and smallest thermal camera on the market and offers an automated multi-spectral temperature sensor for condition monitoring and hot spot detection. Combined with its high affordability and ultracompact size, the thermal camera can be mounted in a huge number of diverse applications, including the Internet of Things. RS is targeting use of the device in commercial sectors and applications only, including process and manufacturing industries, data centres, energy generation and distribution, transportation and mass transit, storage facilities and refrigeration warehouses.

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Ideal for the continuous thermal monitoring of critical installations and facilities, the camera has an integrated intelligent temperature sensor that senses temperature change and has built-in analysis features to ensure that the camera can determine the change and act upon it. By combining thermal and visual camera capabilities in a compact 54 x 25 x 95mm package, the device is easy to install in space-constrained areas, providing continuous temperature monitoring and alarming for uninterrupted condition monitoring of critical electrical and mechanical equipment. RS Components Tel: (011) 691-9345 www.electrocomponents.com

MARKET FORUM

Ultrasonic Water Meter

Cable Straps

Instrotech has launched a batterypowered ultrasonic water meter intended for measuring flow rate instantaneously and pressure and consumption in water piping (standard EN 14154 for water works), water distribution systems and other industrial applications. The compact, highly accurate Elis Flomic FL5024 has long-term stability over a wide range of measured values, and conforms to the IP68 protection class. The meter does not need any external power supply, does not include any moving parts and has significantly lower hydraulic losses. The technical parameters and other features of the meter make it suitable not only for water consumption measurements but also for water-leak tracking and monitoring of the general condition of water-supply networks where the meter output signals can be connected via data transfer systems to remote computer control stations. Instrotech, Tel: (010) 595 1831 Email: sales@instrotech.co.za

Costly water-cooled power cables and coils used in furnace applications are vulnerable to corrosion and overheating if they are insufficiently clamped into place. Induction heating and foundry specialist ABP has eliminated these risks over the past two decades since using Band-It stainless steel strapping products on its power cable range.

per month for local operations. Each cable requires six clamps. As a result, we cannot afford to use an inferior clamp. Band-It’s heat and corrosion-resistant, non-magnetic stainless steel band and Buckle are ideal for packaging, securing and transporting the cables, which are protected from heat stress and water damage,” he says.

Water-cooled power cables are used to transfer electricity and cooling water to the furnace, with considerable dynamic forces exerted on the cables by the flowing current. With high replacement costs, ABP Inductions general manager Byron McCall states that a high-quality clamp is essential to ensuring that the cables supplied to customers perform at optimal efficiency.

ABP recently built a coil for a sweet factory and used about 130 m of banding clamping to hold the coil in position. According to Byron, building a clamping device is not easy and therefore the company prefers to use Band-It’s entry level clamp for some projects. “It is very practical, easily disposable and doesn’t cause any damage.”

“ABP cables are manufactured in Europe and locally. We supply and repair a fair amount

Banding & Identification Solutions Africa, Rosa Remendos, Tel: (011) 974 0424 Email: rosa.remendos@banding.co.za www.banding.co.za

Leading engineering consultancy, GladAfrica Group has acquired Ariya Project Managers (Pty) Ltd, making it the largest 100% black-owned consultancy group in Southern Africa. According to GladAfrica’s executive chairman, Noel Mashaba, “We wanted to create a completely African-born organisation within the built environment. “The Group will now operate and offer all full services from all nine provinces in South Africa with a strengthened project management capacity and the ability to further customise our comprehensive selection of project management services.” Ariya is wholly black-owned with a 35% black women shareholding, as well as a level 2 B-BBEE and an international ISO 9001: 2008 accreditation. While GladAfrica will retain its Engineering Consulting arm, the Group will establish a new specialised company to focus primarily on project management services, including development management, tenant coordination and installation and procurement management. Noel Mashaba: Executive Chairman (right), Kulani Curtis Lebese: Group CEO (middle) and Sigi Naidoo: Ariya Project Managers (left)

GladAfrica Group, Tel: (011) 312 2537 gladafrica@gladafrica.com

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Refinery Seals Petrochemical refineries have begun to replace single mechanical seals with those of double mechanical design in order to comply with tightened safety legislation. According to Flip van Heerden, manager of Aesseal’s Secunda branch, sales of double mechanical seals have increased year-on-year.

Pinpoint Alignment

Up to 10 000 ℓ/min of water spillage can be saved onsite using I-CAT’s ECAM system with integrated RFID, a camera-based technology that assists water bowser operators in lining up 85 000l water bowsers at the filling points located across mine sites. I-CAT director Anton van der Merwe says, “This new technology ensures pinpoint alignment without the driver having to set foot outside of the bowser, which reduces any safety hazards related to the driver being outdoors. It also substantially reduces the risk of spillage, and leads to significant time and cost savings.” The E-CAM system is fitted with an intelligent GPS device that is equipped with multiple inputs and outputs. Maps are updated on a regular basis due to the high levels of change, development and the extraordinary production targets set in the mining industry.

Broad Network BMG has been appointed as an official logistics distributor for automation technology specialists, Festo South Africa. “Festo’s extensive product range, which encompasses electromechanical and pneumatic drives, valves, motors and controllers, as well as handling systems, sensors and process automation, is now available from BMG,” says Wayne Holton, BMG’s fluid technology manager. “The addition of the Festo product range to BMG’s sales network, forms part of the company’s expansion strategy, geared to enhance the steady growth of the South African operation over the last 40 years. “Festo’s market share will be significantly expanded through this distribution agreement, which improves accessibility to their products throughout the country.”

What’s more, a programmable ‘snail trail’ allows the status of the dust roads to be monitored. When the operator of the vehicle starts spraying or applying dust suppression onto the roads, the road will start to illuminate green on the mapping software, changing its colour to orange and then to red, indicating the condition of the road after a set period of time. “RFID technology recognises each vehicle’s identity, with regard to size and amount of water, as it approaches a filling point. Two alignment cameras then align the tank’s opening with the filling point gooseneck. The vehicle is also fitted with an alignment sensor, which will not allow the water and dosing pump to start if the truck is not lined up correctly,” Anton notes. I-CAT, Anton van der Merwe Tel: 086 112-4228, Email: info@i-cat.co.za www.i-cat.co.za

A broader distributor network enables Festo to focus on establishing a highlytrained sales engineering team to support customers in diverse sectors, including specialist industries. Currently, Festo products are available from 12 BMG outlets in South Africa’s major centres and this distribution reach will grow as the business develops throughout BMG. BMG – Bearing Man Group, Wayne Holton Tel: (011) 620-1500, www.bmgworld.net Email wayneh@bmgworld.net

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER

The increase in activity is the result of API 682 Edition 3 and refinery overlay specifications which specify the fitting of double mechanical seals to all pumps transferring hazardous fluids in five categories: fluids that are immediately lethal or toxic upon exposure; fluids that will cause a chronic condition resulting from long term exposure; flammable products; reactive products; and any product of high monetary value. The specifications also indicate the use of a double seal to improve reliability. Flip says that all South African refineries are likely to implement full replacement programmes and some have already begun the process. However, he urges caution in the case of early edition API 610 pumps, which do not have large enough mechanical seal housings to accommodate the API 682 category 2 seals specified by API 682 Edition 3. “Some refinery production managers are under the impression that it will be necessary either to machine out the housings or replace the pumps,” adds Flip. “But this is not the case, because mechanical seals from Aesseal are of more recent design and exactly fit the mechanical seal housings of all API 610 pump editions,” he says. Aesseal is believed to be the only major mechanical seals supplier providing the end user with a viable alternative to the very costly pump modification or replacement option. “Excessive expenditure is not necessary because our CAPI (Cartridge API) mechanical seals range, both pusher and bellows, has been designed with specific consideration for both new and old equipment,” Flip concludes. Aesseal, Rob Waites, Tel: (011) 466-6500, Email: rwaites@aesseal.co.za

VOL 66

February 2016

Coal Dewatering Weir Minerals has implemented a number of innovations to improve the design of their dewatering screens in order to increase the longevity and maintainability of the screens. An example is the replacement of the corrosion resistant (3CR12) box deck frame design with a cross-beam and 3CR12 stringer (runner) design. This has eliminated the downtime and production losses which previously resulted from premature deck failures due to latent welding defects. Another brand within the Linatex range from Weir Minerals recently launched in the North American coal market is the high performance Fusioncast polyurethane screen media panels. The material is designed to maximise service life through superior abrasion resistance, a critical factor in coal dewatering. The product’s properties and wear characteristics make it ideal for use in a number of coal ap-

plications including raw coal refuse screens and fine screening. In field trials it was confirmed that the product exhibits wear life advantages of up to 50% when compared with injection moulded polyurethane screen media panels. This results in a significant time and cost saving for customers. Added operational flexibility is provided by the product being supplied with a wide range of openings for separations as coarse as up to 25 mm. A solid example of the success of this product is in an operation in North America’s Western Kentucky. After conducting six weeks of head to head trials between the existing continuous slot panels and the Fusioncast panels, the Fusioncast panels were found to have a significantly superior wear life performance.

Integration years ago in Pinetown, Durban, and has expanded to operate a network of ten laboratories across the African continent and beyond.

The scientific analysis of used oil from mechanical and electrical systems is WearCheck’s core condition monitoring service, which is used by a range of industries such as power generation, turbine, earthmoving, industrial, transport, shipping and aircraft. Additional services include the analysis of fuels, transformer oils, coolants, greases and filters.

Today, WearCheck has evolved into a ‘one-stop shop’ for condition monitoring, which is dedicated to the optimisation of plant performance management, and offers an additional range of monitoring techniques such as vibration monitoring, laser alignment, thermal imaging, balancing, the testing and control of the efficiency of combustion, heat transfer, and milling. WearCheck managing director, Neil Robinson, views the merge in a positive light. ‘We are pleased to be part of Torre, a solid, well-renowned group in the industry, and one which shares WearCheck’s high standards of customer satisfaction, continued investment in technology, and ongoing staff training and education. ‘The integration process will be phased in over several months, and we will continue to keep customers informed of any changes or improvements. We would like to reassure our customers that, as we are integrated into the Torre family, we are excited at the opportunities for development and growth that will evolve.’

Neil Robinson

As a result of the resounding success of the Fusioncast technology trials, the customer opted to replace the 1 100 plus panels with Fusioncast panels throughout various raw coal, clean coal and fine refuse screening applications in its plant. Further leveraging the success of the trials, Weir Minerals has been invited to tender on a number of screen media supply contracts, including for one of the world’s largest coal prep plants. Weir Minerals Africa, Rene Calitz Tel: (011) 929-2622 Email: r.calitz@weirminerals.com www.weirminerals.com

Marine Lubricants

Condition monitoring specialists WearCheck and her Set Point Group sister companies have been acquired by Torre Industries.

WearCheck was founded nearly 40

Finite element analysis

WearCheck, www.wearcheck.co.za

Engen recently introduced the Petronas Disrol range of marine diesel engine oils to the African and Indian Ocean Island coastal territories. Says Joe Mahlo, general manager: Engen Sale and Marketing, “This coastal offering is intended for local coastline operations, which include navy or coastal patrols, off-shore mining platforms and drilling rigs, fishing boats, tug boats and other maritime services.” There are eight products in the series, six of them intended for slow two-stroke cross-head applications, and two for medium-speed four-stroke trunk piston applications. They are supplemented by the Genmarine HD product from Engen for high speeds. “All in all, we are excited to serve the market with nine super-performance products,” says Joe. “Other non-engine marine applications are covered by our vast range of ancillary products.” Engen, Gavin Smith, Tel: (021) 403 4312, Email: Gavin.Smith@engenoil.com

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER

VOL 66 February 2016

MARKET FORUM

A Strong Proposition Mobile crushing and screening equipment manufacturer, Powerscreen, recently celebrated 20 years in the southern African industry, in partnership with its long-time local distributor ELB Equipment. The company’s new range of equipment like the new Trakpactor 260 and Warrior 600 has the potential to open up the market for smaller operations such as small-scale quarries, recyclers, demoli-

tions, composters etc who will have the benefit of higher output mobile equipment without the need for much space. For example, the Warrior 600 is the most compact mobile screen on the market and can easily be shipped in a single 20ft container. In combination with the Trakpactor 260 the duo have an aggressive action and fast throughput of over 200 tons per hour (tph) that enables

Service Level Agreements Several key issues can affect the lifecycle and productivity of a screen and have an impact on the bottom line at minerals processing operations. These include the shortage of skills within the industry which often results in sub-standard maintenance being performed. In addition, maintenance is often undertaken on a reactive rather than a proactive basis, which can lead to further costly issues. These issues are best addressed by the implementation of a service level agreement that is customised for individual mine requirements. The first step is to undertake a full audit covering the operating performance and the condition of the screen. “We also consider the upstream processes to ensure that the feed is within the original specifications for which the screen was engineered,” says Theresa Walton, general manager, service at Joest Kwatani.

it to compete with much bigger and bulkier machines. On the other hand, the full range provides options for all other industries with large-scale screens capable of outputs of over 800tph and jaw, cone and impact crushers for large scale mining operations. ELB Equipment, Heath Dickson, Tel: (011) 306 0700, www.elbequipment.com Email: heathd@elbquip.co.za,

An essential part of the audit is a review of the on-site parts stockholding to ensure that all critical components are readily available both for planned maintenance and in the event of unexpected failure. A critical parts stockholding is set up on the customer’s system to facilitate seamless planning and ordering as well as the selection of the correct part. During the audit an historical review is also carried out to ascertain the level of maintenance being applied, the skill level and the available resources at the mine. This information directly impacts on the frequency at which future maintenance should be conducted. Following the audit, Joest Kwatani develops both a short term action plan and a long term sustainable service programme. Joest Kwatani, Kim Schoepflin, Tel: (011) 923-9000, www.joest-kwatani.co.za

On the Move!

Victaulic has appointed a new sales engineer, Owen Howell, to expand its HVAC presence in South Africa.

Index to Advertisers Aesseal

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Afzelia 8 Atlas Copco

Engineer Placements

ENTF

Outside Front Cover

ILS

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KSB Pumps and Valves Oriole Consulting PPS

29 12, 13

The Peartee Zest WEG Group Africa

VOL 66

Inside Front Cover

February 2016

18 Outside Back Cover

World Class Manufactured in South Africa

The GRID What is it? 5 x 1 600 kVA 11 kV/433 V and 1 x 2 000 kVA 11 kV/720 V Transformers Export to Ghana

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• Mini-Substations Enclosure Type A, B and C Up to and including 2 000 kVA 22 kV (specials up to 33 kV for the African market)

The GRID is a graphic ZEST indentity. Deriva it is based on a propo 3. The distance betwe WEG Global Manufacturing Operations height of an element. • Custom Designed Oil Filled Transformers • Power 40 MVA to 350 MVA up to 550 kV

• Transformer Repairs and Maintenance Up to 100 MVA 132 kV

100 MVA 132 kV Testing Bay

011 827 3458 info@wegtransformersafrica.co.za

Newly Commissioned Vacuum Drying Oven

Mini-Substations