same: aug 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 August 2010 1

2 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 August 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 August 2010 �

AN ENGINEER’S VIEW

I am personally tired of observing and commenting so much of our past failures in this leader column. How many of them are actually easily enabled to be turned around and developed for the benefit

of South African citizens? If we can project manage the WC with all its first-time challenges, why can’t we get the relatively straight forward function of municipal service delivery right?

Let’s do itThe root cause is clear. Get rid of lousy, incompetent, unqualified, corrupt management; fire the officials who seem incapable of delivering, and are misusing funds. No more paid suspension and jobs for pals. But let’s do it. Time to get private power producers going. Time to get the Acts amended that mess with our potential to exploit our minerals. Time to get effective engineering training going.

Get measures agreed to radically reduce the mas-sive unemployment level. We will go bankrupt at the rate we pay more receivers of social benefits than have jobs. Reducing unemployment is our biggest challenge. Here is a thought, though. It comes from a recent SAIEE Presidential address. “If one is look-ing for modern examples of the good old fashioned engineering approach to economic development, one needs to look to the East. When President Hu of China appointed his first cabinet in 2002, every one of them was an Engineer. Perhaps this in part explains China’s ongoing extraordinary economic growth and industrialization”.

So, Members, how shall we go for the world cup in transforming a system that has been taking us for a ride for too long? A very positive development has just been announced and which exemplifies the ability of a lot of adversarial parties to get together and formulate a new deal all with a common goal.

Chris ReayChairman of the Working

Committee: Communications(SA Institution of Mechanical

Engineering)

This is the recent mining commitment plan which followed the Citibank International report that South Africa sits on the most valuable mineral wealth in the world by far, streets ahead of Russia and Australia in second and third places.

We have R18 Trillion in an un-mined prize waiting for initiative, co-operation, funding, innovation, supporting infrastructure, skills development, employment and all the other benefits of a good, long term plan. Even Malema should be excited. It noticeably seems however to have eluded the government’s own planning commission, but we all know how evident that has been.

Outgoing actionPower and energy. Big plans now in hand for private power generation, and additionally an exciting devel-opment in advanced waste coal carbon combustion technology with almost no carbon footprint. Unless co-generation gets going, then any major mining and industrial initiatives will not have the power due to Eskom’s limitations.

Can we catalyse the World Cup energy into ongo-ing action? It is up to everyone to make it happen. Tourism just has to escalate, which means major options for the service industry. I heard countless comments from foreign visitors at Cape Town’s V and A waterfront at the semi-final on a beautiful evening that it must be the best all-round place for a World Cup.

The new SAIMechE website has the functions to enable interaction and debate. Can this connectiv-ity and our a new feeling of optimism improve our collective advance into getting Engineers into the main arena? Sceptics, step aside. Let the game begin.

My greatest hope is that the evident, positive and extraordinary atmosphere, ener-gy charge and positive outlook that have emerged as a result of the way we staged

the World Cup will serve to enable us to believe in ourselves and our abilities to reach the best standards for South Africa. Every citizen, and in our case, every

engineering resource, has the opportunity and an obligation do something to get a new show on the road. We simply must not fall into a state of post party hangover

or depression, or back to business as usual.

Our World after the World Cup

Sits on the most valuable mineral wealth in the world by far, streets ahead of Russia and Australia in second and third places

� THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 August 2010

GEA Grasso (Africa) (Pty) Ltd19 Chain ATeWebsite: www.

stand No. 5D23

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Monthly Column8 One Stormy Night ...

Cover Story11 Extending Gearbox Life

Power Transmission13 New Electric Motors15 More Than Just Bearings

Pipes, Pumps & Valves17 The Key is Stocking Up19 Diesel Power

POWER GENERATION TODAY21 Power of Water

Produced by:PROMECH PUBLISHING,P O Box 373, Pinegowrie, 2123Republic of South AfricaTel: (011) 781-1401, Fax: (011) 781-1403Email: [email protected]: www.promech.co.zaManaging Editor Susan CustersEditor Kowie HammanAdvertising Pauline BouwerCirculation Catherine MacdivaDTP Zinobia Docrat/Sanette LehanieDisclaimerPROMECH Publishing and The South African Institution of Mechanical Engineering as well as any other body do not take responsibility for the opinions expressed by individuals.Printed by: Typo Colour Printing, Tel: (011) 402-3468/9

Official Publication ofTHE SA INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERINGand endorsed by:

CORROSION INSTITUTE OF SA SA PUMP MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION SA VALVE AND ACTUATORS MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION THE SA INSTITUTE OF TRIBOLOGY NUCLEAR INSTITUTE SA INSTITUTE FOR NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK ENGINEERS INSTITUTE FOR CERTIFICATED MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS SOUTH AFRICAN ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERS ASSOCIATION OF SOCIETIES FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH

27 Power Generation News

Computers in Engineering29 What’s Actually in There?33 We are Being Ripped Off

Regulars3 An Engineer’s View6 Institution News28 Nuclear Institute (SA Branch)35 SAINT37 SAIT39 Market Forum46 On the Move

Contents

The monthly circulation is 4 242

CopyrightAll rights reserved. No editorial matter published in “SA Mechani-cal Engineer” may be reproduced in any form or language without written permission of the publish-ers. 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.

August 2010 VOLUME 60 NUMBER 8

GEA Grasso (Africa) (Pty) Ltd19 Chain ATeWebsite: www.

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Hansen Transmissions

Tel: (011) 397-2495Email:

[email protected]


Council 2009/2010

Office BearersPresident....................................................G Barbic (George)President Elect...............................................D Findeis (Dirk)National Treasurer.................................KK Nyangoni (Kudzai)

Branch ChairpersonsCentral .........................................................M Cramer (Mike)Eastern Cape.................................................W Rall (William)KwaZulu Natal...........................................M Black (Malcolm)Western Cape ..........................Prof B Collier-Reed (Brandon)

PortfoliosCommunications............................................CD Reay (Chris)Education – Universities...............................................VacantEducation – Universities of Technology.........E Zawilska (Ewa)Membership..................................................E Zawilska (Ewa)Seminars and Workshops...............................D Findeis (Dirk)Candidate Phase Development .........................................TBATechnology Programme...............................SZ Hrabar (Steve)To be confirmed...............................................A Roos (Andre)To be confirmed....................................G. Bartholomew (Bart)

Chief Executive Officer: Vaughan Rimbault

National Office Manager: Anisa Nanabhay PO Box �11, Bruma, 2026Tel: (011) 61�-�660, Fax: (011) �88-��6Email: [email protected] Website: www.saimeche.org.zaMembership: Central, Eastern Cape & KZN: [email protected] Membership: Western Cape: [email protected]

Company Affiliates

Alstom Power Service SA

Babcock Africa Limited

Bateman Engineered Technologies

Bosch Projects

Fluor SA

GEA Air-cooled Systems

Hansen Transmissions SA

Hatch Africa

Howden Power

Howden Projects

Industrial Water Cooling

MBE Minerals (SA) (Pty) Ltd (previ-ously KHD Humboldt Wedag SA

Megchem Eng & Drafting Services

Osborn Engineered Products SA

Rotek Engineering

RSD a division of DCD-Dorbyl

S.A.M.E Water

Sasol Technologies

SEW Eurodrive

Siemens

SNC-Lavalin SA

Spicer Axle SA

Spirax Sarco SA

Thyssenkrupp Engineering

Transvaal Pressed Nuts & Bolts

Ultra-Flow Engineering Services

Vital Engineering

Weir Minerals Africa

Winder Controls

THE SA INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Saimeche,Western Cape

Annual Dinner & Dance 2010

To be held on Friday The

29th Of October 2010.

Details To Follow Soon!

The Central Branch Dinner DanceDate: Saturday 9th October 2010

Time: 18:30 for 19:00

Venue: Killarney Golf Club

Dress: Black Tie/ Traditional/Smart

Cost: R3 500 per table of 10 or R350 for individual tickets.

R.S.V.P. by no later than 17th September 2007. Contact Lynne on (011) 615-5660/ [email protected]

Dinner Dance


THE SA INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

SAIMechE National AGMThe National AGM held on 28 July 2010 was well attended by members, guests, council and commit-tee members and friends of the Institution.

A Special General Meeting preceded the AGM where Constitutional amendments were tabled and accepted.

Mr Stefan de Nagy Koves Hrabar and Dr Raimund Loubser had each been awarded an Honorary Fellowship.

Prof Thomas Harms was acknowledged for the work done as Editor of the Research Journal for a number of years.

The President acknowledged Council and branch committee members who have continued to man-age the affairs of the Institution in an effective way, as well as staff for their contribution, and the various role-players that continue to support the Institution.

Visit the SAIMechE website to view the Annual Report 2010 as presented at the AGM – www.saimeche.org.za

Some of the guests at the AGM enjoying the sumptuous dinner, socialising and networking

Du Toit Grober (SAIEE Past President) handing over certificate from SAIEE to Mr George Barbic in recognition of SAIMechE’s contribution to SAIEE and the engineering profession as a sister Voluntary Association. Mr Dirk Findeis (SAIMechE Vice President) seated on the left and Mr Kudzai Nyan-goni (SAIMechE National Treasurer) seated on the right

Dr Raimund Loubser (recipient of Honorary Fellowship), Mr George Barbic (SAIMechE President), and Steve Hra-bar (recipient of Honorary Fellowship and SAIMechE Past President)

SAIMechE Training Events Calendar : Sep to Nov 2010Whilst every effort is made to ensure that events take place as scheduled, SAIMechE reserves the right to change the schedule as circumstances dictate. A registration form and full terms and conditions may be obtained from Carey Evans on E-mail: [email protected] or Tel. 031-764-7136. Also, detailed individual event programmes are available from Carey. Corporations wishing

to book In-House Workshops may contact Linda Robinson on E-mail: [email protected] or Tel: 031 764 7136.

Event Code Workshop & Seminar Names Dates Region

E0610 The Engineer As Manager 09-Sep-10 East Rand

C3310 Stainless Steel - Complete Overview for Engineers Including Design with Stainless Steel

15-Sep-10 Cape Town

H1310 Structured Problem Solving Techniques 16-Sep-10 Rivonia

EFP10 Fire Prevention and Control 16-Sep-10 East Rand

APS10 Engineering of Piping Systems 21-Sep-10 Durban

C4710 Capital Budgeting for Projects 22-Sep-10 Cape Town

B0610 The Engineer As Manager 23-Sep-10 Port Elizabeth

C1210 Psychrometrics & Psychrometric Processes 29-Sep-10 Cape Town

C0610 The Engineer As Manager 30-Sep-10 Cape Town

E3510 Plastics - A Complete Overview for Engineers Including Design with Plastics 30-Sep-10 East Rand


It’s a moonless stormy night, outside his bedroom the howling wind is lashing at the trees. Leaves thrash against the windows and the roof creaks under the strain, but it’s not the storm that wakes him up at 2am.

It’s the piercing ring of the cellphone on the bedside table and he’s up immediately, prompted by the special ring tone he’s assigned to emergency calls.

One Stormy Night…

MONTHLY COLUMN

H is name is Sean Serfontein and he is the Durban NSRI Duty Controller. The call is from the Harbour Master’s of-fice, alerting him to a fishing trawler in

distress off the Durban coast. The wind is driving fierce waves in all directions, making it impos-sible for any sane human being to even think of launching a rescue boat in the open sea. The only way Sean can assist is by helicopter. He im-mediately dials the number, which connects him directly to the pilot on duty for the rescue helicopter.

With a powerful searchlight and the exceptional skill of the aviator, they quickly locate the crippled trawler. Fearing their vessel will sink, the 17 crew had already abandoned ship and were huddled into four life raft grouped together with a little inflatable boat. Being a strong swimmer, Sean is lowered down into the stormy sea and after unclipping himself, he swims the seventy metres across to the inflatable boat.

The fishermen had given up on the inflatable, as they could not get the en-gine started. Sean’s techni-cal training had prepared him for this type of problem and before long the engine was run-ning.

A short while later, a navy vessel and other boats arrived to assist. Sean, using the inflatable boat, collected several fishermen at a time from the life raft and motored some distance away so the helicopter could hover lower and hoist the survivors, one at a time, into the helicopter. In turn, all 17 crew were lowered to safety on the vessels standing by.

The next day, when the sea had calmed down,

That’s how people lose fingers just because they’re monkeying around with a rope

David Sievwright of the National Sea Rescue Institute in Durban


the authorities along with the owners were able to save the trawler and tow it back to harbour. For this brave rescue, Sean received an NSRI Gallantry award, one of the highest recogni-tions for bravery bestowed on a crewmember.

The NSRI“SA Mechanical Engineer” speaks to David Sievwright of the National Sea Rescue Institute in Durban about the boats and people who make up this voluntary rescue organisation based throughout South Africa.

“Over the past 40 years, the NSRI has saved and assisted around 28 500 people in 14 500 rescue operations along the South African coast,” he says. “This amounts to almost one rescue operation every single day over the last 40 years.

Personal skills“The main reasons people end up in trouble at sea are ascribed to lack of training, poor equipment on their boats and a disregard for bad weather,” David explains. “In the past, a huge problem used to be people just going out to sea without telling anyone where they were going. Now regulations require the skipper to fill in a launch register or at least tell someone where they’re going and when they expect to be back. It’s similar to an aircraft filing a flight plan before setting off.”

Usually, NSRI rescue operations involve one of their specialised rescue vessels, but with Sean’s operation, other skills are sometimes brought to bear. “Sean is a very strong swimmer and also happens to have good technical know-how to figure out the problem with the engine,” says David. “Each member usually has something to contribute from a personal skills perspective.”

Strict trainingAlthough membership is voluntary, training is strict and highly disciplined. “Due to the nature of the work and in terms of safety and the gruelling conditions, there just has to be a discipline. The Coxswains word is law.

“I’ve spent a lot of time at sea and I’ve seen some nasty accidents where people have taken a chance or not done what they were told to do, that’s how people lose fingers just because they’re monkeying around with a rope. There is no place for the Rambo-types who “know it all” and want to join the NSRI just for the prospect of adventures at sea.” says David.

Special boatsStarting from a small organisation in 1967, today the NSRI has thirty rescue stations along the coastline and three inland stations. “We operate a fleet of just over 100 rescue craft which has a replacement value of 138 million rand,” says David. “Nationally we have a permanent staff complement of 25 people, the rest is made up entirely of 920 voluntary male and female members who come from all walks of life, from architects to doctors, technicians and secretaries.”

David walks us through the boat shed on the pier near the harbour mouth where the Durban

There is no place for the Rambo-types who “know it all”

MONTHLY COLUMN

station’s R7.5 million pride and joy of is ready to launch within a minute or two. “It is a purpose-built rescue vessel of 10 metres imported from the UK,” explains David. “There are no fancy frills on this vessel, but it has all the bells and whistles a dedicated working rescue boat needs. Apart from the robust hardy hull, it’s equipped with all the latest technology that has been tried and tested in search and rescue operations around the world.”

Skipper trainingA good rescue boat is as good as its skipper and here NSRI’s training goes beyond the normal standard. “We’re similar to other voluntary organisations in many ways, but our people give that little bit extra by putting their life on the line,” says David. “There is a bit of adventure but we also have plenty of opportunities to have fun. When it comes to an operation, it’s the camaraderie and professional training that gives us our exceptional safety record.

“Our skippers, for example, undergo thorough in-house training scheme that covers all the usual skipper training,” adds David. “Once a candidate has successfully mastered these skills, they go on to write a national set of exams for the various grades, putting our skippers a notch above those who have a normal skipper’s ticket. Our skippers, for example, will have an extra radio licence, a first aid certificate, a life saving certificate, a mo-torman certificate, knowledge of helicopter work and understand the various rescue techniques.”

Drowning is permanentWater, especially the sea, is no place to fool around. “Drowning is permanent. Most importantly it is vital to remember that sea water and booze do not mix,” David says in conclusion. “People should always go out to sea prepared and remember to respect the sea. The waters are there to enjoy yourself, but they can turn dangerous in an instant if you don’t know what you’re doing and you flout the regulations.”

David Sievwright, NSRI, Durban, Tel: (031) 332-9772, Email: [email protected],


Strategy, investment and best practice for industry, power and government

Profit

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Mike Eyre Technical Director

IPSA Group, United Kingdom

Nelisiwe Magubane Director General – Electricity

Department of Energy, South Africa

Mohammed Abdelrahman Energy Specialist

NEPAD Secretariat, South Africa

Antonio Saide Chairman

National Directorate of Renewable Energies,

Mozambique

Bernard Osawa Director – Renewables Electricity Regulatory Commission, Kenya

Hear from

BOOK NOW! online www.terrapinn.com/2010/cogenza | email [email protected] | phone +27 (0)11 516 4026 | fax +27 (0)11 707 8359

Produced by:

2 workshops, 1 day – Post-conference workshops: 15 September 2010

Sugar law, technology and advanced OR Energy policy and power purchase bagasse generation agreements in Africa

www.terrapinn.com/2010/cogenza

Policy-making: the difference in 2010! Hear the latest developments on power purchase agreements, feed-in tariffs and electricity wheeling in the private sector

Source innovative IPP solutions just for youFind out how you can translate the recent IPP policy challenges into opportunities – your utility has no other choice but to buy your power

Sugar developmentsGet new ideas around bagasse generation, sugar technology and energy pricing in the sector

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Extending Gearbox LifeCompared with the cost of a plant as a whole, that of a gearbox is a fraction of the overall capital outlay

which, coupled with the fact that gearboxes generally have a long life, tends to result in a certain degree of neglect in terms of routine maintenance. The general shortage of skilled maintenance technicians also contrib-

utes to the neglect of this equipment.

COVER STORY

In today’s economic climate, optimum productivity plays a critical role. No-one can afford a set-back caused by even

one of the gearboxes in a plant failing unexpectedly, bringing an entire plant to a grinding halt. Increasingly end-users are com-ing to the realisation that regular maintenance not only mitigates against unexpected failures but also extends gearbox life optimally.

Routine maintenance contractsOptimal means better reliability and long-term service life which is where Hansen Transmissions in Jet Park comes in. They are now offering routine maintenance con-tracts to clients to help them get the most out of their gearboxes. “SA Mechanical Engineer” speaks to managing director of Hansen South Africa, Fritz Fourie. “We’re in an advanced stage of finalising negotiations to take over the routine maintenance and servicing of all the gearboxes on one of the mines of a prominent mining group,” he says.

“After delivering a series of gearboxes for an opti-misation project on the mine, they approached us with this request and we see it as a huge opportu-nity for us to expand our service offering to clients.

“All sectors of industry battle with the shortage of qualified maintenance technicians resulting in the general deterioration of machinery which we increasingly come across in the field,” adds Fritz. “For many years we’ve offered a repair service which has seen our field service teams grow over the last few years, but we’ve never ventured into maintenance and upkeep of power transmission equipment on site on behalf of the client, and this seems to be what the market now desperately needs.”

Dedicated teamsThe maintenance and upkeep service will not be provided by the existing Hansen field service teams

who now carry out tasks like installations, commissioning and breakdowns. “We’re busy creat-ing the infrastructure for dedi-cated teams who are equipped and trained to do routine main-tenance and general upkeep of power transmission plant such as replacing filters, cleaning and replacing breathers and chang-ing the oil at regular intervals.

“These maintenance teams will also carry out regular condition monitoring and vibration test to minimise unexpected break-downs,” he adds. “This will pro-vide us with the necessary infor-mation to know when something starts going wrong in the early stages before it turns into a cata-strophic failure that damages oth-er components in the drive train.”

Life expectancyMarket requirements have changed and end users are now increasingly considering the long-term costs of maintenance. “Clients go to great lengths to select gearboxes that will at least give them 100 000 hours’ life,” adds Fritz. “In addition they are considering fitting instrumentation, additional filtration systems and extra oil cooling systems, all to ensure a longer life of the gearbox. Even though this increases initial costs, they prefer to con-sider the benefits over an extended period of time.

“Similarly, regular and proper routine maintenance by professional technicians will contribute to an extended gearbox life. If it’s not done properly you could lose half the life of a gearbox,” explains Fritz. “Our maintenance offering will now become part and parcel of a ‘packaged drive solution’ where we provide the whole drive system, including all the instrumentation and all other extras that may be required to get optimum life out of a gearbox.”

New ‘black box’To complement the range of accessories that can be fitted to a drive system, Hansen South Africa is sponsoring the development of a ‘black-box’ that monitors gearbox vibration. “One of our wind turbine gearbox specialists is a South African

Regular maintenance not only mitigates against unexpected failures but also extends gearbox life optimally

Fritz Fourie, managing director of Hansen South Africa

Strategy, investment and best practice for industry, power and government

Profit

13 - 15 September 2010Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa

The earlier you book the more

you save!Complete the relpy form

below

Mike Eyre Technical Director

IPSA Group, United Kingdom

Nelisiwe Magubane Director General – Electricity

Department of Energy, South Africa

Mohammed Abdelrahman Energy Specialist

NEPAD Secretariat, South Africa

Antonio Saide Chairman

National Directorate of Renewable Energies,

Mozambique

Bernard Osawa Director – Renewables Electricity Regulatory Commission, Kenya

Hear from

BOOK NOW! online www.terrapinn.com/2010/cogenza | email [email protected] | phone +27 (0)11 516 4026 | fax +27 (0)11 707 8359

Produced by:

2 workshops, 1 day – Post-conference workshops: 15 September 2010

Sugar law, technology and advanced OR Energy policy and power purchase bagasse generation agreements in Africa

www.terrapinn.com/2010/cogenza

Policy-making: the difference in 2010! Hear the latest developments on power purchase agreements, feed-in tariffs and electricity wheeling in the private sector

Source innovative IPP solutions just for youFind out how you can translate the recent IPP policy challenges into opportunities – your utility has no other choice but to buy your power

Sugar developmentsGet new ideas around bagasse generation, sugar technology and energy pricing in the sector

Yes! I am interested in Co-Generation World Africa 2010 Voucher code: A3 601207

c I would like to attend – please register me c My company would like to participate – please send me more information

Name ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Job title ............................................................................................................Organisation ...................................................................................................

Address ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Post code ..........................................................................................................Country ...........................................................................................................

Tel .....................................................................................................................Fax ..................................................................................................................

Email.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Reply form Fax: +27 (0)11 707 8359

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Mec

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eer


COVER STORY

working in Belgium and he suggested we ap-proach Pretoria University’s mechanical engineer-ing faculty to develop such a black-box,” explains Fritz. “The challenge is to design an instrument which, at a reasonable price, can be fitted to every gearbox to constantly monitor its condition.

“It will pick up any malfunction and sound an alarm to indicate that something is out of the ordinary in terms of the specified running conditions for a particular gearbox,” adds Fritz. “We’re close to finalising the first prototype, developed specifically for the harsh conditions that gearboxes in Africa operate under. It will also help in situations where there simply aren’t technicians with the qualifications to do proper condition monitoring. We regularly come across breakdowns on big mines where they don’t do any condition monitoring at all, hence the breakdown.”

Leadership awardHansen has in the past eighteen months landed huge contracts with the power station projects underway in South Africa which has increased the company’s market share in South Africa sig-nificantly. “A feather in our cap was getting the 2009 Marketing Leadership Award from Frost and Sullivan for our increased market share to now lead the South African market by having a 33.8% share in term of helical gearboxes,” Fritz proudly states.

“We’ve all worked very hard on the big projects over the past year and it has paid off. However, in retro-spect we have also realised that you can easily shift focus in such a situation and end up neglecting your regular end-users. To prevent this from happening, we’ve increased our staff complement specifically so as not to lose touch with longstanding clients.”

Fritz Fourie, Hansen Transmissions, Tel: (011) 397-2495, Email: [email protected]

Proper routine maintenance by professional technicians will contribute to an extended gearbox life

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 August 2010 1�

The cost of an electric motor is relatively small compared with that of the rest of the plant, but in terms of lifecycle costs, electric motors add significantly to the overall run-ning costs of a plant. Energy consumption makes up 95% of the lifecycle cost of an electric motor and any saving in

this respect results in an accumulative saving over a period of time.

POWER TRANSMISSION

“SA Mechanical Engineer” speaks to Conrad Pilger, sales and project manager at SEW Eurodrive in South Africa about the range of energy efficient electric motors they’re now

introducing to the South African market. “The energy consumption of a motor has a decisive influence on the follow-up costs of a drive system,” he says.

“Optimising the energy efficiency of each in-dividual component and combining the drive technology to match a specific application, will achieve significant economic benefits.”

New technologySEW Eurodrive is the first company in the world to successfully implement die-cast copper technol-ogy in mass industrial production. “This process employs liquid copper technology to make the die cast cage of the motor,” says Conrad. “The result-ing range of motors is a compact, high efficiency design at a highly competitive price resulting in a payback time of less than a year in most cases.

“Moreover, the motor’s efficiency characteristics have been proven in installations across the globe where energy saving regulations have forced

industry to look for alternative technologies.”

Every possible wayThe DR series is only being introduced to the local market now because it hasn’t been a priority in the past to optimise energy consumption in every possible way. “We’ve always strived to bring energy efficient drive solutions to the local industry through variable speed drive technology and other refinements,” says Conrad.

“However, since the recent electricity shortage crisis in South Africa, the demand for more optimisation has grown and we decided to introduce the DR range to the South African market so we can assist our customers in achieving energy saving margins.

Calculated savings“We’re not just saying this motor design will save power and waste less energy, we’ve actually devised a calculator whereby we convert the savings into rands and cents so clients can understand what we’re talking about,” adds Conrad. “We started introducing the motor to some customers a couple of months ago and it has been warmly received.

“Over a hundred have already been installed at various customers to date and right now 80% of the motors that leave our factory in Johannesburg are from the DR range.”

Global motorThe new motor range is a modular system for AC motors, offering millions of drive combinations that can be used in many different applications. “Independent of the required energy efficiency class, the whole range of DR motor options is available in all efficiency levels,” says Conrad.

“The motor complies with international standards and already meets the latest requirements of the IEC motor standard. As it was designed with energy efficiency classes from all over the world in mind, you could refer to it as a global motor. It complies with IEC 60034, NEMA MG1 and CSA C22.2 requirements as well.”

Energy ratingsThe modular DR motor system comprises three energy efficient motor variants (IE1, IE2 and IE3) and offers an ideally matched brake concept as well as encoders which are integrated in the motor. “By combining all the different requirements, this design

Conrad Pilger, sales and project manager at SEW Euro-drive in South Africa

DR range was to make it fully interchangeable with existing gearboxes

New Electric Motors

1� THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 August 2010

type motors now come in for repairs, we introduce customers to the new technology motors which are easily fitted in place of the old ones in spite of the new ones being more compact in design.”

New gearbox rangeOfficially the DR series of motors will be launched to the broad industry at the Electra Mining show in October, coinciding with the showcasing of a new range of planetary gearboxes from SEW Eurodrive. “We’ve already stocked up and the P-series planetary gearbox is available right now,” Conrad says. “It is a heavy duty planetary gear-box that handles high torque at low speeds. The speed reducer is a compact design that fits into constrained spaces and we deliberately stocked up enough to eliminate long lead times for delivery.

“With the introduction of our own range of energy efficient electric motors, we’ve move closer to the ideal of serving customers on a partnership basis,” Conrad says in conclusion. “As a business partner we want our customers to save money by playing a role in selecting the optimum drive solution. It’s no use running the latest in motor technology on an old type of gearbox, for instance. Ultimately, many vari-ables affect lifecycle costs and we want to assist our customers in arriving at the best solution possible.”

Rene Rose, SEW Eurodrive, Tel: (011) 248-7000, Email: [email protected], Website: http://www.sew.co.za

POWER TRANSMISSION

saves time and opti-mises processes in the areas of motor selection, ordering and logistics,” says Conrad. “Additional features such as brake monitoring, shaft centred hol-low shaft encoder, thermal motor pro-tection, temperature detection, air filters, fans and backstops, among other fea-tures, can be added depending on the customer’s require-ments.”

One of the main cri-teria in the design of the DR range was to make it fully in-terchangeable with existing gearboxes and other applications already in the market. “It’s no use fitting a new motor that will save you money, but you then have to spend almost as much modify-ing the application,” says Conrad. “As the older

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POWER TRANSMISSION

The challenge in achieving optimum power transmission in machinery is to find bearings that are mutually compatible with all the power transmission components in a drive system.

“SA Mechanical Engineer” speaks to Varma Parag, SKF’s product manager, Power Transmission, to talk about a range of power transmission products now finding its way into the South

African market under the SKF brand.

“As we progress into the new millennium, custom-ers the world over, are looking for better solutions. Increasing the demand for a wider range of products from fewer suppliers. With single sourcing, efficiency goes up and transaction costs go down.

As bearings and power transmission equipment are often found working together, we believe that power transmission products, ideally compliment our exist-ing product profile.”

Better performance“Power transmission products play an important role in overall bearing performance,” Varma says. “They are the vital link between moving parts in equipment. Industry as a whole spends about twice as much on these products as it does on the actual bearings.

By creating our own unique range of power trans-

mission products, we can now offer products that are well matched and give engineers a wide design choice according to spe-cific performance and cost consid-erations.

“Customers today expect more from suppliers than just selling product. To meet this trend, SKF undertook a thorough analysis of the market to determine customer requirements,” says Varma. “It was first rolled out in Europe where everybody welcomed the move and now we’re extending the footprint to all corners of the world. As far as I know, we’re the first bearing manufacturer to consolidate the sales and supply of power transmission products in this way.”

One brandBringing power transmission products under a single brand offers significant benefits to end-users beside the confidence that comes from a well-known brand. “We can provide a convenient single supply source for a wide range of products and services with a large stockholding,” says Varma. “This, in turn, gives us the opportunity to simplify logistics to end users and reduce administrative work.

“SKF has a very sophisticated worldwide warehous-ing and logistics systems through which power transmission products can be supplied quickly. This provides us with access to more than 8 000 power transmission items and growing, enabling distributors to keep smaller stocks so that less capital is tied up in inventory.”

Making inroadsThe programme is rigorously driven by SKF’s coun-trywide distribution network, who are supported by Varma and SKF’s engineering team. “Together we make a concerted effort to assist customers with solutions to power transmission problems. “Power

Varma Parag, product manager, power transmission, SKF

More Than JustBearings


POWER TRANSMISSION

transmission and bearings work together in many industries including food and beverage, oil and gas, pulp and paper, textile, steel, packaging, mining, mineral processing, agriculture, material handling and power generation,” Varma explains.

Although the division is relatively new to the South African market, they have already made inroads in some applications locally. “One of our long-stand-ing customers has had a problem with a chain in a very corrosive environment for many years,” says Varma. “They fitted one of our stainless steel chain products eight months ago, and they haven’t had a problem since.”

The product rangeThe power transmission range covers the most com-mon types of products which can be divided into six main categories; belts, pulleys, chains, sprockets, couplings and bushings and hubs. “The range is quite comprehensive. Pulleys, sprockets and couplings of-fer different fixing methods. While chains, coupling elements and belts offer some material choices,” explains Varma.

“There are also those items that have special characteristics as is required for very specific types of applications.” All the power transmission products are identified by an SKF specific desig-nation prefix. In addition, the designation follows international standards for easy recognition and cross-referencing of the parts.

“So far the industry has responded very positively to these products and has welcomed the concept,” Varma says in conclusion. “Future expansion along these lines may very well include certain gearboxes and the acquisition of associated com-ponents as well.”

Varma Parag, SKF, Tel: (011) 821-3500, Email: [email protected], Website: www.skfptp.com

It was first rolled out in Europe where everybody welcomed the move

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The Key is Stocking UpGone are the days when customers kept a legion of spare parts in their warehouses. More and more, suppliers

are stocking critical spares for their key customers. The willingness of suppliers to partner in such a way is now becoming the differentiator that lands them the business over extended periods of time.

enterprise management system that links all the branches and manufacturing plants across the globe, source components and solutions to all valve-related problems very effectively,” says Keith.

“An example is a trial we’re currently running with a local client. We’ve installed a flow meter in a very challenging application that has been troubling this particular client for many years. The flow meter is fitted with a blue-tooth module that communi-cates directly to our German engineers through a modem. This allows them to constantly monitor the performance of the test installation, analyse it and then make recommendations to the client in terms of settings to achieve optimum performance.”

Modular conceptGemu’s wide range of valves in all sizes and type are modular in design and can systematically be enhanced to suit all budgets. “Some start off with a manual valve system, for instance, which they can easily change to an actuated system,” says Keith. “It’s simply a matter of removing the manual works on top of the valve while in the line and then fitting the actuated control system in its place. Then you just connect the power and it’s ready for control through a PLC system.”

PIPES PUMPS & VALVES

Service distinguishes the best from the rest

Keith Hedges branch manager of Gemu Valves Africa

The Gemu K490 chemical butterfly valve has found a solid footing in South Africa

This is the business philosophy of Keith Hedges, branch manager of Gemu Valves Africa. To learn more, “SA Mechanical Engineer” visits him at the company’s new premises

in Northlands Business Park near Randburg. “As an importer of a vast range of valve solutions it is impossible to keep the full range available at all times, but you quickly learn what the market requirements are and then stock up accordingly,” he says. “Service distinguishes the best from the rest and having the right product available when someone is asking for it, is what service is all about.

New premises“We’ve now set up a solid infrastructure and have stocked up at the new premises,” Keith adds. “The sales team is supported by a technical engineer and our lo-gistics have been set up with enough vehicles and store managers to ensure quick delivery throughout South Africa. We’re planning to extend our offering to include a facility that offers servicing at accredited service levels in terms of calibration and testing equipment.”

Although Gemu products are well known in the phar-maceutical and food processing industries in South

Africa, the local branch, which is a direct subsidiary of the head office in Ger-many, has made its mark on the industrial sector as well.

“We have long-standing re-lationships with some of the major corporate companies in the petrochemical and the

mining industries, but we’re con-stantly looking at the needs of other

sectors as well. Our range of products, which includes valves, actuators, and a wide choice of measuring and control systems, is used in specialised applications such as highly-corrosive chemical environments as well as highly-abrasive applications such as slurry pumping. We’re now also targeting the power generation industry because our products can be used in many applications in this developing market.

Global network“The benefit of being part of a global company is that we can, through our


PIPES PUMPS & VALVES

Spare parts of the popular components used in the South African market

The valve bodies are made of a variety of materials ranging from cast iron to stainless steel and can be coated inside and out for protection against cor-rosion and wear. Adds Keith, “The most common lining is a rubber compound, but we also have a stainless steel body with a PFA lining which is not commonly found. This coating is ideal for very aggressive atmospheric conditions combined with a highly corrosive medium in the line. Germany can, for example, manufacture very special valve bodies which are machined from a solid block of stainless steel on multi-axis CNC machines.”

Unique coatingOne of products that has found a solid footing in South Africa is the butterfly valves. “We’ve had exceptional success in South Africa with the Gemu K490 chemical butterfly valve,” says Keith. “Feedback from customers has been overwhelming. It is used in very aggressive chemical applications and is unique in that it not only has a PFA over-moulded disk, but also has a PTFE based liner which is not a basic PTFE grade.

“The layman’s term for it is Ultrafon or TFM and consists of a special structure of PTFE which increases the density much more effectively than ever before. Anyone who knows chlorine, know that PTFE resists chlorine penetration, but eventually it does find its way through. This liner prolongs that penetration period even more.”

Keith says in conclusion. “We have the ad-vantage that Gemu is an ISO certified man-ufacturer which, alone, gives our sales staff and customers confidence in our products.”

Keith Hedges, Gemu Valves Africa, Tel: (011) 462-7795, Email: [email protected], Website: www.gemu.de


PIPES, PUMPS & VALVES

ITT Water & Wastewater has addressed these issues by increasing its rental fleet with the addition of five Godwin self-priming diesel pumps.

“Diesel power means there is no need for electric-ity, which is often a complication at mining and construction operations,” Scott Gilchrist, rental manager at ITT Water & Wastewater, points out.

“Conventional solutions rely on electricity for operation, generally running off a generator set, however the Godwin self-priming diesel pumps are capable of performing better than most pumps, including dewatering applications where solids are present.”

In fact, the pumps have extensive application flex-ibility, handling liquids with solids up to 35 mm in diameter.

Optimum flexibilityThe pumps can handle a range of different media, including raw sewage, slurries with solids and other liquids, providing optimum flexibility in various environments.

“The pumps can handle 70 litres per second at a

Diesel PowerNow, for the first time, you can rent a self-priming diesel

pump on local shores.maximum head of 130 metres at their best effi-ciency point,” Scott says. “At shut-off, they handle 150 metres head, so that units can be used at a far greater depth in the opencast pit, an important consideration for our South African conditions. At full flow, they manage 100 litres per second obtaining heads of 80 metres,” he says.

AdvantagesThe pumps can run for up to seven hours at a rated capacity of 138 kW at 2 200 rpm, the fuel tank being able to hold 300 litres. The unit itself is 3 200 mm by 1 303 mm with a height of 1 800 mm and a dry weight of 3 200 kg.

A further advantage is that its maximum sound level is 81 dbA at 2 400 rpm as the Godwin HL 150 M Hushpac is a completely soundproofed unit.

“It is an all cast-iron construction, with a cast

chromium steel impeller. The continuously oper-ated Godwin venture air ejector priming device features a belt-driven air compressor which requires no form of periodic adjustment or control, adding to the simple maintenance characteristics of the equipment.”

Furthermore, its dry running, high pressure oil bath mechanical seal has abrasion-resistant, solid silicon carbide interfaces. The solids-handling, swing-type non-return valve features a renewable, flexible rubber seat.

“The pumps are available for hire directly from ITT Water & Wastewater as well as from our distributor network,” Scott concludes.

ITT Water & Wastewater , Lanelle Wheeler, Tel: (011) 966 9300, www.flygt.co.za

The pumps can handle a range of different media,including raw sewage, slurries with solids and otherliquids

Diesel power means there is no need for electricity


POWER GENERATION

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PROMECH PUBLISHING,P O Box 373, Pinegowrie, 2123Republic of South AfricaTel: (011) 781-1401Fax: (011) 781-1403Email: [email protected]: www.promech.co.za

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DisclaimerPROMECH Publishing does not take responsibility for the opinions expressed by individuals.

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CopyrightAll rights reserved. No edi-torial matter published in “Power Generation Today” 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, au-thors, 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 conse-quences 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.

Power of WaterThe main reason South Africa does not have many hydro-electricity generat-ing installations is we’re a relatively dry country with only a few rivers suit-

able for hydroelectric schemes. This is why local hydro schemes operate slightly differently from the traditional way whereby the natural flow of water

is utilised to generate electricity.

The only two hydro-electric generat-ing plants in South Africa, Palmiet near Cape Town and Ingula, cur-rently under construction in the

Drakensberg, both use pumped water that has been stored to generate power when most needed. These plants can respond rapidly to increases in demand for electricity and are usually used where water resources are scarce. Water that has been used to generate electricity is pumped back to a storage reservoir to be used again.

Local projectsPalmiet has a dual role. Not only does it generate 400 MW of power into the Eskom national grid at peak times, but it also forms part of an inter-catchment water project that transfers much needed water to Cape Town. This facility has been operative for a couple of years now while the Ingula scheme is expected to be fully operational by 2013.

Eskom’s media desk provided “SA Me-chanical Engineer” with the latest update on Ingula scheme, a scheme that will have a capacity of 1 333MW and an energy storage capacity of 21 000MWh.

IngulaLocated about 23km north east of Van Reenen, within the little Drakensberg mountain range, Ingula involves an upper reservoir in the Free State, an underground power tunnel complex and power station, and a lower reservoir in KwaZulu Natal. The distance between the upper and lower reservoirs is about 6km and the elevation difference is approximately 470m.

The upper dam, named Bedford Dam, is located on the Wilge River which flows into the Vaal River system and it is a concrete-faced roc-fill embankment dam about 50 metres high forming a reservoir with a total volume of 22.6 million cubic metres (MCM) and an active storage of 19.3 MCM. The lower dam, the Braamhoek, is situated on the Klip River which flows into the Tugela River. It is a roller-compacted concrete dam about 40m high forming a reservoir with a total volume of about 26.3 million cubic metres (MCM) and active storage of 21.9 million cubic metres (MCM).

The power plantThe underground power house complex consists of machine hall, a transformer hall and associated tunnels, shafts and

A view from the northeast towards the position for the proposed bridge and the temporary bypass


caverns. The machine hall will house reversible Francis-type pump/turbines, coupled directly with generator/motors, each with a rated generating capacity of 333MW. The rated generating head is approximately 434m.

The pump/turbines will be connected to the upper reservoir by twin concrete-lined headrace tunnels and pressure tunnels and shafts which are steel-lined over their lower part. Steel-lined extended

draft tubes and a single concrete lined tailrace tunnel will connect the pump/turbines to the lower reservoir. Headrace surge shafts and tailrace surge chambers will also be provided.

How it worksThe dams, 4.6 km apart, are connected by these underground waterways that run through an underground powerhouse which houses the four 333MW pump turbines. During times of peak energy demand, water is released from the upper dam through the pump turbines to the lower dam to generate electricity. During times of low energy demand, the pump turbines are used to pump the water from the lower dam back up to the upper dam to store the water until it is needed again.

Latest news is that Ingula’s reservoirs are nearing completion. Both dam walls have reached their maximum height and major civil works are winding down. At the Bedford Dam, the upper reservoir, a major milestone was reached when the first concrete face slab panel was placed in May this year. On completion, the massive slab, which is only 300mm thick, will cover an area of around three hectares. It consists of 32 panels, each 15m wide while the longest panel is a mammoth 81m long.

ChallengesTo ensure that no water leakage occurs where a slab

POWER GENERATION

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POWER GENERATION

panel joins another and its foundation, a double water-stop system is used between slabs. A strong but flexible rubber strip and pre-folded copper sheet is inserted along the edges, allowing the panels to move without cracking. Slight movements are expected as the almost one million cubic metres of rock fill settles after construction and as the dam fills with water.

In winter the area is battered by wind speeds of up to 140km per hour and temperatures drop as low as -10°C, but the extreme freeze-thaw conditions were taken into consideration when the face slab concrete mix was designed. To prevent cracking, a special chemical (air entrainer) was mixed into the concrete, creating tiny air bubbles throughout the concrete paste. These air bubbles act as capillary breaks and provide space into which the pressure exerted by freezing water can be dissipated.

One a weekWorking against the steep face of the wall is chal-lenging and requires special equipment. One of these is a slipform screed which is slowly pulled upwards on the top of side shutters which move at a rate of between two to four metres per hour. Working on two platforms, workers can safely consolidate the concrete by means of poker vibrators and do finishing-off work.

Once a panel is started, work must continue until it is completed as no construction joints are allowed. With the longest slab being 81m long, it takes up to 40 hours of continuous concrete pouring at times. It’s expected that the face slab concreting will take about six months, translating into finishing at least one slab every week.”

ProgressProgress on key projects in the underground works is on schedule. In the transformer hall, the central heading is complete and the installation of cable anchors is in progress. The main drainage excava-tion gallery has now reached the 51% mark while one of the penstocks is complete and the other is at 35% complete. Work on the surge chambers is at 5%. Downstream from the construction site, the tunnel stands at 47% and upstream, work on the tunnel has reached the 34% mark.

Protecting biodiversity is one of Eskom’s main responsibilities at Ingula. An Environmental Man-agement Programme is in place to manage the day-to-day objectives, but also ensures the rolling out of long-term conservation objectives.

Dikatso Mametse, Eskom Media Desk, Tel: (011) 800-3304/3309, Fax: (011) 800-3805, Email: [email protected]

2� THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 August 2010


POWER GENERATION NEWS

Nuclear applicationsBaldor has published a highly informative brochure detailing the extensive range of motors that it produces for nuclear applications.

The product line is the largest available from a single source and encompasses over 250 000 ratings, types, styles and sizes, from 200 W to 11 000 kW. The brochure is a key information resource for anyone seeking to install or replace a motor in a nuclear power plant, or in a nuclear fuel reprocessing or radioactive waste management facility. Typical uses include driving fans, pumps, compressors and motorised valve actuators.

The brochure details all the motors that Baldor produces for use in Class 1E (safety related) Mild and Harsh Environ-ments, as well as radiation-resistant motors for operation in non-Class 1E commercial or industrial environments. Every

Addressing sustainabilityAddressing the increased pressure companies are fac-ing to engage in sustainable business practices and to track their carbon reduction compliance now and into the future, Epicor Software Corporation and Village Green Global have formed a strategic alliance to extend Epicor’s next-generation enterprise resource planning (ERP).

The suite offerings will provide companies the ability to identify, analyse, audit, track, manage, benchmark and report on carbon emissions, environmental impact and energy consumption.

Village Green specialises in enterprise carbon accounting, using an internationally recognized system for carbon analysis and trading. The company’s services help deliver scalable reporting for carbon accounting around electricity use, water consump-tion, transportation, natural gas, waste and other factors to find ways to save energy and money and enable organizations to implement and maintain sustainable business practices.

“We are pleased to partner with Epicor to help bring enterprise carbon accounting solutions to their customers. Together, our goal is to assist these companies become more energy efficient, reduce costs and address increasing environmental regulations such as Australia’s National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act, Europe’s Environmental Liability Directive (ELD) and Restriction, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH) regulation, and eco-design directive for Energy-using Products (EuP Directive), and proposed regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to limit green-house gas emissions from industry,” says Doug Smith, founder and CEO of Village Green Global. “There is natural synergy between Epicor’s next-generation ERP and our enterprise carbon accounting, which will empower businesses with a comprehensive solution to develop green business practices.”

Village Green maintains a database of energy values for approximately 30 000 devices and its solutions have been used in more than 6 000 environmental audits worldwide.

www.epicor.com

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• NOTICE FOR THE ADVERTISED POSTS: Priority will be given to applicants who are under-represented in terms of race, gender and disability within the occupational level of the respective posts. A work sample and/or psychometric tests may be undertaken as part of the selection process. • AREAS OF WORK: Any employee may be required to be deployed and report to any of the offices, depots or workplaces of the Municipality within its area of jurisdiction. • PLEASE NOTE: Canvassing of Councillors and Officials in respect of these positions will lead to the disqualification of the applicant.

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nuclear motor component, from the motor hardware to the rotor and stator, fully complies with the appropriate IEEE and NUREG standards governing nuclear power plants.

Class 1E nuclear motors are available in a wide range of NEMA and IEC frame sizes, and are designed, manufactured and tested under a nuclear quality assurance program in compliance with the NRC (United States’ Nuclear Regulatory Commission) 10CFR50 Appendix B standard. Class 1E mo-tors for use in a harsh environment are qualified for a total radiation dosage of 2 x 106 Gy over a 40-year life; those intended for use in a mild environment are qualified for a total radiation dose of 1 x 102 Gy over the same period.

Baldor UK Ltd, [email protected]


NUCLEAR INSTITUTE (SA BRANCH)

The South African Young Nuclear Professionals Society (SAYNPS) in conjunction with Department of Energy hosted the first International Youth Nuclear Congress (IYNC2010) on the African continent from 12 to 18 July

2010 in Cape Town. The event was supported by many local organisations including Necsa, iThemba Labs and the National Nuclear Regulator and by many international corporations, not least the International Atomic

Energy Agency.

International Youth Congress – Cape Town

The conference was opened by the Minister of Energy, Ms Dipuo Peters. It attracted about 280 delegates comprising young nuclear professionals and experts from 31

countries in five continents with the exception of South America. These delegates come from various science and engineering disciplines as well as the communications and legal sectors.

Throughout the week the young professionals shared their work and activities through 126 papers pre-sented from different perspectives which included, scientific, political, public and corporate views to provide balanced and comprehensive discussions about the nuclear technology. The conference emphasized the importance and the benefit of the safe usage of Nuclear Science and Technology within the regulated environment.

The main highlights were discussions on nuclear safety and public acceptance of nuclear technology. Various young generation networks made presen-tation on the status of public communication and education in their countries and the challenges faced by the industry as well as strategies used to reach out to the public. The Belgian Young Generation

gave a very interesting example on public com-munication and education. They reported on their reach out activity where they set up an exhibition stand at a rock festival with a body monitor which measures the natural radiation in human bodies. The report describes the amusement and surprise shown by the public at the results of their evident “radioactiveness”.

With the increasing energy demand the South African Government is considering an energy mix which includes an ‘extensive’ nuclear component as stated in the energy policy approved by Cabinet in 2008. With plans to increase the contribution of nuclear energy to the national grid, it was interesting to see a large number of local young professionals and students actively participating in the discussions of new nuclear power plants. The nuclear policy ignited the interest in youth to be part of the nuclear renaissance. The outcome of government’s IRP2 process is now eagerly awaited by spirited youngsters whose future in nuclear depends on it.

Awards and honoursSouth Africa won two of the seven awards in the Technical program for the best paper and poster presentation. These were won by Hermann Becker from the University of Cape Town and Yvotte Brits from Necsa. The remaining awards were won by Germany (3), Australia (1) and France (1). This demonstrates that the local youth are on par with the rest of the world when it comes to nuclear. However, we still need to encourage other youth to take up nuclear studies and undertake research.

Mrs V Msutwana-Qupe and Mr T Maqubela were honoured by the Minister of Energy on behalf of SAYNPS for their contribution in opening the door for SA youth to participate in the International Youth Nuclear Congress. They both played an important role in the establishment of SAYNPS.

The next IYNC conference (IYNC2012) will be hosted by the North American Young Nuclear Generation in Charlotte.Patience.Segonyane, www.saynps.co.za, www.iync.org, Email: [email protected] Rasweswe


COMPUTERS IN ENGINEERING

The physical object can be measured us-ing 3D scanning technologies like CMMs (coordinate measuring machines), laser scanners, structured light digitisers or

computed tomography. The measured data alone, usually represented as a point cloud, lacks topo-

logical information and is therefore often processed and modelled into a more usable format such as a triangular-faced mesh, a set of Nurbs surfaces or a CAD (computer-aided design) model.

CMMTo learn more about CMM equipment and its practi-cal application, “SA Mechanical Engineer” speaks to Bob Metcalfe, director of iQlaser, a company that specialises in laser scanning services as well as supplying CMM equipment to the South African market. “We’ve done everything, from scanning a saddle, to footwear, complex impellers for turbo machinery and even mining tunnels,” he says.

“Our measuring equipment ranges from laser scanners to portable touch-probe arms with the latest addition being pho-togrammetry equipment which, through triangulation, combines photographs with metrology to produce 3-dimen-sional coordinates from two-dimensional photographs.”

Reverse engineeringReasons for reverse engineering are numerous. It can be done to check interoperability of machines. Very often it is done because documentation for machines has been lost, or was never written. It is frequently used for product analysis to examine how a product works, what components are used and to identify potential patent infringements.

RE is an accurate way to update the CAD model of a machine in order to match an as-built condition. It is regularly used in military or commercial espionage to learn about an enemy or competitor’s latest research by stealing or capturing a prototype and dismantling it. Many manufacturers also use RE for the re-moval of copy protection and thereby circumvent access restrictions so that they can create unlicensed duplicates of the machinery.

On the upside, RE can help to gain com-petitive technical intelligence in order

to understand what a competitor is actually doing compared with what they say they’re doing. RE is also used to purely to satisfy curiosity or simply to learn from others’ mistakes.

What’s Actually in There?

Reverse engineering not only means you can put together plans of old

equipment and plant for which there no longer are design drawings, but

you can also validate design drawings against their real-life counterparts.

The reverse-engineering (RE) process involves measuring an object and then

reconstructing it as a 3D software model.

Bob Metcalfe with the LS Laser Scanner

Documentation for machines has been lost, or was never written

COMPUTERS IN ENGINEERING

�0 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 August 2010

Translating data“One of our products is a software package called Geomagic Studio with which you can digitally re-construct an infinite variety of complex real world

shapes more quickly and easily than ever before,” explains Bob.

“Using 3D scan data of these objects, you’re able to create accurate models that capture either the de-sign intent or the as-built part. This includes product design, re-engineering of parts and mass customisa-tion to engineering analysis, rapid prototyping and digital archiving. It opens up a new world of possibilities by bringing your physical parts into the digital realm.”

MiningA practical example of a typical local application of CMM comes from the mining industry. “The introduction of the FARO Laser Scanner

COMPUTER IN ENGINEERING

A saddle scanned to produce a 3D CAD model

Understand what a competitor is actually doingcompared with what they say they’re doing

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 August 2010 �1

An impeller scanned for reverse engineering

into the South African market opened up exciting new possibilities for improvements in the efficiency of planning new mining projects and in facilitating easy applica-tion of structural modifications to existing mine tunnels,” explains Bob. “This scanner generates photo-realistic 3D grey-scale images of the environment surrounding the scanner within a radius of 76 metres. The images comprise 28 million pixel points each recorded with their own specific XYZ coordinates relative to the scanner’s position in that space.

“Phase-shift measuring electronics allow these images to be collected extremely rapidly at rates of 250 000 points per second so that a scan is created in less than four and a half minutes,” says Bob. “Using surveyed references points, it is possible to locate the scans, referred to as point clouds, precisely within the mine’s geo-reference coordinate system and therefore a full 3D model of a mine tunnel complex can be formed by compiling a series of point clouds.”

Two-foldThe benefits of this type of approach are two-fold. “Firstly the images represent a permanent record of

They can determine more accurately how thick the lining is that has actually been applied

COMPUTERS IN ENGINEERINGCOMPUTERS IN ENGINEERING

the mine structure at the time of scanning and can be used to compare against similar images generated at a later stage in the life of the mine to observe


rock movement, break-out and structural changes that may have been implemented subsequent to the initial tunnel blasting,” says Bob.

“Secondly, the images can be interrogated in the comfort of an office environment and away from the harsh working conditions encountered under-ground.

“On one mine, for instance, they use this system to check the thickness of the layers of lining that subcontractors spray onto the walls of the tunnels,” adds Bob. “Previously the mine simply had to take the word of the contractor as to the thickness of the layer and pay accordingly, but now they do a scan before and after. By comparing the two images, they can determine more accurately how thick the lining is that has actually been applied.”

DetailCMM equipment is often used to align large ma-chinery like power station turbines and generators, but a particularly interesting job for iQlaser right now is ‘mapping’ an entire aluminium smelter plant in CAD from the biggest to the smallest piece of equipment. “To measure intricate machinery, we often use a combination of the laser scanner and the touch-probe system in order to produce CAD data in fine detail of the exterior and interior of a machine and its components,” says Bob.

“Although laser scanning works on a ‘line-of-sight’ principle, it can even be mounted on a machining centre permanently in order to ‘keep an eye’ on the wear rate of a tool for quality control purposes.”

Bob Metcalfe, iQlaser, Tel: (011) 659-0346, Email: [email protected]

The Laser Scanner on its tripod


THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 August 2010 ��

“SA Mechanical Engineer” phoned local companies, searched the internet and spoke to several end-users who are up in arms

about the price of toner and ink re-placement cartridges, especially when they cost more than the printer itself. And it seems that printer manufac-turers are not moved by the outcry about a product that costs ten times more per gram or millilitre than the most expensive caviar or perfume in the world.

Liquid gold?The Mnet actuality programme, Carte Blanche, delved into the matter com-paring the price of fuel at R8 a litre, or perfume at R4 000 a litre, against that of printer ink that comes in at a staggering R20 000 a litre. That’s what it costs if you buy an OEM product. And no, it does not contain gold dust.

One journalist wrote: ‘Printer ink is one of the most expensive thing in the world when you break down how much it costs per millilitre. So why does it cost so much? Simply put, because

We are Being Ripped Off

Are South African’s, like the rest of the world, being ripped off when it comes to the price of toner and ink cartridges? The answer is a definite Yes! In fact, South African’s are doubly cheated as the already-inflated

price of toner and ink jet cartridges is much higher here than the exact same product overseas.

they can.”

Making up the lossThe main manufacturers are not responding but we found one comment on the internet trying to justify the business model they all basically follow. “The dynamics in terms of the cost of the cartridge needs to be understood,” says one manufacturer. “As a consumer, I wouldn’t be looking at it in terms of what the cost is per litre or per gram, it’s about the yield that it can deliver. We typically don’t make money in terms of bringing the hardware to the market and in some instances we are investing in getting that printer there. So if the consumer after a short period of time says, ‘I don’t like this,’ and ditches it, it’s been an expensive exercise.”

Printer manufacturers argue they are pricing the hard-ware at a loss so that the printer sells and so they make up for it with cartridge sales. There are generic replacement cartridges on the market at a lower cost than the OEM’s, but everyone we spoke to is reluctant to use substitute products because they damage the printers by clogging the print head on ink printers, or

The comparison he supplies speaks for itself

Example 1:The total costs calculated over five years, 15 000 pages per month, 20% density, A3 page, including initial price of printer and all consumables except paper.

Line Printer (500LPM, 24hr duty cycle) cost = R39 768

Versus

Laser printer (50ppm, A3, mono laser printer) cost = R589 444

Example 2:The total costs calculated over five years, 5 000 pages per month, 20% density, A4 page, including initial price of printer and all consumables except paper.

Dot Matrix Printer (80 column, 570cps printer) cost = R129 580

Versus

Laser Printer (28ppm, A4, mono laser printer) cost = R1 017 066


�� THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 August 2010

the drum on laser printers.

Insult to injurySounds a bit like the cellphone industry where you get the phone for ‘free’ but the minutes cost plenty. Here, of course, there is a lot more technology in a phone, a lot more functionality, a lot more infra-structure required and it doesn’t usually last less than a year and cost so much to fix it’s not worth the trouble.

To add insult to injury, the local cost of some original cartridges is much higher than the same brand and model in the United States. The

67739 Hytec HFT Filtration.indd 1 7/13/10 9:12:12 AM

companies we interviewed seemed to be complacent by simply accepting it as one of those things. But everyone’s ears twitched when we suggested there might just be an alternative available.

Most documents being printed are purely to have something clearly visible on paper. They are not printed for presen-tation purposes and so do not require the neat clean finish of a laser printer. Why then not use a line printer, or even a dot matrix printer for that matter?

An alternative“SA Mechanical Engineer” speaks to Rodney Bartman of Roan Sys-tems who compares the long term costs of printing using different types of printers on a calculator they specially developed for this purpose. “Our clients who have converted to printing all their everyday internal printing on line printers will never look back, we’ve saved them millions in printer consumables,” he says. “Many companies do not consider lifecycle costs and don’t know what their printers cost them over the long term. They buy purely on initial acquisition outlay but we’ve proved over and again that substantial costs can be saved by using dif-ferent print technologies.”

Undoubtedly the price war in ink and laser cartridge replacement is here to stay in spite of generic replacements getting better and better all the time. As long as everyone is prepared to pay for the luxury of laser-printed docu-ments for everything they print, the price just won’t come down. For those who are serious about lifecycle costs, there may be a way out.

Rodney Bartman. Roan Systems, Tel: (011) 462-8880, Email: [email protected]

As a consumer, I wouldn’t be looking at it in terms of what the cost is per litre or per gram



SAINT

Admittedly, new NDT methods have been devel-oped to improve on the “old school” methods, for example digital radiography, tomography, thermography and phased array to name a few.

The question is will the “old school” NDT method of dye penetrant testing become redundant, forgotten and replaced with a technology advanced method?

The honest answer is we don’t know, but at the moment, dye penetrant testing still has a very strong foothold. Many power stations, mines, pulp manufacturing plants and the like are rapidly aging and require fatigue crack detection regularly, what else to use but the reliable dye penetrant testing method? Dye penetrant testing still remains one of the most trusted NDT methods on site, and has many advantages over the latest technologies available like.

Such advantages include cost effectiveness, testing on most alloys, ease of training personnel, visually positive and testing of complex geometry parts.

One of the issues with dye penetrant testing in our high tech life styles is the time required to perform a reliable test, pre-cleaning is the most neglected or under-rated step in the whole process.

Why pre-clean the part before the inspection? Most of us will say it is to ensure that the indication is not covered by dirt or that the indication is not clogged up with dirt, thus preventing the penetrant from entering the defect, correct! But take a minute and ask yourself “why else is pre-cleaning so important?”

Pre-cleaning is mostly done on site by wire brushing followed by solvent or detergent cleaning. This whole process is done by hand and thus “forces” the techni-cian to do a visual inspection on the part to be tested. Furthermore, pre-cleaning also ensures an improved wetting ability on the surface that allows the penetrant to spread better over the test area. Finally, false indica-tions could arise, if not cleaned properly

Pre-cleaning a part before dye penetrant testing is prob-ably the most important step in the whole penetrant testing method, without which a reliable test cannot be performed.

SAINT, Tel: (011) 719-5717, Email: [email protected], www.saint.org.za

Fact or Fiction?One of the myths in Non Destructive Testing is that Dye Penetrant Testing is being phased out.

4 - 8 OCTOBER 2010MTN Expo Centre at Nasrec, South Africa

M I N I N G – I N D U S T R I A L – C O N S T R U C T I O N – P O W E R G E N E R A T I O N –

For further information contact Specialised ExhibitionsTel: +27 (0) 11 835 1565

Fax: +27 (0) 11 496-1363or email [email protected]

or [email protected]

T r a n s p o r t f o r t h e M i n i n g I n d u s t r y

INCORPORATING

SK

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3187/1

07/1

0

PRE-REGISTER ATwww.electramining.co.zaEntrance without a ticket, or a busi-

ness card, or pre-registration is subject to a R20 entrance fee.

Electra Mining Africa 2010Diarise now!

See 1000’s of products, 100’s of exhibitors

4-8 October 2010, MTN Expo Centre, Nasrec

Register for your free ticket at www.electramining.co.za

FORTHCOMING ATTRACTIONFORTHCOMING ATTRACTION


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SAIT

“Renewable Lubricants & Fuels”

The SAIT will present a one-day seminar on “Biofuels“, at Science Park, Northway, Kelvin on 23 November 2010. We are in-viting interested persons to submit papers

for this event. The seminar is intended to bring together all parties interested in this important and topical subject.

The bio industry and engine technology are changing rapidly, due to a number of international drivers. As a result, fuel and lubricant requirements are chang-ing as well as the handling thereof. The introduc-tion of biofuels may have an impact on the cost of ownership of engines and needs to be handled and treated correctly. Similarly, bio lubricant technology is changing and developing rapidly. Awareness in this area is of critical importance.

Guidelines for speakersAuthors are invited to submit papers on topics that are informative and current. The following subjects are a guideline only for the day’s programme. Any other suggestions, ideas or topics that could be associated with the subject, will be welcome:

LubricantsMarket overview

Impact of bio fuels on the lubricant requirements

Formulation using bio base stocks, stability, additive requirements

Applications for biodegradable lubricants – case studies (hydraulics, cutter bar, other, etc.)

Storage and handling

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Bio-ethanolMarket overview

Logistics and handling of ethanol and blends thereof

Hydrous bioethanol in final fuels

Impact of high ethanol blend on vehicles (Elas-tomer compatibility, metals, corrosion)

Other

Bio-dieselMarket overview

Relevance of biodiesel specification

Bio diesel stability

Cold flow properties of bio fuel blends

Bio-diesel feedstocks

Impact on DPF’s (diesel particulate filters)

General BiofuelsBio-fuels Innovation, research and develop-ment

General presentations and publication of Bio-fuels

Please send a brief synopsis of your proposed paper for approval, maximum 500 words, to the SAIT, email [email protected] or fax to 011 804-4972, by 30 August 2010. Please include title, authors and affiliation, and your contact details. The full paper is required by 8 October 2010.

The seminar is not a selling platform, and product promotional material or sales orientated videos should not be included in the presentations.

For any enquiries regarding the technical nature of the seminar please contact Shawn Pharo at 082 856 2100 or Andrew Kirk at 083 601 9707, and for general enquiries phone Gill or Isabel at 011 802-5145

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“Lubrication Engineering” five day courses in Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town

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Annual Golf Challenge 2010Once again this year we are adding a new concept to what was a successful 2009 SAIT golf day. PowerPlay Golf will be incorporated into this year’s event. Check out www.powerplay-golf.com to see what you are in for.

Venue: Glenvista Country Club

Date: Tuesday 5th October 2010

Sean Farrell, 082 354-9719 or Andrew Kirk, 083 601-9707, Email: [email protected], [email protected]


Massive water storageGood news for would-be installers of very large panel reservoirs, water storage capacities are not limited by the dimensions of standard production models.

Wayne Thompson, managing director of Rainbow Reservoirs, reports that the company’s Australian principals build to specification panel-type reservoirs as large as two megali-

tres for installation around the world.

“This is about three times bigger than the standard panel reservoirs listed on company literature,” says Wayne.

“Enquiries for very large capacities are on the up, and I believe our designers at Heritage Tanks will soon increase the maximum limit of 2 megalitres that they cur-rently work to,” he adds.

Wayne says that the design of all Rainbow reservoirs is

Ultimate platformTaking place at the MTN Expo Centre, Nasrec, Johannesburg from 4-8 October, Electra Mining Africa is ranked as the second largest mining show in the world and, together with co-located shows Elenex Africa and Transport Expo Africa, will provide visitors with the ultimate platform to view a vast array of new innovations, products, services, technologies, trends and industry developments in the mining, construc-tion, industrial and power generation industries.

“Visitors can expect to see many leading-edge South African companies in the packed halls and outside precincts, as well as high-profile international exhibitors from countries such as Australia, Austria, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, China, Croatia, France, Germany, India, Italy, Poland, Russia, Taiwan, Turkey, UK and USA,” says Veda Koekemoer, Exhibi-tion Manager at Specialised Exhibitions, organisers of the shows. “Government support is also strong with large stand areas taken by the Australian Trade Commission and Camese, and also the French, German and USA Pavilions.”

“It’s exciting that this year’s show has attracted such a high-level of international interest, which shows confidence and interest in our market. The international exhibitors see South Africa as a developing country with growth potential and a very strong player in the mining industry”.

Entrance without a ticket, or a business card, or pre-reg-istering at www.electramining.co.za is subject to a R20 entrance fee.

Specialised Exhibitions, Robyn Milligan, Tel: (011) 835 1565, Email: [email protected], www.electramining.co.za

certified by a structural engineer, with manufacture carried out to the highest Australian quality control standards for applications in forestry, mining, construction, general industry and agriculture.

Reservoir diameters are adapted to suit the space available on site, and the wall height increased to deliver the storage capacity required. The company recently used this method of adaptation to fit a reservoir into limited site space at a private hospital in Johannesburg.

Rainbow Reservoirs, Wayne Thompson, Tel: (015) 297 7640, E-mail: [email protected]

Market Forum

Compressed air dryersA new range of compressed air refrigerated dryers is now available in South Africa. These compressed air dryers are manufactured in Korea for international markets and comply with the latest international and EU standards With 13 models available in air and water cooled versions from 2 m³/min to 42 m³/min, the HX is designed for continu-ous use in a variety of environments.

All the models use a stainless steel plate to plate heat exchanger for the freon exchangers which forms one space saving unit.

The stainless steel exchanger makes the HX dryer ideal for coastal applications where salt corrosion often attacks the aluminum multi cell exchangers used in other brands. The HX series also uses electro plated cabinets that are powder coated making this dryer more resistant to corrosion.

Dryer performance is shown via an control panel that has a drain override test button. The same panel also allows for drain timer adjustment.

Arctic Dryers, Allen Cockfield, (011) 425 3484, Email: [email protected]

Wayne Thompson


WARMANENVIROTECH VULCO CAVEX ISOGATE

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 August 2010 �1

Ready for marketK’Enyuka’s modular coal plant is arousing considerable inter-est in the small to medium mining sector, both locally and internationally, particularly among emerging enterprises, for the numerous attractive advantages it offers.

“It is the ideal solution for beneficiating resources at the lowest possible cost basis with the best results,” Trevor Anderson, business development manager at K’Enyuka, says. “In addition, the modular plant is specifically tailor-made to clearly identified needs and can be upgraded as a company grows, ranging from a basic entry-level type plant to a highly complex configuration for small, medium and large mining companies.”

Modifications would depend on the type of in-situ reserves and the required product specification. K’Enyuka offers numerous “add-ons” to the standard plant to cater for the quality of the reserve and the market specifications. The modular plant can handle a nominal feed tonnage of 200 tph at a top particle size of 50 mm. “Modules can also be assembled in parallel, to augment capacity,” adds Felihle Dumisa, head of process engineering at K’Enyuka.

“Raw coal handling systems, fine coal washing modules, and discard and product handling systems can also be designed and constructed to client specification,” concludes Felihle.

K’Enyuka, Mike Symonds, Tel: (011) 498 6000, www.kenyuka.com

Next generationIronCad Next Generation allows users to add real design content during the development process and the embedded 2D design environment ensures users can view detail within a familiar 2D environment .

The combination of IronCad’s design environment with the more conventional history-based structured design environ-ment, allows users to choose, at an individual level, which process is most appropriate for the particular part they are designing.

The innovative design element delivers real flexibility, al-lowing users to directly manipulate the parts independent of history and constraints while maintaining feature design information. Essential for conceptual modelling. Its structured design allows users to build rigid feature dependant parts with embedded design intent, delivering more control over future changes.

IronCad Next Generation incorporates a powerful 2D design environment, offering one of the most powerful annotation tools on the market today, embedded as a standard drafting environment.

In addition to its familiar user friendly interface, IronCad’s new 2D environment offers all the functionality users have come to expect from some of the market leading standalone 2D design tools.

www.ironcad.co.za

Market Forum

WARMANENVIROTECH VULCO CAVEX ISOGATE


Largest billet inspectionTectra Automation has supplied components to H. Rohloff for the design and manufacture of the world’s largest billet inspection line. The machine, currently awaiting factory ac-ceptance by the client, is destined for a Chinese steel mill, Dalian Steel. The machine is valued at R16 million and uses thermography to accurately detect defects.

H. Rohloff designed and manufactured a Billet InspectIR inspection line consisting of six computers, a control desk, a 19-inch signal processing cabinet, induction heater, pre-wetting station, camera box station and marking station. The line was designed to inspect 360 mm bar.

According to Lowie van der Walt, Project Engineer, H. Rohloff, the company once again partnered with Tectra Automation

Contest competitive marketEngen, the African energy company, has extended its Indian Ocean (IO) coverage with the appointment of leading regional oil company Galana as its lubricants distributor in Mada-gascar. With marketing operations in 18 African countries, Engen further exports its products to over 30 African and IO countries, and continues to seize acquisitive, organic and partner growth opportunities in the regions.

Engen International Business Division (IBD) GM Wayne Hartmaan, says the partnership is exclusive and constitutes a good platform on which to establish Engen’s brand rela-tively quickly in the Indian Ocean. “We aim to leverage this partnership to become one of the leading lubricants suppliers in the competitive Malagasy market.”

Engen brings a strong South African brand to the table, en-compassing a full range of lubricants of guaranteed quality carrying various approvals from original equipment manu-facturers (OEMs), Wayne says.

Galana, has extensive local market knowledge, an extensive retail network, industrial and port installations, and a mod-ernised distribution network, giving it 25% of the retail fuel market in the country.

Looking to consolidate its position as the leading oil com-pany in the Indian Ocean, Galana is currently undergoing an extensive capital investment programme, including a new petroleum jetty and ongoing retail network modernisation

and construction, reports the company.

www.engenoil.com and www.galana.com

Market Forum


Turning sludge into productLocal bio-fuels and petrochemicals engineers need no longer look abroad for specialist solutions to their tank agitation requirements as the Robin range of industrial mixers from Milton Roy is now being sold and supported by Ecochem Pumps. It has recently announced an extension of its product offering to include side entry mixers needed for petrochemi-cals and biofuels processing and storage.

In these applications, thorough agitation is needed to prevent suspended solids from settling during heavy and unrefined fuels storage, forming a cake that is difficult and costly to remove, and which equates to wasted product.

A combination of steam pipes, agitators and mixers is gener-ally used to keep fuels in motion, with engineers considering the side-entry swivel-type mixer essential to achieve fuel motion throughout the tank.

It is this type of Milton Roy mixer which Gauteng-based Eco-chem Pumps is now importing. The Helisem range offers an array of standard models, while the Robin series comprises customised mixers engineered for specialist applications.

Designed for large operating volumes up to 5000m3, Robin mixers can be manufactured with diameters of up to 9 me-tres, and with shaft lengths up to 40 metres. Motors up to 630kW supply the power.

Ecochem Pumps managing director, Ed Lemke, explains that each Robin mixer is designed to optimally balance

in order to ensure compo-nents for a machine. “Tectra Automation has worked with us on the development of our two previous Billet InspectIR lines which were supplied to ArcelorMittal and a steel manufacturer in Germany. The Tectra team is ideal because of their expertise, product quality and service back-up.

“We worked with Tectra Auto-mation from the design phase to ensure that we developed a sophisticated machine that met all of our client’s require-ments.”

Louie notes that the inspection line will be installed in the production line and is unique in that it can inspect round bar from 40mm to 360mm and square bar up to 250mm. “The line features 11 Bosch Rexroth servo motors which are responsible for positioning the billets. Once the parameters are programmed into the machine, it automatically adjusts according to the size of billet being inspected.”

Tectra Automation, Georg Venter, Tel: (011) 971 9400, Email: [email protected]

heavy fuel movement with the amount of energy needed to achieve it.

Ed says that Ecochem would propose a particular design of mixer after considering test results from Milton Roy’s pilot plant, which simulates the complex process of mixing within tanks of different dimensions using different Robin models at various levels.

Used in combination with computer modelling and residence time distribution analysis in their pilot plant, this simula-tion identifies areas in the tank in which mixing may not be taking place, allowing the mixers to be repositioned to optimise the outcome.

“The benefits include a power consumption made as low as possible by shaping the mixing vanes to suit the applica-tion, and by optimising mixer geometry to limit tank wear and reduce the scheduled maintenance needed to remove scale,” he says.

Ecochem Pumps, Ed Lemke, Tel: (011) 455 5710, E-mail: [email protected]

Market Forum

�� THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 August 2010

Supports complex requirements Now part of software giant Infor, Baan an enterprise resource planning solution has survived two acquisitions and, according to Softworx, Baan is operated by more than 120 customers across sub-Saharan Africa, with new customers joining all the time.

A good example, says Jane, is Weir Minerals Africa, which has been a Baan customer for 12 years and has recently extended its use with a successful implementation in its newly acquired Alrode facility.

Infor ERP Baan IV provides Weir Miner-als with core manufacturing and planning functionality on a scalable, multi-language, open-systems platform.

The strength of Infor ERP Baan and Infor ERP Ln lies in its ability to support complex manufacturing and distributions requirements of industrial equipment and machinery, high-tech electronics, component producers, commercial aerospace, shipbuilding and other companies. It is a fully integrated solution providing multi-plant business process modelling and delivers information visibility for decision-makers.

Infor ERP Baan and Infor ERP Ln help make-to-stock, assemble-to-order, make-to-order, and engineer-to-order companies lower their total cost of technology ownership. In support

Jane Thomson

Canning conundrum solvedShortly after introducing RBC bearings to the South African market in early 2010, sole distributor Bear-ings International (BI) has solved a longstanding productivity issue in the canning industry.

“A canning company’s necking machines were experiencing premature cam follower failure linked to high load applica-tion, lack of lubrication and high operating temperatures,” says BI’s RBC Product Manager Athol Palmer “

Conventionally, a standard cam follower uses a full comple-ment needle roller design, which is known to cause roller skewing. This in turn raises operating temperatures and inhibits operating speeds. Needle rollers also limit the load carrying capacity, while their gap seals allow contaminants to intrude.

“With a totally different design, the RBC roller cam follower has solved all these issues at once. Its double row cylindrical large diameter rollers are able to carry high loads, resulting in reduced fatigue. The precise roller guidance achieved makes it possible to run up to 10 degrees C cooler.”

He says the contacting lip seals only make contact with the stud ground diameters, providing a secure seal that retains lubricants and excludes contami-nants. A large grease reservoir between the roller paths contains up to four times more grease than like-sized needle cam followers.

“The canning company is already enjoying several benefits, including power savings and lower main-tenance requirements, since there is less wear and tear in the internal workings, and significantly reduced downtime,” says Athol.

Bearings International, Athol Palmer, Tel: (011) 345 8000

New pump generationMovitec has improved its vertical Movitec high-pres-sure in-line pumps. It recently announced, sizes 2, 4 and 6 of the new generation pumps. With the addition of size 6, KSB is now able to offer Movitec with a full set of uniformly spaced characteristic curves, so that potential users can select the optimum

of its legacy products, Infor has ensured that all previous Baan releases have been back-ported and are fully compliant with Infor’s new SOA strategy which enables them to take advantage of the new architecture and components.

www.esoftworx.co.za

Market Forum


pump to suit their particular applica-tion. This allows an optimised and energy-efficient fluid flow with standardised pipe diameters. Based on our know-how and experience, we have optimised the hydraulic sys-tem and design of the Movitec pumps, so that the new genera-tion offers our cus-tomers numerous additional benefits:

When it comes to keeping system costs down, the cost effectiveness of every system component has to be analysed in detail and the new Movitec is ideally suited to take full advantage of potential energy savings.

www.ksbpumps.co.za

Market Forum

Heat exchangers in any sizeTransheat, manufacturers of Transon heat exchanger systems, which was acquired by Bearing Man Group (BMG), has relocated to the BMG Drives Westmead facility in KwaZulu-Natal.

The new BMG Drives facility, which boasts ISO 9001:2008 accreditation for the design, manufacture and refurbishing of heat exchangers, was recently audited by a major international consortium and has been accredited as the preferred supplier and refurbisher of all brands of heat exchangers,” says Ray Walker, general and technical manager of BMG’s heat exchanger division.

The company has recently completed the manufacture of a new 4 tonne Transon heat exchanger, but, the largest Transon exchanger built by BMG to date is a 48 module unit which was constructed for an extremely corrosive mining application.

Transon’s modular design, which comprises one or more shell and tube type standard units assembled together, enables installations to be extended to meet increased

capacity requirements and to overcome space restraints if neces-sary.

Single and multi-mod-ule units can be ar-ranged in horizontal or vertical configurations, depending on capacity and size requirements. Mounting stands are designed for simple, quick installation to match the related pipe work.

Fluid separation is


Index to AdvertisersArtic 14AST Inside Front CoverAtlas Copco 32Axiom Hydraulics 38Bearings International Outside Back CoverBonfiglioli 20Chemserve Systems 44Co-Generation 10Donaldson 16Eastleigh 24, 25Electra Mining 35Engen 22Engineer Placements 16Esab 26Ethekwini Municipality 27Europair 30GEA Grasso 4Hansen Transmission Outside Front CoverHytec 34IronCAD 42Multotec 36Resulta 41SEW Inside Back CoverSKF 23Verder 45Voith 31Weir Minerals 40Yellotec 12, 18

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On the Move

Massyn Jansen van Vuuren has been appointed as Internal Sales engineer at the Johannesburg offices of SEW-Eurodrive.

Massyn Jansen van Vuuren

Market Forum

Equipment supplier acquisitionImperial Holdings Limited, through its subsidiary AMH, has announced that it has acquired a majority shareholding in the Goscor Group of companies, a diversified industrial and engineering group.

Founded in South Africa, the Goscor Group has been supply-ing the local market with industrial equipment and solutions for the past 26 years. It consists of 6 key divisions, and is a distributor of industrial equipment.

Goscor Lift Truck Company is the sole provider of forklift brands such as Crown, Doosan and Bendi in South Africa. Goscor ARC is a South African supplier of welding and cut-ting solutions. Supplying brands such as Lincoln Electric and ESAB, which the two most dominant players in the world welding market., Goscor Arc’s customers include major players in the steel fabrication, mining, construction and transport industries. Goscor Cleaning Equipment provides industrial cleaning equipment solutions from a wide range of brands including Tennant, Elgin, Ghibli and Vactor. Goscor Power Products distributes Robin Subaru engines, pumps, genera-tors and welders. It is also the South African distributor of the Meiwa and Laku light construction equipment ranges. Goscor Compressed Air Systems is the sole distributor for Sullair Compressors and has been providing the healthcare, cement, packaging and mining industries with holistic solu-tions since 1984. Goscor Rental Company is an equipment supplier of lift trucks and industrial cleaning equipment on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. This equipment can be supplied with a qualified operator, thereby enhancing per-formance and reducing customer risk.

Imperial Holdings, Manny de Canha, Tel: (011) 398 9100

an important safety feature of Transon’s heat exchanger system. In the event of seal deterioration, an atmospheric gap ensures that fluid leaks externally, preventing internal mixing and cross contamination of fluids.

BMG, Ray Walker, Tel: (031) 701 4547, Email: [email protected], www.bmgworld.net

Suppliers of geared motors, industrial gears, frequency inverters, drive electronics, servo technology and services.

Naturally, as the leading drive-technology specialists, we consistently develop new products that are above all reliable, energy-efficient and produced cost-efficiently. Moreover, our know-how and experience allows us to go a step further than the rest – providing solutions that you can build on. That’s what we call Drive 360o – Seeing the big picture: from the system availability to problem-solving competence, achieving lower operating costs through energy-efficiency right through to finished systems. We can fulfill all your needs.

SEW-Eurodrive (Pty) LtdPO Box 90004 l Bertsham 2013Tel: +2711 248-7000Fax: +27 11 248-7289

www.sew.co.za

SEW-EURODRIVE - Driving the world

We don’t develop products we develop solutions.

297 x 210 Problem solver.indd 1 8/11/09 12:12:44 PM


Suppliers of geared motors, industrial gears, frequency inverters, drive electronics, servo technology and services.

Naturally, as the leading drive-technology specialists, we consistently develop new products that are above all reliable, energy-efficient and produced cost-efficiently. Moreover, our know-how and experience allows us to go a step further than the rest – providing solutions that you can build on. That’s what we call Drive 360o – Seeing the big picture: from the system availability to problem-solving competence, achieving lower operating costs through energy-efficiency right through to finished systems. We can fulfill all your needs.

SEW-Eurodrive (Pty) LtdPO Box 90004 l Bertsham 2013Tel: +2711 248-7000Fax: +27 11 248-7289

www.sew.co.za

SEW-EURODRIVE - Driving the world

We don’t develop products we develop solutions.

297 x 210 Problem solver.indd 1 8/11/09 12:12:44 PM

same: aug 2010

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