UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE

INDUSTRIAL ATTACHMENT REPORT

SUBMITTED
BY

Yolanda Nxumalo

DEPSRTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

BACKROUND
The Bulawayo Power Station is located in the second largest city of Zimbabwe and this station is
also connected to the national grid through 11kv and 33kv systems. The Plant is under the
Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA).It was initially installed with a capacity of
120MW,a refurbishment exercise in 1999 0n the ageing plant gave it a new lease of life thus the
plant now has a capacity of 90MW although currently it generates an average of 30 MW. The
main material required for the generation of electricity are

Coal
Water
Chemicals
Oils
Greases
Spare parts for maintenance

The station strives to continually uphold ZPCs operational corporate objectives thus to
achieve operational excellence by improving plant availability, reliability and efficiency
to international standards. Lastly to achieve this, the Bulawayo power station comprises
of different departments within it so as to meet different types of responsibilities. Some of
the departments are the Electrical and Maintenance, Instrumentation, Mechanical and
Maintenance, Operations Departments

INTRODUCTION
This report serves to give information on the maintenance jobs the Attach participated on
during his attachment period at Bulawayo Power Station under the Mechanical and Maintenance

department. These jobs included Boiler, conveyor belts, Redler chain elevator and pump
maintenance.
BULAWAYO POWER STATION

STEAM PLANT SYSTEM

This system comprises of Furnace Gas, Steam, Condensers, and Cooling Air circuits.
FURNACE GAS CIRCUIT
Here, Air is taken into the furnace from the atmosphere to supply the necessary oxygen for
combustion. Combustion products pass through the boiler, transferring heat and then pass out to
the atmosphere through the flue. The incoming air is preheated before entering the Boiler so as to
elevate Boiler temperature thus improving Boiler efficiency.
STEAM CIRCUIT
Here, Water is passed into the Boiler in which it is converted into steam. It passes into the plant
(turbine) in which it is expanded giving up some of its energy. It is then condensed in the
Condenser from which it passes as a condensate to be pumped back into the Boiler. The Feed
Pump pumps water at a higher pressure since the water should be at high pressure as the Boiler
will be operating at high Pressure.

The BPS uses the Yarrow Water Tube Boilers which were developed as a result of extensive
research work on water circulation, the aim being to produce a reliable boiler simple to construct,
high evaporation capacity and efficiency and easy to clean.
ADVATNAGES OF THE YARROW BOILERS
Boiler occupy small space
Simple to operate
Easy to Inspect
Suitable for any pressure
Straight tubes are steeply inclined
Circulation is free and positive
Maintenance high efficiency
Radiation loss is minimum
Raises steam quickly

CONDENSER COOLING WATER CIRCUIT

Here cool water passes into the condenser has heat transferred into it by condensing steam and
then at a higher temperature passes out to be cooled in a cooling tower.The Cool water then
circulates back to condenser.During cooling in the Tower,Hot water from condenser is passed
approximately midway up where it is sprayed to the bottom.Air circulates into the bottom of the
tower and passed up through the water spray .Warmed air passes out at the top of the tower
cooled water is collected at the bottom of the tower from where it is pumped back to the
condenser.

COOLING AIR CURCUIT

One the month of June and July the attach had an opportunity to work at the Coal Plant in
maintaining the Redler vertical chains, Reclaim Conveyor Belt and the Submersible pump.

Redlers
Redlers are one of the most sophisticated conveyor systems. There are two pairs of redlers used
at Bulawayo power station.
These are:
The North and South redlers which are supplied by the submerged belts and they carry coal
to the crossover belts for bunkering and also the main stocking belt for stocking purposes.
The North and South redlers are individually driven by motors which have a rating
(400V/48A at 1465 rpm).
The emergency pair of redlers which are used to carry coal straight to the boilers in case of
an emergency on the main bunkering line. They collect coal from a hopper which is supplied
by a Front-End loader.

Operational Principle of Redlers

The 'En-Masse' Principal
The principles upon which Redler machines operate are different from any other equipment used
for the same purposes, but in actual fact are merely practical applications of natural laws.Coal is
caused to flow like a liquid through enclosed dust-tight casings in any required direction by
means of haulage chain with skeleton type flights, and in such a manner that there is no pressure
on the coal load, no movement between the particles and consequently no breakage whilst in
transit.The closely spaced chain flights which constitute the conveying element travel through
the enclosed casing wherever it may lead, and materials admitted into this casing travel
quiescently with the chain up to the point of discharge.There is no dragging or scraping action as
the material simply flows in a solid column en-masse.Redler machines are self-feeding and
choking cannot take place as once the casing is filled no more material can enter.All types of
Redler Conveyors or ELEVEYORS can be designed to feed or discharge not only at the terminal
ends, but at any point in the conveying or elevating run.
Center panel

Chain link

Coal

wear panel

Redler vertical unit

The Redler need a continuous supply of coal to continue carrying the products to the next level.
The North and South Redler collect coal from the submerged belts and carry it upwards to the
crossover belts and the stocking belt. The confined space between the walls of the Redler and the
links allows for successive compressions as the links move up the wall. Coal is forced to move
upwards in the confined space and the flow continues with constant supply from the belts. The
links of the Redler are driven by a sprocket which is coupled to a motor though a gear box and a

fluid coupling. The continuous upward motion of the links prevents the coal from sliding down
due to gravity
2.4.2.2 Maintenance Procedures for redlers
Redler links are prone to being worn out and also they can be misaligned with the sprocket after
long time use. This can also be due to inadequate tension between the links. Worn out Redler
links are changed for new ones and those off line can be re aligned.

The walls of the Redler are also warn out due to corrosion and the pressure exerted on the by
compressed coal as it moves up wards. These walls can also be replaced but they are usually
patched due to financial problems. This patching is done by welding plates on the worn out parts
of the walls. The drive systems of the Redler which comprises of gears, shafts and sprockets also
need to be continuously lubricated to ensure that they work in good condition.
The lubrication minimises wearing of parts and also ensures smooth movement of parts.
Predictive maintenance procedures are also done to check the condition of the lubricants and
they are changed if they are no longer in good conditions. Lubricants used on redlers include
special types of oils and grease.

Figure 2. 1 Structure and operation of redlers (AutoCAD drawing)

MECHANICAL AND MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT

Maintenance refers to the optimization of equipment, procedures and departmental budgets to
achieve better maintainability, reliability and availability of equipment. This department
specializes in fixing faults that are mechanical related within the station thus broken or no longer
functional as expected. Adding to that, MMD do repairs thus Casualty maintenance. The
department also engages into Preventive Maintenance thus performing routine actions which
keeps the device in working conditions. This kind of maintenance is performed in an attempt to
avoid failures, unnecessary production loss and safety violations. Maintenance and repair can be
defined as all actions which have the objective of retaining or restoring an item to a state in
which it can perform its required functions. The actions can be tests, measurements,
replacements, adjustments and repairs intended to retain or restore a functional unit to a specified
state in which the unit can perform its required functions.
The Department has artisans that attend to the notified defaults within the station and they are
capable of doing a number of tasks such as:

Repairs and maintains, in accordance with diagrams, sketches, operation manuals, and
manufacturer's specifications, machinery and mechanical equipment, such as engines,

motors, pneumatic tools, conveyor systems, and production machines and equipment,
using hand tools, power tools, and precision-measuring and testing instruments:
Observes mechanical devices in operation and listens to their sounds to locate causes of
trouble.

Dismantles devices to gain access to and remove defective parts, using hoists, cranes,
hand tools, and power tools.
Examines form and texture of parts to detect imperfections.
Inspects used parts to determine changes in dimensional requirements, using rules,
calipers, micrometers, and other measuring instruments.

Repairs or replaces defective parts, using hand tools and power tools.

Installs special functional and structural parts in devices, using hand tools.

Starts devices to test their performance.

Lubricates and cleans parts.

May set up and operate lathe, drill press, grinder, and other metalworking tools to make
and repair parts.
May initiate purchase order for parts and machines.

SAFETY WITHIN THE MMD DEPARTMENT

Equipment safety: guidelines in working in a machine shop
The MMD has its main workshop were machining of different components is done as well as
other procedures which aid in the production of the required parts or component. In this
workshop are machine such as Lathe, Drilling, Grinding, Cutting, Welding devices. On operate
all these machines certain rules are of importance hence they are followed so as to enhance
safety. The design of the workshop is such that it gives working space between adjacent mounted
machines, the floor is made rough to reduce slippery, lockers and drawers to put hand tools as
well as an indoor storeroom room to keep other important tools. Below are rules to be respected
by an worker in the department so as to ensure safety in the workshop:
Wear PPE (personal protective equipment) appropriate to the job.

Always wear safety goggles or safety glasses whether or not you are operating a
machine. Otherwise, chips and other debris from co-workers machines could fly into
your eyes.
Wear safety gloves every time you have to work with hazardous chemicals and
objects with sharp points or edges. The same is true when you are exposed to such
hazards as skin abrasions, excessively high or low temperature, electrical shock, and
vibration.
Employers must provide employees with respirators that comply with OSHA
regulations. This is only after evaluating the feasibility of installing engineering
controls like fume hoods or general ventilations systems.
Skimpy clothing, loose clothing, torn clothing and unrestrained hair are big no-nos as
they cause discomfort and may pose the threat of entanglement.
Never wear sandals, cloth sneakers or perforated shoes in areas where chemicals are
used or mechanical work is performed.
Its advisable to don smocks for minor chemical spills and splashes or rubber or
plastic aprons for corrosive or irritating liquids.
Before operating a machine, inspect it thoroughly for missing or loose bolts, nuts,
screws and other components.

Check if all appropriate guards are secure.

Never rush machine speeds or feeds. This can result to your injury or damage of tools
or machinery.
Never leave machines unattended.
While operating the machine, listen to it carefully. If something does not sound right,
immediately turn it off and thoroughly inspect it for problems.
Ensure that you follow proper lockout/blockout procedures before servicing, repairing
or maintaining a machine.
Never horseplay in the machine shop.
Always clean up a machine after you are done using it. Besides being uncomfortable
to use, a dirty machine can result to injury.
Never use compressed air to blow machines clean. This can cause flying particle
hazards and may force dirt into machine bearings.
Make sure all walkways and personnel traffic areas are clear of all kinds of scrap. All
work areas must be free of clutter, debris and trip hazards.
Keep all surfaces in the work area clean. Ensure that all platforms and floors are free
of grease, oil and spill hazards.