SAME: Nov/Dec 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010

AN ENGINEER’S VIEW
Missing in Action
So we now have a new pack of Ministers and Deputy Ministers and various other government appointments.
At least that may signify an awareness that the performance and delivery have not been acceptable by those
who have been removed en masse, but it alternatively may be another bout of jobs for the party favourites. It
is a mystery how the selection process works. Is experience in the work area of the ministry one of the met-
rics for selection?
N
ormally in the process of appoint- with politically correct appointments. Replicate
ing new resources, one would this across so many activities and it explains the
take account of qualifications, slide to mediocrity and lack of effective action in
experience and a degree of so many areas.
environmental and psychometric fit to the Recently someone asked me, why do we want to train
position. Would it be too much to request up lots of engineering resources into the economy?
the President to publish the CVs of the new After all, if supply and demand are to drive the
appointments as well as the performance dynamic, then if we as engineering resources want
criteria that will be applied? to earn more - our “better life for us” so to speak
All under control? - then let’s keep the numbers down. Why create our
The last two Ministers of Water Affairs own oversupply? My own answer to that is when
extolled their assurance that all was under the industry’s growth and the infrastructure’s sup-
control in the water world in South Africa. port needs are threatened then I guess we all fall
Chris Reay Either the public are victims of intentional down together. There is a balance and if we do not
Chairman of the Working anti-government sentiment by the media develop our own resources we will finish up having
Committee: Communications and other exposure platforms about the to import them at astronomical cost.
(SA Institution of Mechanical
condition of our water resources, or the Watch and learn
Engineering)
Ministers were seriously out of touch with Study the demands of foreign skills in Rand terms
reality. The reader is left to decide on this. especially those who have optimised the benefits
I trust the current Minister of Energy is still confident of being internationally mobile. You may want
that 10 000GWh per annum of installed renewable to find out what the expats working on many of
energy capacity is achievable by 2013. Eskom’s projects are costing South Africa. Watch
The skills and expertise that existed were replaced with and learn, they say. And out there as I mentioned
in my last note, we have many early retired Engi-
politically correct appointments
neers, Technologists and Technicians who would
be quite capable of using their past experience on
Decline in skills power projects and who are being overlooked. The
In South Africa right now a most serious problem is
mind boggles.
a steady decline in the skills across the board and it
is not fixed by suddenly declaring OBE to have been Consumption grew at double the rate of production
a dismal failure. That is certainly a major factor but between 1994 and 2008. It now takes 36% fewer
added to this root cause of the deterioration of maths workers to produce the same level of output we had
and science standards at primary and secondary level, in 1960. More automation follows world trends,
is the continued loss of useful skills across the full ably assisted here by South Africa’s inflexible labour
spectrum. In this mix are the skills to set policy and laws, BEE, poor training and little mentorship. Un-
implement strategy (ministers included). skilled unemployment must inevitably go on rising
and I believe it will be greater in 2014 than half the
A further recent discovery is the parlous state of
present numbers as forecast by government.
our intellectual property laws. We used to be at the
forefront of the modern requirements for addressing It’s an intellectual world, the world of the Engineer.
and modifying these laws with rapidly changing There is certainly room for many more of us and
technology. An observation recently compared the we may be the essential catalyst to help reduce
deterioration here with that of our secondary roads our horrific unemployment statistic.
— neglect of maintenance until potholes develop
and the journey then becomes unpleasant and in
fact dangerous. The reason? Not difficult to find. All
the skills and expertise that existed and should be
utilised to keep ahead of the game were replaced

Nov Dec 2010 VOLUME 64 NUMBER 11
Featured on the cover:

Contents
Monthly Column
John Thompson 8 A City Afloat Bearings & Lubrication
Tel: (021) 959-8400 35 Lubes in a Big Box
www.johnthompson.co.za
Cover Story 37 Greasing the Gears
11 Clean Air Solution
Steam, Turbines & Boilers Regulars
13 As Good As New 3 An Engineer’s View
17 New Steam Company 6 Institution News
POWER GENERATION TODAY 19 SAINT
21 Whipping up a Solar Factory 28 Nuclear Institute (SA Branch)
Copyright 26 Power Generation News
All rights reserved. No editorial 29 SAIT
matter published in “SA Mechani-
Heating & Cooling
39 Market Forum
cal Engineer” may be reproduced 31 Keeping Industry Cool
in any form or language without 33 Airing Buildings Economically 46 On the Move
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
The monthly circulation is 4 242
particular field or fields.
Produced by:
Official Publication of
PROMECH PUBLISHING, THE SA INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
P O Box 373, Pinegowrie, 2123 and endorsed by:
Republic of South Africa
Tel: (011) 781-1401, Fax: (011) 781-1403  CORROSION INSTITUTE OF SA
Email: editorial@promech.co.za  SA PUMP MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION
Website: www.promech.co.za  SA VALVE AND ACTUATORS MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION
Managing Editor Susan Custers  THE SA INSTITUTE OF TRIBOLOGY
Editor Kowie Hamman  NUCLEAR INSTITUTE
Advertising Louise Taylor  SA INSTITUTE FOR NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING
Circulation Catherine Macdiva
 NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK ENGINEERS
DTP Zinobia Docrat/Sean Bacher
 INSTITUTE FOR CERTIFICATED MECHANICAL AND
Disclaimer ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS
PROMECH Publishing and The South African Institution of Mechanical
 SOUTH AFRICAN ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERS
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THE SA INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Council 2010/2011 Dinner &

Office Bearers
President .................................................. G Barbic (George)
President Elect ............................................. D Findeis (Dirk)
National Treasurer ................................. K Nyangoni (Kudzai)
Dance
The SAIMechE Central Branch Dinner & Dance held
Branch Chairpersons at Killarney Country Club on 9 October 2010 was
Central ...................................................... M Cramer (Mike) sponsored by Eskom and Energas. Awesome lucky
Eastern Cape ................................................ W Rall (William) draw prizes were kindly sponsored by Killarney
KwaZulu/Natal ........................................... AG Fileczki (Alex) Country Club, Swiss Lady Chocolates, Yao Thai
Western Cape ......................... Prof B Collier-Reed (Brandon) Spa and BMW Advanced Driver Training.
Portfolios: The guest speaker for the evening was Bernie Goosen,
Communications .............................................. CD Reay (Chris) an inspirational young man, who despite his dis-
Education - Universities................... Prof JL van Niekerk (Wikus) abilities has overcome all odds and demonstrated
Education: Universities of Technology............... E Zawilska (Ewa) how willing he is to try anything. He was the first
Membership .................................................... E Zawilska (Ewa) disabled Rotary Exchange student to be sent to
Seminars and Workshops.................................. D Findeis (Dirk) America, has sky dived, and climbed Mt Kilimanjaro
Technology Programme ................................. SZ Hrabar (Steve) more than once – in a wheelchair. Havana Gas had
most guests boogying the night away.
Chief Executive Officer: Vaughan Rimbault
National Office Manager: Anisa Nanabhay
PO Box 511, Bruma, 2026
Tel: (011) 615-5660, Fax: (011) 388-5356
Email: info@saimeche.org.za
Website: www.saimeche.org.za
Membership: Central, Eastern Cape & KZN:
membership@saimeche.org.za
Membership: Western Cape: saimeche.wc@vodamail.co.za
Guest speaker President of ICMEESA,
Bernie Goosen. Obed Letsholo and his
wife, Lerato
Company Affiliates Osborn Engineered Products SA

Alstom Power Service SA Rotek Engineering
Babcock Africa Limited RSD a division of DCD-Dorbyl
Bateman Engineered Technologies S.A.M.E Water
Bosch Projects Sasol Technologies
Fluor SA SEW Eurodrive
GEA Air-cooled Systems Siemens

Central Branch committee member Godfrey Mathe-
Hansen Transmissions SA SNC-Lavalin SA bula and his wife Veronica
Hatch Africa Spicer Axle SA
Howden Power Spirax Sarco SA
Howden Projects Thyssenkrupp Engineering

Transvaal Pressed Nuts & Bolts
Industrial Water Cooling
Ultra-Flow Engineering Services
MBE Minerals (SA) (Pty) Ltd
(previously KHD Humboldt Vital Engineering
Wedag SA
Weir Minerals Africa
Megchem Eng & Drafting Services Winder Controls
The Chairman of the recently launched SAIMechE
Mpumalanga/Highveld branch, Louis Odendaal of
Megchem with his wife, Maryke

THE SA INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Carla and Chuck Grassley, Managing Director of Au-

toDesk
Dr Mukul Shukla with his wife Ruchi with Peter Stachelhaus and
his wife Udri
Hekkie Bronkhorst from Fluor SA and his wife Salome
SAIMechE President and Central Branch committee member, George

Barbic with his wife Bonjana, and guests Drago & Verica Pesic
Energas guests: Johan Potgieter, Rudolph Barnard and
HP van Huyssteen
SAIMechE Central Branch Chairman,

Mike Cramer and his wife Evie
In Memoriam: Christopher J. Early

Christopher J. Early, a Fellow of SAIMechE, passed
away along with his wife, Jennifer, on 15 July
2010. Chris was a sought-after engineer who
worked on numerous projects and was particu-
larly known for his mechanical engineering and
project management contributions, especially in
the mining and brewing industries. He completed
his management and initial engineering qualifica-
tions in the UK and was also an alumnus of the
University of the Witwatersrand, and went on
to patent his milk pasteurizer graduate research
design. More recently he and Jennie, a skilled
office manager, ran their own engineering con-
sultancy and they will be remembered for their
caring and genial personalities as well as their
professionalism and integrity.

MONTHLY COLUMN
A City Afloat
A ship is like a self-contained city in a hull

where you’ll find all the utilities and all the
necessary amenities required for people
to function as they would on land. People
need to work, eat, sleep and play in a com-
fortable environment that has aircondition-
ing, fresh water, electricity, sanitation and
in the case of ocean liners, shops and en-
tertainment facilities for voyagers.
T
his makes This involves computing buoyancy, displacement
the task and other hydrostatic properties including hydrody-
of naval namics such as the flow of water around the ship’s
architects hull, bow, stern and over bodies such as propeller
a huge one. Not blades and the rudder.
only do they have
to consider the Empty or full
latest equipment “Ultimately, however, the environment on a vessel
Riaan Grebe, chief draughtsman (left) and Pieter and technology in has to be suitable for cargo as well as humans, in
Volschenk of Naval Africa Design utility equipment essence creating a small city in a hull,” explains
specific to ships, but they also have to keep track Pieter. “Besides all the necessary utility requirements
of the latest ship building technologies as far as for humans, the type of cargo being transported can
materials, paints, drive trains, electronics and legal become a very complex factor in the design. If, for
safety requirements are concerned. “SA Mechanical example, the ship is transporting fresh produce,
Engineer” visits one of South Africa’s well-known just one banana going bad during the voyage can
naval architects, Pieter Volschenk, at Naval Africa’s spoil the entire load.
headquarters in Durban harbour. “On the other hand, in designing a tug boat, the
variation changes completely and the main design
Get right in terms of flow dynamics around the hull consideration here is to cater for a vessel that has
the capacity to carry a load of a hundred tonnes of
More than just shapes fuel,” he adds. “You also have to ensure it’s stable
“Ship design is not only about shape and form; enough to operate equally well when fully loaded
there are functional parameters you simply have as when empty and pulling something big. Tipping
to get right in terms of flow dynamics around the over is not an option.”
hull in relation to weight distribution in order to be
seaworthy,” Pieter says. “Specific hydrostatic prop- Emphasis shifts
erties have to be met concerning conditions which In terms of design, there are basic principles to
the vessel is subjected to while at rest in water and follow whether for a small boat or a large vessel.
while afloat under various conditions. Thus a tug boat is just another vessel when it comes

MONTHLY COLUMN
to basic design principles, but the emphasis shifts

to other areas as far as functionality goes. “We go
through a design spiral that basically starts with
the layout and weight considerations in relation to
the function of the vessel,” explains Pieter.
“On a tug boat, for example, the core consideration
is the drive system which dictates the layout of
everything else on the boat. On our tug boat de-
sign, we use a vertical propeller system that alone
weighs 120 tonne and comes in at 60 to 70% of
the cost of the boat. On a new design you neces-
sarily go through the design spiral several times
before achieving an optimum balance between
seaworthiness and practical functionality.”
Software
CAD software and analysis modelling software
makes the task of a naval architect a little easier
and reduces the risks associated with an entirely
new concept. “Our investment in software runs into Finishing touches on a tug boat just before launch
millions,” says Pieter. “In our drawing offices we
have several specialist engineers who each use a guy in Mozambique who owns a barge type boat but
specialised software package for certain aspects of he may not motorise it to get across the lake. Now
design on a ship. An example is the fire extinguishing he drives his truck onto the barge. The truck then
system which has to conform to very specific safety drives a dynamometer system to which a propeller
standards and classifications and, so we have one is fitted to take him across the lake legally.”
engineer who works just on that.” Apart from serving several local ship builders, Peter
Like all system engineering projects, ship design and his team also design tug boats for a company
starts with detailed customer requirements. Ship that builds ships in Egypt. “We also do variations
building standards, insurance requirements and on a ferry design for a company that builds them
material classifications means the naval architect in Zambia,” says Pieter in conclusion. “At the mo-
design team systematically works all these requirement we’re working on a project in Malawi where
ments into the design until the client is satisfied. we’re doing the design work on an old lake cruise
boat to convert it to a floating hospital. In terms of
A little easier
ocean-going ships, we’re also involved in designing
“Today there are many existing designs models of
double hull conversions on big ships and tankers
almost all types of vessels, making life a little easier
according to the required classification standards.”
as a starting point because, in most cases, you can
All in a day’s work – as they say!
use an existing design as the reference base,” says
Pieter. “There are many other resources to draw Pieter Volschenk, Naval Africa, Tel: (031) 205-3747, Email:
from such as the classification society from whom pieterv@navalafrica.co.za
you can purchase information and specifications
if you’re tackling an entirely new type of vessel
design.
“As a result, all our design engineers have to constantly
remain aware of new technologies in many different
fields of ship building. Apart from new materials,
there are new paints and paint regulations, new
standards as far as engines are concerned and lots
of alternative drive systems such as sail and solar
energy. You simply have to know what’s new and
could benefit your design.”
Projects
Pieter and his team of 18 design engineers have
worked on everything from international luxury
motorised yachts to a barge working a river up
in Africa powered by an old truck that had been
converted to a drive system. “There is a dire need
for marine engineered solutions in Africa and I often
travel through the continent helping people solve Ships design is more than just the shape. This is a model of the pipe work
their unique problems,” Pieter adds. “I helped one in a small vessel

10 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010
COVER STORY
Clean Air Solution

John Thompson recently completed the installation of a new Control systems
coal fired steam boiler at Ladismith Cheese in the Southern This boiler is fitted with the John Thompson Mi-
Cape. What is unique about this plant is the fact that not only cropac control system which, over and above the
does it come with the latest control technology for efficient increased overall boiler efficiency, also offers the
combustion of coal, but it also comes with a bag-filter to re- following advantages:
duce the particulate emissions to within European standards. • Continuously optimized efficiency reducing
fuel usage
B
ag-filters on smaller boilers of this size • Coal bed management reduces smoke and
have thus far not been economically viable particulate emissions
as the bags were subject to temperature
• Digital air distribution reducing boiler attendant
constraints. By using glass bags with a
combustion errors
PTFE membrane and ensuring the plant operates
within the design parameters John Thompson was • PLC - based optimum control strategy
able to develop a system which not only meets the • Inverters replace inherently inaccurate
requirements but also offers the durability demanded mechanical linkages
by industrial plant.
• Inverters reduce power consumption and noise
Not only meet the requirements but also offers the levels under low load conditions
durability demanded by industrial plant • Option for multi-loading boilers via
local communication
The steam installation comprises a John Thompson • Superior response and turndown
“Europac” boiler producing 10 000 kg/h of steam ratio
at 10bar with a particulate emission guaranteed • Stoker protected by electronic
at 50mg/m3 or less. The boiler is also fitted with a torque detection
mechanical cyclone grit-arrestor for by-passing the
bagfilter during start-up & maintenance periods. • UPS ensures orderly shutdown
The gas burden at the cyclone arrestor outlet is during power outages
approximately 300 mg/m3. The bulk of the ash is Bearing fruit
removed from inside the boiler via a submerged Consider this; if the Micropac system
belt ash conveyor and smaller airborne grits can improve boiler efficiency by
are removed automatically in the reversal about 10% it means a 2,5 ton
chamber where the gas velocity drops of coal saving per day or 75 tons
before the second gas pass. per month which at R 500/ ton
equates to R35 000 per month
or roughly R400 000 per an-
num. This however is only the
10 000 kg/h coal-fired boiler complete with bag filter, coal handling equipment
and ash conveyors
THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010 11

COVER STORY
direct fuel cost saving. By burning less fuel, the on improved coal combustion and control which
emission levels are also reduced, as is electricity is now bearing fruit. With the addition of the new
demand and fuel for transporting coal and ash to smaller size bag filter system to reduce particulate
and from site. emission the argument for coal as a fuel source for
With the resources available and the cost of fuel industrial boilers has just become stronger.
today we can accept the fact that coal is here to stay, More on the bag filter
with this in mind John Thompson has for the last By isolating the bag filter plant from the gas stream
number of years focused its development programme during the start-up and shut down operations,
thus passing the gas stream through the bypass
duct to the stack or/and passing the gas through
the bypass duct when the gas temperature drops
below the low temperature set point, acid forming
and consequent damage to the bags and severe
corrosion problems of the mild steel components
will be prevented. The equipment design is based
on a continuous operating temperature of 194°C
with minor fluctuations. To further protect the bags
against acid, the bags must be pre-coated with lime
before every start-up procedure
Although the equipment installed in this instance
will only be able to collect particulate and will
not remove SO2 or NO2 gases, the system can be
adapted to incorporate a Flue Gas Desulpherisation
system if required at a later stage.
Due to the cost of fuel today we can

accept the fact that coal is here to stay
Pulse jet bag house

The collector employs cylindrical filter elements and
is continuously cleaned on the reverse jet principle.
Simplicity of design with no moving parts results
in an extremely low maintenance filter.
Dust removal from the filter bags is achieved by
the introduction of a momentary jet of compressed
air to a row of filter bags. The required jet-pump
cleaning action is achieved by a venturi, which
induces a secondary airflow. Reverse flow and a
shock wave are generated, sufficient to clean the
filter bags.
The compressed air header pipe is located on the
outside of the bag filter and the solenoid/diaphragm
valves are easily accessible for maintenance. Bag
removal is done from the clean air plenum via a
suitably sized access doors on the plenum roof.
Bag removal and all maintenance is done from the
clean air side of the filter.
John Thompson, Neil Berry, Tel: (021) 959-8400,
www.johnthompson.co.za
Bag filter
Engineer Placements
Are you looking for engineering resources?
Contact us for a win-win deal admin@engineerplacements.com

STEAM, TURBINES & BOILERS
As Good As New
Why buy new when a good second-hand one will do? This awaits his experienced eye. “Provided a used boiler
is the philosophy on which Louw van Vuuren has based his is inspected by the right authorities properly, there
business for the past thirty years; the business of servicing, is no reason it cannot be refurbished to deliver
refurbishing, rebuilding, relocating and converting used steam another decade or two of reliable service,” he says.
generating boilers for customers across Southern Africa. “Even old boilers that have been scrapped still have
a place in industry, even if they’re used purely to
S
warm up water.”
A Mechanical Engineer” speaks to Louw of
the Boiler Utilisation Group in a coffee shop
in Vereeniging as his office is on the road, Thick pack of dog-eared pages that have
usually to where the next second-hand boiler seen better days
The list
Louw arrives at the coffee shop with a thick pack
of dog-eared pages that have seen better days
under his arm, explaining that it is an old list the
government compiled in the sixties to list all the
boilers installed in South Africa. “The list has 6
054 boilers, where they were installed at the time,
the make, capacity, a government number and the
manufacturer’s identification code,” he explains.
“This list helps me to trace the history of a boiler
when I come across a used one that’s up for sale.
A boiler tends to move around quite a bit during its
life, but usually it still has the government number
on it and then I can cross-reference it against the
list to see its original specifications and where it
was installed originally.”
Inspection
But this is not the only criteria Louw bases his
Louw van Vuuren of Boiler Ultilisation Group inspection on when evaluating a used boiler.
“Firstly I always try to get
the prospective buyer to
join me on site to see the
boiler first-hand. Then
either the client or I will
have the wall thickness
of the boiler drum tested
by an independent official
inspector to make sure it
can be refurbished,” he
explains. “Then I do my own
inspection on the furnace
side and most importantly
on the water side of the
boiler installation.
“People often make the
mistake of not looking at
the water side thoroughly
and if this is neglected
and clogged up, the boiler
simply won’t perform as it
should,” adds Louw. “The
water treatment side of
boiler operation is as crucial
Louw’s pack of sheets that help trace the history of boilers

as the combustion side. If

the tubes are clogged up,
the heat simply remains
in the tube steel and
does not get transferred
properly, wasting precious
fuel energy. If possible, we
clean out the tubes and
replace where necessary,
but most of the time a
complete re-tubing of the
boiler gives a far better
performance.”
Tore itself from its

foundation to ‘walk’
the other way
several metres
Moving
This work is usually done on
location, either where the
boiler is installed or after
it has been moved to the
site of the new owner. “We
provide the full service,”
Boiler inspections are important says Louw.

“Most of the time we dismantle and get

the boiler out the way as quickly as pos-
sible and then do all refurbishing work
on the other side during installation. Our
teams are equipped with all the tools to
do this and we only rarely have to hire
in a mobile crane if the chimney on
the system is a large one that can’t be
handled with our block and tackle equip-
ment. In a complete tube replacement
job we follow the normal procedure of
tubes out, third party inspection, tubes
in and again an inspection.”
Shot through the roof of the

building like a rocket and
landed on a house down the
road
Disasters
In Louw’s thirty years he has seen his fair Third party inspection is important for used boiler upgrading
share of boiler disasters. “An instance I
remember well was in Pietermaritzburg
where a ten tonne boiler got blocked up
and exploded,” he recalls. “It spat the
stoker out like a projectile and at the
same time tore itself from its foundation
to ‘walk’ the other way several metres,
killing two people.
“Another one from my younger days was
where the shell of an upright boiler shot
through the roof of the building like a
rocket and landed on a house down
the road. They’d forgotten to free the
mechanism on a new safety valve that
had been installed, resulting in the steam
building up pressure without anywhere
to go and the shell just gave way.
Assurance
“Boilers are pressure vessels made to
exacting specifications, but it’s something
you never take chances with, especially
when it comes to used boilers,” warns
Louw. “For this very reason I always tell
prospective buyers to go the extra mile
of having the wall thickness of the boiler
shell measured and tested by an official
third party inspection entity before buy- Boilers rarely get witten off completely
ing. If the buyer won’t do it at his or her cost, we
add the price of the boiler inspection to our fee for
our own assurance.”
Very rarely does a boiler get written off completely they use a lot of warm water for heating during
which means that of the 6 054 boilers on Louw’s winter. Although the farmers always heckle about
list, most are probably still functioning somewhere the price, it’s much cheaper to buy an old boiler
in South Africa, albeit not as a pressure vessel. than having one built for this purpose.”
“When a boiler is written off by the authorities as Louw van Vuuren, Boiler Utilisation Group, Tel: (016)
a steam generator I sell them as water warmers,” 423-3665, or 072-298-8382, Fax: (016) 423- 4275
he says. “They are very popular for nurseries where

New Steam Company

There is a brand new player in the South African steam generation market, centrally based in Midrand.
However, when “SA Mechanical Engineer” visits the new company, Steam Generation Africa, we find that it is
made up of many familiar faces who have been in the local industry for many years.
John Rundle
A typical Cyclotherm boiler will now be avail-

able through Steam Generation Africa
H
Chris Erasmus eading the new company is managing “Besides being an official reseller of Cyclotherm
director John Rundle, previously from boilers, we can now provide a full turnkey steam
Cyclotherm in Johannesburg. “Cyclotherm solution, from the coal handling systems through to
and I came to an agreement for me to the boiler, reticulation systems and even providing
purchase from it as a going concern the servicing kitchen equipment, for example.”
and installation divisions, hence the formation of Professional team
our new company Steam Generation Africa, Cy- All the products are supported by a professional
clotherm is now only focused on manufacturing,” team offering the client base a range of cost effective
he explains. after-sales services which includes statutory govern-
A steam installation has to be undertaken by specialists ment inspection services and service maintenance
who have experience contracts. “A key addition to our team, specifically
for the coal fired boilers, is general manager, Chris
“This means Steam Generation Africa retains a Erasmus, who has extensive experience in all as-
well-established client base in terms of servicing pects of coal fired boilers and steam reticulation
equipment originally bought through Cyclotherm. systems,” says John as he introduces Chris.
However, it has now given us the opportunity to “This opened the market for us to widen our of-
extend our service to other areas such as coal fired fering to cover coal, gas, heavy and light oil fired
boiler applications, an aspect we seldom covered boiler systems. We’re also a certified Natural Gas
previously.” installation practitioner which allows us to tender
“Collectively we pride ourselves on having over 40 for Natural Gas Line Installations and enable us to
years’ experience in the company and we’re well issue a Certificate of Compliance directly to clients.”
geared to sell and service a full range of boilers,
autoclaves and hot water vessels,” adds John.
New regulations
Because boilers are considered pressure vessels

for regulatory purposes, the rules have changed brigade’ installers to set up steam reticulation
and there is absolutely no cutting corners when it systems or service boilers.
comes to steam installations and reticulation. “Today “The biggest mistake people generally make in
you need approved design drawings and calcula- terms of steam systems is to use installers who just
tions, inspection authorities are directly involved don’t get it right because they simply don’t have the
and when you start dealing at this level, a steam experience,” says Chris. “Let me give an example;
installation has to be undertaken by specialists who a big company recently called me in to help with
have experience,” says Chris. a boiler they’ve been battling with for over a year.
“Today large installations, like prisons for example, We immediately found the problem and fixed it,
saving them 65% on coal consumption a month
The biggest mistake people make in terms of steam due to small errors in the installation.
systems is to use installers who don’t have the Example
experience “First of all the coal did not burn out completely,
resulting in half-burnt coal going to the ash dump
require service providers who can handle service
and their having to dump an excessive amount
and maintenance as an ongoing project where you
of ash,” adds Chris. “In addition the client had
not only look after the steam installation, but also
frequent chain breaks due to the incorrect heat
all electrical and mechanical systems at the facility.
distribution of coal not burning completely. To top
I’ve operated this way for a number of years and it’s
it all, the fans were running in the wrong direction.
a service we can now offer all our clients.”
We fixed this, fine-tuned the boiler and not only
Do it right brought about the saving in coal usage, but there
As steam is one of the most expensive commodities hasn’t been a very expensive chain break since.
around, steam systems should be done correctly Also, instead of emptying the bins daily, they now
from the beginning, not only to comply with the new only do it every four days.”
regulations, but also to avoid unnecessary expense John Rundle or Chris Erasmus, Steam Generation Africa,
when a system has to be fixed or upgraded at a Tel: (011) 695-2500, Email: john@steamgeneration.co.za
later stage. Yet, many companies still use ‘bakkie /chris@steamgeneration.co.za

SA INSTITUTE FOR NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING
Global Harmonisation
Certification of NDT Personnel in accordance with the require- The requirements for certification have however
ments of applicable standards has been with us since the very essentially remained the same, in that the train-
early days of performing NDT. ing, examination and certification requirements to
which the NDT practitioners will be subjected to
T
assure that they are equipped to perform the NDT
he first document to control the certification
work are addressed and documented.
process was the ASNT Recommended Practice
SNT-TC 1A issued for the first time in 1966 The Recommended Practice SNT-TC-1A formed
by the American Society for NDT (ASNT). the basis for all the subsequent documents which
This document was and still is a recommended address the qualification and certification of NDT
practice, ie, a document which recommends the personnel. These documents and standards include
actions which two parties must take to assure that NAS 410, EN 4179, EN 473 and ISO 9712 among
the NDT on projects is performed to the satisfac- others. Because of this background, all these docu-
tion of the two parties ie, the client and the NDT ments aim to achieve the same goal, which is to
service provider. The document which then outlines assure that NDT practitioners can competently
the specific requirements for the certification is perform the task at hand.
referred to as a Written Practice and usually forms Unfortunate situation
part of the quality system for a project. Within a professional manufacturer’s in-house
environment this system worked, and still does
It is the employer’s responsibility, prior to issue of the
work, adequately. Unfortunately with the advent of
authorisation to work, to check that an individual’s outsourced NDT services, the system was abused
certification is adequate in that the so-called NDT service companies paid
lip service in compiling a single written practice
Revised and reissued to govern all the NDT work which the company
Since 1966 SNT-TC-1A has been revised and offered as a service.
reissued 11 times, Whereas the 1966 document
addressed 5 methods, viz. Magnetic Particle Test- This led to the unfortunate situation that paper
ing (MT), Penetrant Testing (PT), Ultrasonic Testing certification to the written practice became more
(UT), Radiographic Testing (RT) and Eddy Current important than the responsibility which the service
Testing (ET), the 2006 version addresses 13 NDT company has viz. to assure that the NDT practitioners
methods ie, MT, PT, UT, RT, ET as in the past plus in their employ are competent to perform the specific
Neutron Radiographic Testing (NRT), Leak Testing work on a client’s plant and components.
(LT), Acoustic Emission Monitoring (AEM), Visual Biggest abuse
Testing (VT), Infrared Thermographic Testing (IRT), The biggest abuse however, lay in the fact that the
Vibration Analyses (VA), Laser Testing and Magnetic NDT Level III practitioner only performed rubber
Flux Leakage (MFL). stamping activities like keeping the written practice
and the procedures in place and “up to date”. Gen-
erally, if a NDT Level III practitioner was involved
at all, he did not take responsibility for the NDT
work, and did not vouch for the competence of the
NDT personnel performing the work. An additional
problem was that the users of the NDT service did
not have the competence in-house to control this
process, contributing to the impasse.
Against this background, the requirement for em-
ployer authorisation, which was included in ISO
9712 and EN 473 should be understood. Point
5.5.3 in ISO 9712 states:
“In respect of certified personnel under their control,
the employer shall
a) be fully responsible for all that concerns the
authorization to operate, including any job-spe-
cific training,
The Saint annual award of the H, Rohloff Trophy for progress in NDT was b) be responsible for the results of NDT opera-
this year presented to Manfred Johannes, current president of Saint (right),
tions.”
by Rainer Rohloff at the Annual general meeting held in Pretoria

SA INSTITUTE FOR NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING
These requirements place the responsibility for responsible for all the NDT standards in ISO – the
the NDT work squarely into the hands of the NDT following decision was tabled and accepted:
Company, something which was intended by SNT- “Notwithstanding the detail differences between
TC-1A but not unambiguously stated. the present versions of ISO 9712 and EN 473,
Auditable training records the competence of NDT personnel certified ac-
With the advent of Company Authorisation, the cording to these standards is considered effectively
requirement for auditable training records and equivalent.
documented experience becomes less important, as It is the employer’s responsibility, prior to issue
the suitability of a particular NDT practitioner for a of the authorisation to work, to check that an
job and the competence of the NDT practitioner is individual’s certification (EN 473 or ISO 9712) and
now fully within the ambit and professional judge- any additional employer administered job-specific
ment of the employer of the NDT practitioner. This training and examination are adequate for the NDT
role will require that NDT Level III practitioners tasks to be executed.
will have to be much closer to the NDT work; one
cannot take “full” responsibility for the NDT results ICNDT and EFNDT are requested to dispatch this
remotely or at arm’s length. recommendation to their members and to publish
it in their journal.” At this stage ASNT have not
fully endorsed this, however it is hoped that they
Places the responsibility in no uncertain terms back with will come aboard at the next meeting scheduled
the NDT company for Houston.
Take responsibility
Worldwide harmonisation This statement places the responsibility for assuring
With this new understanding, the various certification the competency of NDT practitioners in no uncertain
schemes have realised that worldwide harmonisation terms back with the NDT company. The Authorisa-
is possible. Indeed during an ISO TC 135 committee tion of NDT Practitioners by the employing company
meeting in June 2010 in Moscow – ISO TC 135 is is now much more than just a paper exercise. The
company must have competent and professional
individuals in their employ who understand the
science of NDT, can assure the adequacy of the
methods and techniques to be employed and can
take responsibility for the NDT results produced.
At this stage this would fall under the role a NDT
Level 111 practitioner has to perform.
At this ISO TC 135 meeting it was also resolved
that ISO 9712 be revised, together with the inputs
from CEN TC 138, and that the revised document
be issued as a CEN/ISO Standard. This is a step in
the right direction, ie the reduction in the number
of standards and documents which all have the
same aim: The assurance that the NDT system
(equipment, procedures and personnel) is suitable
and effective for the task at hand.
Unique situation
South Africa, via SAINT, endorses this move. Has
been, and will continue to be involved very closely,
including having our local schemes included in the
system. Industry in South Africa is in a unique situa-
tion as they use all the above schemes. Additionally
we, through some of our major end users, are well
advanced with requiring the NDT supplier, using
their NDT Level 111 practitioner to authorise the
NDT personnel and to take technical responsibility
for the NDT outputs. Another proposed benefit will
be the local control (under ISO and ICNDT) of all the
different, hopefully conforming, schemes, thereby
avoiding repeat expensive overseas auditing.
Any queries in this regard, or additional information re-
quired, can be directed to Manfred Johannes – President
SAINT, email: president@saint.org.za

POWER GENERATION
Whipping up a
Produced by:
PROMECH PUBLISHING,
P O Box 373, Pinegowrie, 2123
Republic of South Africa
Solar Factory
Tel: (011) 781-1401
Fax: (011) 781-1403
Email: editorial@promech.co.za
Website: www.promech.co.za
Managing Editor Susan Custers To be able to compete, photovoltaics manufacturers have to develop large
Editor Kowie Hamman production capacities fast and produce efficiently. Upstream suppliers help
Advertising Pauline Bouwer
Circulation Catherine Macdiva them to expand by offering complete, turnkey lines that they install and run in
DTP Zinobia Docrat/Sean Bacher in a short period of time while guaranteeing their output; and the industry is
Disclaimer
only too pleased to accept these turnkey installations.
PROMECH Publishing does not
take responsibility for the
opinions expressed by individuals.
Printed by:
Typo Colour Printing
Tel: (011) 402-3468/9
Copyright
All rights reserved. No edi-
torial matter published in
“Power Generation Today”
may be reproduced in any
C
form or language without
written permission of the an you purchase a plant where you throughput, availability and efficiency.
publishers. While every effort only have to roll the gate open and Solar producers benefit from turnkey solu-
is made to ensure accurate start producing right away? This tions of this kind because it allows them
reproduction, the editor, au- is the promise made by so-called
thors, publishers and their to ramp up large manufacturing capacity
turnkey plants, ready-built manufacturing fast – bringing costs down rapidly. How-
employees or agents shall
sites for silicon wafers, cells and modules ever, building a solar factory is a complex
not be responsible or in any
way liable for any errors, that many overseas PV (photovoltaics) business.
omissions or inaccuracies suppliers offer these days.
A plant consists of lots of equipment that
in the publication, whether
arising from negligence or Solar producers benefit from turn- differs according to product and production
otherwise or for any conse- key solutions of this kind because process,” explains Eddy Blokken, the former
quences arising therefrom. Head of Technology and Standards at the
it allows them to ramp up large Semi-Conductor Association Semi Europe
The inclusion or exclusion of
any product does not mean manufacturing capacity fast and an expert in solar manufacturing tech-
that the publisher or editorial nology. For crystalline silicon technologies
board advocates or rejects its Originally these machinery and plant build- the four steps of the value chain – silicon,
use either generally or in any ers only offered equipment for one specific wafer, cell and module production – are
particular field or fields. manufacturing process, manufacturing generally carried out in separate factory
lines were therefore always the product buildings. Each one of these products is
of numerous specialised outfitters. Today, based on many individual process steps:
they supply the complete lines as single- silicon is prepared and crystallised into
source suppliers – commissioned and with blocks; the wafers cut from this are pro-
guaranteed output parameters such as yield, cessed into solar cells by another special

POWER GENERATION
One-stop shopping for all processes

Customers’ needs also differ. “Our clients are either
newcomers in the business with little know-how
under their belt or experienced “solar players” with
a very clear idea about their new manufacturing
site,” says Chris Buckland of the Berlin-based fac-
tory planner ib vogt. Well-established producers
who wish to expand their capacities rely on the
machinery proven to be the best for their process.
“In such cases we prefer to focus on turning their
wishes into reality,” adds Chris.
In contrast, newcomers, such as financial inves-
tors, need assistance in scouting the right location,
infrastructure, planning and construction of the
building as well as the installation of the line. Such
newcomers prefer solar factories that have already
been erected exactly the same way elsewhere and
Building a turnkey factory: employees of Centrotherm install a so-called are tried and tested.
CVD-reactor for silicon production. (Source: Centrotherm)
All by themselves
Chris adds, “Unfortunately, these customers believe
treatment, which are in turn electrically connected,
that turnkey plants run all by themselves. To build
laminated and framed. The production of thin-film
the factory halls and fill them with equipment
modules, on the contrary, is a condensed process
is not the problem. This can be done in twelve
occurring in one building.
months. But the lead-time required until the first
A future producer needs a minimum of five people with marketable products are available is very lengthy
at least five years of PV experience to fill the core with these new producers, “taking six months or
more”. In his experience, a future producer needs
positions for a turnkey factory
a minimum of five people with at least five years of
PV experience to fill the core positions for a turnkey
factory. Otherwise only rejects will be produced for
a long time – probably for too long.
The pioneers in turnkey factories are Centrotherm
and Gebrüder Schmid from southern Germany.
The first lines for manufacturing crystalline cells
were built after the turn of the century. But as the
number of new market entrants rose, the demand
for quick-build greenfield production sites increased
with ever-widening product portfolios.
SMEs now building large giga-factories
This trend towards integrating as many technologies
and process steps as possible continues unabat-
edly. Some companies concentrate on the devel-
opment of new products and processes buying in
the necessary expertise and machinery. This is the
approach taken by Centrotherm, a “heavy weight”
in this industry. With a view to pushing vertical
integration across the entire solar value chain, the
Swabians have taken over a number of specialised
suppliers, Michael Glatt Maschinenbau, a producer
of pressure vessels for silicon reactors, Solmic, the
silicon production expert and GP Solar, the module
line engineering firm.
Other enterprises, on the contrary, enter into strategic
cooperations in order to be able to offer turnkey
plants. A real professional at installing such net-
works is the Schmid Group. It leads a consortium
that has now been joined by many specialised
suppliers. The portfolios of these companies are
complementary and jointly they can install turnkey

POWER GENERATION
wafer, cell and module lines of up to one gigawatt

(GW) capacity.
Given a boost
The turnkey movement was really given a boost
when thin-film mass production started. Companies
such as Applied Materials in the USA, Oerlikon in
Switzerland or Ulvac in Japan “pricked up” their
ears. Leveraging their expertise in plant engineer-
ing for the semi-conductor and flat-panel screen
industry, they’ve started focusing on solar energy
too – and soon became established suppliers of
turnkey PV lines.
Having observed this trend, Arnulf Jäger-Waldau
of the Institute for Environment and Sustainability
at the Joint Research Centre of the EU (JRC) in
Italy says, “In 2007, firms announced that they
would soon offer a turnkey line. By 2009, 20 firms
already offered turnkey solutions.” Without this Turnkey module line robots assume a crucial function – they ensure faster
production. (Reis Robotics)
development, photovoltaics would probably not
have experienced such a rapid growth. According
to the European Photovoltaic Industry Association How a solar module comes into being
(EPIA) global manufacturing capacities for crystal- Many production steps are required to make modules out of silicon.
line and thin-film modules amounted to 15 GW in Usually, silicon is produced by way of chemical distillation in special
2009 from a low of 250 MW in 2000. reactors. Subsequently, it is molten in crucibles, crystallised to form
Automation from the automotive industry ingots, which are then cut by dicing saws into the so-called wafers.
More and more firms are turning to photovolta- These wafers are first cleaned in chemical baths, then etched to
ics to cash in on the PV boom. The OEMs of the produce a surface suitable for collecting light. After this texturing,
crisis-stricken automobile industry especially are the electrical properties of the silicon are set.
now turning their robots “towards the sun” when To this end, a diffusion furnace is used to make phosphor atoms
seeking new buyers of their assembly line exper- migrate into the crystal with the aim of achieving a surfeit of
tise. As Markus Meier, the marketing manager of electrons at the surface – the decisive prerequisite for producing
Kuky Systems in Augsburg, puts it, “Being OEMs electrical energy. Then anti-reflective and deadening layers are
for the automotive industry, the sector boasting applied to the “semi-finished” cells. These ensure that more light
the highest degree of industrialisation, we can enters the cells and can be absorbed.
also make solar factories leaner, faster and more The coating process of choice is chemical vapour deposition (CVD).
flexible.” Kuka delivers module lines with up to In this process, silicon nitride or titanium oxide is deposited on the
100% automation. surface. In the module line, the individual cells are then contacted
Also gaining a firm foothold in the PV sector is the into strings by tabber-stringers and brazed. Subsequently, a lami-
Southern Franconian robot producer Reis Robotics. nator thermally welds this composite cell under vacuum between
Early 2000 still saw them deliver primarily infra- two glass sheets and several plastic films making it weather-proof.
structure for automotive production – today they Finally, the module is fitted in a frame with a junction box and is
are already generating half their sales with solar ready for mounting on roofs or in solar power plants.

POWER GENERATION
equipment and turnkey module lines according to

General Manager, Eberhard Kroth. Having supplied
(car) glass lines for many years, the enterprise boasts
impressive manufacturing technology expertise. The
plants delivered by Reis in 2007 produced modules
with an output of 850 Megawatts (MW); only a year
later this figure had gone up to 1.6 GW.
External expertise
While turnkey module lines are numerous, there
are fewer and fewer turnkey solutions on offer the
closer you get to the beginning of the value chain.
The reason being the complex production of the up-
stream products and silicon, in particular. The British
New dimensions: thin-film module production equipment. Here the Sunfab
by Applied Materials, has a big footprint – posing a big challenge to factory ingot and wafer producer PV Crystalox has erected
planners. (Source: Applied Materials) a silicon plant completely with its own resources
since there was no external expertise available for
Thin-film manufacturing is a continuous process. Contacts and buying in. Plant Manager Hanno Wilhelm knows
semi-conducting materials – layers that are many times thinner why: “There is a great deal of “cloak and dagger” in
than silicon – are applied directly to a substrate (as a rule glass). this segment.” Who would voluntarily provide their
There are different ways to do this: usually physical and chemical competitors with a plan of the complex production
vapour deposition is used. In this process, the semi-conductors are of these valuable semi-conductors?
sputtered or vapour-deposited in sheer layers at high temperatures 2007 finally saw PV Crystalox start building their
in special reactors. In the sputtering process, atoms are extracted facility, which has subsequently gone into operation.
from a solid body by bombarding it with high-energy ions. These But now there are even “off-the-shelf” factories for
condense and are deposited on the substrate. After processing, the elaborate silicon production. Centrotherm launched its
cells are provided with a protective glass sheet. fully integrated factory in spring 2009: the complete
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POWER GENERATION
production from silicon to finished modules is

available for just under EUR 1 billion.
Rapid ramp-up
But what are the benefits of these off-the-
shelf factories? “Clearly the rapid ramp-up
of capacity,” says Jäger-Waldau.
This view is also shared by the well-estab-
lished producers – which is why more and
more of them expand with the help of turnkey
facilities these days. But they use their own
factories as a blueprint, mirroring them on
the adjacent greenfield site, so to speak. Most
equipment suppliers grant output guarantees
that provide for some breathing space in the
initial stages. Alternatively, they can build
a factory based on their own research and
development activities. Checking the core machine: in a horizontal furnace wafers are processed further into
A case in point being the leading thin-film cells. A Centrotherm technician checks its ready status. (Source: Centrotherm)
provider, First Solar. However the drawbacks
of this strategy also become evident: it took
the Americans eight years and $ 140 million to
achieve the ramp-up phase – no new entrant
could afford to wait that long these days.
The downside of turnkey
The downside of turnkey installations is the
restricted possibility of creating USPs so as to
stand out from competitors who are probably
already running the same factory at another
location. “Then you can only stand out with
economies of scale, ie, a faster expansion of
mass production,” says Jäger-Waldau. When
installing the first line, planning for the second
one must already be underway. However,
growth presupposes that the factory opera-
tor will change his business model speedily
Moving in: Oerlikon employees take the first thin-film systems into the factory of the
and accumulate in-house expertise, which is Berlin manufacturer Inventux. (Source: Inventux)
anything but easy considering the enormous
development pace in PV. Small and medium-sized companies are better off
In addition, new equipment cannot just be incor- today specialising in one type of machine rather than
porated into an existing line without any refitting trying to offer turnkey solutions, says Jäger-Waldau.
because there are no uniform standards governing “Modules are commodities and this mass product
this field as yet. The issue of poor compatibility has will in future be manufactured by high-capital global
at least been identified and is now to be addressed. players located in Asia rather than in Europe.”
The PV Group at Semiconductor Equipment and
Materials International (Semi) Europe has evaluated While turnkey module lines are numerous, there are
measures designed to optimise manufacturing pro- fewer and fewer turnkey solutions on offer the closer you
cesses. “This means the best available technology get to the beginning of the value chain
could be easily integrated into existing lines,” says
manufacturing expert Blokken and adds that Semi Enterprises such as Samsung, LG or Hyundai have
already maintains close links with the industry. It already “staked their claim” and will most prob-
will soon be clear whether and what standards will ably be tomorrow’s solar tycoons. These would
be accepted by manufacturers. admittedly also implement turnkey solutions but
Dead-end street in magnitudes that are out of the scope of SMEs.
However, turnkey facilities can also become a This is why specialisation is most probably the
dead-end street for machinery and plant builders. most sustainable strategy for SMEs. They should
Competition is growing and manufacturing technol- concentrate on innovative equipment for the long
ogy innovations are developing fast so that suppliers PV supply chain.
can easily lose track of the latest trends in the race Solarpeq, Sebastian Pflügge/Corinna Kuhn, Email:Pfluegg-
for the most efficient and biggest production line. eS@messe-duesseldorf.de, KuhnC@messe-duesseldorf.de

POWER GENERATION NEWS POWER GENERATION NEWS
ended on Saturday
2 October, with the
Innovation HUB in
Pretoria as the start
and finish line.
The Tokai Chal-
lenger is a project
of the Tokai Uni-
versity in Japan.
Its victory in what
is billed the most
gruelling solar race
on the international
calendar follows a
similar victory at
the recent Austra-
lian Global Green
Challenge.
The solar powered Tokai Challenger completed a total of 4 061 km through South Africa “With a race dis-
tance of over 4
Solar challenge 000 km and elevation differences of 1 700 m, the South
Sunny South Africa was no match for the high speed Tokai African Solar Challenge can easily be described as the tough-
Challenger, Japan’s entrant in this year’s South African Solar est solar race in the world,” says Professor Hideki Kimura,
Challenge. project leader and member of Tokai University’s School of
The sleek solar powered Tokai Challenger completed a total Engineering.
of 4 061 km through South Africa to cross the finish line in The race was organised to emphasise the benefits of envi-
first place. The race started on Thursday 23 September and ronmentally friendly technologies and to give students, in a

POWER GENERATION NEWS
wide range of disciplines, the opportunity to gain valuable Purely renewable

experience. Hansen Transmissions International, an established global
“As this race was such a gruelling event, I believe it was gearbox designer, manufacturer and supplier with a leading
the best possible opportunity for the students to learn about position in the wind turbine gearbox market, has announced
technology, engineering and the environment. I am sure that that it has received an offer for its industrial gearbox division,
these students will introduce major new environmentally Hansen Industrial Transmissions (“HIT”) from Sumitomo
friendly technological innovations to the automotive industry Heavy Industries. The management team and board of Han-
in the near future,” says Kimura-san. sen have evaluated the proposed transaction in detail and
believe it presents a great opportunity for both its industrial
Supporting the driver and crew of the Tokai Challenger was
and wind gearbox businesses.
Toyota Prius vehicles supplied by Toyota South Africa.
Hansen Transmissions has recognised for some time the
“It was a great honour to be part of a project such as this,”
different market dynamics between the wind and industrial
says Johan van Zyl, president and CEO of Toyota South
gearbox businesses, which accounted for 84% and 16%
Africa. “The project not only highlighted the importance of
respectively of its group revenue in FY 2010.
environmentally friendly technology, but it also allowed us
to showcase the Prius, which is one of the boldest steps As a result of the proposed transaction, Hansen Transmis-
yet towards mass produced hybrid and other clean energy sions will focus its future business strategy on wind energy.
vehicles.” The group’s management and board are convinced that this
is the right strategic path that will lead to a stronger and
The Tokai Challenger’s main driver was Kenjiro Shinozuka,
more focused position in a sector with substantial long-term
the first Japanese racing driver to win a World Rally Cham-
opportunities.
pionship event and a Dakar desert race.
Toyota SA, Johan van Zyl, Tel: (011) 809 9111, Fax: (011) 809 2917
Email: jvanzyl@tsb.toyota.co.za, Website: www.toyota.co.za
New pumped storage

ABB has won an order worth $23 million from Eskom
to supply an electrical balance of plant (eBoP) solution
for the Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme (PSS), currently
under construction on the border of the Free State and
KwaZulu-Natal provinces in South Africa.
The Ingula plant will have the capacity to generate 1 333
megawatts (MW) of hydropower to be integrated into the
South African grid, when fully operational in 2014 Hansen Transmissions will now begin the information and
As part of the turnkey eBoP solution for the power plant, consultation process with respect to the contemplated divest-
ABB will be responsible for the design, engineering, sup- ment. The Proposed Transaction requires the Hansen plant in
ply, installation and commissioning of the project. Key Edegem, Belgium, to be restructured before completion. The
products to be supplied include the service and auxiliary restructuring may lead to a headcount reduction in Belgium
transformers, dry-type distribution transformers and me- of up to 125 employees out of a total HIT headcount of 730
dium- and low-voltage switchgear. in seven countries worldwide (514 in Belgium). It is envis-
aged that the management team of HIT will transfer with
“ABB has a strong track record in providing power and HIT on completion of the proposed transaction.
automation solutions that enable pumped storage plants
to operate at high levels of efficiency and reliability,” Following any sale of HIT, Hansen Transmissions plans to
says Franz-Josef Mengede, head of ABB’s global Power discontinue its wind gearbox activities in the Edegem plant,
Generation business in the Power Systems division. “The and concentrate the production, assembly and testing of
Ingula project will generate a significant amount of renew- wind turbine gearboxes in its existing dedicated wind gearbox
able hydropower to help meet the growing demand for facilities. This will reduce Hansen Transmissions’ current
electricity in South Africa.” wind turbine gearbox manufacturing capacity by 1,100 mega
watts (“MW”) (out of a total capacity of 8,700 MW as of
ABB has supplied solutions for more than 300 hydropower 30 September 2010). This reduction in capacity will help
plants ranging from small one or two megawatt instal- reduce the level of over capacity in Hansen Transmissions’
lations to some of the largest hydroelectric and pumped remaining facilities and is reflective of the continued volatility
storage plants in the world. and uncertainty in the global wind energy market.
ABB, Eubulus Pillay, Tel: (043) 317 6480, Fax: (043) 317 6482, Hansen Transmissions SA, Fritz Fourie, Tel: (011) 397 2495,
Email: eubulus.pillay@za.abb.com Fax: (011) 397 2585, Email: ffourie@hansentransmissions.com
Website: www.hansen.co.za

NUCLEAR INSTITUTE (SA BRANCH)
Nuclear City?
Summer’s here. The south-easter is whipping the spray off False Bay and it’s nearly Christmas. A good time
for kite-flying. So how about a nuclear city four or five hundred kilometres north of here on the West Coast?
The idea is sparked by the recent Chinese announcement of a nuclear technology city apparently on their
north coast.
I
t began in this country in the West Coast well north of Saldanha, Duynefontein
1960s with a survey of the (again) thirty kilometres north of Cape Town, and
entire coastline by consult- two on the south coast, Bantamsklip near (but not
ing engineers. I suspect the too near) Bredasdorp and Thuyspunt near St Francis
organisation was Watermeyer, Bay. Thuyspunt appears to be favoured - much to
Legge, Piesold and Uhlmann. the understandable dismay of local people.
One of their preferred sites, The Brits have just been through a similar exercise.
Duynefontein, came on the They have a concept they call IROPI meaning that
market in 1966 and was there are Imperative Reasons of Overriding Public
snapped up for R167 000. Interest why a particular site must be reserved
Or it came on the market in for nuclear development. They have identified ten
1967 and was snapped up for such sites, eight being associated with existing
R166 000. I’ve never been or already decommissioned nuclear units. All are
quite sure which. Either way, IROPI. The criteria used in the selection process
it was earmarked for Koeberg. are identified in the March/April edition of the UK
It was a good site but not Nuclear Institute journal ‘Nuclear Future’.
perfect. The shallow off-shore
John Walmsley It grieves me whenever any pleasant stretch of
conditions were always going
to complicate extracting vast coastline is given over to industrial or even resi-
volumes of clean seawater and there was concern dential development. Do we give sufficient weight
about the regional population. It was not so much to aesthetic values? How would a major nuclear
the proximity of Cape Town which was within complex on the out of sight, relatively out of mind
nuclear norms at that time but of Atlantis. West Coast match up to the UK criteria?
In those days of apartheid, Atlantis was intended to There are twelve basic criteria grouped into four
grow into a major Coloured city. In 1972, therefore, themes: nuclear safety, environmental protection,
before the Koeberg decision was irrevocable, Eskom societal issues and operational requirements. Two
took another look at the coastline from Saldanha of the twelve are called ‘Exclusionary’ namely
round to Cape Hangklip, and duly satisfied itself demographic risks, i.e. proximity to population
that no site better than Duynefontein had been centres, and proximity to military activities. In
overlooked. South Africa we might add a third: seismic risk.
From early Koeberg studies, I recall that there are
Thuyspunt appears to be favoured - much to the fault lines trending north west, for example through
understandable dismay of local people Saldanha.
This was all seven years before Three Mile Island. The ten ‘Discretionary’ criteria are all recognisable
In our nuclear arrogance at that time, the core-melt as aspects studied in the EIA process for the next
scenario was regarded as ‘beyond design basis’, in Eskom units, which process rejected the West Coast
other words incredible. The Germans, for example, sites as too remote. Are we sure? One day we might
were known to be considering siting a nuclear station have to take another look. Maybe the nuclear city
in the middle of the BASF chemical complex. amenities could be shared with the solar plants
proposed for the area. Transmission to Gauteng
Later in the seventies Eskom relooked at a number and coastal load centres would be enormously
of sites in Natal. None was deemed suitable. In expensive but perhaps justifiable.
most cases the informal population right up the
coast was considered too great and too difficult to There is no space here to consider the UK or South
mobilise for emergency evacuation planning. African criteria as they apply to the West Coast
but it’s fun to speculate. To come to anything, any
Overriding public interest radical idea must be taken up and forced through
Then, in the 1980s, realising that developers were ranks of sceptics by a visionary Messiah. So, Mes-
fast buying up the coastline and wishing to get a siah, if you are reading this, please give the matter
foot in the door, Eskom launched a major and much some thought.
more professional review. Scores of potential sites
John Walmsley
were evaluated and whittled down to two on the

THE SA INSTITUTE OF TRIBOLOGY
New Faces
The absence of Basset Bodies at this year’s
tournament at Glenvista Country Club meant
the battle for honours was a heated affair.
A
request made from last year was that the
event be moved to October as opposed to
the usual August when the Johannesburg
winds and winter contribute to some miser-
able playing conditions. Despite the late rains this
year, the course was still in excellent condition and
the day provided some outstanding golf especially
on the Power Play holes in breezy conditions.
Adding pressure
The personnel from Golf Guys were once again on the
first tee adding pressure with their cameras for the
Swing Analysis CD which is given to all competitors
Hole sponsor, Doug Herschell, on the 9th
analysing their individual swing.

Of course this is the nine holes
where the Power Play begins with
players nominating at least three
holes as Power Play holes where
double points can be made by
going for the Power Play Jolly
Roger Flags on the greens.
A tough day
The team from Chemimpo were
having a tough day which was
going from bad to worse as they
brought up the rear and then
lost their score card which was
probably fortunate for them.
Their consolation prize for the
longest day out in the sun was
an umbrella each donated by
the Rose Foundation. Further-
more, Basil Collins received a
prize for getting his ball closest
to the pin and Richard Rice
was rewarded for delivering the
longest drive.
The prize-giving dinner was once
again held in the Glenvista Club
House and it was S. Mahoa, I.
Merafe, Zeyd Timol and Bev
Heuwel team from Engen who
took top honours. A close second
place was the Clive Rice fourball
with C. Rice, R. Rice, K. Lubesi
and G. Curry. This team was af-
fectionately known as the Curry
and Rice team.
Enquiries: Gill Fuller, Tel : (011)
802-5146, Fax: (011) 804-4972,
Email: secretary@sait.org.za, www.
sait.org.za
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HEATING & COOLING
Keeping Industry Cool

At face value, one cooling tower looks and functions just like
the next one, but it’s the subtle differences inside that actu-
ally make one better than the other. A big differentiator be-
tween two products, however, is the service that goes with it,
especially when it directly affects the pocket of the end-user.
I
ndustrial Cooling Towers, based in Alrode south
of Johannesburg, is a company that has been
around for over twenty two years. To catch up
with developments in this sector, “SA Mechanical
Engineer” meets with director Tom Kenny.
The only company that manufactures our own unique

cooling tower design Director of Industrial Cooling Towers, Tom Kenny (left)
with manager, Henk Oosthuizen
One and only
“We’re the only company that manufactures our
Oosthuizen. “We’ve also paid special attention to
own unique cooling tower design entirely in South
energy saving solutions and now have configura-
Africa,” he says. “Most others cooling towers are
tions that are aimed at reducing the overall energy
manufactured under licence from an overseas brand,
consumption of a cooling plant. This includes using
so companies such as these tend to purely offer a
four small motorised fans rather than one large one
product rather than a turnkey solution as we do.”
that has to run all day. Through PLC control, the
“Over the years we’ve improved our open circuit four fans are switched on and off as the demand
design by making subtle differences inside the for cooling goes up or down.”
tower to improve air flow,” adds manager, Henk
Maintenance
A large chunk of ICT’s work consists of servicing
cooling towers, from the smallest single fibre glass
tower to the large hyperbolic concrete towers typically
found at power stations. “We have tower installations
across Africa in industries that range from plastic
injection moulding to the petro-chemical industry
as well as the mining industry, both underground
and surface towers,” says Tom.
“Apart from several service teams up here in Gauteng,
we’ve just established a branch in Cape Town that
will service that area initially, but as we gain a
foothold, we intend setting up a manufacturing
facility down there.”
The Cinderella
Servicing cooling towers is one of the most neglected
aspects on many plants especially if end-users
choose to do it themselves. “The cooling tower is
usually tucked away at the back of plant, so people
tend to forget about it,” says Henk. “They don’t
always realise that a more efficient cooling tower
directly affects the efficiency of other machinery,
including energy efficiency. Generally, the cooler a
process machine runs, whether it is a dry-cleaning
process or injection moulding, the more efficient it
is in terms of energy consumption.
“The cooling plant tends to be the Cinderella
of most industrial setups where neglect usually
costs more than a service would have cost,” adds
A cooling tower in operation Henk. “Yet, a service isn’t that complex. In a fibre

HEATING & COOLING
Big brother Refurbished towers

and a The fibre glass cooling towers ICT builds have a
smaller
version in long life as the body lasts many years, while all
the ICT the steel inside the unit is usually stainless. “There
factory is a good market for refurbished cooling towers,”
says Henk. “We can provide a refurbished system
for about 60% of the cost of a new one. Consider-
ing that refurbishment entails replacing everything
inside with new parts, this is a very good option
because it’s in fact just the fibre glass shell that’s
old. A refurbished tower leaving our factory looks
and operates as well as a new one.”
The same principle applies to fans, a crucial ele-
ment in any cooling tower. “Instead of replacing
fibreglass fan blades, we refurbish and rebalance
them to make them stronger than new blades and
at a much reduced cost,” says Henk. “Our inducted
draught counter flow cooling towers use axial fans
which are aerodynamically more efficient than
the norm. They are positioned on top of the tower
above the fill pack and distribution system, and
glass tower, for example, we simply replace the coupled with the aerodynamically efficient shape
fill material, clean nozzles or replace them where of the tower form, ensure superior performance
necessary. Servicing a hyperbolic tower involves a continuously.
bit more where we inspect and clean an area of
about 6 000 square metres and there are usually We put our thinking caps on to build the
more mechanical repairs that need to be taken cooling plant onto a skid system
care of as well.”
More than service
“Service is our motto,” says Henk and to prove this,
he cites an example. “Regardless of the size of the
cooling plant, we’re always prepared to go out and
solve a problem by customising a solution to the
client’s specific problem,” he says.
“An international company who needed more than
just a cooling tower off the shelf approached us
the other day with a very specific requirement.
We put our thinking caps on and came up with
a solution to build the cooling plant onto a skid
system, something that no-one else in the industry
even considered doing. Needless to say they were
impressed and we’re only too happy to add them
to our list of long-term customers.”
Innovation
Energy saving is the first thing most people ask for
these days and to oblige, ICT constantly comes up
with ideas to save customers money. “Our concept
of having four small electric motors instead of one
large fan motor, for example, has many spin-off
benefits,” Tom says in conclusion.
“Apart from running them in direct relation to
demand, if one of the motors fails, you still have
75% of the fans running and the whole processing
plant doesn’t necessarily have to grind to a halt.
It’s also quicker to replace one small motor than
racing against time to replace the one and only
large motor, never mind the repair or replacement
Tsubaki lubrication-free free roller chain is designed for high power transmis-
costs associated with the large motor.”
sion efficiency and reduced downtime in diverse industrial applications Henk Oosthuizen, Industrial Cooling Towers, Tel: (011)
868-4756. Email: ict1@pixie.co.za

HEATING & COOLING
Airing Buildings
Economically
Any energy saving is a bonus especially in building air han-
dling systems because this is an area where there’s a lot of
energy waste, mainly because systems have traditionally run
continuously day and night pumping conditioned air at a con-
stant volume. Michael Muller
B
ut if this volume could be co-ordinated to
vary with thermal load demand, things could
be very different. Today this is achieved
with a variable air volume (VAV) diffuser
system that senses the requirements in different
areas in a building and releases optimum air volume
into each area as required. Lee-Ann Drennan
Solved the perennial problem of one person liking it hot of controlling air flow and
which means that everyone else has to just live with a temperature. With our sys-
particular master setting tem, you’re able to group any
number of diffusers together
Europair Africa, based in Spartan outside Johannes- and the groups can then be
burg, has come up with a brand new VAV diffuser controlled individually.
design, entirely built in South Africa. To learn more, “For example, in a retail area
“SA Mechanical Engineer” meets general manager, you can set all the diffusers
Lee-Ann Drennan. “This is our first new product over the bakery area to a
line in a while,” she says. “Aimed at extending our certain temperature for that
service to the industry by addressing energy sav- group while the groups in
ing, we have added new features which optimise another areas can be set to Grilles on the production line
air distribution to ensure less energy consumption different temperatures,” adds
throughout a building when heating or cooling.” Michael. “In an office environment, you’ve solved
Individual control the perennial problem of one person liking it hot
Basically, the new VAV which means that everyone else has to just live
diffusers function entirely with a particular master setting. Our system offers
autonomously. The units individual control for each and every Diffuser.”
can however be grouped Remote control
into specific areas in a But that’s not all! Europair has also added remote
building according to the control and networking functionality. A service pro-
function of the area and vider can now go into the system over the internet
each diffuser and/or group and not only change settings, but also diagnose
of diffusers can then be problems. “By logging onto the system through the
controlled individually de- internet with a certain code you’ll be able to see
pending on the specific if a diffuser has a problem and even delve down
requirement of each area. further to find which part of the diffuser is causing
“Usually, the VAV diffuser the problem,” says Michael.
system is controlled by one
master controller that in “Let’s say a heater element has failed, the system
turn controls several slave will tell you exactly where the diffuser is located
units,” explains regional and provide you with the part number, thus totally
manager Michael Muller eliminating the practice of sending a technician out
who heads up the devel- to find out what the problem is and what parts will
opment team. “The slave be needed to fix it. Also eliminating the second trip
units then mimic the master then necessary to undertake the repair once the
Alice Lane Towers, one of EuropAir’s projects controller settings in terms offending part has been sourced.

HEATING & COOLING
The team working on this project are busy with

the final concatenation of the system as we speak.
A prototype demonstration unit will be set up at
Europair’s fully interactive showroom in Spartan,
before the end of this year. “For now a full working
animated 3D model of the system has been completed
to clearly show prospective clients the effects and
advantages of this unique system,” says Michael.
Flex manufacture by EuropAir
“We’ve already started getting the production line
in the factory ready to prepare for production and
the first units should be ready early next year.”
Another enhancement to the new diffuser system
actively reduces the energy consumption of air handling SABS mark
systems “Our young dynamic team have worked very hard at
getting this proudly South African product to market
Sensing conditions
as quickly as possible and it’s now all falling into
“Everyone is going ‘green’ and to this end we’ve
place,” Lee-Ann says in conclusion. “Besides the
added yet another enhancement to the new diffuser
new VAV diffuser, which presents a whole range of
system to actively reduce the energy consumption
new options for our customers, our huge existing
of air handling systems,” adds Michael. “Our new
product range is under constant review so that we
infrared device is fitted to the system to monitor
always bring the best solution to market. Our full
movement. If there is no movement in an area, like
range of fire dampers, for example, has just been
an office or boardroom for example, the sensor will
awarded the SABS mark after extensive testing
shut the system off for that particular area. We can
whereas previously only our econo-dampers car-
also build in a certain amount of intelligence where
ried the mark.”
the conditions of the area are monitored by sensors
and the system reacts accordingly by balancing air Lee-Ann Drennan, EuropAir Africa, Tel: (011) 974-2425,
handling requirements.” Email: Lee-AnnD@europair.co.za
102780
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BEARINGS & LUBRICATION
Lubes in a BIG Box…

Sometimes it takes just a simple enquiry from a customer to challenge a company’s zest for creativity and
innovation to come up with something completely new. If this leads to a whole new product line that will open
the doors for many others, it’s a bonus where everyone reaps the benefits.
T
his is what happened to Prolube Mar- the option of installing the system and pipe work
keting when a customer asked whether or we can do it for him or her,” explains Chris. “If
the lube systems they required for their we’re merely supplying all the components for a
SAG mills could not be pre-assembled lube system, it can turn into a nightmare for the
to a degree locally before shipping all the way customer especially if the plant is in a remote area
to the Republic of Guinea on the West coast of such as Guinea where there are no technicians with
Africa. This triggered the engineers at Prolube experience in setting up a centralised lubrication
to start thinking out the box in order to get a system consisting of mechanical, electrical and
complete working lube system into a box. “SA electronic components working together as one
Mechanical Engineer” speaks to Chris Erasmus system.
about the pre-commissioned lube system in
The new way
a container that they developed.
Chris Erasmus “Just this scenario led to the request from an
Australian company in Guinea to make assembly
Building the whole working lube plant into a container,
on the other side a little simpler,” continues Chris.
pre-commissioning it “Although nothing like it exists, they immediately
liked our suggestion of pre-rigging the system in a
The old way
cargo container. This concept eventually turned into
“Normally we build a lube system, partially or
actually building the whole working lube plant into
complete, in our workshop and then the client has
a container, pre-commissioning it right here in our
workshop and then shipping it to site as
a complete unit. They now simply con-
nect the oil flow to the lube points on
the mill, connect our signal outputs to
their PLC system, plug in the electricity
supply and start up the system.”
Skills shortage
Often, especially in remote areas, com-
missioning on site can take forever, re-
quiring specialist technicians in different
fields to sort out problems. “Our ‘lubes
in a box’ concept means we don’t have
to send our specialists all the way out
there to fine tune the programming, a
critical factor in commissioning a lube
system,” says Chris.
“In this case all they have to do on site is
lay a concrete foundation for the container
The huge fans for cooling the oil circulate air through the container and possibly rig a roof covering over it.

Tough learning curve

But, it’s wasn’t all plain
sailing for the engineers
and technicians at Prolube’s
workshop. In the two months
it took to build the four
containerised lube units, the
learning curve was steep.
Apart from having to fit all
the components of the system
into a confined space, it was
a case of placing compo-
nents, marking cut-outs in
the walls, removing it all,
placing it again, shifting stuff
around, re-marking and so
on until everything became
accessible and connectable
and placed just right.
The metering, controls and serviceable parts are open and reachable in
Only then could they actually
a well lit environment make final markings and do
the cut-outs for pipe connec-
tions, air inlets, radiator grills, power points and
When the container arrives, they connect the pipe
light fittings. To save space, a roller door was cut
work to the mill and lay on the power supply, as
into the side of the container and, before everything
the lube system has been set up to the specific
was finally affixed permanently, the container walls
requirements of the mill, programmed and tested
had to be insulated with a fibre material behind
beforehand in our workshop back home.”
neat wood panels.
This system could be used for any

situation or where portability of the lube
system is required
Impressions
Our visit to the workshop coincided with the final
testing of the units. First impressions were of a very
neat lube room as you’d find in any fixed installa-
tion, but on closer inspection we could sympathise
with the huge achievement of getting the layout just
right. Yet standing inside the container, it didn’t
feel cramped despite all the metering, controls and
serviceable parts being open and reachable in a
well lit environment.
“Although this system has been built specifically for
a mill application, it could be used for any situation
where the site is remote and commissioning by
experienced engineers is a problem or where por-
tability of the lube system is required,” says Chris.
“For example, we’ve been involved in a number of
projects lately where mills are moved to another
location and in the process new lube rooms have
to built form scratch as it normally is a permanent
structure that can’t be moved with the mill.”
Chris says in conclusion, “The African continent
is increasingly looking south for solutions and as-
sistance. This particular product shows that we
have the knack down here to address the unique
challenges Africa presents.”
Chris Erasmus, Prolube Marketing, Tel: (011) 886-1460,
Email: prolube@netactive.co.za

Greasing the Gears

When it comes to centralised lubrication systems, people assume they have to get the Full Monty right from
the start and they end up getting nothing because it’s just too much in one go. Yet, fitting an automated
lubrication system doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg as it isn’t always necessary to fit a complete
centralised system for an entire plant all at the same time.
E
veryone knows that bearings Selective installation
have to be lubricated with the “You needn’t go the whole hog on a lubrication
right type of lubricant, the right system to achieve optimum functionality,” he
amount and at the right time. says. “We’ve found that it’s more often a case of
To achieve this, there are specific main- considering a specific methodology in terms of
tenance solutions to ensure optimum maintenance because it may not be necessary to
bearing life in machinery. To find out fit every single lubrication point on a plant to an
more about this scientific approach to automated or centralised system.
lubrication in practice “SA Mechanical
“For example, only 80% of the lube points on a
Engineer” speaks to Sarel Froneman,
plant may be in critical areas where most of the
manager of Lubrication Solutions at SKF
problems arise and these areas should be addressed
South Africa.
first,” Sarel adds. “Through a thorough analysis of
the plant, all the main problem areas are identi-
Sarel Froneman fied and attended to, usually eliminating the
core lubrication problems without having to
weigh maintenance up against the cost of a
complete system.”
Only 80% of the lube points on a plant

may be in critical areas where most of
the problems arise
Reducing failure
By the same token, the cheapest system is not always
the most cost effective solution, especially in the
long term and real benefits can only be achieved
by talking to professionals who can scale a system
to each individual need. “Our lubrication systems
have been developed to prevent repair work
and production breaks caused by machinery
failures,” says Sarel.
“Systems can be configured in custom engineered
designs to lubricate from single machines right
through to a complete process plant. Centralised
lubrication systems feed lubricant from a
central source to all the points on a machine
at which friction occurs. In this way, wear is
minimised and in oil circulation systems, it also
plays the important role of removing impurities and
dissipating the heat generated by the friction.”
A needs analysis
“In our experience, automatic lubrication reduces
bearing failures by more than 36% compared
with manual lubrication with the attendant
significant savings in repair and spare part costs,”
says Sarel. “In many instances we can bring about
savings of up to 70% just in lubricant costs due to
The multilube lubrication accurate timing and dosing of lubricants.”
system
SKF’s lubrication division in South Africa is relatively

An assortment of “In such a case, our tribology specialist analyses

components for
lubrication systems the whole plant to determine how many lube points
can be done by hand, which points are inaccessible,
how many points are in dangerous zones and so
on. We also determine what types of lubricants,
grease or oil are needed in each of the zones or
where standard lubricants may contaminate the
product being produced.
Designing the system
“Once we’ve run the analysis, we design the system
accordingly by grouping lube points into manual
serviceable points, by grades of standard and special
greases and finally automate the lubrication of points
that are critical or inaccessible. You can even group
those points that need very specific dosages.
The right lubricant
The right type or grade of lubricant is as important
as having lubricant in the bearing in the first place.
new, but the engineers have already had their fair This is an area where SKF has carried out extensive
share in introducing and practically applying the research and development for many years. “Even
principles of this extended service locally. “One of the very best bearing can only show optimum
our recent projects was with a client who sought a performance if it is lubricated correctly,” Sarel says
‘total lubrication management programme neces- in conclusion. “Here, it is extremely important to
sitating a comprehensive custom needs analysis,” choose the right bearing lubricant and to apply it at
explains Sarel. the most suitable interval and in a specific way.”
Automatic lubrication reduces bearing failures by more Sarel Froneman, SKF South Africa, Tel: (011) 821-3534,
Email: sarel.froneman@skf.com
than 36% compared with manual lubrication
Wishing all our readers a good break and a great New Year from the crew at Promech who pulled out all the stops for our annual
fancy-dress. The theme was “C” and Kowie arrived as Caspar the semi-friendly looking ghost. Cleopatra and Cinderella added
glamour while Surita the cricket captain is next to the construction crew. On the left, Sean - the politically incorrect cripple. A
cowboy, a chef, a colourful clown with bad eyesight and a mix of culture revved up by the cheerleader, completed the line-up.

Market Forum
No slipping
Kumba Resources’ Sishen South Project’s
screening plant is being fabricated,
erected and commissioned by Tubular
Technical Construction, which conducted
a comprehensive survey of the market to
source a supplier who could guarantee
delivery, quality and reliability of specific
products.
“Tubular ’s contribution to the project
includes 1 300 tons of structural steel,
1 200 tons of platework and 2 500
square metres of flooring,” explains
Tubular ’s contracts manager, Leonard
Langford. “Of this, some 2 000 square
metres consists of grating, with about
2 500 stair treads and all the relevant
handrailing and kickplates.
Kumba specified RS40 standard products,
with a particular emphasis on “real”
non-slip grating. Andrew Mentis was
the only manufacturer in the industry to
be able to supply this specific product.
“Andrew Mentis’ non-slip grating has a
pinched dimple which guarantees the
non-slip characteristic,” Leonard points
The Palla Mill
is suitable for wet out. “Other gratings have a cut-out on
and dry applications the top of the bearer bar which actually
in primary and secondary weakens the product.”
grinding and for pulverising
materials of any hardness
Andrew Mentis (Pty) Ltd, Elaine van Rooyen
Tel: (011) 255-3200, Website: www.mentis.
co.za
Ultra fine grinding

“The Palla Mill has a major advantage over other such ma- The non-slip characteristics of this floor
grating are effective in all directions
chines as it is capable of grinding more than 100 different
materials, including a range of minerals and commodities
previously considered unviable due to the costs involved,”
Johannes Kottmann, managing director of MBE Minerals,
says.
Designed as a single-mass vibrator operating in the super-
critical zone of materials fracture, the vibrating structure
is excited by unbalanced weights comprising two parallel
grinding cylinders joined by webs.
These two parallel tubes are rigidly mounted in a frame and
elastically separated from a base frame by rubber springs.
The tubes can be lined with steel or ceramic depending on
the application requirements and may be charged with rods,
balls or cylpebs.
The tubes are excited by eccentric drives mounted in the
frame, creating a circular action of the tubes. Material passed
into the tubes is comminuted between the oscillating grind-
ing elements.
Another advantage is that operation of the vibrating mill can
be either continuous or intermittent. Grinding can be carried
out in an atmosphere of inert, protective or reactive gas and
at temperatures well below zero if necessary.
MBE Minerals SA (Pty) Ltd, Johannes Kottmann, Tel: (011) 397
4660

Market Forum
King of the road Nations’ preferred Mine Protection Vehicle and Armoured
Do you know what it feels like to control 1100Nm and Personnel Carrier.
have the ability to withstand the blast of 21kg of TNT? Ever It is a formidable workhorse and a benchmark in the demining
wondered what it would feel like to be the King of the Road? industry. Mechem recently re-launched the very popular Casspir
Never to be intimidated by double-cab bakkies, bulky Hum- MK-II, thirty-one years after it first came off the production
mers, daunting 4x4s and terrorising taxi-drivers? line (the first Casspir was built in 1979 by TFM).
The Casspir IV may not have speed, or even beauty on its “Mechem took the strategic decision to build this configura-
side, but for sheer show-of-force, in-your-face presence this tion again due to the great demand still in the market. In
in the only vehicle to own. the last few years, most of these vehicles were re-manu-
One of South Africa’s legendary military icons has been up- factured from hulls bought from SAPS auctions and tender
dated to be stronger, faster, lower and wider and ever-more processes causing depletion in actionable stock. There was
able to protect its occupants. The Casspir has starred in the also concern over the supply of spare parts,” says Mechem
Oscar-nominated film District Nine, proudly served South CEO, Ashley Williams.
Africa since the early eighties, and subsequently become an Mechem (Pty) Ltd, Henry Abrahams, Tel: (012) 640 3002, Fax: (012)
international icon of environmental security as the United 664 3528
Reliable and accurate

BMG ’s technical resources division
has extended its range of SPM condi-
tion monitoring systems to include the
new VibChecker portable instrument,
designed for reliable on-site vibration
measurement and assessment.
“The new VibChecker maintenance
tool supports BMG’s BearingChecker,
which is used to accurately assess the
condition of rolling element bearings
during operation in equipment like
motors, fan, pumps and gearboxes,”
says Dave Russell, technical director
of BMG – Bearing Man Group.
“The VibChecker gives early warn-
ing signs of developing machine
problems in order to prevent pre-
mature replacement of machine
parts. Vibration monitoring is the BMG VibChecker and BearingChecker

Market Forum
most widely used preventative maintenance technique for “Bellmer Winklepress belt presses have been used successfully
the accurate assessment of the condition of machinery ele- in Southern Africa for many years in municipal wastewater
ments – like pump rotors, fan impellors, gearbox gears and treatment plants and in the paper and fruit juice industries.
housing mountings. With this mobile press, we hope to extend significantly the
The VibChecker is designed for simple vibration checks and applications in which it will be used,” says Marius.
with built in FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) capabilities, it is He adds that BET will be demonstrating its performance and
also an efficient device for troubleshooting. Periodic vibration efficiency to clients’ with the aim of using that demonstration
checks are easily done and reliable and accurate vibration to build full-scale dewatering plants for those sites.
information is delivered in seconds. Readings are immedi- The parameters that can be assessed in such a demonstration
ately and automatically evaluated according to established include: hydraulic loading, dry solids loading, polyelectrolyte
ISO standards. These standards make the assumption that consumption, cake dry solids concentration, filtrate solids
limited information - obtained easily and at low cost - is as concentration, overall capture rate, and the establishment
useful as a detailed analysis, using expensive equipment of the cost for dewatering the sludge.
and elaborate techniques.
Bateman Engineered Technologies, Marius Botha, Tel: (011)
BMG–Bearing Man Group, Dave Russell, Tel: (011) 620 1500 201 2300, Email: marius.botha@bateman-bet.com
Email:daver@bmgworld.net, Web: www.bmgworld.net
Mobile dewatering plant Real world efficiency

Johnson Controls Systems & Service has recently launched
Bateman Engineered Technologies (BET) is to launch a
the York Magnetic Centrifugal Chiller (YMC2), which offers
Bellmer Winklepress Mobile Dewatering Belt Press for sewage
superior efficiency and sound performance.
and effluent. The press will be used in mining, municipal
and general industrial applications. BET Water and Effluent The YMC² chiller is 10 percent more efficient than con-
manager, Marius Botha says that a demonstration unit will ventional, variable-speed chillers. Proven magnetic-bearing
shortly be assembled with the full commercial technology is utilised to eliminate mechanical-contact losses
roll-out following soon thereafter. in the driveline. The industry-leading OptiSpeed variable-speed
drive has been improved, and efficiency of the evaporator has
been enhanced with an advanced “falling-film” design.
In addition, the features that always made York chillers so
efficient have been retained, including the optimised
centrifugal compressor that takes advantage
of low-temperature cooling-tower
water to save energy.
As a result, the YMC²
chiller offers the best
real-world efficiency
in the industry.
“The new YMC2
chiller is ideal for
large sites and envi-
ronments and offers
an energy efficient
solution for chilling
which is becoming
increasingly impor-
tant with current
environmental is-
sues,” comments
Neil Cameron, gen-
eral manager for
Johnson Controls
Bateman Engineered Technologies is to launch a Bellmer winklepress mobile dewatering belt press for sewage Building Efficiency:
and effluent Systems and Ser-

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42 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Advanced

Nov/Dec 2010Materials Today September 2007 39
Market Forum
vice, South Africa. “This is also our first centrifugal ‘bear- design working off the hydraulic advantage in the pipeline.
ing-less’ chiller which means lower maintenance and less Fluctuations in the flow trigger a switch between set pressure
wear and tear.” points, resulting in a truly automatic valve requiring no power
Johnson Controls systems, Russell Hattingh, Tel (011) 921 7100, Email: source, no batteries and very little maintenance.
Neil.Cameron@jci.com, Website: www.johnsoncontrols.com Customer support is provided in the form of site surveying
and data logging both pre- and post-installation. The product
can be retrofitted to older valves already installed.
DFC Water welcomes the opportunity for trial installations
to prove product viability before purchase.
Dynamic Fluid Control (Pty) Ltd, Henry Smith, Tel: (011) 748-
0200, Fax: (011) 421-2749, E-mail: hobsmith@dfc.co.za
A trio
DFC Water has launched three new pressure reducing
valves for municipal demand management applications.
The valves, imported and assembled locally, conserve water
by reducing leakage and improving the efficiency of water
reticulation systems. They also save energy and help prevent
pipe breaks.
Staying the course

Voith Turbo secured three orders from
Sasol Synfuels for the supply of five off
Redundant I/H Converters and seven off
Trip Shut-off Modules (TSM 2-o-o-3)
for the protection and control of steam
turbines on the company’s Oxygen East
plant in Secunda.
“After numerous discussions with and
presentations to Sasol Synfuels on the
two products, Sasol Synfuels decided
on our solution”, says Corrie du Randt,
Manager of Voith Witbank. He adds that
he attended a training seminar in July
2009 in Crailsheim, Germany, where
he gained more invaluable knowledge
on the Redundant Converters and Trip
Shut-off Modules. After presenting
this additional product information to
the customer, Sasol Synfuels placed
an order for another Redundant I/H
converter.
Cla-Val 98-Series Corrie attributes the success of securing
the three orders to good relationships
and quality of products and service. “First of all, I believe that
All three of the new valves automatically adjust downstream our long-term relationship with Sasol played a significant role.
pipe pressure upward or downward according to changes Secondly, a number of products that we supplied to Sasol
in demand. Recent installation trials yielded water savings over the years continue to operate successfully, proving their
averaging 20 000 kilolitres per valve per month. This trans- quality performance and reliability. In the third instance, our
lates into a monthly monetary saving of R80 000. in-depth product knowledge and expertise were important
The first of the new pressure reducing valves (PRVs) is the contributing factors as we not only supply the products but
90-35 dual-stage Cla-Val model eSmart L1. This is a time- or study the problem and take all the variables into account to
flow-based design with two set pressures defined according find the optimum solution for the customer.
to historic data logging of the water network, and a battery- “Over the years we have shown that once our product is
operated smart control making the switch between the two installed, we don’t walk away, but continue supporting our
set pressures at pre-determined times or flows. customers through advice, training and service. The result
The second PRV is the PCM 90-41 eSmart L2 incorporating is that customers have confidence not only in our products
the e-Drive 33, in which system flow is used to trigger a but also in our people”.
switch between various set pressures. Third in the line-up Voith Turbo, Roy Webster, Tel: (011) 418 4036,Fax: (011) 418 4080,
of new models is the Cla-Val 98-Series, a flow modulating Email: roy.webster@voith.com

Market Forum
Frothing with success new control components. “The machine used to be a hard-
Weir Minerals Africa has received its first orders for Warman wired relay and contactor control system that required a lot
horizontal AHF froth pumps in Africa. These pumps will be of cabling and was difficult to reconfigure. A Profibus system
installed in Namibia and in a copper plant situated in the has been used to minimise cabling between machines and
DRC. control. The new system includes a Bosch Rexroth L40 PLC
with VEP40 colour touch screen. The client was very happy
Derek Marsden, projects manager at Weir Minerals Africa,
with the user friendliness of the interface,” enthuses Georg
says it is significant that these pumps were selected in place
Venter, Divisional Manager - Electric Drives and Controls,
of the more traditional vertical tank froth pumps. “The ma-
Tectra Automation.
jor advantage of this pump is its capacity to handle higher
froth factors due to the vane profile on the impeller and the Hytec provided the hydraulic manifold block and worked
oversized inlet. It also has a smaller footprint,” he says. together with the client to integrate the old hydraulics into
the new. “The press is recipe driven with the parameters
Designed around the Warman AH pump, the
programmed in. The client’s re-
Warman horizontal AHF froth pump has the
quirements were to regulate and
same proven bearing assemblies.
influence the speed and force of
Derek says that four
the press, which we were able
components differ-
to do with the Bosch Rexroth
entiate it from a
A4V750 horsepower controlled
conventional AH
pumps that we installed,”
pump including
explains Maurice Bloemendal,
the open-vaned
Technical Manager, Hytec.
impeller, the
throat- Benefits of this system are stepless
bush, programming with no mechanical
t h e components to maintain; and
front programme changes that can be
cover made on site.
and the Hytec Holdings (Pty) Ltd , Willem Gijzelaar,
joint ring. Tel: (011) 979 4630 , Fax: (011) 979 4635,
“ The open- Email: willemg@hyhold.co.za
vaned impel-
ler induces
tenacious froths
and has been engi-
neered specifically
to hook and draw
the froth into the eye
of the impeller,” Derek explains.
The Warman AHF froth pump
“The oversized throat-bush or inlet can
handle large volumes of froth which ensures
efficient transfer of the product, and the front
cover is obviously larger as a result of the
large inlet.”
Weir Minerals Africa (Pty) Ltd , Rene Calitz, Tel:
(011) 929 2622, Website: www.weirminerals.com
As good as new
Tectra Automation and Hytec joined forces in
a project to upgrade an old and out-of-use
vehicle parts press in the production line for
MA Automotive, a motor parts manufacturer in
Rosslyn, Pretoria. The old 201 press needed
improved functionality; with more user-friendly
electrical controls with increased capacity.
Hytec upgraded the hydraulics, the pumps,
valves and electronic control valves, while Contracted by MA Automotive, Hytec upgraded the hydraulics, the pumps and the
Tectra Automation was responsible for the valves for the vehicle press upgrade

Market Forum
Low pressure applications ZS blower series, offer pressure derivatives of 750 or 1200
Atlas Copco’s ZS blower range, which uses the concept of mbar. Both the ZE-ZA compressor range and the ZS blower
internal compression as opposed to external compression series use IP55 electric motors.
relied on by the traditional “Roots” type lobe blowers, is Atlas Copco South Africa Pty Ltd, Wayne Jacobs, Tel: (011) 821 9120,
on average 30% more energy efficient than the roots-type Fax: (011) 821 9106, Email: wayne.jacobs@za.atlascopco.com,
lobe blower and is ideally suited for applications such as Website: www.atlascopco.co.za
wastewater treatment and pneumatic
conveying.
The introduction of air blowers using
internal compression instead of external
compression sets a new standard for
energy efficiency in the low-pressure
market. This is the main conclusion of a
technical whitepaper published by Atlas
Copco’s Oil-free Air Division, explaining
the differences between screw technol-
ogy and the traditional ‘Roots’ type lobe
technology.
The detailed technical whitepaper dem-
onstrates that, with a thermodynamic
approach, internal compression is more
efficient than external compression from
0.4 bar(e) / 5.8 psi(g) upwards. Tests,
witnessed and certified by the indepen-
dent Technische Überwachungs-Verein
(German Technical Monitoring Associa-
tion, or TÜV) have proven that the ZS is
23,8 percent more energy-efficient than
a tri-lobe blower at 0,5 bar(e)/7 psig, and
39,7 percent at 0.9 bar(e)/13 psig.
The ZE-ZA range consists of variants
with discharge pressure increments of
0,25 bar from 1 bar to 3,5 bar and the
Atlas Copco’s ZS blower range
The ultimate cyclone Particular benefits of the MAX

Multotec’s MAX range of dense cyclone, in addition to those
medium cyclones derives its name mentioned above, are higher
from the guaranteed MAXimum capacities than other inlet
efficiency of separation and configurations, minimised tur-
MAXimum wear life. The range bulence for better separation
embodies the considerable spe- efficiency and reduced overall
cialised technological expertise operating costs.
and experience of two companies The various components all
in the Multotec Group, namely feature innovative design char-
Multotec Process Equipment and acteristics generated from
Multotec Wear Linings. hands-on experience to meet
The MAX range is engineered to challenges encountered in
provide the most cost effective the field. The inlet head, for
solution to density separation. It instance, dispenses with the
is considered the ultimate high traditional tangential inlet in
density alumina-tiled cyclone favour of a scrolled evolute
engineering design. The concept inlet which offers numerous
was created from Multotec’s own advantages.
extensive field experience and An illustration of the Multotec Max 1450 dense medium cyclone Multotec Group, Bernadette Wil-
interaction with its customers, son, Tel: (011) 923 6193,
using computational fluid dynamic Email: marketing@multotec.co.za,
analysis and 3D computer-aided Website: www.multotec.co.za
design.

Market Forum
On the Move Subscription
Please fax us if you wish to subscribe to “SA Mechanical En-

gineer” at R400,00 (incl postage and VAT) per year; R945,00
per year for Africa/Overseas. We will post you an invoice on
receipt of your fax.
PROMECH PUBLISHING Fax No: (011) 781-1403
From:......................................................................................
(insert your name)

Eugene Erasmus George Letsoao Chris Otto
Title: ......................................................................................
Eugene Erasmus was appointed as Managing Director
of Grinaker-LTA with effect from July 2010. Company: ..............................................................................
Munitech (Pty) Ltd, part of the B & A Group, has ap-
pointed Chris Otto as operations technician. Address: ...............................................................................
Hansen Transmission SA’s George Letsoao, has been

...............................................................................................
promoted to External Sales and slotted into his new
position on 1 October 2010.
...................................................................Code: ..................
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Index to Advertisers
Associated Energy Services 26
Afzelia 10
Artic Driers 20
Association of Arbitrators 46
AST Pyroshield Inside Front Cover
Atlas Copco 18
Bearings International Outside Back Cover
Chemserve Systems 32
Donaldson Filtration Systems 24
Engen 34
Engineer Placements 36, 12
Hansen Transmissions 14
Hytec Fluid Technology 29
IDC Inside Back Cover
John Thompson Outside Front Cover
ILS 16
Maizey 4
Munters 30
SAID 42
Yellotec 22, 23


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THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010 

 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010 

Featured on the cover:

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010 

Council 2010/2011 Dinner &

Company Affiliates Osborn Engineered Products SA

Babcock Africa Limited RSD a division of DCD-Dorbyl

Bateman Engineered Technologies S.A.M.E Water

Bosch Projects Sasol Technologies

Fluor SA SEW Eurodrive

GEA Air-cooled Systems Siemens

Hatch Africa Spicer Axle SA

Howden Power Spirax Sarco SA

Howden Projects Thyssenkrupp Engineering

 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010

Carla and Chuck Grassley, Managing Director of Au-

Hekkie Bronkhorst from Fluor SA and his wife Salome

SAIMechE President and Central Branch committee member, George

SAIMechE Central Branch Chairman,

In Memoriam: Christopher J. Early

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010 

A ship is like a self-contained city in a hull

 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010

to basic design principles, but the emphasis shifts

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010 

Clean Air Solution

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010 11

Due to the cost of fuel today we can

Pulse jet bag house

12 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010 13

as the combustion side. If

Tore itself from its

14 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010

“Most of the time we dismantle and get

Shot through the roof of the

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010 15

New Steam Company

A typical Cyclotherm boiler will now be avail-

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010 17

18 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010 19

20 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010 21

One-stop shopping for all processes

22 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010

wafer, cell and module lines of up to one gigawatt

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010 23

equipment and turnkey module lines according to

Donaldson breathes life into...

production from silicon to finished modules is

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010 25

26 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010

wide range of disciplines, the opportunity to gain valuable Purely renewable

New pumped storage

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010 27

28 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010

analysing their individual swing.

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

Economical, flexible and advanced performance

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Keeping Industry Cool

The only company that manufactures our own unique

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 63 Nov/Dec 2010

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