THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011 

 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011


The Patel Puzzle
“Government is targeting the training of at least 30 000 additional engineers by 2014.” This was announced
by Economic Development Minister Patel last month. One has to “interpret” the meaning of this as it conveys
many possible options. It also pre-supposes that required national projects will be activated (R800 billion in
infrastructure in 3 years?) as the current project load is dismal.
1. Since engineering is at least a 4 year
course, then somehow the Minister is
“arranging” to have 30 000 more 2nd
year students enter the tertiary system
in 2011, or find 30 000 additional pass-
capable students in the current streams.
Since graduates are not useful Engineers
until they have completed the 3 year EIT
period, does he mean Engineers or gradu-
ates? Pass to next option.
2. The Minister wants 30 000 new en-
trants to the first year of the engineering
course.
Chris Reay He should drop in on Blade Nzimande and
Chairman of the Working
Committee: Communications place an order for 30 000 extra maths
(SA Institution of Mechanical and science higher level school leavers
Engineering) without delay. Then check the capacity of
the secondary school teachers and tertiary
institutions to accommodate this. If impossible, pass
to next option.
The Minister, cabinet and ANC policy makers must scrap
affirmative action, and wake up to the fact that 60 plus
year olds are as good as Engineers as you can get
3. The Minister wants 30 000 employable Engineers
to enter the labour market.
The Minister together with the cabinet and ANC policy
makers must scrap affirmative action. Employers must
wake up to the fact that 60 plus year olds are as
good as Engineers as you can get (which would also
mean scrapping the useless HR departments staffed
with 20 plus year old non-technical somethings) and
putting the retrenched and early retired Engineers
back into the system to both run jobs and mentor
the new graduates in structured EIT programmes
to achieve the training. Possible, but improbable.
Pass to next option.
4. The Minister recognises that most of the 30 000
should be employed by government, parastatal and
provincial sectors to enable these bodies to be able
to deliver projects to our citizens. Capacity at state
“owner’s team” level is so low that it is virtually
dysfunctional. Ask SAICE, CESA and SAFCEC.
But this means cadres have to be removed, and if
any of these are good at anything at all, they should
be employed as road repair gangs, and using the
chain-gang system would be appropriate as they are
guilty of wasting taxpayers’ money, doing nothing for
THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER
AN ENGINEER’S VIEW
service delivery, and failing to execute the required
operations and maintenance of the country’s assets
while occupying cushy salaried positions that only
qualified engineering resources should have had.
However, this is clearly not seen as necessary by
ANC politicians (until service delivery protests,
riots and citizen management reach nationwide
crisis levels). Pass onto next option.
5. The Minister is not certain where the training
should happen but believes there is a need.
That at least would be a realistic option. One
would think that he has observed that the supply
of Engineers takes place along a long-term and
well established supply chain. It starts at the age
of about 6 when the prospective Engineer has the
inclination, interest and role models to guide him
or her into it as a career move. It is probably in
the genes of those who adopt the profession suc-
cessfully. Making up numbers with feedstock who
have no inherent, natural inclination and desire
to be an Engineer just wastes the supply chains’
resources.
6. The Minister’s intentions are well meant and he
intends to consult with the engineering profession
in order to address the real issues.
The Minister may wish to identify the real shortages
and remove the pointless political policies (BBBEE
for one in its present form) where points for skills
development count less than having a figurehead
black director on the company letterhead. The NSF’s
unspent money can be directed via programmes
managed by the Voluntary Engineering Associations
to up-skill new engineering graduates, technolo-
gists and technicians. The need is agreed, but the
action is lacking.
At least the Minister has realised one thing: skills
are in a major crisis, largely created by his own
party’s idealism and inability to educate or train for
the required, competent national capacity. Industry
must also wake up and get training instead of expect-
ing the perfect resources to be eternally waiting for
their call. Can the profession please be consulted
on how to get this training done as it needs to be
developed right through the supply chain?
VOL 61 January 2011 

Featured speakers:
Honourable Minister
Elizabeth Dipuo Peters
Ministry of Energy,
South Africa
Dr Hussein Elhag
Executive Director,
African Energy Commission,
Algeria
Brian Dames
Chief Executive Officer,
Eskom, South Africa
Mr Chose Cheou
Head of Corporate Division,
Eskom, South Africa
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 January 2011  VOLUME 61  NUMBER 1

Featured on the cover: Contents

Qfinsoft
Monthly Column Power Transmission
Tel: (012) 345-1917
8 Landing the Big One 25 Hard Work Pays Off
www.qfinsoft.co.za 27 Repairs for Africa
Cover Story
11 Fatigue - A New Perspective
Regulars
Filters and Filtration 3 An Engineer’s View
15 A new Spin
6 Institution News
POWER GENERATION TODAY 22 Nuclear Institute (SA Branch)
17 Seize the Day - or Lose!
29 SAINT
19 Power Generation News
Copyright 30 Market Forum
Computers in Engineering
All rights reserved. No editorial 38 On the Move
matter published in “SA Mechani-
23 Embracing 2D to 3D Migration
cal Engineer” may be reproduced
in any form or language without
written permission of the publish-
ers. While every effort is made to
ensure accurate reproduction, the
editor, authors, publishers and
their employees or agents shall
not be responsible or in any way
liable for any errors, omissions or
inaccuracies in the publication,
whether arising from negligence or
otherwise or for any consequences
arising therefrom. The inclusion
or exclusion of any product does
not mean that the publisher or
editorial board advocates or rejects
its use either generally or in any
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
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THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011 

THE SA INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Council 2010/2011
Identification of Engineering Work
The Engineering
Office Bearers Profession Act
President .................................................. G Barbic (George)
(EPA) states that:
President Elect ............................................. D Findeis (Dirk)
“A person who is
National Treasurer ................................. K Nyangoni (Kudzai)
not registered in
Branch Chairpersons terms of this Act,
Central ...................................................... M Cramer (Mike) may not perform
Eastern Cape ................................................ W Rall (William) any kind of work
KwaZulu/Natal ......................................... M Black (Malcolm) identified for any
Mpumalanga Highveld.............................. L Odendaal (Louis) category of regis-
Western Cape ......................... Prof B Collier-Reed (Brandon) tered persons”.
In simple terms, if
Portfolios: you are not regis-
Communications .............................................. CD Reay (Chris) tered in terms of
Education - Universities................... Prof JL van Niekerk (Wikus) the EPA then you Vaughan Rimbault
Education: Universities of Technology............... E Zawilska (Ewa) Chief Executive Officer
may not perform The South African Institution
Membership .................................................... E Zawilska (Ewa)
work which has of Mechanical Engineering
Seminars and Workshops.................................. D Findeis (Dirk)
been identified in
Technology Programme ................................. SZ Hrabar (Steve)
terms of the EPA.
This can be viewed from a few different angles:
Chief Executive Officer: Vaughan Rimbault
• You must be registered to perform identified
National Office Manager: Anisa Nanabhay work;
PO Box 511, Bruma, 2026 • Identified work can only be performed by
Tel: (011) 615-5660, Fax: (011) 388-5356 registered persons;
Email: info@saimeche.org.za • You need not register if you do not perform
Website: www.saimeche.org.za any identified work.
Membership: Central, Eastern Cape & KZN: The purpose of the identification of work is thus
to define the practice area which is exclusively set
membership@saimeche.org.za
aside for registered persons. This seems to be a
Membership: Western Cape: saimeche.wc@vodamail.co.za reasonable arrangement, and provides the necessary
protection of the public and the profession.
The problem we face is that ten years after the
Company Affiliates Osborn Engineered Products SA EPA was signed into law, there is still no identified
Rotek Engineering work for the engineering profession. ECSA and the
Alstom Power Service SA
CBE are at loggerheads over this crucial issue,
Babcock Africa Limited RSD a division of DCD-Dorbyl
and they don’t seem to be making any headway
Bateman Engineered Technologies S.A.M.E Water in resolving the impasse.

Bosch Projects Sasol Technologies So where does that leave the engineering profes-
sional? If you register then you bind yourself to
Fluor SA SEW Eurodrive
the code of conduct which can be used against
GEA Air-cooled Systems Siemens you if you misbehave. But you get nothing in
SNC-Lavalin SA
return. You don’t get identified work which is
Hansen Transmissions SA reserved for you. You don’t get the assurance
Hatch Africa Spicer Axle SA that unregistered persons performing identified
Spirax Sarco SA work will be prosecuted. And you don’t get the
Howden Power assurance that companies carrying out identified
Howden Projects Thyssenkrupp Engineering work will be prosecuted if they allow unregistered
Transvaal Pressed Nuts & Bolts persons to do the work. All you get is the risk of
Industrial Water Cooling
Ultra-Flow Engineering Services disciplinary action if you misbehave, while the
MBE Minerals (SA) (Pty) Ltd unregistered person is free to do as he likes and
(previously KHD Humboldt Vital Engineering cannot be touched by ECSA.
Wedag SA
Weir Minerals Africa That doesn’t seem fair or equitable.
Megchem Eng & Drafting Services Winder Controls vaughan.rimbault@gmail.com
Cell: 079 892 4041

 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011

 THE SA INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

SAIMechE Scheduled Training Events Calendar : March 2010

While every effort is made to ensure that events take place as scheduled, SAIMechE reserves the right to change the schedule as circum-
stances dictate. A registration form and full terms and conditions may be obtained from Carey Evans on E-mail: carey@saimeche.org.za or
Tel: 031 764 7136. Also, detailed individual event programmes are available from Carey. Corporations wishing to book In-House Workshops
may contact Linda Robinson on E-mail: linda@saimeche.org.za or Tel: 031 764 7136.
Code Event Title Date Region
E0111 Introduction to Steam; Steam Engineering Principles and Heat Transfer Workshop Reliability 2 – 4 Mar 11 East Rand
Objectives, Equipment Failure Patterns, & Maintenance Effect on Reliability
A4111 Workshop 1 in the Series Rotating Equipment Reliability Optimisation 2 Mar 11 Durban
Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA)
A4211 Workshop 2 in the Series Rotating Equipment Reliability Optimisation 3 Mar 11 Durban
Optimising Reliability – Condition Monitoring and Predictive Maintenance, & Component
Condition Monitoring Techniques
A4311 Workshop 3 in the Series Rotating Equipment Reliability Optimisation 4 Mar 11 Durban
A3011 Root Cause Failure Analysis Workshop 9 – 10 Mar 11 Durban
C0111 Introduction to Steam; Steam Engineering Principles and Heat Transfer Workshop 9 – 11 Mar 11 Cape Town
C1311 Structured Problem Solving Techniques Workshop 23 – 24 Mar 11 Cape Town
A0211 Boiler House, Safety Valves Workshop 23 – 25 Mar 11 Durban
E3011 Root Cause Failure Analysis Workshop 30 - 31 Mar 11 East Rand

SAIMechE Launches the Following New Workshops

Title Durban East Rand Cape Town
Mechatronics / Factory Automation Principle and Practice Workshop 10 Feb 11 20 Apr 11 27 Jul 11
Industrial Fire Protection & Prevention Seminar – Various related topics will be presented - - 25 Feb 11
Practical Risk Assessment Workshop 8 Apr 11 27 Jul 11 22 Sep 11
Mechanical Seals : Pre-determining Pump Reliability Workshop : Part 1 15 Apr 11 27 May 11 1 Apr 11
Mechanical Seals : Pre-determining Pump Reliability Workshop : Part 2 24 Jun 11 22 Jul 11 8 Jul 11

Western Cape branch Dinner and Dance

Council establishes Mpumalanga Highveld The Western Cape branch hosted its annual Dinner & Dance
Branch at the Zevenwacht Wine Estate on 12 November 2010.
The Council of SAIMechE recently adopted a resolution for
the establishment of the SAIMechE Mpumalanga Highveld
(MH) branch.
This follows the need for more intimate contact for members
based in the areas covered by this new branch, as well as
support from local industry.
A committee has been formed for the branch. It must be
noted that the new branch was established as a result of
its committee’s initiative in pursuing the need for local
representation.
The Mpumalanga Highveld branch would serve members in
the following areas:
• Trichardt, Evander, Kinross and Secunda; (Left to right) Bart Bartholomew, Anisa Nanabhay
• Kriel (and possible surrounding areas);
• Witbank, Middelburg, Standerton, Ermelo, Nelspruit and
Malelane.
The geographic area covered by the branch is well populated
by large industry, and the number of engineering profession-
als falling within the region is significant. There is sufficient
inertia in the region to establish a healthy branch to service the
needs of members and the larger industrial community.
An exercise will soon be conducted to invite members to
request a move from their present branches to the new
branch. If you are certain that a move to the MH branch
is in your interest, kindly advise Lynne at membership@
saimeche.org.za and she will make the necessary changes
to your profile. (Left to right) Mike Cramer, Andre and Lanette
Roos, George Barbic

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011 

MONTHLY COLUMN
A ski boat built by Mallards

Landing the BIG One

They do it sitting on chairs, standing up, strapped into special seats, wading through swamps and while flying
a kite. They do it on boats, canoes, piers, rocks or in the pounding surf along sandy beaches and they’re all
doing it for different purposes. Some do it for food, others for money and some just for fun.

O
ne of the most popular ways of catching Geoff and Michael Barnes, who are both well known
that ever-elusive big one is off a ski boat, in the boating and angling industry, they are pas-
a boat designed and built specifically sionate about all forms of boating.
for fishermen who are serious about
“All the latest techniques and products are tested
angling. “SA Mechanical Engineer” visits the Mal-
and applied to our boats,” says Michael. “Our range
lards Boating factory in Pinetown near Durban to
starts from a 16ft waterskiing craft through to a
talk to director Michael Barnes about boat design
30ft Cat and Mono-Hull design. Being a family
in general. “As a family who is passionate about
business, emphasis is placed on making boating
fishing, Mallards has grown quite a bit since setting
an enjoyable family activity whether it’s angling,
up shop in 1989,” he says. “The company slogan
waterskiing or a fun-filled day on the water. From
‘Tried, Tested and Trusted’ fully encompasses the
the runner-boat to the serious Marlin fishing boat,
pride with which our high quality boats have been
we offer a complete range to suit most needs.”
manufactured over the past 20 years, developing
into a wide range to choose from or customised to Hand layout
each individual’s requirements.” At Mallards, boat building is a labour intensive
Variety exercise where moulds are laid out by hand. Our
Operating under the father and son leadership of walk through the factory reveals the various stages
Making boating an enjoyable family activity

Michael Barnes of Mallards Boating in Durban

 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011

 MONTHLY COLUMN

a fibre glass boat goes through before

being wheeled out on a custom-made
trailer, ready for the water. “If it is a new
design it’s always an anxious moment
when the boat goes for its sea trials,”
says Michael. “Very often a design is
just an up or down scale of an exist-
ing successful model, but you’re never
guaranteed that it will show exactly the
same characteristics as the original.
We then have to make certain changes
or modifications to get it right before
releasing it as a new model.”

If it’s a custom-built boat, we

do a turnkey project

The Cat design is a multi-hull catama-

ran boat as opposed to the mono-hull
design and at Mallards they make both
purely to cater for personal preferences.
Boats for water skiing and fresh water
angling tend to be mono-hull, while
the catamaran hull has proved to be Final touches to a boat on the production line in Pinetown
a winner for off-shore and deep sea
angling boats.
Testimony
The stalwart from the Mallards fleet
of ocean going boats is the Cobra
900, a Marlin fishing boat of nine
metres. With a beam of 3.25 metres,
this craft can carry 12 people and
is powered by dual outboard motors
with a horsepower range between
200Hp to 350Hp. A veteran Marlin
fisherman who participated in the sea
trial comments on this boat. “Mal-
lards Boating has taken a bold step
by building a 30ft sport fisher that is
trailerable and able to be launched in
the surf. I have no doubt she will meet
the stringent requirements of serious
big game anglers. Indeed, the Cobra
900 is one hell of a boat. She will
surely find a comfortable niche in the
market, situated nicely between the
bigger ski-boat and the much more
expensive sport fisher.” Making the mould for a new design

How much you need on a boat in
terms of finishings, luxury and electronic gadgets
depends entirely on the size of your purse. “If it’s
a custom-built boat, we do a turnkey project by
supplying and fitting everything,” Michael explains.
“In terms of cabin finishes, some prefer luxury
fittings for the family, whereas fishermen tend to
opt for a practical layout and will spend more on
gadgets like a GPS that can control the motors,
fish finders and so on.
Gadgets
“Besides the necessary safety equipment to comply
with regulatory requirements of sea-going craft, there
are many options to make the life of the anglers on
board more pleasant,” Michael says in conclusion.
“In the old days you pretty much fished in the dark,
but today you can practically ‘see’ under water with
side scanners and colour monitors exploring the fall
of the land under water for you. You even have auto
pilot systems that connect to your GPS. If you plot
a route on the GPS, the GPS will simply take you
there while you sit back and relax.”
Michael Barnes, Mallards Boating, Tel: (031) 705-8620,
Email: mike@mallards.co.za

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011 

10 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011
 COVER STORY

Material fatigue has

famously led to several
major mechanical
disasters dating back to the
Fatigue —
A New
Versailles train disaster in 1842 to
two de Havilland Comet passenger jets
that broke up in mid-air and crashed within
a few months of each other in 1954, and a
Norwegian semi-submersible drilling oil
rig that capsized while
working in the Ekofisk oil field
in 1980 killing 123 people. Perspective
T
he list goes on, standard part of their product
some of them mak- development processes. This
ing headlines be- used to be a manual process
cause people were that took ages, but now there
killed in the incidents. But, is a choice of different solver
material fatigue occurs in modules for aspects like weld-
all mechanical equipment ing, vibration and so on.
and is one of the areas
design engineers have to Integrated
focus on when develop- “The set of fatigue capabilities
ing new products. Fatigue is built on nCode’s DesignLife
occurs when a material by HBM and increases the
is subjected to repeated already unparalleled breadth
loading and unloading. If of mechanical simulation tools
the loads are above a cer- we’re offering through Ansys,”
tain threshold, microscopic says Izak. “The Ansys nCode
cracks will begin to form DesignLife product is integrated
on the surface. Eventually with the now familiar Ansys
a crack will reach a critical Workbench platform, allowing
size, and the structure will users to perform advanced and
suddenly fracture, usually extensive fatigue analysis as a
leading to instantaneous and simple add-on to an existing
catastrophic failure. simulation. This includes par-
allel licensing that will allow
Optimising design Izak Vorster of Qfinsoft these modules to run with the
Today, analysis software has Windows HPC (high-perfor-
helped engineers in many respects to determine mance computing) platform which has just been
optimum design life of equipment and therefore it’s introduced to the South African market.”
not surprising that analysis software packages like Microsoft’s Windows HPC Server 2008, is a dedi-
Ansys now also include a comprehensive fatigue cated high-speed server solution aimed at complex
analysis module. “SA Mechanical Engineer” speaks computational analysis work. “To accurately simulate
to Izak Vorster, new business development manager the real-world performance of product designs and
of Qfinsoft, distributors of Ansys in South Africa, engineering processes requires the use of complex
about this module and other new features in Ansys mathematical algorithms,” explains Izak. “These
13, the latest release of the software package. algorithms involve long computation times unless
a HPC solution is used. HPC increases solution
Includes a comprehensive fatigue analysis module speeds and reduces the turnaround time of complex
“In design today, durability or fatigue analysis must computations. However, until recently, HPC solutions
be performed to understand the implications of have been expensive, making them unattainable for
repeated, fluctuating and rapidly applied loads,” all but the most well-funded design teams.”
says Izak. “The need to resolve mechanical design Because the Ansys nCode DesignLife module is in-
problems has become a driver for a growing num- tegrated within the Ansys Workbench environment,
ber of companies to include fatigue analysis as a it provides results and materials data from simula-

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011 11

COVER STORY
An associative interface allows users to drive parametric changes either from your CAD system or from within the Ansys Workbench
platform
tions within the framework directly to DesignLife.
“Leveraging this integration, DesignLife durability
results such as fatigue life or damage, can be pa-
rameterised and included in ‘what-if’ studies for
design optimisation,” says Izak. “Apart from it being
easy to use, it provides a powerful fatigue analysis
for those who use the Ansys software package.”
Perform advanced and extensive fatigue analysis
Vibration
In addition to offering general stress-life and strain-
life approaches, DesignLife provides established
methods for both spot- and seam-weld analysis.
Vibration shaker tests can be directly simulated
in the frequency domain. The software efficiently
analyses large finite element models and complete
usage schedules. It is highly configurable for the
expert user including support for Python scripting
to enable new or proprietary fatigue methods.
“DesignLife also includes tools to help combine and
correlate test data with simulated results,” adds Izak.
“A wide range of data processing functions enables
manipulation, editing and the display of measured
data. Virtual strain gauges can be positioned on
the finite element model and a stress or strain
time series extracted for direct correlation to help
validate models. This time series data can also be
used for Crack Growth analysis, employing linear
elastic fracture mechanics to predict how a crack
will grow after initiation,” Izak elaborates
More users
Judging by the number of delegates at the recent
annual users’ conference held by Qfinsoft and An-
sys, South African design engineers favour analysis
software as part and parcel of product development.
“We had 130 delegates, the highest attendance of
any of the Ansys conferences held in Europe and
elsewhere this year,” says Izak. “Besides getting
feedback from users, we were able to introduce the
12 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61
HPC concept and some of the new features in the
latest release of the Ansys solution.”
There is a distinct difference between translators
and geometry interfaces and this was clearly dem-
onstrated for the users attending. In Ansys, with
geometry integration, users can apply existing na-
tive CAD parameters directly, without translation
to IGES or other intermediate geometry formats.
“The Workbench environment uses a unique plug-
in architecture to maintain associativity with CAD
systems, allowing users to make design changes
to CAD models without having to re-apply loads,
supports, and/or other boundary conditions,” ex-
plains Izak.
Costs
“Users can either pick a CAD dimension to change
directly or enhance design iterations with the
Parameter Manager which is an easy way to set
up multiple design scenarios by allowing users to
simply fill in the Parameter Manager spreadsheet.
The system will then automatically update the
geometry and run a multiple simulation. A bi-
directional link allows CAD models to be updated
based on changes within the Ansys Workbench
environment enabling engineering simulations to
fit easily into the product development process,”
Izak explains.
Another reason the user-base has grown can prob-
ably be ascribed to the fact that analysis software
is now within the reach of smaller companies and
is no longer just for those with huge budgets. “The
analysis features you get with most CAD software
packages nowadays aren’t enough to undertake a
proper analysis,” Izak says in conclusion. “Most
engineers have realised this and fortunately a solu-
tion such as Ansys is now highly scalable to suit
the budgets of most companies.”
Izak Vorster, Qfinsoft, Tel: (012) 345-1917, Email: info@
qfinsoft.co.za, Website: www.qfinsoft.co.za
January 2011
Long-range implications
The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing.
is 4 feet, 8.5 inches and that is an exceedingly odd number. Therefore the United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet,
Why was that gauge used? Well, because that’s the way they 8.5 inches is derived from the original specifications for an
built them in England, and English expatriates designed the Imperial Roman war chariot. Bureaucracies live forever.
US railroads. So the next time you are handed a specification/procedure/
Why did the English build them like that? Because the first process and wonder ‘What horse’s ass came up with this?’,
rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre- you may be exactly right. Imperial Roman army chariots
railroad tramways, and that’s the gauge they used. So, why were made just wide enough to accommodate the rear ends
did ‘they’ use that gauge then? Because the people who built of two war horses.
the tramways used the same jigs and tools
that they had used for building wagons,
which used that wheel spacing.
Why did the wagons have that particular
odd wheel spacing? Well, if they tried to
use any other spacing, the wagon wheels
would break on some of the old, long dis-
tance roads in England, because that’s the
spacing of the wheel ruts.
So who built those old rutted roads? Imperial
Rome built the first long distance roads in
Europe (including England) for their legions
and those roads have been used ever since.
And the ruts in the roads? Roman war chari-
ots formed the initial ruts, which everyone
else had to match for fear of destroying their
wagon wheels.
Since the chariots were made for Imperial

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011 13

 LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Congrats!
The October issue was most interesting – the journal
gets better and better, congrats! Last week I was
at the open day of my alma mater, UCT Mech Eng
and I was flabbergasted, as always, at the sort
of projects the modern day mechanical engineer
gets involved in. The winning presentation went
to a student who built a worm-screw device for
“growing” bone by the Compression-Distraction
Technique”- used for repairing facial deformities
such as a cleft palate and it works better than a
bone graft!
Alan Campbell, Tel/Fax: (021) 465-5716

14 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011


A New Spin
Current industrial filtration methods often require costly maintenance, and filter membrane
replacement on an ongoing basis. But a robust, highly-effective inertial spin filter technology
for industrial dust and exhaust separation, is virtually maintenance-free, according to Ian
Fraser, managing director of Rand Technical Services (RTS).
S
ays Ian, “Spin Filter units are
a high-efficiency application
of cyclone technology. Air
to be separated is blown
through a module that consists of
a series of small vortexes. The air
flow is induced to spin by fixed
vanes at the entry to the vortexes,
and a centrifugal force then drives
the dirt particles to the outside of
the vortex.”
Particularly useful
The dirt laden air is purged through
vents built into the outside of each
Ian Fraser aperture. A purge fan is used to keep
the dirt laden waste air in flight, from where it is
either dispersed or collected as required. Clean air
then exits to process.
Conventional filter membranes are left with very low
dust loadings and so last far longer
“In some industries this is particularly useful for
The spin filters are constructed in modules that can be built up into large panels
THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER
FILTERS AND FILTRATION
materials reclamation, as the environment is pro-
tected and, at the same time, valuable fines are
recovered that would otherwise be lost into the
atmosphere,” Ian explains.
Consistent performance
Unlike conventional filter membranes, which clog
due to pressure build-up after a period of use, the
pressure drop across the spin filter module never
increases. The units are self-cleaning, and do not
block when correctly installed - thereby offering
consistent performance with constant resistance.
They are highly energy-efficient too, as only the
auxiliary purge fans that direct the ‘dirty’ air out
of the air stream require power.
“Not only is pressure constant for the life of the
unit, but the unit itself has an exceptionally long
working life. We have installations still going strong
that are 23 years old. The sturdy, high density
polypropylene construction of the blocks is highly
resistant to erosion. Consol Glass has utilised this
technology on many air intake installations for over
10 years,” notes Ian.
Unlimited capacity
According to Ian, the spin filters are
constructed in modules that can be
built up into large panels, sized to
match required air flow and so offering
an unlimited capacity on engineered
systems. The smallest available unit,
containing one inertial spin filter block,
handles from 1000 to 2500 Nm3
per hour with ease, and upper range
capacity is only determined by the ap-
plication, and the available space.
“Ninety-eight percent of particles 15
microns and larger are removed by this
simple process,” he observes.
Cleaner and more cost-effective
Thomas Coetzee, consulting engineer
to Consol Glass notes, “For the mould
cooling process, inertial spin filters
are more cost-effective than conven-
tional filtration methods. Consol Glass
pioneered the use of this system in
South Africa in the early 1990’s. The
technology has now become an integral
part of their production system, and
is successfully being used in all their
VOL 61 January 2011 15
FILTERS AND FILTRATION
new, and several existing installations.
Spin filters provide sufficient filtration for most
environmental applications, such as transformer
rooms and control rooms, without the addition of
secondary filters. In secondary filtration applica-
tions used to remove finer particles, such as in air
compressor intakes, the spin filters substantially
extend the life of the secondary installations.
Conventional filter membranes are left with very
low dust loadings and so last far longer. There
is also a beneficial ripple effect on cost-saving
throughout the plant. Downtime from both planned
and unplanned shutdowns is greatly reduced - less
damaging friction from dust particles means far
less equipment wear and tear, or failure.”
Delayed or overloaded
A substantial reduction in switchgear and other
electrical system breakdown is achieved once
spin filters are installed. Even when planned
maintenance for other equipment is delayed or
overlooked, the units deliver consistent, mainte-
nance-free performance to keep electrical systems
functioning smoothly.
Ian goes on to state, “The benefits of the spin
filter system are almost endless. Return-on-in-
16 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61
vestment is rapid, due to a substantially smaller
spend on filtration maintenance and replacement
– not to mention the ongoing reduction in equip-
ment breakdown and support costs. Environmental
benefits are also considerable, due to the reduction
in undesirable emissions.”
Not to mention the ongoing reduction in
equipment breakdown and support costs
‘Unsung hero’ of industry
“Filtration is one of industry’s ‘unsung heroes’.
Without it, many processes would literally grind
to a halt, and pollution and unhealthy working
conditions would be greatly increased. Inertial spin
filters have succeeded on their own proven merits,
even during depressed economic conditions. They
keep on saving time, labour and money long after
they have paid for themselves.
While nothing succeeds like success, the inertial spin
filter also demonstrates that ‘nothing succeeds like
proven, effective simplicity’,” concludes Fraser.
Rand Technical Services, Richard Cooper, Tel: (012) 993
9620, Email: richard@rtsafrica.co.za, Website: www.rts@
edx.co.za
January 2011
 POWER GENERATION

Seize the Day

Produced by:
PROMECH PUBLISHING,
P O Box 373, Pinegowrie, 2123
Republic of South Africa
Tel: (011) 781-1401

– or Lose!
Fax: (011) 781-1403
Email: editorial@promech.co.za
Website: www.promech.co.za

Managing Editor Susan Custers

Editor Kowie Hamman
Advertising Louise Taylor
Circulation Catherine Macdiva
DTP Zinobia Docrat/Sean Bacher
Disclaimer
PROMECH Publishing does not
take responsibility for the
opinions expressed by individuals.
Printed by:
Typo Colour Printing
Tel: (011) 402-3468/9
Investors the world over are at the
ready to invest in viable energy
projects. For South Africa, already
burdened with electricity shortages
and the future demand looming as a
threat to the well-being of the
economy, this presents a huge
window of opportunity to attract
investors into the power generation
sector, especially as independent
power producers (IPPs).

Copyright
All rights reserved. No edi-
torial matter published in
“Power Generation Today”
may be reproduced in any
form or language without
written permission of the
publishers. While every effort
is made to ensure accurate
reproduction, the editor, au-
thors, publishers and their
employees or agents shall
not be responsible or in any
way liable for any errors,
omissions or inaccuracies
in the publication, whether
arising from negligence or
otherwise or for any conse-
quences arising therefrom.
The inclusion or exclusion of
any product does not mean
that the publisher or editorial
board advocates or rejects its
use either generally or in any
particular field or fields.
H
Doug Kuni, MD of SAIPPA
owever, this window is steadily
shrinking by the day due to pre-
varication by the South African
government in finalising a clear
policy which will make it conducive for in-
vestors to get involved in power generation
projects locally. “It’s a matter of urgency
that the regulatory and policy environment
in terms of IPPs in South Africa gets clarity
because it directly affects the attitude of
investors,” Doug Kuni, Managing Director of
SAIPPA tells “SA Mechanical Engineer”.
Regulations need to be done by experts with experience
Experience required
“Having said that, it’s crucial that the policy
and regulations need to be done by expo-
nents with experience who know the pitfalls
of inadequacy in policy and regulation,” he
stresses. “The government produced New
Generation Regulations in August 2009
but this could not be implemented without
being amended. It has to be implementable
legislation, it has to clearly be understood
and it has to be investor-friendly. To achieve
this, it needs to be drafted by experts who
have experience of the power generation
industry in South Africa.”
The background of events leading to the
current regulatory status of IPPs started
way back in 1998 when a white paper
on energy was produced by government
to clarify its policy. “This eventually led to
the Electricity Regulation Act in 2006 and
after this, they produced the New Genera-
tion Regulations of August 2009,” explains
Doug. “That is what currently exists. From
the adoption of the energy white paper it
was clear in the Act that government wanted
efficiency and competition in the electricity
generation environment.
“Although these intentions were made clear
from 2006, the first time that any policy
was produced that gave IPPs some kind of
enabling environment in which they could
participate in the electricity supply sec-
tor, was in the new regulations of 2009,”

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011 17

POWER GENERATION
elaborates Doug. “In that document it is
described how IPPs will participate in the
supply sector, but unfortunately the docu-
ment referenced a number of institutions or
entities which did not exist. For example,
the ‘buyer’ did not exist and was ‘an entity
which the minister would designate’. Simi-
larly, the ‘systems operator’ mentioned in
the document was a division within Eskom,
not a legal independent entity.
The document as it is currently is not implementable
The REFIT programme
“The Renewable Energy Feed-In Tariff (RE-
FIT) programme was announced by Nersa
(National Energy Regulator of South Africa)
which provides all the tariffs,” explains Doug.
“Together with this, the first IRP (Integrated
Resource Plan 2009) was published and
here an allocation was made for renewable
energy to be introduced into the electricity
supply sector, but there’s a hitch: In order
to procure the electricity from independent
power producers, one needs to have all the
instruments of the Regulations of August
2009 in place otherwise one cannot run a
procurement process.
18 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61
The document as it is currently is not implementable,”
says Doug. “There is no independent systems opera-
tor, there is no identified buyer of the electricity and
there is no Procurement process identified.”
At present, the Regulations of 2009 are being
amended in order to implement the REFIT 1 pro-
gramme. “Until these amendments are promulgated
again, the REFIT 1 programme cannot run,” says
Doug. “IPPs want to compete in the market on a
level playing ground, in other words they want to
be treated fairly. When you have an Independent
Systems and Market Operator (ISMO), as is being
proposed by the Department of Energy, then there’ll
be an independent agent that will treat the IPPs
fairly. Otherwise it is possible to get price distortions
with certain generators being favoured whereas an
independent party, like an ISMO, would ensure that
the consumer gets the best deal.
Current status
“I believe there is a draft ISMO Bill doing the rounds
within government, but it has not been released for
public participation ” adds Doug. “Until an ISMO
comes in as a separate entity outside of Eskom,
we have to deal with Eskom. As it is, Eskom is
in financial difficulty and they simply don’t have
the funds to undertake the financial liabilities of a
Power Purchase Agreement with any Independent
Power Producers at the moment. IPPs therefore have
limited prospects for selling electricity to Eskom
without some government backing.
In spite of all the growth pains this process has
gone through, investors at this stage still have a
keen interest in the South African situation. “If
the regulatory environment was clear and investor
friendly, there’d be a long queue of IPP’s at our
door in spite of the general economic caution the
world has taken on lately,” Doug says. “However,
energy is the first priority for all investors out there.
If we had all our ducks in a row right now, there
would be numerous projects under way already.
But, if we prevaricate, the money is going to go
somewhere else.
“In terms of the IRP2010, which is out now for
consultation and likely to be promulgated by the
first quarter of this year, we need to do it right
this time around and formalise a clear, stable and
sustainable plan,” Doug says in conclusion, drawing
an analogy. “If you’ve had a heart attack, you have
to be stabilised first before continuing on a long
term health plan. It’s useless to give a dead person
a long term health plan, the patient has to survive
first. The IRP therefore has to ensure that over the
next ten years we stabilise our power supply and
base load and then look at the long term. This has
to be factored into the Mid Term Risk Mitigation
plan as part of IRP2010.”
Doug Kuni, SAIPPA, Tel: (011) 789-1384 / 012 307 4217,
Email: doug.kuni@saippa.org.za
January 2011

Collaboration
Eskom Holdings and the CSIR have signed a memoran-
dum of agreement (MoA) to collaborate in the area of
research and development. This collaboration will be in
a variety of areas ranging from energy modelling to future
generation, storage and end technologies.
The MoA aims to leverage the strengths of both organisa-
tions to provide mutual benefit to Eskom and the CSIR
while contributing to addressing national challenges such
as climate change and water scarcity. The MoA framework
provides the context within which Eskom and the CSIR
co-operation will take place and will be complemented
by specific agreements on individual projects.
“Eskom recognises the importance of research and de-
velopment in the energy sector and the MoA will provide
an institutional framework for co-operation aimed at
aligning and enhancing interaction between Eskom and
the CSIR. We recognise that both Eskom and the CSIR
have different skills and facilities which, when combined,
have the potential to deliver world class research outputs
in the energy space”, says Dr Steve Lennon, Divisional
Executive for Corporation Services.
Dr Sibusiso Sibusi, CEO and President of the CSIR says
“Eskom and CSIR are moving forward through research
and technology in finding the best energy solutions to
support South Africa’s growth and development aspira-
tions”.
CSIR, Bernice Lue, Tel: (012) 841 3417
Energy and infrastructure
Consulting engineering and project implementation firm,
Hatch Africa, has experienced steady growth since opening
its doors in South Africa
on 4 July, 1995. Hatch
Africa managing direc-
tor Rory Kirk says that
the financial year end-
ing September 2010, is
the company’s second
best year of operation
in Africa.
In 2001, Hatch em-
barked on a diversifica-
tion strategy that added
core business units with
advanced technological
and strategic focuses on
infrastructure and en-
ergy to the company’s
already highly-devel-
oped mining and metals
portfolios. Rory Kirk
THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER
POWER
POWERGENERATION
GENERATIONNEWS
NEWS
“Hatch’s participation in these sectors has been reinforced
through the formation of partnerships and acquisitions of
key participants in the energy and infrastructure sectors.
To this extent, Hatch has formed strategic global partner-
ships with UK-based Mott McDonald and Australian-based
Connell-Wagner to establish itself more substantially in the
global infrastructure sector,” says Rory.
Similarly, Hatch recently merged with North America’s leading
energy sector project house, Acres, and has formed an alli-
ance with the highly-rated energy service provider, Sargent &
Lundy. This has allowed Hatch to expand its engineering and
strategic capabilities in the hydropower, gas and coal power,
nuclear energy, and oil and gas development sectors.
Through these initiatives, Hatch has been successful in di-
versifying the capabilities of the company to the extent that
70% of the current global project portfolio is located in the
mining and metals sector, 15% in the infrastructure sector
and 15% in the energy sector.
Locally, Hatch Africa has the strategic vision that 50% of
its business would come from mining and metals; and the
other 50% equally from energy and infrastructure.
Hatch Africa’s Energy division merged earlier last year with
South African-based MR Control Systems (MRCS), to form a
new sub-entity, Hatch Africa Energy. The unit combines the
expertise, specialist skills and execution capability from Hatch
Africa’s Energy division and MRCS to become a significant
player in the thermal, nuclear, renewable, transmission and
distribution, and oil and gas market sectors.
Hatch Africa, Rory Kirk, Tel: (011) 239 5300, Fax: (011) 239 5790,
Email: rkirk@hatch.co.za, Website: www.hatch.ca
Advantages of incineration
Bosch Projects, has extended its areas of expertise and
now, together with Munitech, is actively involved in the
waste-to-energy (WtE) sector.
“WtE has become an effective and important tool globally
in combating the negative impact of waste disposal on the
environment and it also provides benefits in the form of heat
and electricity generation,” says Graham Ahrens, business
manager, energy business unit, Bosch Projects
The problem in South Africa is that waste is not yet pre-
separated at source – in homes or at the workplace - so
most recyclable material is contaminated and difficult to
recover. As a result, recycling from municipal solid waste
(MSW) is not as effective in reducing landfill volumes and
the end objective is seldom achieved. Existing landfill sites
are reaching capacity and new landfill sites are much further
from the source of refuse material, which adds significantly
to the cost of disposal.
VOL 61 January 2011 19
POWER GENERATION NEWS

The Greening Robben Island project aims

Currently, eThekwini Municipality is extracting about 5 MW
of electrical energy from landfill gas at the Bisasar Road
and Mariannhill landfill sites. In this process, landfill gas is
combusted in a GEC Jenbacher reciprocating engine driving
an alternator.
A more effective way of reducing landfill volumes is to incin-
erate combustible/organic waste. This not only significantly
reduces waste volumes and saves landfill - as only the ash is
left - but the incineration process also produces heat, which
can be converted to electric power. The energy produced from
incineration is approximately
20 times greater than that
recovered from landfill gas.
Bosch Projects, Graham Ahrens,
Email: ahrensg@bproj.co.za,
to replace the island’s two diesel-guzzling
generators with a hybrid of renewable
technologies – including wind and solar
power, biomass energy and a mini hydro
system – and to implement efficient en-
ergy management, to demonstrate that
South Africa can reduce its dependence
on fossils fuels.
The project falls under the Working for
Energy programme, an initiative of the
South African National Energy Research
Institute (SANERI) and Department of
Energy (DoE), tasked with providing
energy from renewable sources, as well
as energy management and demand side
management (DSM) frameworks.
Derek Batte, a senior manager at SANERI
says renewable energy has enormous
potential as a source for the future.
The challenge, he says, is to drive the
commercialisation of renewable energy
technologies and distributed models of
energy generation, in a marketplace that is accustomed to
the Leviathan that is the Eskom power grid.
The recently developed, Working for Energy programme
is exploring ways of generating energy from sources such
as biomass and charcoal from invasive alien plants, bush
encroachment and grasses; biofuels; mini-grid hybrid and
smart grid systems; and micro hydro systems.
“Currently, renewable resources such as solar and wind power
are seen as having the potential to supplement coal-fired

On the map
Robben Island is set to become
the site of a green energy pilot
project, aimed at exploring
the potential of distributed
models of hybrid renewable
and alternative energy tech-
nologies to generate more
power for South Africa at a
lower cost than traditional The Greening Robben Island project aims to replace the island’s two diesel-guzzling generators with
coal-fired generators. a hybrid of renewable technologies

20 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011

 POWER GENERATION NEWS

generation, but not to provide reliable baseload electricity
as cheaply as coal,” says Derek.
But SANERI has developed economic models showing that
renewable energy hybrids could generate three times more
energy than a conventional new generation fossil station and
five times the jobs at one third of the cost over the next 20
years if renewables are exploited to the correct potential.
SANERI, Derek BatteTel: (011) 201 4700, Fax: (010) 201 4820,
Website: www.saneri.org.za
but radical. The depot is considered a giant leap forward
in the logistics industry and is quickly becoming a key dif-
ferentiator in tender processes for Cargo Carriers.
The contract involves the transportation of pitch coke from
the Sasol Synfuels Secunda plant to various Sasol clients
around South Africa. A high purity carbon residue that is
derived from coal tar pitch, pitch coke is used in metal-
lurgical refinement and the manufacture of anodes and
cathodes. Sasol Synfuels is one of the key suppliers of this
product in Africa.
Cargo Carriers, Murray Bolton, Tel: (011) 485 8700, Fax: (011) 485
8781, Email: Murray@cargocarriers.co.za, Website: www.cargocar-
riers.co.za

Fuel depot goes solar

Cargo Carriers has for the first time developed a depot that
runs completely off solar power.
Self-sufficient and energy-efficient, the environmentally
friendly depot in Evander has already proved a success. Six
months ago the solar-powered depot was pivotal to Cargo
Carriers being awarded the Sasol Synfuels contract. A number
of Sasol projects are now being lined up to take advantage
of the green depot.
When the Evander hub was being constructed in 2009 the
surrounding area’s electricity supply was already overloaded
and therefore unavailable. The decision to go solar was simple

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011 21

NUCLEAR INSTITUTE (SA BRANCH)

A Megawatt Mountain
to Climb Towards the end of last year I attended the IRP2010 Public
Hearing in Cape Town. ‘Stakeholders’ were invited to make
15-minute presentations of their comments on the draft
IRP2010 report. It was a difficult day for those of the
nuclear persuasion. Of twenty-five speakers at least fifteen
represented commercial organisations intent on selling
renewable energy or gas. Only Professors Lloyd and Gaunt had
anything polite to say about nuclear.

A
nti-nuclear lobbyists weighed
in with the familiar rheto-
ric as, less stridently, did
the SA Faith Communities
speaker. In the presence of Archbishop
Makgoba, the SA Council of Churches
representative used the word ‘evil’ in
connection with nuclear waste and
John Walmsley assured us that nuclear generation
is not a moral choice.
War on planet Earth
The Durban public hearing preceded the one which
I attended. One of the presentations there was
entitled ‘IRP2010 – daylight robbery and declara-
tion of War on planet Earth’. The dismay expressed
by environmentalists is understandable. They see
annual CO2 emissions tabulated for the ‘Balanced
Scenario’ actually rising from 237 million tons now
to 275 in 2030. 275 MT may well be 30% below
the cheapest ‘business as usual’ all-coal scenario
but the increase nevertheless comes as a shock.
Environmentalists also see the hated nuclear fleet
sailing in, six 1600 MW reactors between 2023
and 2029.
By 2030 wind and sun will be contributing only about
6% of the required 454 TWh/y
In view of the projected CO2 increase, one could
reasonably ask in respect of both nuclear and re-
newables, why so little and, particularly, why so
late? The question is easier to answer for nuclear.
One unit every year or so is probably as much as
we can manage, particularly in respect of operator
training and staffing. And it will not stop in 2030.
The South Koreans have been commissioning one
unit every year for about twenty years but I guess
that’s different. I don’t understand why the first unit
comes in only in 2023. I would have thought that
a more spread out programme starting in 2020
would have been feasible and preferable.
Further 11 400 MW needed
In addition to 925 MW of renewables already com-
mitted, the revised balanced scenario calls for a
further 11 400 MW (largely wind energy) by 2030
plus 3349 MW of imported hydro. These, however,
are name-plate figures. Assuming a capacity factor
of 25%, by 2030 wind and sun will be contrib-
uting only about 6% of the required 454 TWh/y
compared with nuclear’s 16%. The wording of the
report, however, makes it clear that in massaging
the strictly computer driven balanced scenario to
achieve the revised version, the panel has bent
over backwards to bring wind energy in earlier and
to introduce at least a little solar, this to encour-
age these industries. One has to assume that the
poor showing of intermittent renewables accurately
reflects their usefulness to the grid. I would have
enjoyed seeing a more emphatic gesture towards
solar energy. We are in Africa after all.
Concerns expressed
I have two concerns. The lesser is the scant atten-
tion paid to quality of supply. The rationale appears
to be that if the power supply drops, for example
because the wind strength around the country
drops, you cut off major consumers and pay them
to fire up their own generation. The estimated cost
of having to do that doubles figures in the study
and presumably contributes to the poor showing
of renewables.
The second concern is project management. If
you accept the panel’s assumed 4,6% per year
load growth, between now and 2030 we have to
install 51 608 MW. That’s equivalent to a dozen
of today’s major power stations, nearly two every
three years. Is that really conceivable?
Now we shall have scores if not hundreds of organi-
sations working on very different types of power
stations. Innumerable legal, financial, contractual,
siting and implementation issues are going to arise.
The national grid, largely ignored in the IRP study,
will have to be developed to accommodate the new
regime and it will all have to be done on time. Who
is going to mastermind all this?
John Walmsley
Nuclear Institute (South Africa Branch)

22 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011

 COMPUTERS IN ENGINEERING

Embracing 2D to 3D
Migration
3D modeling...design optimisation…time-to-market….innovative designs……these words strike a chord in any
design-to-manufacture industry around the world. So that begs the question: Why are there not more compa-
nies making use of 3D tools that ultimately serve to increase productivity, reduce overall design and manufactur-
ing costs, get the product to market quicker and consequently positively influence the company’s bottom line?

A
berdeen Group con-
ducted a benchmark
study a few years ago
on the transition from
2D drafting to 3D modelling and
found that even though 3D model-
ling tools have been available to
the market for over two decades
it is estimated that roughly 85%
of the current CAD user base still
primarily employs 2D drafting.

Making use of
downstream applications
as well as upgrading
their hardware have been
most successful

The reasons for this slow transition

seem to be largely due to a lack
of knowledge about the benefits
of 3D and the perceived loss of
productivity while users adapt to
new paradigms and convert legacy
drawings into new formats.

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011 23

 COMPUTERS IN ENGINEERING

What is the solution?

Instead of initially making a full transition from 2D to 3D,
companies have the option of adding 3D to their 2D draft-
ing as opposed to replacing it. Some technology providers
have added 2D functionality to their 3D systems enabling
them to be able to work with their legacy data while at the
same time have the 3D tools available to make progress
with their designs in 3D.
Engineers can now optimise designs with
electronic goal-driven optimisation

Queuing up
The benefits of 3D for all design-to-manufacture industries
should leave companies queuing for training and installation.
The benefits are far-reaching, to list but a few: with 3D,
strength analysis can be done electronically, so companies
don’t need to build prototypes and break them to see if their
designs are strong enough, a costly exercise.
Data reuse grows exponentially not only within the company
but in the supplier and customer chain as well. Data can be
reused in creating similar designs as well as downstream
applications such as tool and die design and electronic
tool-path generation without the need for translation of the
design data from 2D to 3D.
No spreadsheet
With 3D companies have the benefit of electronic and
integrated data management because of the structured
3D system. Bill of material generation is automatic and
accurate thus preventing mistakes and the huge costs as-
sociated with them. Reductions in the amount of detailing
of work that is needed means a possible reduction in staff-
ing requirements and the opportunity to up-skill detailers
to other positions.
Using 3D tools, engineers can now optimise designs with
electronic goal-driven optimisation instead of lengthy hand-
calculations or complicated spreadsheets. Companies also
have the benefit of optimising downstream applications
such as finite element analysis, clash detection and toler-
ance analysis.
Companies who have shown their commitment to 3D by
making use of downstream applications as well as upgrading
their hardware have been most successful. For companies
that are planning the change from 2D to 3D it is vitally
important for them have a very clear picture of what they
want from the system that they choose and a clear strategy
of how they want to get there. This information should be
documented to ensure the package will give them the best
match to their requirements.
At you doorstep
Thereafter the choice of vendor is critical as this decision will
determine the degree to which the company’s productivity
is affected by the initial transition. Information is power;
with all of this information at your fingertips you would be
remiss to ignore it. Take your company to the next level with
3D power, greater success lies at your doorstep.
ProductOne, Tel: (012) 673 9300, Website: www.prodone.com

24 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011

 POWER TRANSMISSION

Hard Work Pays Off

It takes many years
and plenty of hard
work to build up a
good name in any
industry, but it’s even
harder to keep it up.
Just one slip-up, like
a faulty component
or a ‘simple’ thing
like missing an urgent
telephone call from
client, and all the
hard work is down the
drain.

NBS has an extensive range of spares

transmission range of products to include gearbox

Aslam Khan (left) and Ally Jhan of National Bearings and Seals
components, servicing and repairs,” says Aslam.
“By extending our experience in seals we’ve also
become involved in servicing and repairing hydraulic
equipment and have even supplied conveyor systems
for a customer.”
More than a supplier
Both Ally and Aslam are hands-on people who know
their own limitations, but find it hard to turn an
enquiry down, especially if it’s close to their fields
of experience. “On a daily basis we get enquiries
that don’t necessarily fall directly into our field of
experience, but because we strive to help all cus-
tomers, we go to the trouble of finding a solution,”
says Aslam. “In this way we’ve not only extended
our own knowledge, but have built up the resources
over the years to confidently venture into being more
than just a supplier of equipment.”

N
o-one can attest to this better than
someone who has built up a business
in tough times and not only survived
but, in fact, flourished. “SA Mechanical
Engineer” visits such a company in Meyerton south
Into being more than just a supplier of equipment
of Johannesburg to talk to owners of National Bear-
ing & Seals, Aslam Khan and Ally Jhan. “In spite of
the recession we’ve managed to extend our power
Starting small as a company supplying bearings,
seals and gearbox components on a buy and supply
basis, they now have an extensive stock holding of
all the spares and components their regular custom-
ers use. “In competing with the big distributors in
a market where the profit margins are small, we’ve
survived purely by providing services so impressive
that we’ve won over several of the big companies
in this area,” says Aslam. “For example, it took us
over a year to get on the vendor list of a well-known
engineering company just down the road from us,

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011 25

POWER TRANSMISSION
but now they know what we can do and we’re even
doing installation work on site for them.”
Make sure it’s reliable by testing the product
Brands
The advantage of being a supplier who isn’t tied to
one specific brand of product allows the company
to shop around for good quality products at a more
affordable price, but this requires an assurance that
the product is reliable. “We supply good quality A and
B class bearings, for instance, but before we market
a brand we have to make sure it’s reliable by testing
the product in practice,” says Aslam.
“Fortunately one of our now long standing customers
provided us with the opportunity to test these bearings
in an application over a period of time and, when they
proved to last even longer than their regular brand,
Seals of all shapes and sizes are standard stock items
One of our first big repairs was a large gearbox and at the time we didn’t even s.jhan@nsbc.org.za
have the equipment to lift it properly
26 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61
they switched to us as suppliers. Now we have
a base reference as well as the experience to
market these bearings with confidence to other
customers as well.
“Just a couple of years ago people were very
set on specific brands, but since other brands
coming onto the market have proven their worth,
customers are generally open to trying others
as well,” says Aslam. “In our case, for example,
Challenge is our preferential source of supply,
but we are more than happy to fit whatever the
client prefers. However, you have to tread very
cautiously with lots of cheap and very inferior
products flooding the market from places like
China, India, Malaysia and Brazil. For this reason
we’ll always put a product on a test trial before
we market it.”
Gearbox repairs
The company’s involvement in gearbox repairs
grew gradually from minor repairs and servicing
to now doing complete rebuilding of even large
industrial gearboxes of all makes. “One of our
first big repairs was a large gearbox and at the
time we didn’t even have the equipment to lift it
properly, but the client was desperate to have it
fixed,” says Aslam with a smile. “We took on the
job, stripped it completely, sourced replacement
parts from the local OEM and that gearbox is
running perfectly to this day.
“Since then we’ve equipped our workshop and
can usually get spare parts from the OEMs,”
adds Aslam. “If it’s a rebuild where gear cutting
and grinding has to be done, we have reliable
machining subcontractors who do this kind of
work for us on a regular basis. By the same
token, we will never take on a job that simply
can’t be done under our control. We had an old
Radicon gearbox in here just the other day, but
after opening it and trying to source spares we
realised it couldn’t be done without costing the
client what a new box would cost. In the end
they opted to buy a new one through us.”
Conveyors
In a similar fashion they got involved in conveyor
systems which has now become Ally’s focus in
the business. “Having some experience in struc-
tural work on the gearbox side, we undertook
to build a small conveyor system for one of our
regular clients and it turned out a huge success,”
says Ally in conclusion. “The success of the first
one, and now having the resources in terms of
design and construction, led to the building of
two more 23 metre conveyors systems for the
same company. Right now we’re busy getting
our workshop equipped to do more of this work
as well.”
Aslam Khan or Ally Jhan, National Bearing and Seals,
Tel: (016) 362-2189, Email: aslam@polka.co.za or
January 2011

Repairs for Africa
An underground vehicle being fitted with a drive system at RKD Engineering
The global skills shortage is dealing Africa a double whammy. Firstly, the plant grinds to a halt and then,
because there is no-one on hand to repair even a minor fault, the plant owners summarily replace the
offending gearbox with a new one in order to get up and running as speedily as possible.
A
lthough we can rebuild or refurbish a
gearbox at about 60% or less of the price
of a new one, as it’s very often something
small that breaks, plants operating up in
They install a new gearbox just to save time
Africa simply don’t have the repair facilities or the
skills readily available, so they install a new gearbox
just to save time and get the plant going again,”
Ian Dix of RKD Engineering tells “SA Mechanical
A multiple output gearbox under repair
THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER
POWER TRANSMISSION
Ian Dix (left) with his son, Lyle Smith
Engineer” when we visit the company’s workshop
in Apex, Benoni.
Desperate for expertise
“We’re increasingly getting repairs such as these
from mines and plants all over Africa, so we’re
now exploring the feasibility of opening up a repair
facility in one of the neighbouring countries.”
Such a move can only be welcomed in Africa as
Ian has 35 years’ experience in gearboxes, speed
reducers, torque converters and power transmis-
sions on large trucks and underground
vehicles. He also has extensive
experience in the hydraulic systems
used on these vehicles, yet another
field in Africa where expertise is
desperately needed.
Special gearbox
Ian does not shy away from a chal-
lenge when it comes to gearboxes in
any shape or form and recently even
built a complex one for a client from
scratch. “It’s a special gearbox with
a single input and nineteen outputs
that drives rollers in opposite direc-
tions to de-coil rolls of steel plate,”
Ian explains. “It’s a very compact
gearbox with high power input and
therefore the gears are arranged in
strong clusters so that nine outputs
turn one way and ten the other way
to straighten the plate as it’s fed
VOL 61 January 2011 27
POWER TRANSMISSION
An underground vehicle nearing completion
through the rollers.
“The challenge lay in that we could not take the
old one out to reverse engineer it. The client didn’t
want to stop production so we had to work purely
off visually inspecting and measuring the existing
gearbox in situ. We then went off and designed a
new unit from that point on,” adds Ian. “A design
engineer did the shape and form from which the
castings for the body were made while the gear
cutting, grinding and heat treatment of the gear
sets was undertaken by specialist companies with
whom we have long standing relationships. It was
a huge success that saved the client from import-
ing a highly specialised gearbox from Europe. Now
we can make all spares and replacement parts for
them locally.”
Repairing a highly specialised gearbox
Completely new
In a similar way RKD got involved in servicing and
repairing a highly specialised gearbox for a client
in Yemen. “Until they damaged the output drive
shaft and asked us to repair it, I had never seen
anything like this before,” says Ian.
“It looks like a planetary gearbox from the outside,
but when we opened it up we found sets of bearings
and plates that work on a complex cam principle
around the drive shaft. An eccentric bearing system
on the input shaft takes the power transfer through
two stages to the output shaft by pushing against
eccentric plates that turn the output shaft giving
you more power and less speed. We simply reverse
engineered the drive shaft and had it up and run-
ning in no time.”
Glass manufacturing
Apart from extensive involvement in conveyor drive
systems to the point of even designing a complete
28 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61
steel building structure with special conveyor ducting
room for grain handling, the company has become
specialists in servicing and repairing a special
gearbox system used in the glass manufacturing
industry.
“It is a heavy duty mixer gearbox that runs con-
tinuously 24 hours a day to mix the sand/silica in
a hopper before the material enters the process,”
explains Ian. “It’s a two-stage planetary-type gearbox
with a spiral bevel input and as far as I know fairly
unique to this application. It works in the principle
of the pinion transferring power outwards onto a
sun gear which is not quite the same principle, but
similar to a planetary gearbox system.”
Hydraulic drives
Another specialised area for them is underground
vehicle transmissions. This hydraulic drive system
is driven off an engine and taken to the drive wheel
through a transmission system complete with a safe-
hold braking system on the axle. “Hydraulic drive
systems have become an in-house speciality over
the years,” Ian says. “The only area we outsource
to an independent third party is testing the system
under load because automatic transmission can
only be tested under full load conditions.
“Our involvement in hydraulics has necessarily lead
to including the servicing and repair of geared cutter
heads on underground miners as well,” Ian says in
conclusion. “We have even undertaken the rebuild-
ing of underground shovel loaders and the mining
machines. Although ours is a family concern with
my wife and son actively involved in the business,
we’ve become an empowered company by creating
an environment where a team of dedicated people
who are characterised by their diversity of skills
can grow to their full potential.”
Ian Dix, RKD Engineering, Tel: (011) 421-8184, Email:
megaphase@mweb.co.za
January 2011
 SA INSTITUTE FOR NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING
A Unique Opportunity
The 18th World Conference on Non-Destructive Testing – an
unique opportunity for engineers in South Africa to acquaint
themselves with the Cinderella science known as
Non-Destructive Testing.
F
rom 16 to 20 April 2012 the 18th
World Conference on Non-Destructive
Testing (WCNDT) will be staged at
the International Conference Centre
(ICC) in Durban. This conference is the
foremost display window of NDT technology
internationally. All the major role players
in the development of NDT science and
technology, as well as the equipment and
technology suppliers will be present.
The conference for the first time is being staged
in Africa and it has from the beginning been
Manfred Johannes
marketed as an event held in South Africa
The engineering fraternity is very ill informed with
regards to NDT
THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER
for the entire African continent. A major effort is
being made to insure that all the African countries
where an NDT service is provided will be present
at this event.
The question may now be asked by the engineer-
ing fraternity at large, what has this event to do
with them, as they purchase the NDT technology
which they require for their projects and which is
prescribed by the relevant code or standard from
specialist NDT service providers.
It is a fact that the engineering fraternity at large
is very ill informed with regards to NDT, as NDT is
not included in the curriculum for engineering at
any major university in South Africa. As a result
they consider the NDT science and technology as
either being of lesser importance to other disciplines
which were addressed in the course, or alternatively,
of such a specialist nature, that the service has to
be supplied by specialist service providers. This
is where the 18th WCNDT, which is staged at the
doorstep of South African engineers, can
make a big difference.
The 18th WCNDT will provide a unique
opportunity to become conversant and
knowledgeable in this neglected aspect
of the engineering sciences, by engaging
with the international NDT fraternity. Make
use of this opportunity - it will not be as
affordable as this for a long time.
To make the attendance even more worth-
while for the engineering fraternity, SAINT
will insure that the event will carry the full
annual load of CPD-points which engineers
require for their continued professional
registration. Looking forward to meeting
you all at this prestigious event.
Manfred Johannes, President SAINT
VOL 61 January 2011 29
Market Forum
Simply the best Voith Turbo, Roy Webster, Tel: (011) 418 4036, Fax: (011) 418 4080,
Voith Turbo has secured the order for the supply of fluid Email: roy.webster@voith.com
couplings for two custom-built metal shredder machines
at the New Reclamation Group’s metal recycling plants in
Gauteng and Western Cape.
Harry Kassel, Inland Operations Director for the Reclam
Group, says re-building and re-installing the shredder
machines was a strategic decision based on local scrap
metal market rends. “However, when the cost of importing Harsh
new shredders from overseas manufacturers proved to conditions
be simply ludicrous, we concluded that we were more Atlas Copco has
than capable of designing and custom building shredder launched three
machines in-house, sourcing specialised equipment from new desiccant
local suppliers.” air dryer ranges
“The project kicked off in January 2009, and I went out designed for ef-
looking for local companies who could supply the specialised ficiency with low
equipment needed for the project. Our determination to pressure drops
procure superior quality equipment from local suppliers and delayed dry-
paid off and we are dealing with companies that have er cycles. Ad-
enviable reputations for product and service excellence ditionally, high
in Southern African industry,” explains Harry. performance and
a constant pres-
He says that when it came to selecting fluid couplings sure dewpoint,
for the shredder machines, there was no contest. “There even at full load,
is only one choice and that is Voith,” he states. “Voith are guaranteed un-
drive line technology is unquestionably and undeniably der any condition.
the best in the world and we have experienced Voith’s The new products
product quality and reliability first hand. A Voith fluid include two ranges
coupling has been operating on our 1250 Hp Lindemann of heatless desic-
shredder at our Dunswart Plant in Gauteng, 12 hours a cant dryers, the
day, six days a week, failure free for the past 16 years. CD 25+-145+
This, from our perspective, is the best possible recom- and the CD 110+-
mendation for any equipment.” Atlas Copco has launched three new desiccant
air dryer ranges 300+.
The simple design
and working principle guarantee reli-
ability of these compact desiccant
air dryers, even in harsh conditions.
The third new range is the blower
purge dryer BD 100+-300+; built
for energy-efficiency and endurance.
By using heated ambient air for re-
generation, this dryer range keeps
the energy cost minimal.
A desiccant air dryer protects produc-
tion, equipment and the quality of the
end product by using desiccants to
adsorb moisture from the compressed
air. These three new desiccant air
dryer ranges are suitable for the
most demanding industries and ap-
plications like electronics, food and
beverage, pharmaceuticals, oil and
gas, etc.
Atlas Copco South Africa, Tel: (011) 821
The non-self supported design offers a completely wear-free drive element 9000, Fax: (0 11) 821 9106

30 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011

Market Forum
Seal of approval
“Our comprehensive package, which includes root cause
analyses and design of our core seals technologies, gives us
a competitive edge and our customers the assurance that
only the highest SKF standards are applied to all projects
and services,” says SKF Manager – Seals Development,
Andre Weyers. “Our goal is to do all repairs and modifica-
tions in-house. This will afford us the advantage of more
effective quality control.
The SKF Economos Seal Jet machine, recently installed,
leads the world in the supply of standard and custom-made
machined seals and brings flexible solutions to diverse in-
dustry applications. According to Andre, impact studies for
the installation of the Seal Jet machine were conducted and
results confirmed feasibility
The SKF Economos Seal Jet has major advantages, not
least of which is the ability to present machined seals for
prototyping projects. Andre explains: “This means that we
will be able to supply customers with one seal for approval
before we embark on costly mould changes and our vision
is to do hydraulic repair to a specific range of cylinders as
well as the production of large seals of up to 600mm OD
(Outside Diameter)”.
In summing up, Andre says that irrespective of the application,
sealing integrity must be maintained as equipment failure
can cause serious harm to the environment, operators and
manufacturing processes. Sealing requirements may vary
but specialised, superior quality sealing products, safety
and environmental friendliness are common denominators
THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER
across all applications.
SKF South Africa (Pty) Ltd, André WeyersTel:
011 821 3500, Fax: 011 821 3501, Email:
andre.weyers@skf.com
Cleanest and purest
Following a substantial investment, Afrox
recently commissioned an upgrade to
its carbon dioxide (CO2) recovery plant
in Sasolburg.
The upgrade has boosted the capacity
of its existing CO2 recovery unit in Sa-
solburg from 150 tonnes per day (tpd)
to 250 tpd - significantly increasing
Afrox’s total capacity to supply food
grade CO2 to several global brands and
generally improving security of national
supply.
In tandem with this development, Afrox has also boosted
its CO2 distribution capacity countrywide. Its CO2 distribution
fleet makes use of an intelligent forecasting and scheduling
system. By analysing historical consumption patterns and
real time information, the system keeps a constant watch on
customer stock levels, allowing the company to anticipate
needs before they occur and to give customers a seamless
supply of this production-critical product.
Food and beverage grade CO2 is achieved through Afrox’s
PremierGuard analytical systems, which conduct on-line
analysis, batch and lot or tanker analysis to the latest industry
standards. Tests include global standard ISBT (International
Society of Beverage Technologist) tests.
Bulk CO2 is used in many other industries, including foundries,
water purification plants, welding applications, fresh food
packaging and storage, food chilling and processing, industrial
cleaning, wine making, fire suppression, pest control, rose
and tomato growing, dry ice manufacture and ship purging.
CO2 is packaged into cylinders at Afrox production sites for
applications such as shielding gas for welding, special gas
mixtures, medical gases and food packaging.
Afrox, Carte Lubbe, Tel: (011) 490 0400, Email: carte.lubbe@afrox.
linde.com
Most popular
Spirax Sarco claims that their FT ball float steam traps are
the most popular mechanical steam traps in the world. The
new FTGS14 has been designed to offer perfect condensate
VOL 61 January 2011 31
Market Forum
drainage and air venting for process, heating and mains drain-
age applications. With a substantial network of experienced
steam specialists in the world, Spirax Sarco can support
users in the effective use and operation of their steam
and process plant.
The FTGS14 is ideal for handling a variable load
normally associated with temperature controlled heat
exchangers. Air and incondensable gases are also
discharged efficiently to ensure rapid warm-up
during start-up conditions.
Compact and lightweight, the FTGS14 has a
robust construction to give long life against
water hammer and vibration. It features
integral automatic air venting and provides
immediate discharge with clean tight shut
off. The modulating valve orifice mechanism
provides complete and immediate conden-
sate removal under all positive pressure load
conditions.
The ball float steam traps have a stainless steel base
for longer life, low maintenance and minimal system
downtime, and the improved design with simplified flow
paths reduces erosion.
Spirax Sarco, Emily Heath, Tel: (011) 230-1300, Fax: (011) 393-
1922, E-mail: info@za.spiraxsarco.com, Website: www.spiraxsarco.
com/za

The new FTGS14 has been designed to offer perfect condensate

drainage and air venting for process

Alert Pumpmor, The Becker Group of Companies, Fanie Nel, Tel:

Arduous applications
(057) 396 2704, Fax: (057) 396 2700, Email: info@wbsa.co.zaWebsite:
Alert Pumpmor manufactures a range of slurry pumps, designed
www.za.becker-mining.com
for use in arduous underground and surface applications in
mining, sewage and industrial applications.
“These heavy duty submersible pumps, which ensure efficient
operation and extended service life, can be manufactured with
flameproof accreditation (SABS IEC 60079-1) which is
an important safety feature,” says Fanie Nel, product
manager, Alert Pumpmor, part of the Becker
Group of Companies. “The company employs
a fully integrated ISO 9001:2008 quality man-
agement system as part of its dedicated design,
manufacturing, testing and repair facility.”
Included in this range of submersible slurry pumps
are extra heavy duty units designed for demanding ap-
plications. CTMS models, which efficiently eliminate
clogging problems, are able to handle solids ranging
from 60 mm to 228 mm and Specific Gravities (SG’s)
up to 1,8.
These high performance large solids slurry pumps are
also available in horizontal and vertical configurations, which
offers a flexible drive arrangement, including direct coupled,
overhead adjustable, or Z-adjustable belt drives.

32 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011

Market Forum
Full support
BMG’s specialist technical resources division, which pro-
vides and supports total process solutions across the entire
BMG product range, has launched a new field services
facility.
“This service, which mobilises specialist skills to sup-
port South African operating plant, complements a
company’s own maintenance capability to ensure the
highest level of plant reliability,” says Dave Russell,
group technical director, BMG – Bearing Man Group.
“Specialist services include installation, adjustment and
maintenance of components, shaft and pulley align-
ment, balancing, oil sampling and analysis and critical
equipment inspections and lubrication schedules.
“BMG also offers technical supervision and on-site quality
checks. Maintenance training and fault diagnosis also forms
an important part of BMG’s field services.”
BMG – Bearing Man Group, Veronique Bezuidenhout, Tel: (031) 576
6221, Email: veroniqueb@bmgworld.net, Web: www.bmgworld.net
BMG’s specialist technical resources division, which provides and supports total pro- Rolls (HPGR) grinding technology into
cess solutions across the entire BMG product range, has launched a new field services
facility
Flat-gasket saddle
Specialist fluid conveyance solutions provider, Incledon,
has introduced a new mechanical compression fitting for
high-density polyethylene pipes to the South African market
- capable of withstanding substantially higher pressure than
industry-standard products.
THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER
The Plasson mechanical flat-gasket saddle, distributed ex-
clusively across Southern Africa by Incledon, is designed to
withstand working pressures of up to 16-bar, compared with
the industry-standard of just 10-bar.
The new design is suited to a
number of applications including;
the industrial, civil construction,
municipal, mining and irrigation
market sectors.
“Very few fittings in South Africa
are rated for 16-bar applications,
with the majority only rated for
between 6 to 12 bar service. The
Plasson flat-gasket saddle is
unique, owing to the fact
that it is manufactured with
a flat gasket and integrated
o-ring on top, instead of the
standard o-ring gasket. This
design enhances the product’s ability
to handle pressures of up to 16-bar,”
explains Incledon product Manager for
plastics, Phillip Bawden. “Various water
authorities have already approved the use
of this new range of saddles.”
Incledon Contact Details, Philip Bawden, Tel:
(011) 323 0800, Email: info@incledon.co.za,
Website: www.incledon.co.za
Throughput at less cost
A global alliance formed between Weir
Minerals and KHD Humboldt Wedag
has brought High Pressure Grinding
the Weir Minerals product suite where
it now forms part of the Weir Minerals
Mill Circuit Solution. Significantly, this agreement extends
to the role of service agent as well.
Winchester Maphosa, product manager comminution products
at Weir Minerals Africa, says that the HPGR is capable of
handling particles sizes up to about 80 mm, and the tech-
nology was developed with the aim of compressive grinding
of material in the particle bed.
“Essentially, a HPGR produces a particle size distribution
that is wider with more fines than a tertiary crusher would
and, although the benefits of applying HPGRs as an effective
low energy grinding technology may be generally applicable,
there are considerations for installation in different minerals
VOL 61 January 2011 33
Market Forum
applications,” he says.
The first two installations in Africa are in Mauritania at
SNIM, Zouerate where iron ore is being fed at a throughput
rate of 1 800 tph with a particle size of minus 20 mm being
ground to minus 2 mm. These machines have a 1 700 mm
diameter roll with a width of 1 800 mm. Grinding is at a
maximum specific press force of 2.7 N/mm2.
Weir Minerals Africa (Pty) Ltd, Rene Calitz, Tel: +27 011 929 2622,
Website: www.weirminerals.com
3MW 3.3 kV WEG squirrel cage mill motors complete with
3.3 kV WEG variable speed drives (18 pulse) and phase
shift transformers, this complete WEG mill drive solution is
a first for Zest and WEG on the African continent.
Trevor Naude, group business development manager at Zest
Group, says that although Zest has, in the past, supplied
many mill motors, this is the first application where the group
has supplied motors, drives and phase shift transformers
as a packaged solution on the continent. “WEG has more
than 130 such installations worldwide
and we are confident that this, being
the first in Africa, will also be a major
success,” he says.
The WEG MV VSD incorporates the most
modern technology for medium voltage
drives using medium voltage IGBTs and
the latest topology in MV VSD technol-
ogy. This results in high reliability and
optimum performance with very high
efficiency.
Zest Electric Motors, Jamie Wilson, Tel : (011)
723 6000, Fax : (011) 723 6001, Website: www.
zest.co.za

Unique flowmeters
Gemü Africa offers a wide range of unique variable flowme-
ters for a wide range of industries including water treatment,
mechanical engineering, surface treatment, compressed air
or air supply, microelectronics and semiconductors, chemical
Complete and environmental, energy production, paper,
textile, metal production and the processing
solution industries.
Burnstone Gold
Mine, near Bal- What makes the flowmeter unique is that the
four in Mpuma- Gemü 800, 850 and 840 ranges operate on the
langa, selected variable area principle. All are fitted in a vertical
a total electrical pipeline and the working medium flows through
solution from it from bottom to top.
the Zest Group The float moves freely in a conical metering tube
which included and is lifted up by the flowing medium which
a complete mill causes it to rotate. When the back pressure is
drive package exactly the same as the force of gravity acting
for the metal- on the float, it no longer changes in height and
lurgical plant the flow can be read off directly on the scale.
at the mine. By mounting limit switches and instrument sen-
Comprising two Panorama of the Burnstone Project sors and a series of Reed contacts, monitoring

34 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011

Market Forum
and signal processing is possible using the plant control First plant tie-in
system. Attention to detail and planning has seen Concor Engineering
Gemü Africa, the sole distributor of Gemü valves in South complete the first of two plant tie-ins at Assmang’s Khumani
and Southern Africa offers practical on-site assistance to Mine Parsons 3 SMP Project where the mine’s existing wash-
customers, ensuring that they select the right valve for the ing and screening plant is being upgraded to allow greater
right job as well as advice on the correct on material, con- throughput capacity.
nection and actuation options. Amon Matsila,
Gemü Africa, Keith Hedges, Tel: (011) 462 7795 Email: keith. contracts direc-
hedges@gemue.co.za tor at Concor En-
gineering, says
that although the
fabrication scope
for this project is
Short-term finance quite straightfor-
The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) has ward, the erec-
recently launched a new ring-fenced short-term finance tion component
product, FasTrak. FasTrak is a once-off, non-revolving has brought its
credit/loan facility, applicable only to clients who have own challenges.
won contracts, tenders and/or orders and have an “Firstly, majority
urgent need for bridging assistance for a limited time of the work is
frame. The product seeks to close the gap by promising being done within
delivery of the funding and/or guarantees, within 14 an operational
days, provided all the information required is at the plant which has
disposal of IDC’s International Finance Department. necessitated ac-
“Businesses who require bridging finance need it curate scheduling
quickly, normally within 14 to 21days from the time of activities as
that the contract or order is awarded,” says senior all work is being
account manager Achmat Adams. done within the
day-to-day op-
“The users of these products are mostly strong, but
erations of the
smaller businesses with limited cash flow. The IDC’s
FasTrak aims to alleviate financial strains on these Tying components into the plant using a plant,” Matsila
mobile crane says. “Secondly,
businesses that don’t have funds to satisfy their orders,
the project foot-
which may result in the business either losing the order
print is spread over an area of 3.5 to 4 km which has pre-
or using unconventional ways of funding, if not assisted.
sented logistical challenges.”
FasTrak is just one of the various examples of the IDC
identifying a need, and satisfying it through an innovative Detailing was done at Concor Engineering’s structural steel
product,” he adds. detailing office with fabrication being done at the company’s
ISO accredited facility in Johannesburg. The plant was de-
He says: “As time is of the essence for this specific facility,
signed to be fabricated and tied-in in a modular manner. To
the IDC’s process will be prompt, without taking unnecessary
facilitate this, segments or modules as well as completely
risk. An abridged due diligence will be conducted, based on
new sections of the plant have to be preassembled on site
a set number of documents that the applicant is expected
and then tied-in into the plant during two predetermined
to provide. A pro-forma application pack will be presented
plant shutdowns. The first of these was completed in August
to the client, including all documents to be signed.”
2010 and the second will be done in February 2011.
The facility will be capped at a maximum combined value
Concor Group, Sue Upton, Tel : (011) 495 2288, Website: www.
of R5 million. Once an applicant is granted the assistance
concor.co.za
they require, they will not be able to access the facility
again but can convert it to a revolving credit facility upon
IDC conducting its normal due diligence process. The
facility will operate on the same principle as a revolving
short-term finance/guarantee product in all other respects,
which is available for up to six months pre- and six months Largest shutdown of its kind
post-shipment financing. In accordance with the planned shutdown schedule and after
more than a year’s planning, Sasol Synfuels decommissioned
Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), Mandla Mpangase, a portion of its Secunda operations on in August 2010, for a
Tel:(011) 269 3282
period of three weeks, executing their biggest shutdown ever.

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011 35

Market Forum
With approximately 14 500 additional workers employed and
over 150 000 activities completed, the Secunda shutdown
is regarded as the biggest of its kind in the world.
A statutory requirement for petrochemical industries across
the globe, all equipment must be shut down for inspection
and repaired in accordance with a pre-planned schedule.
During a shutdown, equipment is overhauled to ensure both
process and equipment integrity, while maintaining safety
as the highest priority. Shutdowns of this nature result in
long term stable operations and are vital to Sasol’s sustain-
ability.
During the shutdown, the work completed was
equivalent to servicing half a million motor ve-
hicles. Parked bumper to bumper, the line would
stretch from Secunda to Cape Town and back.
Work included welding, mechanical, electrical and
instrumentation activities.
Safety remains the first priority during such a huge
project and this year Sasol Synfuels can look back
at the safest shutdown in their history.
Some interesting statistics on the shutdown include:
26 400 rigging activities, 310 additional rigging
teams (consisting of a rigger and a helper), 185
additional cranes, 109 mobile compressors and
106 mobile generators
Sasol, Nothemba Noruwana, Tel: (011) 441 3295, Fax:
(011) 788 5092 Email: nothemba.noruwana@sasol.com,
Website: www.sasol.com
The Festo OVEM vacuum generator saves
Saving energy energy and reduces the risk of machine
Festo offers the market an energy-efficient solu- downtime due to its integrated air-saving the Hytec Group, recently signed
tion with the Ovem vacuum generator, featuring function and vacuum sensor.
36 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER
an integrated air-saving function.
Continuous status monitoring of the entire vacuum system
is made possible thanks to an LCD with additional bar
graphs. If a leak develops, either gradually or abruptly, or
in the event that vacuum evacuation time becomes longer,
the vacuum generator automatically detects the situation.
This facilitates preventive maintenance and enables users
to prevent potential machine downtime.
The Ovem vacuum generator provides this added level of
reliability by continuously measuring vacuum and compar-
ing it with a user-specified reference value. The user sets
threshold values by way of a teach-
in procedure in order to ensure
that specified vacuum evacuation
times and system cycle times are
not exceeded. Cycle time is the
characteristic value of overriding
importance, determining the speed
at which handling operations are
executed and thus regulating
system productivity.
Festo (Pty) Ltd, Joanne Dexter, Tel:
(011) 971 5560, Fax:: (011) 974 4203,
Email:info_za@festo.com
Official distributor
Automation solutions company,
Tectra Automation, a member of
a distribution agreement with the
VOL 61 January 2011
Market Forum
world’s leading manufacturer of industrial actuators, Exlar.
As an official distributor, Tectra Automation will supply the
complete range of Exlar actuators, regarded as the only true
electrical mechanical alternative to hydraulic cylinders , to
the local market.
Exlar actuators, an electrical mechanical alternative
to hydraulic cylinders, available now from Tectra
Automation
Cost-saving process
Rand Technical Services (RTS) has supplied eight burners
and burner management systems to the diversified miner,
Exxaro’s new char plant, located at the Grootegeluk mine.
RTS’s Technical Director Adrian Gornall says that the com-
pany’s burners will be used to generate heat for removing
impurities from the coal. In this way, char is produced – a
high-value product. “The burners that we have supplied to
Exxaro are gas-fired. The offgas fuel used by the burners
has a low energy content, and the burners are designed to
operate on this low energy content gas, resulting in a more
efficient and cost-saving process,” says Adrian.
Of the eight burner management systems installed at the
char plant, four are used in the retort process, two are used
for the boilers and two are used for the liquor destructors.
Adrian explains RTS’s scope of work: “In terms of the retort
process, we had to ensure that coal fed through the retort is
heated at an estimated temperature of 900°C in an oxygen
deficient atmosphere. The action of this heated gas on the
descending coal results in the liberation of volatile (impure)
matter from the coal creating char that contains 80% fixed
carbon content and less than 5% volatile content.”
He adds that the burner management systems for the boil-
ers ensure that steam is generated for the gas lock feed
system preventing gases being released to atmosphere. The
systems in place for the liquor destructors guarantee that
water and liquor is burned off with minimal emissions to
the environment.
Rand Technical Services, Richard Cooper, Tel: (012) 993 9620, Email:
richard@rtsafrica.co.za, Website: www.rts@edx.co.za

Exlar’s patented roller screw technology

offers high shock resistance; allows
an inverted design, easy disassembly
and quiet operation. Its contact area
is 15 times more in the same space
than conventional technology can of-
fer. Using Exlar actuators has many
benefits, including cleanliness, long
service life, high efficiency, moderate
costs and robustness.
Exlar actuators are very suitable for
the petrochemical and wood-work-
ing industries, and for hydraulic and
pneumatic cylinders used in general
industry or sawmill equipment.
Tectra Automation, Greg Calder, Tel:(011
971 9400, Fax:: (011) 971 9440, Email:greg.
calder@tectra.co.za

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011 37

Market Forum
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40 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 61 January 2011