BMG

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010 

 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010

The World at Large
A recent presentation by Investec Bank on the status of the
world economy and the investment position shows that SA is
in a lot better condition than many developed and emerging
economies. Thankfully, whether by design or not, we were
saved from the direct effects of the credit crisis by the Credit
Act, our traditionally high but realistic interest rates and rela-
tively conservative banking system. In the USA it is estimated
that some 30% of homes have mortgage liabilities that exceed
the value of the assets themselves. Millions of toxic loans
comprising the structured investment vehicles of securitized
assets whose values cannot be determined remain in the sys-
tem as do the credit default swaps, the ultimately crazy and
disastrous process of gambling with insurance products on
assets you do not own. And Europe now shows serious bank-
ruptcy cracks.
A
well presented explanation of the build-up
and collapse of the world credit markets
is provided in a book called the Perfect
Recession which shows the analogy with
the causes of the Perfect Storm that destroyed
so much of the east coast of the USA in 1991.
It identifies the coincidental phasing of some 12
independent effects, that happening on their own,
would normally pass by unnoticed.
We need a game plan as a country. Where is it,
Mr President and Mr Manuel
No bailout
How should SA emerge from the recession? Investec
convincingly pointed out that unemployment was
our biggest threat, a feature that we have to solve
ourselves. No bailout is available for that. How well
is SA creating an environment that encourages the
entrepreneur and the small businesses that are the
backbone of growth in any economy? If SA were
in effect a business corporation, would you invest
in it when presented with some of the following
attributes in a strategic plan? The Planning Com-
mission believes it is acceptable to have a two and
a half year sabbatical before it needs to put any
plan forward (one year to form, 18 months before
delivery). An integrated energy policy, crucial to
confidence and forward planning, does not exist.
So what do we have to consider?
Can we compete
Labour market and labour laws: most employers try
to automate where they can to eliminate labour that
has first world rights in a third world environment.
No fire and hire here that built most successful
economies. Competitiveness: low down on the
world scale and dropping. Education of citizens:
like the curate’s egg, good in many parts, horrible
THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER
AN ENGINEER’S VIEW
in many others. Our
private schools are
as good as you can
get, and need to
be nurtured to keep
that standard. Many
government schools
in general need a
big kick just to get
the teachers to class
in time. Even the
Minister is shocked,
and that says some-
thing. Energy and
Chris Reay
power: per the new Chairman of the Working
Eskom edict, the Committee: Communications
25% increase will (SA Institution of Mechanical
now happen 5 years Engineering)
in a row. Plug that
into your cost planning. Effective skills development:
blank screen. Some skills are marginally available
while the world recovers and many projects end in
SA. I place Engineers as a business and interact
every day with employers and candidates; if you
are not relating to your future skills need, you may
be in trouble because the really good ones are still
scarce. Too many employers of engineering resources
believe Mr Perfect is waiting on the street corner
for the call.
Skills needed
The huge intellectual capital tied up in retired-age
Engineers remains unutilised due to a belief that
these skills reside in the 30 to 50 age category. We
need more effective Candidate Engineer training and
paid mentoring as well as a lot more CPD than the
minimum required for registration credits to help
keep the institutional memory in the system.
There is big hope for tourism if we do not mug or
steal from too many visitors. The World Cup should
be a great event and I believe SA has done well
against the forebodings of many critics. It could
do wonders for putting us on the map, perhaps
bringing skills (back) into the country, but we have
to energise ourselves beyond the revenues of tour-
ists. Will the intangible benefits of exposure and
national identity outweigh the massive cost to SA
of the event?
We need a game plan as a country. Where is it,
Mr President and Mr Manuel? Let us not find that
while we survived the recession, we lost the way
to compete in the recovery.
VOL 60 June 2010 
 +5;174
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 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010

 June 2010  VOLUME 60  NUMBER 6

Featured on the Cover

Contents
BMG
Tel: (011) 620-1663 Monthly Column 28 Power Generation News
Email: daver@bmgworld.net 8 Enter the Dragon
Bearings & Lubrication
Cover Story 31 The Mystery of Machine Wear
11 A New Business Concept
Computers in Engineering
Pipes Pumps & Valves 33 Designing Defence Systems
13 Dewatering Mines 37 Environmental Clean-up
17 No More Headaches
Bearings & Lubrication Regulars
Copyright 19 Digital Manual Greasing
All rights reserved. No editorial 3 An Engineer’s View
matter published in “SA Mechani- Letter to the Editor 6 Institution News
cal Engineer” may be reproduced 21 Hands-on Training 30 Nuclear Institute (SA Branch)
in any form or language without
written permission of the publish-
39 SAIT
ers. While every effort is made to
POWER GENERATION TODAY 40 Market Forum
ensure accurate reproduction, the 23 Saving Energy With Burners 46 On the Move
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 Pauline Bouwer  SA INSTITUTE FOR NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING
Circulation Catherine Macdiva
 NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK ENGINEERS
DTP Zinobia Docrat/Sanette Lehanie
 INSTITUTE FOR CERTIFICATED MECHANICAL AND
Disclaimer ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS
PROMECH Publishing and The South African Institution of Mechanical
 SOUTH AFRICAN ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTING ENGINEERS
Engineering as well as any other body do not take responsibility for
the opinions expressed by individuals.  ASSOCIATION OF SOCIETIES FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
Printed by: Typo Colour Printing, Tel: (011) 402-3468/9 AND HEALTH

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010 

THE SA INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Don’t Miss Out!

Patrick John Broli - Developer &
Council 2009/2010 Presenter of “Aluminium” and
Office Bearers “Plastics” Workshops
President .................................................. G Barbic (George)
John Broli is a graduate in Chemical En-
President Elect ............................................. D Findeis (Dirk)
gineering of the University of Cape Town
National Treasurer ................................. K Nyangoni (Kudzai)
and holds a Masters Degree in Business
Branch Chairpersons Leadership from the SBL - UNISA.
Central ...................................................... M Cramer (Mike)
Eastern Cape ................................................ W Rall (William)
KwaZulu/Natal ........................................... AG Fileczki (Alex)
Western Cape ......................... Prof B Collier-Reed (Brandon)
Portfolios:
Communications .............................................. CD Reay (Chris)
Education - Universities................... Prof JL van Niekerk (Wikus)
Education: Universities of Technology............... E Zawilska (Ewa)
Membership .................................................... E Zawilska (Ewa)
Seminars and Workshops.................................. D Findeis (Dirk)
Technology Programme ................................. SZ Hrabar (Steve)

Chief Executive Officer: Vaughan Rimbault

National Office Manager: Anisa Nanabhay
PO Box 511, Bruma, 2026
Tel: (011) 615-5660, Fax: (011) 388-5356
Email: info@saimeche.org.za
Website: www.saimeche.org.za
Membership: Central, Eastern Cape & KZN:
membership@saimeche.org.za
Membership: Western Cape: saimeche.wc@vodamail.co.za
Company Affiliates
Ainsworth Engineering
Alstom Power Service SA
Babcock Africa Limited
Bateman Engineered Technologies
Bosch Projects
Fluor SA
GEA Air-cooled Systems
Hansen Transmissions SA
Hatch Africa
Howden Power
Howden Projects
Industrial Water Cooling
KHD Humboldt Wedag SA
Megchem Eng & Drafting Services
Osborn Engineered Products SA
John Broli
John has worked with Dow Chemical Neth-
erlands and for Dow in South Africa and
the Afrox Group. John has been Managing
Director at Chemplast for two periods from
1985 to 2008 and was Managing Director of
General Chemicals for an interim period. He
served as a Director of the Protea Chemicals
Group from 1988 to 1989.
In late 2007 John and his partner acquired
Rotek Engineering
the renowned ‘Jones Industrial Mixers’ busi-
RSD a division of DCD-Dorbyl ness and re-established this 50 year old
S.A.M.E Water business as a new independent company.
John is Chairman and actively involved in
Sasol Technologies Jones and the mixing industry. He is also a
SEW Eurodrive director of the company Engineers for Africa
(E4A), which is involved in a Professional
Siemens Development Program with SAIMechE.
SNC-Lavalin SA He has had extensive experience in glo-
Spicer Axle SA balization programs in the South African
engineering environment and has visited
Spirax Sarco SA over 40 countries worldwide, including
Thyssenkrupp Engineering many global factories (including Russian
and Chinese factories). He has presented
Transvaal Pressed Nuts & Bolts
technical seminars in the USA, Australia
Ultra-Flow Engineering Services and other countries.
Vital Engineering John has been a Registered Professional
Engineer in Chemical Engineering since 1973
Weir Minerals Africa
and is a member of SAIChemE, SAIMechE
Winder Controls and the South African Chapter of OCCA.

 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010

 THE SA INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

“The South African Institution of Mechanical Engineering

Training Events Calendar: July - August 2010”
Whilst every effort is made to ensure that events take place as scheduled, SAIMechE reserves the right to change the schedule
as circumstances dictate. A registration form and full terms and conditions may be obtained from Carey Evans on email: carey@
saimeche.org.za or call (031) 764-7136. Also, detailed individual event programmes are available from Carey. Corporations wishing
to book In-House Workshops may contact Linda Robinson on email: linda@saimeche.org.za or call (031) 764-7136.
“CPD Event Code Event Title Date Region
Points”

1 J2710 Philosopy of Mechanical Maintenance 14-Jul-10 Pretoria

1 C3610 Project Management - A Review of Essentials 15-Jul-10 Cape Town
1 D3110 Heat Transfer in Practice - Via Conduction & Convection 21-Jul-10 Vereeniging
1 D3210 Heat Transfer in Practice - Evaporative Cooling & Drying 22-Jul-10 Vereeniging
Processes; Radiant Heat Transfer
1 H3310 Stainless Steel - Complete Overview for Engineers Including 28-Jul-10 Rivonia
Design with Stainless Steel
1 A3110 Heat Transfer in Practice - Via Conduction & Convection 28-Jul-10 Durban
1 A3210 Heat Transfer in Practice - Evaporative Cooling & Drying 29-Jul-10 Durban
Processes; Radiant Heat Transfer
1 E1610 Improving Plant Safety and Design by Understanding 05-Aug-10 East Rand
Legislation and Process Safety
2 B0910 Refrigeration Explained 11 to 12-Aug-10 Port Elizabeth
2 F3010 Root Cause Failure Analysis 11 to 12-Aug-10 Rivonia
1 E1710 Engineering and Design for Process Plants 18-Aug-10 East Rand
2 A0910 Refrigeration Explained 18 to 19-Aug-10 Durban
1 E1810 Materials- Selection Specification and Welding Technology 19-Aug-10 East Rand
2 D0910 Refrigeration Explained 25 to 26-Aug-10 Vereeniging

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010 

MONTHLY COLUMN

Enter the Dragon

When next you drive past any of the city lakes, Zoo Lake,
Centurion Lake, Wemmer Pan, Florida Lake, or any of the
harbours, or one of our many river resorts and you spot a
regalia of long brightly-coloured water vessels, you’ve more
than likely spotted a traditional Chinese festival. The date is
bound to be the fifth day after the fifth moon on the lunar cal-
endar, usually around the end of May or it could very well be
the tenth of October 10/10, two dates when all Dragon boat
enthusiasts get together to participate in a racing event cel-
ebrated around the world.

O
n closer inspection, you might spot
a monk with a small bucket of water
and a brush going up to each of the
brightly-coloured dragon heads at
the front of these long boats. The monk dips the
brush into a bucket before ceremoniously dabbing
it across each eye of the dragon. This ‘awakens’
the dragon before twenty-odd people jump into Lionel Benham of the Golden City Boat Club
the boats to race against each other along lanes version of a traditional long boat.
plotted on the water.
Dragon boats, now generally
made from fibreglass, are used in
this team-paddling sport which
originated in China over 2 000
years ago. In modern times, it
emerged as an international ‘sport’
in Hong Kong in 1976 to attract
tourism. For competition events,
dragon boats are generally rigged
with decorative Chinese dragon
heads and tails. In Chinese my-
thology, dragons are traditionally
believed to be the rulers of rivers
and seas.
Clubs
South Africa has Dragon boat
clubs all over the country and
the members aren’t necessarily
Chinese or Taiwanese people. Not
with names like the Bokka Bokka
team or the amaBele Belles, a
team consisting of ladies who
Full steam ahead, the calle getting ready on the dragon’s head to grab the flag are breast cancer survivors. “SA
Mechanical Engineer” speaks to
Dragons are traditionally believed to be the rulers of Lionel Benham of the Golden City Dragon Boat Club
rivers and seas based at Wemmer Pan in Johannesburg about this
sport, today often utilised by corporate companies
The boat for team-building exercises.
A dragon boat is powered by humans and is tradi-
tionally made of teak to various designs and sizes. “Modern dragon boat racing is organised at an
It forms part of a family of traditional long boats international level by the International Dragon Boat
found throughout Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands. Federation, a member of the General Association of
The Mokoro, carved out of a single tall log from a International Sports Federations, which recognises
tree trunk and used in swamps all over Africa for two types of dragon boat racing activities, namely
transport and fishing, is probably the only African sport racing and festival racing,” Lionel explains.

 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010


“Festival races are the more traditional and informal
types of races where the rules may vary from one
event to the other.”
The flag
“A Taiwanese practice, for instance, is to have a
‘flag grabber’ on the dragon’s head to determine
the winner,” Lionel says. “In the old days, there
were no photo finish cameras, so close races were
adjudicated by a panel of judges who observed
which crew was the first to pull, grasp or grab a
flag that rested on a buoy positioned at the finish-
ing line for each racing lane. If the grabber misses
the flag, the finish is only recognised once the tail
of the boat crosses the finishing line.”
The standard crew of a contemporary dragon boat
is around 22, comprising 20 paddlers in pairs
facing toward the bow of the boat, one drummer
or caller at the bow facing toward the paddlers,
and a sweep or helmsman at the rear of the boat.
“The paddlers sit facing forwards and use a specific
type of paddle which, unlike a rowing oar, is not
rigged to the boat in any way,” says Lionel. “Dragon
boaters are paddlers, not rowers or oarsmen. The
art of dragon boat racing lies in synchronising the
paddlers which is controlled by the leading pair,
called pacers, strokers or timers.
The beat
“The drummer leads the paddlers throughout the
race using his or her rhythmic beat to indicate the
frequency and synchronicity of all the paddlers’
strokes,” explains Lionel. “An expert level caller will
be able to gauge the power of the paddlers through
the sensation of acceleration and deceleration,
transmitted through the hull. They physically ‘feel’
the boat action through their feet and muscles.”
THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER
MONTHLY COLUMN
A key aspect of paddling is for the blade and shaft
of the paddle to be outboard and as vertical as pos-
sible in orientation. “This means that the paddler
has to lean part of his or her body outboard in order
to maintain optimal paddle attitude,” says Lionel.
“If this is properly executed at the catch, then the
gravitational weight of the paddler ‘falling’ on and
driving the blade, generates an enormous impulse
power that is not otherwise achievable. It is similar
to the high-brace type of paddling used in white
water rafting and sea kayaking.”
They physically ‘feel’ the boat action through their feet
and muscles
Charity
South African teams of mixed gender and mixed ages
have successfully competed in many international
dragon boat competitions. “One of our teams got a
silver award a few years back,” Lionel says. “The
international championships are held in Canada
next year and I have great expectations for some
of our guys and gals.”
But it’s not always about competing. “Apart from
team-building exercises for corporates, we often
do charity events and donate the profits to various
organisations,” says Lionel in conclusion. “The
breast cancer ladies team, which has a paraplegic
lady for whom they’ve built a special seat into
the boat, has participated internationally in many
events. Similarly, we have a team of school boys
from Soweto that’s rapidly making its mark on
dragon boat racing in South Africa.”
Lionel Benham, Golden City Dragon Boat Club, Tel: 076
130-8734, Email: lionel@dragonboatracing.co.za
Colourfull
dragon
boats on
the banks
of the Vaal
River before
competition
VOL 60 June 2010 
 Is your world corroding ?

Munters has a range of Technology and Solutions

to prevent and control corrosion.

22 Angus Crescent, Longmeadow East Business Estate, Modderfontein

P O Box 4539, Edenvale, 1610
Tel: +27 11 997 2000 , Fax: +27 11 608 3503
Email: info@munters.co.za , Web: www.munters.co.za

10 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010


A New Business
Concept
Paul McKinlay – BMG Bearings Di-
rector
O
ne of the main ob-
stacles in achieving
maximum productivity
is the shortage of skills
and expertise to keep the machinery
in industry running at optimum per-
formance. BMG is now rolling out
a unique business concept where
Dave Russell – BMG Technical
they assist their clients to achieve
Director
maximum plant efficiency and at
the same time reduce operating
costs. “SA Mechanical Engineer” speaks to group
technical director at BMG, Dave Russell, to find
out what it’s all about.
The old way of summarily replacing things because
that’s what you always do during a maintenance
shutdown is costly and unnecessary
Productivity
“The concept combines a series of uncomplicated
solutions to pre-identified energy and productivity
inefficiencies,” Dave says. “The solutions include
changes to maintenance practices which may, or may
not, involve investing in new or updated machinery.
This solution’s widespread appeal lies in the ease of
application and sustainability using predominately
low tech, everyday interventions which are fully
THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER
COVER STORY
South African companies
are increasingly competing
against international con-
cerns, both in South Africa
and export markets. The
surest way to achieve an ad-
vantage depends on efficient
productivity which can only
be achieved when a plant is
run at optimum performance
levels in terms of energy
consumption and mechanical
health.
supported by us at the operating site.
“In a nutshell, World Class Production Efficiency
(WCPE) combines energy efficient product solutions
with reliability engineering practices to swing the
balance of operating cost and productivity in the
favour of business competitiveness,” he adds. “Al-
though individual circumstances vary considerably,
our WCPE solution can deliver around 30% energy
saving to a process plant right now. In addition, up
to 15% reduction in maintenance costs and 8%
improvement in productive asset availability, can
flow from the initiative.
Energy
“Apart from considering energy efficiency, we look at
the total package of services and products that will
enable a production environment, whether it’s a mine
or a manufacturing concern, to get the maximum
output from their operations,” Dave explains. “Our
vast range of power transmission equipment puts
us in a unique position to assist our customers in
selecting the appropriate and right size equipment
to maximise uptime and profitability.”
Reliability engineering in essence means that BMG
assists the customer in running his or her plant
consistently to get the maximum out of it without
having to put in additional production or processing
lines to achieve a higher output,” says Dave. “Just
one example is doing away with regular shutdowns
where parts that may not need replacement, are
replaced for the sake of it. The idea is to only fix
things that need to be fixed.
Predictive maintenance
“The old way of summarily replacing things because
that’s what you always do during a maintenance
shutdown is costly and unnecessary,” says Dave.
“Reliability engineering means maintenance is only
carried out where we detect maintenance is due
to be done.”
“But predictive or planned maintenance also does
not mean waiting till the equipment breaks down,”
Paul McKinlay, director at BMG adds. “We equip the
critical equipment on a plant, for instance, to detect
an issue before it turns into a failure. Typically we
can detect a catastrophic failure about forty days
VOL 60 June 2010 11
COVER STORY
before it actually happens using condition-based
maintenance methods and equipment.”
“It’s all very well making this statement but we
actually have data to back up our claim,” says
Dave. “For example, we select a particular piece
of equipment in a factory, mine or power station
and for six days we monitor the energy consump-
tion of that particular piece of equipment. We
consider the quality of the electricity supplied to
it, the environmental factors like hot or cold days
and all factors that may have an influence on the
machinery’s performance. Over six days we get a
good average which becomes a baseline for that
machine in terms of electrical consumption.
In terms of electric motors our experience is that most
motors run at 50% of capacity, a consequence of
over-engineering
Mechanically
On the mechanical side, BMG does exactly the same
thing over six days to establish a base line of the
mechanical condition of the machine. “With special
monitoring equipment, we record the condition
of the lubrication, the condition of the bearings,
couplings and gearbox, everything that forms part
of that particular machine,” explains Dave. “The
two baselines are compounded to form a study we
call Measurement and Verification. From this we
can then make a collection of recommendations
which might start with replacing a motor with a
high efficiency one and continue through all ele-
ments of the machine to
NSK HPS achieve a compounded
energy savings result.
efficient
bearings “The study will also
tell us if the motor is
in fact the right size,
for example,” adds
Dave. “In terms
of electric motors
our experience is
that most
12 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60
motors run at 50% of capacity, a con-
sequence of over-engineering. Replacing
this motor with a high efficiency motor
of the same size, for example, will not
bring about any savings. You have to be
able to quantify how much the motor is
loaded over a period of time under all
the various conditions. Only then can
you achieve a saving be replacing it with a more
efficient one of a lower capacity.
An effect on performance
“In this way we then go through all the mechanical
parts of the equipment such as couplings, control
systems, gearboxes and so on to see what can be
replaced with more efficient components,” Dave
says. “When all the results are compounded, it may
very well turn out that no parts need to be replaced,
but that adjustments need to be made to achieve
better performance. Just correcting belt alignment
or adjusting tension on a V-belt can have an effect
on performance.
“Once the changes have been made, we go back
again and do an energy consumption audit using
our baseline equipment as well as a mechanical
condition audit. From this data, we’re able to very
definitely confirm improvements,” Dave says. “In
this way, we work our way through each individual
piece of mechanical equipment to find and apply
solutions for each one.”
Smart equipment
Apart from expanding the engineering expertise base
within BMG in order to carry out WCPE for their
clients, the company has acquired exclusive rights
to a whole range of condition monitoring equip-
ment from SPM in Sweden. “We supply, service
and use this equipment which ranges from very
simple handheld monitoring devices to the latest
sophisticated systems which measure the condition
of slow rotating bearings,” explains Dave.
“SPM is the company that invented shock pulse
technology, a unique way of measuring the condi-
tion of bearings giving a long early warning period
before failure is likely. They have just released a
system whereby you can reliably measure bearings
rotating at speeds as low as four rpm, something
that we have never been able to monitor reliably
in the past.
They thrive
“Any company that strives for a long and sustain-
able future needs to be best in the world so that
they can compete in the global market,” says Paul
in conclusion. “This means we all need to drive
concepts that will improve our efficiencies and
effectiveness. We see this concept as a means of
achieving a distinct advantage for all our customers.
If they thrive, we also ensure a long and sustain-
able future ahead.”
Dave Russell, BMG, Tel: (011) 620-1663, Email: daver@
bmgworld.net
June 2010
 PIPES, PUMPS & VALVES

Dewatering Mines
Just the other day
mine dewatering in
South Africa made the
headlines because of

A
the contamination it lthough some mines are inop- Special pumps
causes to clean water erative (‘dead’) mines, they still This needn’t be the case. “SA Mechanical Engineer”
need to be dewatered to avoid speaks to Chris Munnick, managing director of Ritz
resources. In an acid
contamination of underground Pumps South Africa, a company that has had the
mine dewatering (AMD) water and keep the water at an acceptable solution for this very problem for many years, but
operation on TV we and safe level. the technology is not generally known or applied
saw huge pumps, 750 The fact that the pump station is so far in South Africa.
metres underground, underground, yet still needs to be main- “Our core business is mine dewatering, whether it
pumping millions of tained, means that a dead mine has to is an active or a dead mine,” he says. “Our pump
have a supply of fresh cooled air for people application was developed specifically for this pur-
litres of contaminated
to service and operate the pumps. In fact, pose and has for many years been used in mining
water through huge pipe such a dead mine has to be operative just everywhere else in the world.”
works to the surface like any active mine in terms of power
supply for hoists, ventilation, cooling
Above ground pumping
where it is meant to be
“The beauty of our system is that our pump is
treated and purified. and lighting, costing millions in annual
assembled above ground and then “Free Hung”
operating costs.
suspended from surface so you don’t need un-
derground access to get to the pump station as
is generally the case in South Africa.” adds Chris.
The pump is simply suspended in the shaft open-
ing where it can free hang to 1000 meters with
piping from 80 nb to 600 nb and achieve heads of
1500 meters, or we can even drill a borehole from
the surface straight down into the water source,
suspend and hang pump into the water and pump
out directly without having to go through the shaft
with a complex piping system as is required for
the traditional underground high pressure pump
station setup.”

Although it is sometimes challenging to

retrofit our system, it is very cost
effective to install it on new mines

“The system isn’t only for old mines. New mines

in Australia and up in Africa are now installing our
system from the beginning,” says Chris. “Although
it is sometimes challenging to retrofit our system,
it is very cost effective to install it on new mines
where the conventional mine dewatering system of
building an underground pump station today literally
costs millions more. One of the greatest advantages
is that if we know where the water is, we simply
go straight down to it through a borehole and don’t
need a shaft to get the water out.”
The technology
“The use of single-suction submersible motor pumps
for pumping huge quantities or from great depths
is associated with extreme loads on the unit,” says
Chris explaining the design of their HDM (Heavy
Duty Mining) pump system that comes in a wide
range of sizes. “The higher the pump performance,
the stronger the axial thrust exerted on the pump,
the motor and its thrust bearing. The consequences
of this are overloading and untimely shutdown.
A typical raw water pumping station installation

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010 13

PIPES, PUMPS & VALVES

“The solution is to double up, meaning greater

durability. This is what our design is all about, a
double-suction pump that provides full compensa-
tion for axial thrust. In short, the HDM is designed
for a longer life.”
How it works
With the HDM system, two contra-rotating submers-
ible motor pumps are arranged on top of each other
and driven by a continuous pump shaft while the
suction branches of the two pumps are located at
the ends of the HDM module. “Each of the two
pumps transports half the capacity to the middle of
the pump at full pressure,” explains Chris. “There,
a deviating stage directs the flow to the pressure
line via the external casing channels. The double-
suction design completely compensates the axial
thrust while loads on the unit
are kept to a minimum and the
thrust bearing is no longer sub-
jected to tonnes of thrust. This
significantly reduces wear and
tear resulting in the extended
service life we’re achieving.
The double-suction
design completely
compensates the axial
thrust while loads on the
unit are kept to a
minimum and the thrust
bearing is no longer
subjected to tonnes of
thrust
“Furthermore, the division of work
between the two pumps not only
achieves complete compensation
for axial thrust, our impeller tip
speeds are reduced having less
wear and it also halves the suction
velocity outside the pump,” adds
Chris. “This protects the well walls
around the intake openings and
minimises the intake of abrasive
solids and silt. There’s an even
more compelling benefit. With half
the delivery flow going to each
pump, smaller impeller intake
cross-sections are possible and
therefore lower circumferential
velocity in the seal gaps.”
Modular
Every HDM pump is a once-
off as each one is tailor-made
from standard modules for each
specific application. There’s the
hydraulics module that utilises the
optimum combination of impeller,
diffuser and casing, leading to
the best possible adaptation to

14 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010


a desired operating
point at extremely
high efficiency.
The materials module
provides a wide choice
of materials enabling
flexible adaptation to
suit all combinations
of chemical or abrasive
operating conditions.
The motor
Finally, even the motor is modular. “Each HDM
features a heavy duty motor specially adapted to
power usages of up to 14 000 volts and sizes up
to 6 500 kW,” says Chris. “As unbelievable as it
may sound our electric motor design is unique in
that it is filled with water for cooling. Like many
great innovations, the principle behind our MC-T
(Modular Cooling Technology) is amazingly simple.
It’s all about motion.
“On the lower shaft end of the rotor there is a suction
and pressure-optimised pump impeller. One of its
two main tasks is to cool and lubricate the nearby
axial bearing, but it also ensures a constant flow
of cooling liquid in the right direction. The liquid
moves upwards through the inside of the motor and
here cooling channels, developed in-house by us,
define the precise route via all thermal sources to
evacuate heat effectively. When it arrives at the top,
the heat in the liquid is transmitted to the outer wall
of the motor and there the heat escapes through the
surface to the medium being pumped. And then the
whole procedure just starts again. For really high
temperature conditions, the cooling performance
THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER
PIPES, PUMPS & VALVES
Chris Munnick, managing director of Ritz Pump South Africa
As unbelievable as it may sound our electric motor
design is unique in that it is filled with water for cooling
can be enhanced through the use of additional heat
exchanger modules fitted onto the unit.”
BEE
This technology is not new, but it has not yet been
explored fully by the South African mining industry.
“Some engineers seem to be set in their ways and
don’t like to try things they’re not familiar with,”
says Chris in conclusion. “Apart from that, the fact
that Ritz Pumps South Africa is a black-owned
company has also not drawn any attention locally
whereas mining companies higher up in Africa are
now installing our pumps. Fact of the matter is,
anybody who is serious about dewatering must
come and talk to us. We have purpose designed
systems to solve any dewatering problems cost-
effectively.”
Chris Munnick, Ritz Pumps South Africa, Tel: (011) 397-
5616, Email: chris@ritzpumps.co.za
Engineer Placements
Our job board continues to display a wide
variety of excellent job positions that you can
review and apply for on-line. Keep your cre-
dentials on our secure and
confidential database.
We include the projects for:
Eskom, Gautrain, PBMR, The SA Oil and Gas
expansion, and International options.:
Login to www.engineerplacements.com
VOL 60 June 2010 15
16 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010

No More Headaches
All control valves require maintenance and repairs at some time. Valve spares are ordered, the work is pro-
grammed, and labour is allocated to carry out the work. The work is completed effortlessly and production
resumes without delay or so the theory goes.
A
s most control valve users will testify, the
reality is really quite different. Problems
are encountered and stress levels rise as
the pressure to resume production means
that either additional overtime costs are incurred or
some work is not completed as originally planned,
often both!
Nothing worse
There are two commonly encountered problems
that conspire against headache-free maintenance
Why can’t the design of a control valve be such that
assembly is simple and even those with little experience
could achieve excellent results, quickly and easily
THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER
PIPES PUMPS & VALVES
and repairs. The first is the ease with which the
old valve internals can be removed and replaced.
The second is achieving the design performance
from the control valve once the work is completed
(the shut-off class specified and the stem seal life
predicted). In time-pressure situations, there is
nothing worse than reworking the valve because it
is not performing correctly.
Equally, it is frustrating when the work appears
to have been done correctly, only to find that the
service life of the valve has reduced and the main-
tenance work has increased. Why can’t the design
of a control valve be such that assembly is simple
and even those with little experience could achieve
excellent results, quickly and easily?
Spirax Sarco engineers tell us that their control
valve does the trick. Their Spira-Trol product is
a headache-free general service control valve for
today’s demanding industries.
The culprit
The culprit here is the screwed in seat that has
become seized in the body. This requires the valve
to be removed from the pipeline and all work must
then be carried out in the workshop. Immediately,
this adds to the total time originally planned to
complete the task.
Removal of the screwed in seat then needs easing
fluid to be applied, followed by time to allow it to
penetrate the threads. Considerable force is then
required to take the seat out, often using a long
lever by those who have encountered the problem
before. The total time taken to remove the valve
from the line and to then remove the seat from the
body can be many hours.
No tools
Spira-Trol uses a clamp-in-place design, which
means that the seat can be lifted from the valve
body easily and quickly by hand, without any tools.
The work can be carried out with the valve in the
line, where it is safe to do so and in a matter of
minutes rather than hours.
All control valves use gaskets and traditionally they
form a sandwich between two components, body
and bonnet, and seat and body for example. While
this arrangement is a well tried and tested method
of forming a seal, the problem is that the gasket can
become a source of misalignment, where greater
compression on one side of the valve bonnet or seat
can cause a slight, out of square in the assembly.
VOL 60 June 2010 17
PIPES PUMPS & VALVES
When the plug is forced into the seat by the actua-
tor, a side loading to the valve stem is experienced
and this reduces the stem seal life.
Thoughtful approach
Spirax Sarco has adopted a different and more
thoughtful approach. The gaskets are set in a recess
called a primary mating face. As the bonnet nuts
are tightened, the primary mating face compresses
the gasket and a seal is formed between the bon-
net and body, and between the body and the seat.
Once the bonnet nuts are set to the correct torque,
the secondary metal to metal mating faces come
together to ensure the alignment is square. Pro-
vided the correct torque is applied to the bonnet
nuts, ‘squareness’ of both the bonnet and seat are
guaranteed.
Any slight misalignment can cause the plug and seat not
to engage correctly
Why does a fixed seat position make the job harder?
The problems of alignment are exacerbated by the
fixed position of the screwed in seat. Any slight
misalignment can cause the plug and seat not to
engage correctly, and lead to poor shut off, and
side loading to the valve stem, which reduces the
life of the stem seal.
B:5
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18 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60
Free to float
Once again, a different approach is used. The clamp
in place design of the internals means that the
seat is ‘free to float’ until the bonnet assembly is
tightened. This allows the seat to adopt the correct
position with regard to the plug and ensures the
design shut off is achieved.
It also ensures the seat / plug positions are not a
source of side loading, which reduces the stem
seal life. A simple procedure of raising the valve
stem and then pushing the plug down onto the
seat, before tightening the bonnet nuts, ensures
the correct position.
Large choice
These valves are available in all popular materials;
cast iron, SG iron, carbon steel and stainless steel.
Most common dimensions are DN15 to DN100,
with pressures from PN16 to PN40. Depending on
the application there are many options from which
to choose, including reduced Kvs, soft or metal
sealing, low noise trim and gland seal with PTFE,
graphite or bellows. For global demand there are
‘true’ types according to EN (DIN) or ANSI and the
internal components are the same for both.
Bobbie Brooke-Taylor, Spirax Sarco, Tel: (011) 230 -1300,
Fax:(011) 230-1333, Email: info@za.spiraxsarco.com
8]Sdbcah
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June 2010
 BEARINGS & LUBRICATION

Manual greasing of machinery is still widely used, especially out in the field where bearings have to be
greased daily to avoid premature wear. Manual greasing is open to human error where one or two grease nip-
ples can easily be overlooked when the greaser is in a hurry, tired or distracted on his rounds.

Digital Manual Greasing

regimes are seldom effi-
cient,” he says. “Multi-task
operational requirements
mean that time-consuming,
labour-intensive greasing
schedules run an ongoing
risk of neglect by either
under or over-lubrication.
Under lubrication causes
premature wear and down-
time while over lubrication
can have similar effects and
is wasteful in any case.
“The LubeRight system
is a manual lubrication
program that enables an
exact dosage to each lu-
brication point, according
to the recommendations
of the bearing manufac-
turers,” Vincent explains.
“An integrated measur-
ing device, fitted onto an
ordinary standard hand
grease gun, measures the
exact amount of grease be-
ing fed to the lubrication
point, verifies the dosage
for every lubrication point
The complete LubeRight system
and, at the same time,
tracks historical lubrication

A
dditionally, manual greasing, even with an
experienced greaser, is never exact. Often
too much or too little grease is pumped
into the bearing, defeating the purpose
of lubrication in the first place. But don’t despair,
manual digital greasing has arrived on the South
African scene and promises to take the uncertainty
out of manual greasing forever.
Historically, especially in harsh operating environments,
manual lubrication regimes are seldom efficient
Computerised system
“SA Mechanical Engineer” speaks to Vincent Cor-
reia, technical manager at TriboSA in KwaZulu
Natal, distributors of the Assalub LubeRight system,
a computerised manual lubrication system now
available in South Africa. “Historically, especially in
harsh operating environments, manual lubrication
activity for each lubrication point.
Error eliminated
“Considering that a plant like a milling operation
can literally have thousands of grease points, it is
understandable that human error will take place,
but with the LubeRight system human error is
completely eliminated,” stresses Vincent.
“In addition, it provides the user with a complete
greasing administration program to manage a multi-
tude of greasing points precisely, extending bearing
life as well as eliminating lubricant waste.”
How it works
All lubrication points on a machine are equipped
with a RFID (radio frequency identification) tran-
sponder chip fitted to the grease nipple. “The RFID
transponder is baked into an epoxy resin, which is
mounted permanently onto each grease nipple,”
says Vincent. “Each transponder has a unique

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010 19

BEARINGS & LUBRICATION
The grease nipple with RFID tag
number which corresponds with data captured on
the LubeRight database program on a PC. This
program produces weekly schedules showing only
the points that are due for lubrication.
“These weekly schedules are then transferred from
the PC to the grease meter and when the lubricator
connects the meter to a nipple, the grease meter
automatically displays the amount of lubricant that
should be put into the grease point,” explains Vincent.
“As the lubricant is pumped in, the grease meter
displays a count-down to zero, the idea being not
to lubricate beyond zero. The greaser disconnects
the meter and continues to the next point.
The program tracks and records all lubrication activities
including missed points, over lubrication and under
lubrication as well as points lubricated out of schedule
Admin
“Once all the points have been greased, the infor-
mation on the grease meter is synchronised back
to the software database on the PC,” adds Vincent.
“At this point, any grease points that may have been
missed are immediately indicated and the greaser
can then go back to do them accordingly.
“The program tracks and records all lubrication
activities including missed points, over lubrication
and under lubrication as well as points lubricated
out of schedule.”
Case study
This report-back comes from a client who has used
the LubeRight for a while. “Our system selection
has been totally vindicated by the fact that we have
had ten trouble-free months since installing the
system. Internal inspection of the problematic high
speed fan bearings has demonstrated the benefits
that using just the right amount of lubricant can
20 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60
bring in terms of extending
bearing life. In addition, we
have reduced our grease
usage by over 60%.
“With operational mainte-
nance demands peaking
before and after weekends,
the benefits of the system
have made us move the
lubrication schedule to
mid-week ensuring op-
timum recorded lubrica-
tion, so that the risk of
bearing failure caused by
lubrication deficiency, is
minimised. Costs are now
much more controlled
through maximising bear-
ing efficiency and life.”
Other lube systems
TriboSA also has a multi-
line and dual line greasing
system from Assalub. “The multi-line system is
an automatic centralised lubrication system for
greases up to penetration NLGI 4,” says Vincent.
“Due to its design and execution, the system has
a very high reliability and a long mechanical life.
The lubricators have up to 12 separate outlets with
individually-adjustable feeds. In combination with
progressive feeders, you may connect up to 150
lubrication points within 10-20 meters from the
lubricator. The lubricators are electrically driven and
can be run continuously or intermittently.”
A unique feature of this system is that the discharge
from each individual outlet is fully adjustable. “The
unique pre-feeder utilises a grease scraper vane
and oscillating pre-feed roll which homogenises the
grease and forces it into the pump unit cylinder.
This ensures proper filling of the cylinder even with
short plunger strokes and problem-free pumping of
heavy greases.”
Dual-line
The dual-line is an automatic central system for
greases up to NLGI class 2. “This is a very reliable
system that can easily be enlarged or modified as
the dosers are of the modular build-up type,” Vincent
says. “The dual-line system can be used for both
very large as well as very small applications. It is
used in industries including the paper and pulp,
steel, metal, cement and power industries for the
lubrication of ball or roller bearings, slide bearings,
cylinder bearings, slides and open gears.”
Vincent Correia, TriboSA, Tel: (039) 975-2002 Mobile:
082-418-5769, Email: vincent@tribosa.co.za
June 2010

Hands-on Training?
H
i Chris,
Thanks for your “Leave it to the Profes-
sion” article in April 2010. I support
your views.
Let me support your proposal that the VA’s (Volunteer
Associations) plus engineering professionals should
train and be responsible for the future engineers
of our country.
Personal experience
Let me give you my personal experience as a case
of how to, and how not to, undertake training.
I graduated from Wits in 1956 with a mechanical
degree, and went to the OFS to do a mines pupil-
age at President Brand in 1957.
I did a double take, asked him to repeat the question
thinking I had missed a point in a fairly noisy working
area
I arrived at the mine, was greeted by the RE, Arthur
Resin, with “another graduate, what the hell am I
to do with you? Take your tools to the workshops,
I suppose you do have tools?” I had received no
apprenticeship training but as a matter of fact I
did have a box of tools. The training I received
was very hands on. There followed a period in the
Fitting, Electrical and Boiler shops. I am still a
lousy welder, however.
I was sent underground to do an artisan’s job,
both mechanical and electrical. I spent a few days
with artisans, and then was given my helper and
a section to run.
Section to run
The section had diesel locos, battery locos, scraper
winches, Eimco rockershovel loaders, and ventilation
fans, together with a semi portable Carrier cooling
THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
plant [30 ton capacity]. I reported to a charge hand
and a foreman. I was left on my own unless things
did not run satisfactorily.
I did the electrical and mechanical work on my own
to a large extent, the black helper and carrier of
tools guided me around the various working places.
Later I was appointed Charge hand Fitter, and ran
sections of artisans. Later I appointed as Foreman
Fitter covering the u/g and surface winders, pumps,
and main fans. This was all within about 9 months
of having joined the mine.
Day and night
I then was put in charge of the erection of a sec-
ond-hand winder u/g on a sub vertical shaft. I had
fitters and electricians reporting to me. Later I was
on a sinking shaft for a fortnight, more observing
than anything else.
Then a period of being nightshift foreman doing the
final installation of the Reduction Plant extensions.
This covered the installation of conveyors, pumps,
electric motors [most of which I connected up] and
supervised the steelwork erection for overhead
walkways. At the same time I did the cost control
and ordering of items that were needed to complete
the job for the day and night time work.
Later a period as RE secretary when the secretary
went on leave, and time in the drawing office and
ventilation dept measuring air flows and tempera-
tures u/g. A brief period with survey, again u/g,
measuring up face advance in the stopes. I was
appointed Acting Shaft engineer on a couple of oc-
casions when the engineer was on leave, and also
Workshop Engineer for the same reason.
Essential subjects
I had also been released by the mine manager two
afternoons a week for my two years in
addition to my duties, to teach/lecture at
the tech to students covering Electrical,
Physics and Maths. This was because there
was no lecturer in Welkom to cover this
need. AAC were concerned that their senior
apprentices, learner officials, and others
were not being taught essential subjects
for their national examinations.
At the same time I was swotting for my
Mines and Works GCC. This I passed first
time in early 1959, and was appointed,
officially now, as a Sectional Engineer.
I had time as such on mines.
Into industry
Enough detail, but now in summary form,
I later ran a small industrial company for
AAC, was appointed a Divisional Engineer,
VOL 60 June 2010 21
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
a sort of Assistant Consulting Engineer, OFS, and
at the same time I was the AAC representative for
the Eskom HV distribution for the AAC OFS mines.
During this time I went back to Wits for two years
on evenings to get a GDE Industrial diploma.
Later I was sent to the OFS as an ARE and later
became an RE on a gold mine. I left AAC in 1970
to go into industry making mining machinery.
Now the converse of my training
As the Managing Director of a large company making
mining machinery, both mechanical and electrical,
[I was a very hands on manager] we encouraged
plant visits by mining personnel.
We made scraper winches, Eimco loaders, battery
locomotives, mining rail turnout/crossings, mine
hoppers, etc. There was a lot for young mining
engineers to see in manufacture.
About 1994 or 1995 a big visit was arranged for
Vaal Reefs pupil engineers, senior apprentices, and
learner officials to come up to us. Since the group
was large, we broke up the group into about 6 - 8
people per company representative to take them
around and to answer questions.
Please, the training here was window dressing in order
to get the Government subsidy money
Youngsters
I selected a group, mainly pupil engineers who were
soon to write the GCC examination.
We had about 27 acres to walk around, and thus
it had to be done fairly briskly We went past stored
completed machines awaiting dispatch in many
areas.
At one such area, I was asked “Mr Parker, what
are these machines, there are so many of them?”
I did a double take, asked him to repeat the ques-
tion thinking I had missed a point in a fairly noisy
working area. He repeated the same question.
Absolute basics
Now he was looking at scraper winches, the most
22 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60
basic of materials handling equipment u/g in gold
and platinum mines. This winch was to the mines
as basic as a shovel is to your gardener. I would
guess the mines had over 70 000 or more scraper
winches u/g at the time.
I asked him how much time he had spent u/g. He
told me he had gone u/g on a visit to see the pumps
on a morning visit. The rest of the two years he had
spent in the training centre. Now he was about to
write his GCC. Presumably he would be appointed
a shaft engineer, to be the font of all wisdom to
foremen and artisans, and able to give them advice
on how to solve problems, and to operate in a safe
and efficient manner.
Window dressing
Please, the training here was window dressing in
order to get the Government subsidy money. The
standard of training was totally inadequate, produc-
ing in my opinion, engineers who would have been
a danger to themselves and the personnel reporting
to them. Had there been any peer review, as you
suggest, with actual visits checking up on experience
received, things would have been much better.
I am sure I was very lucky indeed with the train-
ing I received, and I tried, in later years, to repeat
this type of thing with incoming personnel under
my control.
Two extremes
I have always been a believer in the saying; “The
best fertilizer a farmer has is his own feet in the
fields” In other words on the job, actual job training
is as necessary as theory in a classroom.
Just two extremes, which serve to reinforce your
proposals. I am sure my operating as an artisan was
not legal in union terms, but nobody objected in the
1950s. The training I received was of inestimable
value in later years making, and selling, mining
equipment for sale all over the world.
Just some thoughts to add to your armoury
All the best
Mike Parker
June 2010
 POWER GENERATION

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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.
T
hermal power plants, including those
that use fissile elements or burn
coal, petroleum, or natural gas, as
well as heat engines in general, do
not convert all of their thermal energy into
electricity. In most heat engines, a bit more
than half is lost as excess heat.
Fritz Von Graszouw of Eastleigh Engineering
By capturing the excess heat, cogeneration, also
referred to as combined heat and power (CHP), uses
heat that would be wasted in a conventional plant.
Potentially such a system can reach an efficiency
of up to 89% in a cogeneration configuration, com-
pared with 55% for the best conventional plants.
This means that less fuel needs to be consumed to
produce the same amount of useful energy.
Less fuel needs to be consumed to
produce the same amount of useful
energy
The oxygen burner
Eastleigh Combustion, a combustion engineering
specialist company in Benoni has been in the
burner engineering business in South Africa
for over 25 years, constantly bringing in new
technology from their principles such as Eclipse
in Holland. “SA Mechanical Engineer” speaks
to Fritz von Graszouw. “We’ve just completed a
South African first for Eastleigh with an oxygen
fuel burner using oil,” he says.
“The burner is for a new rotary furnace smelter

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010 23

 POWER GENERATION

high level of impurities in the materials

Flue Fire burner technology in a co-generation application
where they take the lead out of old used car bat-
teries. The burner fires using a mix of oil and pure
oxygen to reach a temperature of around 2 000ºC.
This elevated temperature is necessary due to the
If the engines are not in operation, the burner can be
fired in auxiliary air mode
being processed.
Control unit
“In conjunction with our principles in
Holland, we designed the control system
for the Eclipse Primefire 100 burner
system. The control unit was designed
and built by us here and we were also
contracted for the installation of the
complete system,” Fritz adds.
“At the heart of a standard burner like
the Primefire 100 is the control system.
Through the use of microprocessors and a
series of valves, the control panel regulates
a feed of LPG gas, pure oxygen, an oil
feed and a line of compressed air to the
burner to reach a specified temperature
and maintain it with a constant flame
pattern.
Low NOX
“This type of oxygen fuel burner has,
like all our burners, particularly low NOX and par-
ticulate emission characteristics and has become
the industry standard in many applications in Eu-
rope,” he adds. “The burner, a very popular model
used in the glass production industry, produces a

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24 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010
 POWER GENERATION

conventional shape flame and has multiple fuel For this reason we should all be more aware of the
capabilities ranging from natural gas to light and safety aspects associated with gas installations
heavy oil fuels.
Its natural gas capability makes it a perfect candi- Safety first
date for a wide range of applications where people “While the consumption of gas in all its forms is
will, in the near future, have access to compressed set to grow rapidly in the coming years due to
natural gas through the virtual gas pipeline system it being available more readily, the application
now being launched in South Africa.” He explains range is bound to also expand to industries that
to us that the virtual gas pipeline consists of a large never really utilised it to the full before,” says Fritz
amount of containerised gas which is brought to in conclusion. “For this reason we should all be
site in a configuration called Mats. This is new more aware of the safety aspects associated with
technology being established in South Africa right gas installations. New regulations have just been
now whereby compressed natural gas (CNG) will promulgated and we’d like encourage everyone in
become available for a much wider range of ap- the gas industry to become compliant as quickly
plications than before. Test vehicles, for instance, as possible. It is in the interests of one and all to
have already been converted to run on this gas make gas the safe fuel of the future.”
system and the Mats are used to supply and store Fritz Von Graszouw, Eastleigh Combustion Engineering,
the CNG at gas filling stations. Tel: (011) 969-1992, Email: fritzsr@eatleigh.co.za
Co-generation
In one Eclipse case study, a Flue Fire Burner was
utilised to provide supplementary heat
coming from 9 to 12 gas engines to one
common steam generator. Due to the
low oxygen content in the exhaust gas,
the burner was provided with a 100%
primary combustion air supply.
If the engines are not in operation, the
burner can be fired in auxiliary air mode.
The burner consists of four burner rows
with 25 burner modules each and is
suitable to fire natural gas, coke gas or
a mixture of 80% steel gas and 20%
natural gas.
Power generation
The Eclipse FlueFire is specially designed
for supplemental firing of cogeneration and
combined-cycle installations. In power
generation stations, the exhaust gases
from gas turbines contain a significant
quantity of energy in the form of heat.
This energy can be used either directly in
heating processes or to generate steam,
which can again drive steam turbines to
generate more electricity.
When the heat requirement is greater
Flue Fire burner technology in a co-generation application
than that available from
the turbine exhaust gas-
es, supplementary firing
can be applied. Eclipse
has designed the Flue-
Fire burner specifically
for this purpose. It is an
in-duct burner which can
be located directly in the
exhaust gases between
the turbine and waste
heat boiler. The burner is
also suitable for fresh air
operation or incineration
applications. Burner technology in a boiler application

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010 25

26 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010
THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010 27
POWER GENERATION NEWS
New service dealers
The Tognum Group company MTU South Africa (PTY) Ltd,
supplier of engines, complete propulsion and power systems
in southern Africa has recently appointed new service dealers
in Nigeria, Zimbabwe and South Africa to extend its reach
and quality of service to customers throughout Sub Sahara
Africa.
The service dealers are Stag Engineering Nigeria Ltd, R&S
Diesel Pro Services in Zimbabwe and AfrEquip in South Africa.
As leaders in their respective sectors, the appointment of these
service dealers will ensure quality service delivery to MTU
SA customers. Their employees have undergone specialised
training on the product range at MTU SA’s Johannesburg
training centre.
“As with all mechanical equipment, it is necessary for en-
gines to be serviced regularly to ensure that they operate
at full performance over their entire service life. Customers
demand quick and efficient technical support and we there-
fore continually review the company’s network of approved
service dealers throughout Sub Sahara Africa” says Michael
Baumann, Managing Director of MTU SA.
Electro mechanical company, Stag Engineering, specialises in
the sales, after sales maintenance, servicing and overhauling
of mainly gensets.
Engine specialist, R&S Diesel Pro Services in Harare focuses
on the service, maintenance and overhaul of diesel engines
for a wide variety of applications.
And, AfrEquip, based in Empangeni Rail, Kwazulu Natal, is
the leader in forestry mechanisation in southern Africa. The
company imports, sells and services heavy forestry machines,
with an increasing number being powered by Mercedes Benz
engines.
For more information about MTU please visit www.mtu-online.co.za
Thermal services
Hatch Energy Thermal division Leader Jan Fourie, of South
Africa says that with increasing global commitment to re-
duced emissions, many coal-fired plants are being decom-
missioned, retrofitted for cleaner operation, converted to
cleaner fuels or replaced by new and cleaner combustion
techniques.
“Hatch provides professional and technical services, and due
diligence for thermal plants around the world,” adds Jan.
One such project saw Hatch and a joint-venture partner
providing EPCM services to the greenfield Koniambo pyro-
metallurgical facility in New Caledonia, which features a
60 000-ton-per-year ferronickel smelter for the extraction
of nickel from saprolitic ore mined from the Koniambo ore
body.
Hatch Africa has played a key role at Koniambo, having
carried out a power-station-design peer review on the au-
tomation system of the power plant to ensure compliance
28 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER
to standards, design of systems and to ensure that the power
station operates to the requirements of the metallurgical
plant.
Hatch Africa is also responsible for the construction manage-
ment of the power plant area on the overall project, notes
Jan. The project is currently in the execution phase with
major equipment contracts in the evaluation and negotiation
phase. The estimated development cost of this project is
around U$ 4bn.
In South Africa, Richards Bay Minerals is undertaking a
development program for the installation of a cogeneration
plant that will use 30 000 Nm3 of CO furnace off-gas per
hour to support the reduction of its carbon footprint and
reduce the exposure to demand constraints imposed by the
national electricity utility.
The co-generation pilot plant is the first phase of a potentially
larger co-generation project, comprising 20 generation sets
to generate approximately 30 MW of electrical supply for
internal use over the plant’s 30-year life.
The Co-Generation pilot plant will utilise the CO gas to gener-
ate an estimated 4 5 MW of electrical supply utilising three
GE Jenbacher machines.
Further afield in Botswana, Debswana Diamond Company
operates four diamond mines, namely Jwaneng, Orapa,
Letlhakane and Damtshaa.
“In recent months it became apparent that Botswana Power
Corporation (BPC) will be challenged to provide sufficient
power to Botswana due to shortfalls in generation capacity. As
a result, Debswana has appointed Hatch Africa to investigate
different sources of generation to compliment any shortfall
which may arise from BPC, either as peak supply or a base
load supplement,” explains Fourie.
Hatch, Woodmead, South Africa, Tel: (011) 239-5300, Fax: (011) 239-
5790, Centurion, Tel: (011) 844-1344, Fax: (011) 612-9614, Website:
www.hatch.ca
Consistency of supply
Reatile Energy, a subsidiary of empowerment company Reatile
Resources, has acquired a 25% shareholding in Egoli Gas,
the city’s historical piped gas supplier since 1892. Reatile
Energy also owns a majority interest in Reatile Gaz (a joint
venture with Engen that markets and distributes Liquid Pe-
troleum Gas, or LPG).
Reatile Energy funded the transaction through a combina-
tion of its own funds and other funding obtained from the
Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). The transaction
was effectively finalised on 29 April 2010.
This deal signals promising developments in the natural gas
sector in the greater Johannesburg metropolitan area. “This
is an important strategic step for both companies: Reatile will
extend its business to leverage opportunities in the natural gas
market; while Egoli Gas will focus on building its corporate
customer base with our existing customers,” says Simphiwe
VOL 60 June 2010
POWER GENERATION NEWS

Scaffolding, insulation
and refractory
Hlakani Maintenance Pty (Ltd) is
a black women owned company
that focuses on lagging, scaffold-
ing and refractory services in the
power generation sector.
HSCS has been audited by Eskom
for the delivery of scaffolding,
refractory and insulation ser-
vices. HSCS Projects combined
the expertise of three companies
to vendor a one stop service to
clients, ie, HSCS – Marketing,
boiler & related plant experience;
ISECO – Insulation, refractory &
scaffolding; Top Fix Scaffolding
– Expert access scaffolding.
One key advantage is that Hlakani
Maintenance has access to pat-
ented boiler scaffolding designs
Left to Right: Quintus Joubert (Director, Egoli Gas), Pierre Joubert (Director, Egoli Gas), Simphiwe
Mehlomakulu (Reatile Chairperson), Bheki Vilakazi (Managing Director, Egoli Gas) from Top Fix Scaffolding, erection
and dismantling times for scaf-
Mehlomakulu, Chairman of Reatile Energy. folding are shortened.
Adds Bheki Vilakazi, Managing Director of Egoli Gas: “We For lagging and cladding, the expertise and world class
aim to expand our natural gas network rapidly in Johannes- machines from Iseco will add to quicker turnaround times.
burg, focusing on an anchor corporate customer base – and Insulation applications from -60C up to 1800C can be
Reatile is associated with key companies and partners in the handled. The Insta-Clad machines offer CNC manufactured
corporate and industrial sectors in South Africa.” cladding components. This shortens site assembly by up
Bheki points out that the rationale behind partnering with to 50%.
Reatile Energy is due to their substantial technical background Gerhard Holtshauzen (Pr Eng), Technical Manager - HLAKANI
in the energy sector, especially since the company has close Maintenance, Tel: (013) 246 1824, Fax: (013) 246 1835, Email:
ties with established gas and energy industry players. Fur- info@hlakani.co.za
thermore, the transaction will
significantly improve the BBBEE
status of Egoli Gas.
Natural gas will mainly be used
for cogeneration – heating and
cooling applications – in large
corporate buildings and develop-
ments, he explains. “There will
thus be more choice available
to customers, and less reliance
on electricity as a sole source of
supply for power needs.
Furthermore, Reatile`s inten-
tion is to grow volumes and
reduce gas losses. We there-
fore view technology (co-gen-
eration and tri-generation),
as strategic in growing the
market,“comments Bheki. “Gas
is available 24/7/365, is energy-
efficient, environmentally-sound
and cost-effective.”
Bheki Vilakazi, Managing Director,
Egoli Gas, Tel: (011) 356-5000,
Email: bvilakazi@egoligas.co.za
Scaffolding

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010 29

NUCLEAR INSTITUTE (SA BRANCH)

New Kid on The Block

Yong-gwang Nuclear power station, South Korea

One has always been aware of nuclear goings on in Korea but it was always the North that stole the limelight,
and always for the wrong reasons. The South was never a prominent player on the world nuclear stage. Until
now. The world suddenly woke up last December with the sale of four power reactors of South Korean design
and manufacture to the United Arab Emirates. The wake-up factor was the reasonable price, $20,6 billion for
4 x 1400 MW for a turnkey project with essentially zero local content.

T
hen came a visit to this country
by a Korean ‘special presidential
envoy’ and then a reciprocal visit in
May by Minister Dipuo Peters. She
evidently told the Koreans of Government
plans for further nuclear stations in this
country but stopped short of indicating
whether they would be invited to bid. It
would surprise me, with absolutely no
inside information, if they are not.
The South Korean nuclear success story
John Walmsley from the 1970s is amazing. The first units
were supplied, turnkey, by Westinghouse.
Construction of the first unit at Kori began in
1972. The Koreans, however, were determined
from the outset to become independent of out-
side suppliers. They did pick up four Canadian
and two French reactor units along the learning
curve but by 1999 were commissioning their own
OPR-1000s, OPR standing for Optimised Power
Reactor. They are now building four APR-1400s,
APR being Advanced Power Reactor and, as stated
above, have just sold four to the Arabs. Altogether
in Korea there are twenty units in operation and
eight under construction.
Altogether in Korea there are twenty units in operation
and eight under construction
The 1400 MW APRs now on offer are pressurised
water reactors based on the Combustion Engineering
System 80+ concepts but upgraded, particularly with
severe accident mitigation systems, to Generation
III+ standards. The design does not go as far in
respect of severe accident management as does the
Areva EPR with its double containment and molten
core catcher. KEPCO, the designer/builder/operator
of the Korean stations is, however, confident that
the design meets all current US licensing criteria.
There has clearly been tremendous investment
in human capital. KEPCO employs some 18 000
people. Their literature mentions an International
Nuclear Graduate School offering masters and doc-
toral courses in nuclear business and technology,
an International Nuclear Safety School, a Nuclear
Training and Education Centre for nuclear policy and
R & D people, and several other establishments for
site construction personnel, operators, maintenance
and licensing staff.
All this development mirrors progress in the country
as a whole. A startling statistic is the growth in
the per capita GNP from $87 (in 1962 dollars)
to $20 450 (in 2007 dollars). Even allowing for
inflation, that’s astonishing. The Koreans evidently
like to compare their country with the Philippines
where, starting from a higher base, the figure has
risen to just $1950.
The corresponding figure they gave me for North
Korea was $1150. Both countries appear to have
been ruled by dictators, progressively capitalistic
in the South, communist in the North.
I tried to discover the embassy explanation for the
evident phenomenal growth. Literacy presumably
helped. Even in 1966 the literacy rate was 91%.
Parents, according to the literature, are passionate
about their children’s education. Otherwise, there
has evidently been decades of enlightened leader-
ship manifested, doubtless, in generous funding
for development.
Certain phrases leap out of the KEPCO literature.
‘Punctuality, diligence, way of working to meet the
deadline without fail’. ‘Sacrifice holiday, vacation
and time with family’. ‘Still work the longest hours
amongst OECD member countries’. ‘Efficient control
of students, religious and civic groups and trade
union activists’. One can only marvel.
John Walmsley, Email: walmslj@iafrica.com

30 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010


The Mystery of
Neil Robinson, managing director of
WearCheck
Machine Wear
Knowing what’s going on in your engine or gearbox in terms
of its state of health is no longer the dark mystery it was in
the past. More and more people, especially the owners of old
machinery, have long since realised the value of analysing ma-
chinery oils on a regular basis as a means of keeping tabs on
internal wear to avoid unexpected and costly breakdowns.
A small collection of parts, damaged through a lack of proper lubrication
T
he concept of analysing an oil sample from
a machine or component is identical to that
of taking a blood sample from a person to
determine the patient’s health. Similarly,
analysing oil samples provides diagnosticians with
an insight into the health of equipment ranging from
earthmoving units, transport fleets and processing
plants to ships and aircraft.
It has been proven over and over that oil analysis is an
effective method of reducing maintenance costs
Oil analysis
For a glimpse into the scientific process of condi-
tion monitoring through oil analysis “SA Mechani-
cal Engineer” visits WearCheck’s headquarters in
Pinetown near Durban to speak to managing director
Neil Robinson. “Generally people realise the im-
portance of condition monitoring, but it is equally
important to have it done properly in order to get
value for money,” he says. “We spend a lot of time
and money educating people about the benefits of
condition monitoring and once they see the value,
they simply don’t turn back.
THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER
BEARINGS & LUBRICATION
“During tough economic times like we’ve just gone
through, it becomes crucial to maintain equipment
rather than replace it,” says Neil. “In spite of the
downturn, a lot of machinery was brought into the
country to cope with the amount of construction
work, but it seems everyone realised they had to
get optimum use out of machinery. This could
only be achieved with proper regular maintenance
supported by condition monitoring which has been
reflected by a steady increase in our business
during the recent tough times.
Reducing costs
“It has been proven over and over that oil analysis is
an effective method of reducing maintenance costs,
improving productivity and providing peace of mind
in industries which operate large fleets of plant,
equipment or heavy-duty vehicles,” says Neil. “By
putting cleaner fuel, air and oil into a machine, it
will last longer and operate more efficiently, thereby
improving productivity and saving costs.
“Oil analysis acts as an early warning system, giv-
ing maintenance managers the security of knowing
that most problems will be identified before serious
damage is caused. In addition, oil analysis can
help to identify fuel system and combustion inef-
ficiencies which, when rectified, decreases harmful
emissions into the atmosphere.”
The facility
Neil takes us through the facility in Pinetown which,
in essence, is a series of laboratory sections fed
by a well-oiled supply chain management system
that brings oil samples in from across the country,
channels it to the right laboratory, generates reports
and then in the end dispatches the reports back
to customers. “In order to get consistency in test
results, this facility is where all quality standards
are generated and maintained and filtered through
to our other labs,” explains Neil.
“So, regardless of which of our labs across the
country receives an oil sample, the test results will
always be the same. All the test results from the
different labs come here and are diagnosed here.
Reports are then produced here and made available
to customers through the usual means of internet
or email, regardless of which branch office the oil
sample was submitted to originally.
The people
“Our analysts and diagnosticians are very special
VOL 60 June 2010 31
BEARINGS & LUBRICATION
Analysts use sophisticated equipment to test oil samples
people who are carefully selected,” says Neil. “What
we need in a lab in terms of an analyst is someone
who can concentrate on the same thing accurately,
day in and day out.
Oil analysis acts as an early warning system, giving
maintenance managers the security of knowing that
most problems will be identified before serious damage
is caused
32 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER
“We’ve found that the graduates, such as
chemical engineers, tend to get bored be-
cause they want to fiddle and explore which
tends to lead to inconsistencies. We have
nineteen laboratory analysts who work on
a workstation for a month at a time before
moving onto any one of the next eight test
stations that an oil sample goes through.”
Diagnosis
The test results from the analysts then go
to a team of seven diagnosticians who are
qualified engineers with experience of the
industries Wearcheck is serving. “Their job
is to look at the information that comes
out of the laboratory and, together with
the knowledge they have of the particular
machinery and its application, diagnose
potential problems,” Neil explains.
“At the same time they have to consider
factors like how the sample was taken. They
don’t want to condemn a machine just because the
sample wasn’t taken correctly, for example. So they
also need to be attuned to the field conditions that
can influence the analysis.”
At liberty
“If they see dirt of a particular size, for instance,
the chances are that it hasn’t come from inside the
machine, but more likely from the way the oil has
been sampled,” elaborates Neil. “Another mistake
often made in sampling is that the client rinses the
sampling bottle with diesel or petrol, but we can
usually pick this up in our tests by cross referencing
other characteristics in viscosity.
“However, we can’t always be a hundred percent
sure of this and will only suggest to the client that it
could be the problem,” adds Neil. “ Our diagnosti-
cians are also at liberty to internally request more
tests from the original sample before they contact
the client. If it is out of the ordinary, they’ll contact
they client. In the case of course dirt, for example,
we’d suggest the client either look for a severely
damaged filter or check the sampling technique
being used.
Value for money
“As I’ve said before, condition monitoring through
oil analysis has for many companies proven to be
value for money,” says Neil in conclusion. “However,
it’s not a magic wand that solves all problems.
It’s a two-way process where we need as much
information from the client as they’re able to sup-
ply in order to make an accurate diagnosis. They
in turn will get a better life out of the equipment.
I encourage clients to ask questions, the more we
know about each other the better we can solve
their problems.”
Neil Robinson, Wearcheck, Tel: (031) 700-5460, Email:
neil@wearcheck.co.za
VOL 60 June 2010

Designing Defence
Systems
Design software has changed the face of modern warfare.
Sophisticated electronic warfare systems have sufficient in-
telligence to make instant decisions and react long before a
human can blink an eye. To make the development of defence
equipment even more complex, each new attack system that
comes onto the market promptly creates the need for a coun-
termeasure.
T
oday’s missiles, for instance, are guided
by a laser control system that constantly
checks the target and steers the missile to
follow the target’s path wherever it goes.
In response, you’d need something that not only
picks up the laser beam and guided missile, but
also accurately identifies it so that the correct
countermeasure is deployed to steer the missile
away or destroy it.
Prototype models of the LEDS system for various application mounting
THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER
COMPUTERS IN ENGINEERING
Local
Systems like this are designed and built in South
Africa by Saab. “SA Mechanical Engineer” speaks to
design manager Paul du Plessis, a client of Mecad
Systems, which provides the core design and docu-
ment management software solutions Saab uses in
the mechanical design of defence equipment.
Each new attack system that comes
onto the market promptly creates the
need for a countermeasure
“Although our roots are in the aviation industry,
we’ve also moved into the development of defence
systems for the maritime industry,” says Paul.
“Lately we’ve been concentrating on land vehicles
such as tanks and armoured vehicles with poten-
tial collateral application for the defence of fixed
installations.
Heading your way
“For this purpose we’ve developed a scalable system
called LEDS, a Land Electronic Defence System
VOL 60 June 2010 33
 Pumps ƒ Valves ƒ Systems

KSB Slurry Pumps – Ton after Ton

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34 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010

 COMPUTERS IN ENGINEERING

The LEDS system mounted on a tank

Paul du Plessis, design manager at Saab South Af-

rica

which in essence detects any targeting system that

uses laser technology to direct or aim weaponry at
you,” explains Paul. “Basically the LEDS system
will not only detect the laser, but also indicate
what it is, which direction it’s coming from and
automatically deploy appropriate countermeasures
correctly both in terms of time and spatial position.
This causes the missile or bomb that’s heading
your way to miss the protected vehicle in a high
percent of cases.”
LEDS consists of several variants, some of which
are still developmental. In essence all the variants
consist of a sensor suite, a central ADC (Active
Defence Controller), HSDL (High Speed Directed
Launcher) fixed dispensing mechanisms and coun-
termeasures options consisting of active signature
management that suppresses external fire and
changes the vehicle heat and radar signature, fast
multi-spectral smoke ammunition that instantly
obscures the line of sight of an attacking weapon
system, and counter-munition options that deto-
nates the approaching ammunition before it hits
the vehicle.
Response time
The LEDS system is so intelligent it can even de-
termine whether the missile will actually hit you
or not, and react accordingly.
The system response time is phenomenal and it has Models of the LEDS system in the design stage
the ability to defend the vehicle against close- in The time from an RPG fired at such a short distance
threats. It is not uncommon during urban combat
until successful defeat of this RPG by the LEDS system
to be fired upon with an RPG at a distance of less
than 25 m. The time from an RPG fired at such a is typically less than 200 milliseconds
short distance until successful defeat of this RPG
the effective integration of the system on vehicles
by the LEDS system is typically less than 200
is all done in a variety of design software packages
milliseconds. To put this in perspective, bear in
from different vendors. All the different components,
mind that the average human takes 240 ms to
some of which are manufactured by subcontractors
blink his eye.
have to be married into one product design and
Software turned into an efficient operational solution using
The development of systems like LEDS as well as Saab proprietary operating software. Saab’s clients

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010 35

COMPUTERS IN ENGINEERING
A prototype model built in rapid prototyping to check the layout of a control unit for the with defences systems like the LEDS
LEDS system
We’ve often commented on features we’d like to have
and when the next version comes out, you’ll find it’s
there
typically have unique requirements for the same often differ from one customer to the next.”
product, all off which have to be managed very
precisely to ensure customer satisfaction.
“On the mechanical design side we use SolidWorks’
parametric 3D modelling software extensively be-
cause it is so easy to pull in design models from
all the other 3D packages,” says Paul. “Some may
well have been designed overseas in Catia, while
the electronic boards were designed in another
specialised package, while the logic operational
functions were developed using dedicated software.
To bring all the different designs together, we use
software developed in-house.”
36 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60
Features
“I have been a designer for over thirty
years and still it’s often difficult to
get engineers to see things three di-
mensionally,” says Paul. “SolidWorks’
visualisation capability is exceptionally
powerful so 3-D is no longer a problem
because you can rotate, move and in-
tersect a model easily to demonstrate
exactly what you have in mind.
“Apart from easily exporting models
to PDF files that can be emailed to a
client, or subcontractor E-Drawings
has made a significant impact on com-
municating visually both for internal
development teams and with clients.
You create a simple model that can
be viewed from all angles, in and out,
and email it your client who does not
need any CAD software to view it. It’s
a self-executing file that he can open
directly to view just as you would in
SolidWorks.
Managing documents
“To manage all the mechanical designs
and all the different versions on each
design, from component level right
through to the complete vehicle fitted
system, we’ve opted for PDM Works
from SolidWorks,” says Paul. “You can
appreciate the enormity of this task if you consider
that all military equipment is usually extensively
serialised to ensure very definite configurations which
“In the beginning we relied heavily on Mecad to
get PDM Works configured to do what we need,
but it has since proved to be the perfect solution
for our complex mechanical CAD data management
needs,” Paul says in conclusion. “The greatest thing
about this vendor is that they listen to their users.
We’ve often commented on features we’d like to
have and when the next version comes out, you’ll
find it’s there.”
Robert Pereira, Mecad Systems, Tel: 086.111.2236, Email:
robert@mecad.co.za – Paul du Plessis, SAAB, Tel: (012)
672-6214, Email: paul.duplessis@za.saabgroup.com
June 2010
 COMPUTERS IN ENGINEERING

Environmental Clean-up
Traditionally when you build a process plant and you need to fit an air pollution control system, you draw up
specifications of the expected flows, then various filtration system manufacturers tender for the job. These
manufacturers work solely on the information supplied which more often than not ends up being slightly off
the mark, so the system does not perform quite as it should. Because the end user ‘calls the tune’, the onus
rests on him. OEM’s usually don’t accept responsibility if gas flows or emissions don’t fall within spec.

A
much better approach it is to undertake a
thorough study of the proposed plant design,
including process engineering to model the
process kinetically and thermodynamically.
This broad approach leads to an accurate under-
standing of the process impact on the gas cleaning
system: gas flow rate, energy released to off-gas
and gas composition. Various operating scenarios
can also be catered for and the gas cleaning plant
required operating range is determined. Only once
all of the above has been completed can accurate
specs be drawn up to ensure effective filtration in
real-life plant operation.
The team from Resonant (front L to R) - Jan Moodie, Nico Barnard, Chris Coetzee, (Back “At first we were reluctant to get involved
L to R) Luther Ekl, Olof Vorster, Martiens Serfontein and Matthew Cramb
A fortunate break for us has been the very large projects
we’ve undertaken in this field in Russia
A solution
A company that now offers a total solution when
it comes to challenges like designing gas cleaning
systems for process plant is Resonant Environmental
Technologies based in Centurion. “SA Mechanical
Engineer” meets the team of young engineers from
Resonant to talk about recent projects that have
put this company at the international forefront of
fume control system design.
“From just a handful of design and analysis en-
gineers delivering consultative design analysis a
few short years ago, we’ve grown to a staff of over
twenty specialists in three companies under one
roof,” says Chris Coetzee, director of Resonant
Solutions. “Resonant Environmental Technologies
takes our consulting and design engineering offering
into turnkey projects where we also manage the
fabrication and installation of plant, specifically in
the air pollution control industry.
Cleaning up Russia
“A fortunate break for us has been the very large
projects we’ve undertaken in this field in Russia.
Our Engineered, Project Managed, Construction
Managed approach (EPCM) and project
experience is therefore fine-tuned,” adds
Chris. “As we progressed with these
Russian projects, which originated from
doing a comprehensive flow analysis of
their plant, we soon realised that we also
needed design engineers on the automa-
tion side because this is where you have
an opportunity to build IP (intellectual
property) into your design in order to
distinguish yourself in the market.
“This gave birth to our third company,
Resonant Automation, which is run by two
brilliant automation design engineers.”
Persuasive
The Russians first saw Resonant’s work
when Olof Vorster, director of Environ-
mental Technologies delivered a paper
overseas on a local flow analysis project.
so far away and in conditions that are
totally foreign to us,” he says.
“Their plants run in sub zero temperature conditions
which is something we had to quickly adapt to. Rus-
sian industry is under severe pressure to clean up the
fumes they release into atmosphere and when they
studied our analysis, they persisted in persuading
us to work with them. We’ve completed one plant,
are busy with the second one and the third, fourth
and fifth one is on the drawing board.”
Local market
This experience, of designing and building large
filtration systems that typically handle two million
cubic metres of gas flow an hour, has put the com-
pany on the map in terms of the design, analysis,

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010 37

COMPUTERS IN ENGINEERING
construction and commissioning of gas cleaning
plant. They now plan to roll this offering out in the
local market. “In South Africa you can buy air filtra-
tion equipment from a dozen good suppliers, but
just the equipment does not fully solve industry’s
air pollution problems,” Olof explains.
We’re able to design the system right through to the
chimney stack in full confidence that the job will go well
“Our new design methods that can calculate the
off-gas from a ferroalloy furnace, for instance,
means that our specs are much more accurate
than ever before.
Turnkey
“We’re able to design the system right through to
the chimney stack in full confidence that the job
will go well,” adds Olof. “This solution is offered
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at a model of Resonant’s solution, now installed. It is to standard software packages to allow
a bagfilter system with a capacity of 2.2 million Nm 3/hr now already operating in Russia
38 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60
either on a consultative basis for the design and
drawing up of specifications only, or, as with the
Russian projects, as an EPCM managed project. One
of the niche specialities we’ve now developed as a
result of the projects we’ve done so far, is tall free
standing stacks from 20 meters to 100 meters. To
date we’ve designed and built several, including a
ninety-metre high stainless steel stack replacing an
old corroded stack which we also had to demolish
at a vanadium producer.” These stacks play an
important role in limiting ground level concentra-
tions of pollutants due to dispersion.
The scope of work Resonant covers ranges from the
design, analysis and simulation of forces in steel
reinforced foundations, through the filtration systems
and flow, right through to the outlet through stacks.
This includes the automation of plant, gas clean-
ing systems and all other mechanical
automation in such a plant. High end
engineering in the form of finite element
analysis (FEA) and computational fluid
dynamics (CFD) also forms part of the
everyday solutions Resonant provides
Software
“The secret to our success lies in acquiring
the right tools and the people qualified
to use a variety of software packages,”
says Chris, “otherwise projects of this
nature would be impossible. The average
age of our team of engineers is 27, but
they’re picking up experience rapidly
and have to date come up with brilliant
new concepts that have proved to work
in the field.
“You not going to get a software package
that can do everything you need, so we’re
also constantly developing enhancements
us to get the required results. In this
way, we’ve come up with unique solu-
tions which gives us an edge.”
Fresh ideas
“Industry is sick and tired of catalogue
solutions where clients have to pick a
product from a list and make do,” says
Olof in conclusion. “Industry is looking
for properly-engineered solutions. The
fact that we’ve developed from a purely
consultative engineering company to a
comprehensive engineered solutions
provider in just a few years proves that
industry’s requirements have become
much broader. Clients want engineered
solutions, from the foundations right
through to the top of the chimney.”
Chris Coetzee, Resonant Solutions, Tel: (012)
665-1446, Email: chris@resonant.co.za
June 2010

Tribology Project 2010
The objective of this project is to de-
termine the cost and energy saving
potential of tribology to South Africa.
Since tribology is about the under-
standing and control of friction, and
friction consumes energy and gener-
ates wear, this objective can be seen
as to determine the extra cost of ener-
gy lost due to friction, and the cost of
wear that could otherwise be reduced
or eliminated, since wear consumes
machinery.
B
Patrick Swan
ecause tribology is universal it cov-
ers all of industry, both government
and private sector, and all forms of
mechanisation. The objectives of
this study will be to establish both the costs and
potential savings by industry type and by applica-
Component tion, considering the following cost areas:
suppliers surveyed
• Energy, consumption and savings potential
have been
• Environment
suppliers of plain
and rolling • Maintenance
element bearings,
• Replacement costs
gearboxes, • Breakdowns
hydraulic design
• Potential to increase component life
and components
• Potential to increase equipment and machinery
and heavy
utilisation from greater mechanical efficiency.
transport
equipment. The outcome of this study will then be to benchmark
the country and highlight areas of concern where
Industries
greater effort is required, for example in certain
surveyed are
industries or applications, in general education,
metal specific education, or research and development.  have been recorded where insufficient knowledge of
beneficiation,
Our initial priority was to obtain as much information
chemicals, pulp,
as possible from international sources to guide the
transport and process and ensure that we didn’t end up re-invent-
local government. ing someone else’s wheel. While we gained a lot of
These surveys are information, particularly by attending the annual
of course on-going STLE conference and World Tribology Congress
so that all major 2009, we were also able to advertise our project
sectors of industry at these events. An unexpected outcome was that
we have now become a founder member of a much
and component
larger project to assess tribology globally.
suppliers will be
Locally, our first priority was to gain as much general
surveyed.
information from industry as possible through a
web based questionnaire. Although the question-
naire went out to several thousand tribologists and
engineers, and was opened by over a thousand, the
meaningful data received did not adequately cover
industry in general.
Our second, and most time consuming priority was
THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER
SAIT
to implement a series of interviews across industry.
These visits have been divided into component
suppliers and industry.
Major findings thus far have been surprising:
• Typical bearing life today is about one third of
what it was about 20 years ago; this applies to
both rolling element and plain bearings.
• Gearbox life over the same period has reduced
by up to 80%.
• Lubricators are often seen as a misfit in the
organisation.
• There is a major loss of skills throughout in-
dustry, from plant lubricator level and engineers to
senior management and the Bureau of Standards;
examples of this are:
o The level of knowledge with reference to a re-
quest for quotation is insufficient, with the result
that the incorrect equipment can be procured.
o Root cause failure analysis is not applied, or is
simply not performed, and no corrective action is
implemented.
o Minimum lubricant specifications established by
the SABS and requested by industry are in some
cases obsolete or inappropriate for the country’s
needs.
• Shortened equipment life is attributed to lack
of basic maintenance skills; equipment alignment
and lubricant cleanliness are seen as the dominant
causes.
• CEOs and CFOs are short term cost driven, and
do not see the benefits of sound tribology
• Procurement is short term cost driven; failures
lubricants has resulted in the use of sub-standard
components resulting in expensive failures.
Training and tertiary education standards
At a tertiary level education in the engineering dis-
cipline is sound, but this education typically does
not include tribology or lubrication. At lower levels
reduced apprentice and artisan training appears to
have omitted tribology and lubrication entirely.
We look forward to completing this project and re-
establishing tribology in its rightful place in industry.
As always, if any reader has any information or
experience relevant to this project, or would like to
contribute any information for the project, please
get in touch with Gillian Fuller, SAIT Secretary, Tel:
(011) 802-5145/6/7/8, Fax: (011) 804-4972, Email:
secretary@sait.org.za, Website: www.sait.org.za
Patrick Swan
Project Manager, SAIT
VOL 60 June 2010 39
Market Forum
Afrimold gaining momentum
Afrimold 2010, the trade exhibition for mould-
making, tooling, design and application develop-
ment, is gearing up for a successful debut event
at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg
from 16 – 18 Aug 2010. Show times are 16 and
17 August 10h00 to 19h00 and 18th August
10h00 to 18h00.
Prestigious exhibitors who have already secured
their places at the inaugural event include 3D
Solids, Retecon and Bohler Uddeholm Africa.
A high level conference program is planned to
run concurrently with the afrimold exhibition
which will address tooling technologies from
design through manufacture and conversion and
include all the manufacturing disciplines such as
plastics, metal forming and foundry (low pres-
sure, high pressure and sand casting). Festo supplied Mercedes Benz South Africa (MBSA) with four automated systems
In addition, specific industries will be targeted to clamp and release the trolleys used for carrying car seats to the production
line at MBSA’s East London plant
including automotive, consumer, medical, build-
ing, defence etc.
The exhibition has received the endorsement of the “The Upgraded pumps and valves
Toolmaking Association of South Africa (TASA). The mining and minerals processing industry welcomed both
the upgraded and new pumps and valves being launched
Ron MacLarty, Afrimold South Africa, Tel: 072-353-6699, Fax: 0865-
onto the market by Weir Minerals Africa.
16-2975, Email: ron@afrimold.com, Website: www.afrimold.com
The company’s Isogate knife
gate valves have been spe-
cifically designed for a heavy
duty abrasive environment and
according to product manager:
cyclones & valves, Jeffrey Lat-
egan, not only reduce downtime
Festo sets the tone for dancing trolleys but improve efficiencies while
Festo, has supplied Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) with lowering overall ownership cost.
four automated systems for clamping and releasing trolleys The design enables users to
used to carry car seats on the company’s production line. remove just the rubber sleeve
and not the entire valve.
Festo installed and commissioned the systems after-hours,
so as not to disrupt the Mercedes-Benz C-Class production In a drive to provide custom-
cycle. ers with upgrades to older
technology without neces-
Festo has supplied ADN 50 compact cylinders, air pilot sitating wholesale equipment
valves, VZ timers, air preparation units and foot valves for replacement, Weir Minerals Rene Calitz
the implementation of each system. Each system controls a has developed a centrifugal
break shoe which allows the trolleys to be retained in position or expeller seal which can be retrofitted to the company’s
until required. Once a trolley is needed on the production AH pumps. This new technology eliminates the need for
line, it is released to travel down an inclined ramp. a flushed gland and reduces water consumption. This not
The trolleys move down the inclined ramp, acting under the only enhances pumping efficiency, but increases savings,
forces of gravity, in a controlled fashion. Once the trolley reaches thus improving the customer’s bottom line. Upgrades to
the bottom of the inclined ramp it is released as required, to the impeller and matching throat bush will see significantly
provide trim for the corresponding vehicle unit. improved wear characteristics as well.
“These systems work independently but parallel to each other, Product manager: slurry pumps, Rui Gomes, also men-
handling on average ten trolleys each any given time. If you tions the horizontal froth pump as yet another example of
watch all four systems in operation you get the impression upgraded technology. “The existing Warman AH design has
that the trolleys are ‘marching’ or ‘dancing in unison’. This been improved, allowing the pump to be used in horizontal
level of precision has improved both the safety of employ- froth pumping application, which enhances efficiencies. The
ees and reduced the risk of accidental damage caused by footprint of the horizontal design is also smaller than the
runaway trolleys,” says Erwin. conventional tank design.”
Joanne Dexter, Festo (Pty) Ltd, Tel: (011) 971-5560, Fax: (011) Rene Calitz, Weir Minerals Africa (Pty) Ltd, Tel: (011) 929-2622,
974-4203 Website:www.weirminerals.com

40 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010

Market Forum
Discharge quality
Construction of the Sheffield
Wastewater Treatment Works north
of Ballito was completed towards
the end of 2009. Installation of
mechanical and electrical work has
been finalised and the project has
now been commissioned.
“The 3,0 km of 800 mm diameter
trunk sewer to the works has been
handed over and is efficiently in
use,” says Morrell Rosseau, a
director of SBA, part of the B &
A Group. “The wastewater treat-
ment works will initially handle
6,0 M/d and will receive sew-
age from developments between
Salt Rock and Sheffield Beach.
However, certain structures, as well as a modular layout, New port tugs
were implemented for the works to ultimately handle a flow Actom Mechanical Equipment (formerly Alstom Mechanical
of 18 Ml/d. Equipment) has once again been awarded a contract for the
“This wastewater treatment works, which has enabled fur- manufacture and supply of high performance main propul-
ther development in the area to progress, has been designed sion diesel engines for new tugs required by the National
to achieve an effluent discharge quality above the normal Port Authority (NPA).
general standard.” The company, the local agents for leading international diesel
SBA was responsible for the design of the civils, mechanical, engine manufacturers MAN Diesel, has supplied the engines
electrical and instrumentation services for this project. The
total value of works and trunk sewer was R42-million.
Morrell Rosseau, Stemele Bosch Africa, The B & A Group, Tel: (031)
250-0500, Fax: (031) 250-0502, Email: rosseaum@sbadbn.co.za,
Website: www.stemeleboschafrica.co.za

Ethylene purification unit

The Sasol Limited board has recently approved the construc-
tion of a R1.9 billion ethylene purification unit at its Sasol
Polymers plant in Sasolburg. The plant is expected to go on
stream in the second half of 2013 and will be ramped up
to full capacity by 2015.
The unit will enable the Sasol Group to add further value
to its monomers feed streams originating from the Secunda
complex and will boost ethylene production by approximately
48 000 tons per year. The ethylene will be used in the
manufacturing of polyethylene and will greatly benefit the
plastics conversion industry in South Africa that currently
imports large quantities of this raw material.
This investment confirms Sasol’s commitment to the South
African chemical industry and will enable significant down-
stream value addition in terms of locally-manufactured
consumer products such as plastic bags, packaging materials
and containers.
Jacqui O’Sullivan, Tel: (011) 441-3252, Email: jacqui.osullivan@
sasol.com, Website: www.sasol.com

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010 41

Market Forum
for all new tugs acquired
by the NPA in recent years
for deployment at various
South African ports, either
as replacements for older
tugs or for expansion of
the fleet.
The latest order, placed
by Durban-based ship-
builders Southern African
Shipyards, the company
contracted to build and
supply the Voith Schneider
tugs, is for four engines,
each with a power output
of 2640 kWb at 800 RPM
for two new tugs.
The engines will be of the
same size and power as
those supplied for three
tugs earmarked for the
port of Coega, each with a
bollard pull of 70 tonnes,
that formed part of the
NPA’s previous order in
mid-2007 for a total of
A view of the two MAN diesel engines powering one of two tugs recently supplied for deployment at Coega
five tugs. port. A third tug for Coega and two smaller tugs for Durban are due to be supplied later this year.
Fred van Hulten, ACTOM
Mechanical Equipment, Tel: (011) 871-6789, Fax: (011) 871-6677, According to Erika Bennion, Divisional Manager: Pneumatics,
Email: fred.van-hulten@actom.co.za Tectra Automation, the German-based company was looking
for a reliable distribution partner in South Africa that had
access to their market.
“Schmalz has been in business for over 100 years and has an
excellent reputation in the industry. The company is known
Distributorship agreement for world-class vacuum components that are competitively
Tectra Automation has been appointed official distributor priced.
of J. Schmalz GMBH vacuum components in South Africa.
The agreement was signed late last year and sees Tectra “These products are an excellent complement to our existing
Automation distributing the range of vacuum components pneumatic product range and offer our customer base ad-
and gripping systems. ditional benefits. In addition, Tectra is better poised to sup-
port clients already using Schmalz
components as many handling
machines arrive from overseas with
the German components fitted as
standard.”
Erika Bennion, Tectra Automation, Tel:
(011) 971-9400, Fax: (011) 971-9440,
Email: erika.bennion@tectra.co.za

Pumping away
Pump manufacturer Watson-Mar-
low Bredel SA (W-MBSA) has
bought back its distribution agree-
ment from Walter Becker SA for
The Schmalz Vacuum Gripping Systems range, now distributed by Tectra Automation, extends
the Rustenburg/Thabazimbi area
from layer and large-area gripping systems to complete vacuum spiders in North West province.

42 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010

Market Forum
WMBSA had its own dedicated branch in Rustenburg, Top secret
headed by the experienced Leslie Rademeyer and offering “When people say ‘they don’t make things like they used to
full customer care facilities and extensive stock holding, up do’, we can respond that Cooper split bearings are definitely
and running by May this year. the exception,” says Matthew Tyler of Bearings International
“We’ve enjoyed a fruitful relationship with Walter Becker SA (BI) official distributor of Cooper bearings for Southern Africa.
over the past seven years,” says W-MBSA general manager “A leading armature winder recently approached us to inspect
Nico van Schalkwyk. “However, this move forms part of some ‘old’ Cooper bearings on a large electric motor on board
Watson-Marlow Bredel’s worldwide strategy to maintain a ship. We found that the heavy duty eight inch Cooper split
closer links with customers and, where necessary, realign bearings had been installed on the motor back in the early
distribution agreements. 1970s using a special sealing arrangement to accommodate
running in wet conditions in the maritime industry.
“The opening of our own branch in KwaZulu-Natal two years
ago has proved to be a great success and we see this latest “Although there had been no bearing failure and indeed, very
move as an opportunity to get closer to our customers in little wear evident on the bearings, we decided to replace
the mineral-rich Rustenburg/Thabazimbi area by offering them while the motor was undergoing some maintenance
dedicated service, training and instant technical back-up,” before the ship headed back out to sea. Now the installation
he adds. is regenerated and good for another 40 years!”
Nico van Schalkwyk, Watson-Marlow Bredel SA, Tel:(011) 796- The ship, the Hughes Glomar Explorer, is currently being used
2960 as a deep sea drilling platform but has far more glamorous
origins. The vessel was originally built at great expense for a
secret operation called Project Azorian by the United States
Central Intelligence Agency’s Special Activities division. The
operation was initiated to recover a sunken Soviet submarine
which had been lost in April 1968.
The vessel is capable of lifting a
New diaphragm 2 000 ton object in water from a
Verder Pumps South Africa depth of 5 000 m. A large centre
(VPSA) has launched a new well opens up in the hull to lower
series of Verderair diaphragm and raise the object.
pumps. “The new VA25 is
easy to repair and boasts Matthew says Cooper bearings were
with features such as, less air fitted to the vessel’s six electric mo-
consumption, higher fluid output tors for the propulsion system and are still
and lower pulsation”, says Rob working today, as the ship is presently
Shaw, VPSA Sales Engineer. being used to drill for oil off the coast
of Angola.
The VA25 offers 30% higher
air efficiency, and a 20% flow Matthew Tyler, Bearings International, Tel:
(011) 345-8000
increase. “It is designed with
features including a stall-free
modular air valve for low pulsa-
tion and a smooth changeover.
The PTFE diaphragms lasts
up to 5 times longer than
previous diaphragms, mean- Activated carbon tower
ing easier maintenance and Atlas Copco is introducing their lat-
less downtime,” adds Rob. est air treatment development, the
Laetitia Moller, Verder Pumps SA (Pty) Activated Carbon Tower (QDT) filter.
Ltd, Tel: (011) 704-7500, Email: laetitia. The filter uses activated carbon to
moller@verder.co.za adsorb oil vapour from compressed air, resulting in

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THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010 43

Market Forum
class 1 air purity (according to ISO
8573-1 standard), and is designed
for extended life time.
“Activated carbon is essential to
extract oil vapour from compressed
air in order to obtain class 1 air
purity”, says Philip Herselman,
Atlas Copco Business Line Manager,
Industrial Air Division. “This level
of reliability is required by applica-
tions and industries where air purity
is critical in order to protect the
production process and safeguard
the quality of the end product in, for example, applications
requiring specialised tools or instrument air”.
The specific combination of the amount and type of activated
carbon in Atlas Copco’s Activated Carbon Tower (QDT) deliv-
ers several benefits. With a maximum oil vapour content of
0.003 mg/m3, the QDT adsorbs not only oil mist and aerosol
but also oil vapour, guaranteeing class 1 air purity according
to ISO 8573-1 standard. Stronger shaft connections
The QDT has a lifetime of 4 000 hours, guaranteed in refer- The latest generation of oil-injection shaft couplings
ence conditions of 35° Celsius and a maximum air pollu- from SKF, enable stronger, more compact shaft to shaft
tion of 0.35 mg/m3 oil at the inlet of the filter compared to connections to be achieved quickly and simply.
traditional cartridge type filters. Lower inlet temperature or “The OKCX couplings feature 50% higher torque transmission
less oil pollution also extends the lifetime of the activated capacity than conventional designs, providing a safe and
carbon tower. cost effective way to reduce the size or increase the torque
Website: www.atlascopco.com capacity of your shaft connections,” explains Varma Parag,
SKF’s Power Transmission Manager.
“As the OKCX couplings incorporate SKF’s oil-injection sys-
tem, they are easy and fast to mount, minimising the cost
and disruption of installation. In addition to allowing more
compact shaft connections to be achieved, without the need
for flanges and bolts, this innovative mounting method also

n
Meetings on-line enables more secure, safer coupling,” Varma continues.
Chorus Call is a premier teleconferenc-
ing service provider in South Africa
and belongs to the Chorus Call group
of companies with Headquarters in US
and international offices in Greece, Italy,
Switzerland, Germany, Australia, Canada,
Brazil and India.
Chorus Call provides a full range of Audio,
Video, and Web-based Teleconferencing
Services. Their latest product offering,
DataShare, provides a robust and feature-
rich, data collaboration solution.
Chorus Call’s DataShare gives users T h e
the ability to send meeting invitations, inner sleeve
share their desktop, display a PowerPoint of the SKF coupling

n
presentation, collaborate on an interac-
tive whiteboard, and create a recording
of their meeting. Since DataShare is
browser-based and does not require any
download; participants can join the meet-
ing from almost any computer.
Tel: (011) 305-2000, Email africasales@
choruscall.com
is coated with carbides utiliz-
ing advanced plasma technology. As
a result, the OKCX couplings have a friction
coefficient of 0.3 rather than the typical 0.14, enabling
them to provide considerably stronger, more dependable
connections.
The superior torque transmission capacity of the new cou-
plings eliminates the need for expensive reinforcement sleeves
where hollow shafts are used. With no need for sleeves,

44 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010

Market Forum
bolts or flanges, straight and compact shafts can be
achieved, allowing machine builders and designers
considerably greater freedom.
Samantha Joubert, SKF SA, Tel: (011) 821-3500, Fax: (011)
821-3501, Email: samantha.joubert@skf.com, Website: www.
skf.co.za

Namibia’s first cement plant

Polysius, recently secured an order to build Namibia’s
first cement plant, Ohorongo Cement Factory, on a
turnkey basis. The order to supply the new 2 100 t/d turnkey
cement plant was placed by Ohorongo Cement (Pty) Ltd, a
member of German company, Schwenk Zement KG. Situ-
ated on 100 hectares, close to Otavi in the Northern part
of Namibia, the plant is ideally located to nearby limestone
deposits as well as to road and railway infrastructure.
Polysius will supply all equipment to the cement plant,
from the limestone crusher to the cement loading facility
and the company will also be responsible for the construc-
tion work.
Equipment from Polysius will include a 600 t/p limestone
crusher, a circular stockpile to ensure larger storage capac-
ity, a raw grinding plant with vertical roller mill for 160 t/h
handling of raw meal, a tangential homogenising silo with a
storage capacity of 7000 tons of raw meal, a kiln line con-
sisting of a 5-stage Dopol preheater with a Prepol calciner
and a short rotary kiln type Polro as well as a Polytrack
cooler, a clinker silo with 55 000 tons storage capacity, a
cement grinding plant consisting of two off Two-Chamber
ball mills with a Sepol high efficiency separator (each mill
with a cement throughput of 65 t/h).
Martin Boyd, Polysius, Tel: (011) 236-1000, Email: martin.boyd@
thyssenkrupp.com, Website: www.polysius.com

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 June 2010 45

Market Forum
Integrated team
A newly-formed Joint Venture entity between Parsons Brinck-
erhoff Africa (PB) and RSV ENCO has formed an integrated Subscription
team with Xstrata Coal South Africa to compile a feasibility
study for the Tweefontein Division, situated close to Witbank, Please fax us if you wish to subscribe to “SA Mechanical En-
Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. gineer” at R400,00 (incl postage and VAT) per year; R945,00
per year for Africa/Overseas. We will post you an invoice on
Xstrata Coal South Africa (XCSA) has initiated a project to
receipt of your fax.
optimise its Tweefontein operations under the title of the
Tweefontein Optimisation Project. The project covers mine
planning, design and construction of a new coal-handling PROMECH PUBLISHING Fax No: (011) 781-1403
and preparation plant (CHPP) and supporting infrastructure
including a new rail balloon and load out facility. A pre- From:......................................................................................
feasibility study has been completed that delivered a viable
business case to XCSA justifying this project proceeds into (insert your name)
feasibility.
Title: ......................................................................................
The next stage of this process is to continue to develop a full
feasibility study for the project that will include feasibility level
design, cost and schedule estimates and a project execution Company: ..............................................................................
plan. In this regard XCSA have separated the feasibility into
various packages with the two main ones being the CHPP Address: ...............................................................................
and the supporting infrastructure. The latter was further
separated into two parts, Civil and Mine Infrastructure. ...............................................................................................
Xstrata Coal South Africa, Tel: (011) 772-0600, Website: www.
xstrata.com ...................................................................Code: ..................

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On the Move Fax: ( ) ................................................................................

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Index to Advertisers
AST Inside Front Cover
BMG Outside Front Cover
Steve Maynard Peter Blignaut Bearings International Inside Back Cover
Becker Mining Systems 45
Chemserve 41
Eastleigh 26, 27
Engen 24
Engineers Placements 15
Festo 36
Interbuild 43
Heinrich Adonis Dawid van der Merwe iSyncSolutions Outside Back Cover
KSP Pumps & Valves 34
Weartech (Pty) Ltd has appointed Steve Maynard as a
Sales Manager Maizey Plastics 16
The OMSA Group of companies has appointed Peter Munters 10
Blignaut as Area Sales Manager for the Group. SKF 18
Heinrich Adonis has been appointed as SEW Eurodrive Tectra Automation 14
Works Manager in Johannesburg, and Dawid van der Weir Minerals 4
Merwe is as Sales Engineer for SEW Eurodrive in the
Rustenburg area. Yellotec 22, 32

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