Electricity + Control December 2017

LIGHT + CURRENT

WearCheck’s transformer division goes the extra mile Many extra miles, in fact! Ian Gray, man- ager of WearCheck ’s transformer servic- es division, and Des Rodel manager of the Cape Town Branch, recently travelled to Khobab and Loeriesfontein wind farms, in the Northern Cape – 450 km from Cape Town - to run a transformer oil sample course for the maintenance team. er located in a substation where it is transported to the electricity grid.

The reliability, or lack thereof, of step- up (padmount) transformers has led to the investigation of the total cost of ownership in trying to balance the low cost of step-up padmount transformers versus the cost of premature failures. The insulating oil testing is typically a critical first step in this investigation that requires sampling performed by an experienced person, who has received adequate training, in accordance with IEC 60475. Enquiries:Tel. +27 (0) 31 700 5460 or email support@wearcheck.co.za

Each wind turbine is connected to a step-up (padmount) transformer which boosts the generating output of the wind turbine generator from 690 V to 33 kV. These transformers are located at the base of the wind turbine. From there, all the power is then intercon- nected to a collector step-up transform-

Ian Gray, head of WearCheck’s transformer services division, at Loriesfontein Wind Farm.

Appoints New President

At Consulting Engineers South Africa’s (CESA) 64 th Annual General Meeting held at the CESA Seminar in Johannesburg on Tuesday 7 th November, Neresh Pather from Mott MacDonald Africa was inaugurated as President of the organisation for the next two years, succeeding Lynne Pretorius. Sugen Pillay, Managing Direc- tor of Zitholele Consulting was elected to serve as Deputy Presi- dent of CESA for the same period. Pather, a Statutory Director of Mott MacDonald Africa, currently heads up the Transportation Sector in their Africa Business Unit. He holds a BSc. Engineering (Civil) degree and a MSc. Engineering degree in Transportation and as such has led many transport and strategic infrastructure projects within the company. He has more than 24 years’ experience in the industry. Prior to joining Mott MacDonald, Pather was the ‘CEO of PD Naidoo & Associates Consulting Engineers’ for a period of 12 years. He joined the company in 1997 and held a number of positions in the capacity of Director before becoming the CEO. Pather paid tribute to outgoing CESA President, Lynne Pretorius saying: “Thank you for your contribution to CESA, for your com- mitment, sacrifice and hard work in dealing with some hard-hitting issues. CESA has been on a trajectory to answer some of the chal- lenges our industry currently faces and you have led us ably from the front. Thank you to your company, ITS Engineers and to your family for allowing you to serve the industry for the past two years”. “I am truly humbled by the privilege bestowed on me to lead our industry and I hope that CESA will be able to renew and rein- vent itself to increase our relevance to our clients and especially to our young professionals who will ultimately take over the leader- ship of the industry. Our work on the Transformation of the Indus- try will definitely continue as we seek to broaden this in the years ahead, to ensure that CESA becomes more inclusive, relevant and able to put the industry at the forefront through ‘Effective Ethical Leadership", he proclaimed. Incoming Deputy President, Sugen Pillay graduated from the University of Natal with a BSc. Hons in Civil Engineering, spon-

sored through a bursary scheme offered by one of our member firms. He has since completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Civil Engineering and an MBA (cum laude). Pillay is registered as a professional engineer, with twenty years’ experience in most facets of civil engineering including the project and programme management of multi-disciplinary projects, as well as design and implementation of roads and civil services, municipal infrastructure waste water treatment work power sta- tions. Enquiries: Contact details: Dennis Ndaba.Tel. +27 (0) 11 463 2022 or email dennis@cesa.co.za

Neresh Pather from Mott MacDonald Africa is the new CESA President.

38 Electricity + Control

DECEMBER 2017