Electricity and Control August 2021

PLANT MAINTENANCE, TEST + MEASUREMENT

Mill maintenance – fuelling stable power supply Leading supplier of engineering support services to the energy, process, mining and construction industries, Babcock, has been awarded a mill maintenance contract at one of South Africa’s major power plants.The fossil fuel power station relies on its milling plant to produce pulverised coal in order to obtain optimal combustion and power generation performance.The mill operates 24 hours a day handling the grinding, drying, transporting and classification of the coal.

T he diverse scope of work in the five-year contract covers the day-to-day upkeep of the milling plant as well as outage repairs, quality and inventory support, and on-site training and upskilling of local communities in the surrounding area. Babcock’s mill maintenance specialist points out that the reliability of the mill is essential to ensure correct coal fine­ ness, dryness and throughput – and the performance of the milling plant impacts significantly on the power plant’s efficiency. The milling plant is an integral element of the power sta­ tion and consists of many dynamic parts which all need to work together smoothly to ensure successful operation. The maintenance contract calls for complete and com­ prehensive maintenance for the milling plant, including reg­ ular and periodic inspections, service repair, maintenance and refurbishment of the plant and all associated equip­ ment, 24-hour availability to repair breakdowns, as well as inventory management support services. The milling plant operates around the clock, so dai­ ly inspections and immediate attendance to breakdowns are essential. Babcock has strategies in place to deal with maintenance backlog challenges and will streamline the process by ensuring optimum quality in its services com­ bined with open and timely communication with the client. This should, in time, allow for more preventive and pre­ dictive maintenance, resulting in fewer breakdowns and significant cost savings for the mill. Predictive maintenance is data-based and provides valuable information and in­ sight into why a breakdown has occurred. This would allow Babcock to anticipate and eliminate potential issues going forward. Within the scope of this contract, maintenance at the milling plant began on 1 March this year. Babcock will be employing and training operators and workers from local communities for the contract, and upskilling them in line with the client’s requirements. The power station is located in a remote area where em­ ployment opportunities are limited. Babcock understands that engagement with and the involvement of local people on this project is critical to contribute to the communities’ economic and social needs. As well as formulating and implementing a turnaround programme to stabilise the availability of the milling plant, Babcock will support the client in identifying and listing

Above: Babcock has been awarded a five-year contract to maintain the coal milling plant at one of South Africa’s major power stations. Right: The reliability of the mill is essential to the power plant’s ongoing performance. spare parts requirements, and schedul­ ing orders in line with the mill’s service demands. The company will also run re­ furbishment workshops for the overhaul of equipment and machinery, as well as some elements of fabrication. In line with Babcock’s commitment to ensuring that everyone ‘goes home safe

every day’, the company will be rolling out its successful safety pro­ gramme which encourages all employees to uphold the organisation’s outstanding safety standards and records. Babcock has extensive experience in the milling industry and holds Original Equipment Manufacturer status for the Babcock E-type mill, a compact and ergonomic vertical spindle coal mill. As one of the most established and experienced suppliers of steam generators and industrial plant in Africa, Babcock has completed mul­ tiple projects in the power generation sector successfully. Its major industrial clients include electric utilities as well as large companies in the petrochemicals, sugar and paper and pulp industries. Babcock provides companies that produce steam in any way with engineering services which include design, failure/incident analysis, maintenance and other services, supported by best-in-class technolo­ gy and a skilled workforce. □

For more information visit: www.babcock.co.za

Electricity + Control AUGUST 2021

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