Electricity and Control November 2022

PLANT MAINTENANCE, TEST + MEASUREMENT

During this time the flow rate through the valve body is not at the rate for which the orifice plate was designed. The

sure reducing valve will ensure that the level control valve operates within its design parameters during normal oper ation and during opening or closing. A ratio reducing valve is a good candidate for such applications as it is simple, stable and requires no maintenance. Conclusion Although water control valves are designed to destroy energy and, in some cases, handle pressures of up to 250 bar they can be vulnerable to cavitation and velocity damage at low pressures. It is the engineer’s duty to ensure that the level control valves operate within their design parameters. □

orifice plate does not produce the expected back pressure and there is consequently poten tial for cavitation to occur. The design engineer needs to exercise his or her judgement to decide if the duration and size of the pressure drop is likely to lead to cavitation and damage to the valve. If it is, a pressure reducing valve may have to be installed upstream of the level control valve. The pres

A ratio reducing valve can assist in reducing flow to meet the design parameters of the inlet control valves.

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

PLANT MAINTENANCE, TEST + MEASUREMENT : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

First CAT IV instructor in Africa

Condition monitoring specialist company, WearCheck, re cently announced that Technical and Training Manager in the company’s Asset Reliability Care (ARC) division, Louis Peacock, is officially Africa’s first and only CAT IV instruc tor. Peacock passed his final exam with flying colours. CAT certification is achieved through the Mobius Institute, a worldwide provider of education in reliability improvement, condition monitoring and precision maintenance. WearCheck is one of a few certified Mobius training centres for Africa, and now the only centre to have a local person presenting the CAT IV course. Training courses are run by WearCheck for clients anywhere, any date, on demand. The CAT courses include Vibration CAT I (junior an alyst and data collector), Vibration CAT II (intermediate analyst and data collector), Vibration CAT III (senior an alyst with supervisor roles) and Vibration CAT IV (expert analyst with additional roles and expert techniques). For the CAT IV certification, students must pass the exam with >70% and work through 52 hours of online videos during part one. Part two entails 40 hours of class room-based instructor-led coursework and students must have the required number of years’ condition mon itoring experience as per (ISO 18436-2), (ISO 18436-1, ISO/IEC 17024), (ISO 18436-3) certification. The CAT IV course covers: - Advanced signal processing - Cross channel measurements - Dynamics (mass/stiffness/damping, natural fre quencies, modes) - Resonance testing (run-up/coast down tests, im pact tests, ODS, modal analysis) - Corrective action (flow control, resonance correc tion, isolation, and damping) - Proximity probe and casing measurements - Orbit and centreline plot analysis

- Rotor dynamics (natural frequencies, modelling) - Journal bearings (design, fluid film instabilities) - Flexible rotor balancing - Torsional vibration. Peacock, who passed the course with marks from 80 to 90%, said, “I relished the challenges presented by the comprehensive course material, and I’m pleased that all the extra hours of hard work have paid off. One thing is for sure – the CAT-IV course transforms a very good vibration analyst into a vibration super-hero!” Peacock’s high marks earned him a distinction, which enables him to register as a CAT IV instructor – a feat no one else on the continent has yet achieved. There are only eight other CAT IV analysts in Africa, but Peacock is the first and only instructor. The next scheduled in-class CAT IV courses to be run by WearCheck will take place in January 2023 and July 2023. Louis Peacock (right) WearCheck Technical and Training Manager in the ARC division and Philip Schutte, (left) WearCheck ARC Manager.

For more information contact WearCheck. Tel: +27 (0)31 700 5460 Email: support@wearcheck.co.za Visit: www.wearcheck.co.za

NOVEMBER 2022 Electricity + Control

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