MechChem Africa April 2020

Vert Energy, the exclusive distributor for Leroy-Somer in southern Africa, offers environmentally-sound automated drive systems and engineering services for container, dry bulk terminal and port material handling. These solutions optimise the movement of containers and goods, at the same time maximising safety, energy efficiency and fuel savings. Automated drives for materials handling at ports

equipment automation solutions. “Customisedtechnicalservicesencompass consultation, installation, commissioning, training, maintenance and repairs, to ensure optimum performance of port equipment. The benefits of modular drives systems and advanced automation systems are vast and include fast turn-around of containers, bulk cargo or freight, by optimising the loading/ unloading and storage cycles. Intelligent and safe automation solutions enhance the efficiency of crane operators and also assist engineering andmaintenance staff to resolve and analyse faults.” Vert Energy’s LSdrives andmotor technol - ogy has specially designed features, to make port equipment safer. These include a range of motors and brake gear motors for static hold and dynamic braking and variable speed driveswithbuilt-in safety features for electric brake control and overspeed management. Leroy-Somer’sCraneManagementSystem (CMS), whichmonitors the physical andoper- ating conditions of port equipment on a real- timebasis, is used tooperate cranes, schedule maintenance, analyse faults, reconfigure the drives and provide crane production data. Single or multiple crane control systems communicatewith the remote cranemanage- ment system (RCMS) over fibre optic cables or via wireless communication systems to reduce equipment maintenance and down- time. RCMS can be used atmaintenance level for service monitoring, operations level for equipment availability andmanagement level for performancedata. Fault-tolerantmodular ac drive systems areused to control crane and handling equipmentmovements, withbuilt-in redundancy for continuous operations. The differential GPS control system (DGPS) is highly accurate and enables safe automatic steering for cranes and yard tracking systems with links with the terminal operating system. Leroy-Somer’s comprehensive hoisting induction motor range has features for im- proved crane performance, including high- speed for greater productivity and low inertia for smoother start/run/stop operations, as well as reduced maintenance requirements. Modular ac anddc drive crane systems can be set-up with an active front end (regenera- tivemode)where control of thebrakes via the drive software, and constant power hoisting via feedback from load-cells, prevents over- load/over-speed. During loweringoperations, the system is able to automaticallymove into regeneration mode to feed energy back into theportspowergrid,providingsignificantsav - ings in energy consumption.Where appropri- ate, energy on cranes can also be channelled into energy storage systems. Electric motors account for nearly 65% of the electricity used by the port logistics

L eroy-Somer’s drive systems for port logistic operations encompass variable speed modular drives, high- efficiency motors and a dedicated Crane Management System (CMS). These compact systems are installed at harbours around the world, with the necessary power and control to maximise the automation, speed and reliability of cranes and materials handling equipment. “In conjunctionwith Leroy-Somer special- ists, the Vert Energy team offers port opera- tors completely new equipment automation installationservices andalsohas theexpertise tomodernise existing port installed systems,” saysGrantRobertson,managingdirector,Vert

Energy. “This not only extends the lifetime of equipment and maximises benefits from the initial investment, but also increases safety on site and reduces operational costs. Furthermore, our eco-friendly fuel-saving solutions minimise environmental impact, by reducing CO 2 emissions and decreasing equipment noise levels. “Projects vary fromsmall logisticmachine automation to comprehensiveelectrical turn- key port automation solutions. Specifically, our port logistics services comprise advanced drive and motor technology and scalable automation solutions, which extend from simple drive and motor conveyor or hopper controls, to complete crane andport handling

Energy consumption and related costs can account for up to 60 % of a port’s operating expenses. Vert Energy’s Leroy Somer variable speed motor and drive technologies are combined to maximise energy savings and performance in accordance with global efficiency standards.

8 ¦ MechChem Africa • April 2020