MechChem Africa June 2018

⎪ Pump systems, pipes, valves and seals ⎪

Left: Professor Josua Meyer, Chairman of the School of Engineering and Head of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering of the University of Pretoria, with the department’s new liquid temperature control unit. Right: Etanorm pumps form the backbone of the system. The Intricate design ensures that researchers have the right temperature fluids at their disposal at any time.

safety as well as micro and power-related electronics, heat exchange tubes and clean energy studies, among others being carried out by ten staff and 30 full time students in- cluding tenPhDstudents, aswell as a number of Master’s students. KSB Pumps and Valves’ external sales representative, Dylan Mitchell, says the companywas initially approached by Ascend Consulting Engineers to obtain data on the pumps. The company later revealed that a project was being undertaken for the University and that sponsorships were be- ing sought. “In this regard we are always ready to assist educational institutions and gave the thumbs-up to the project. Wherever techni- cal assistance was required we were happy toweigh-inwith our expertise, butmust com- mend the University, consulting engineers and the contractors whoworked tirelessly to deliver a world-class installation. “As a result, we are proud to be associated with this prestigious projectwhich lends itself to assisting future engineers to change the face of tomorrow. This is another feather in the KSB cap,” says Mitchell. With the system up and running, Meyer says that the project is already proving to be a great success with numerous research projects already plugged-in. “We are thankful for the ongoing support of companies for our students, their projects and theUniversity. Considering heat transfer isafundamentalsubjectforallundergraduate engineering studies and that the University of Pretoria produces between a quarter and a third of the country’s engineers, we believe that this kind of support is essential. It can be viewed as a strategic investment in engineer- ing for all of South Africa,” he concludes. q

ideal for the pumping requirements of this complex system. PLC-controlensurethatallparametersare checked and balanced to ensure the system delivers fluid at the right temperature set points and flow conditions, 24-hours per day, regardless of the number of students using

the facility. It also ensures that ongoing and larger-scale research projects can be under- taken, including some cutting-edge research that is already being done in collaboration with other international Universities. These include valuable research concern- ing concentrated solar power (CSP), nuclear

Ten KSB LSA-series’ tailings slurry pumps at the Navachab Gold Mine in Namibia are disproving the myth that slurry pumps have short lifespans.

of this, and other mines in Namibia, makes it imperative that the pumps are manufac- tured fromthehighest qualitymaterials and manufactured to the highest international standards. Correct pump selection is also important, making it essential to work with the best technical teams available such as those of KSB Pumps and Valves. “The success of our slurry pumps in

tough Namibian conditions is important to us as it gives us leverage to introduce our slurry pumps to other mines in the region. We are already one of the top suppliers of water pumps to mines in Namibia and the addition of our ultra-reliable slurry pumps enables us to become a multi-faceted solu- tionsprovidertotheindustryinNamibiaand elsewhere in southernAfrica,” says Bond. q

June 2018 • MechChem Africa ¦ 11