MechChem Africa June 2019

⎪ Products and industry news ⎪

Efficient online tool for bearing evaluation

Mechanics of the right pumping solution A poorly designed pump system can lead to high consumption of power and premature wear or failureofcomponentsinthesystem.This,however, is not isolated to thepump itself andcan impact on instrumentation,piping,valvesandancillaryequip- menttoo.Inaworst-casescenario,suchpoorpump design could cause a complete plant stoppage. DarrylMacdougall, managing director, Verder Pumps South Africa, notes that excessive break- downs will increase the risk to personnel as emergency repairswill have tobe carriedout over and above routine plannedmaintenance. He adds that any of these possible scenarios is guaranteed to increase labour costs and inventory of spare parts, leading to production costs being driven up and therefore increased cost of the product manufactured. “We understand that navigating the technical obstacles of selecting the right pumping solutions for specific applications canbe complex. However, providing all the necessary information upfront offers added assurance that the pump manufac- turer will be able to supply the right solution that is 100% fit-for-purpose for the application,” says Macdougall. With this in mind, Macdougall recommends the right pump for the application should be selected based on the following considerations: • Chemical compatibility of materials of con- struction to the product being pumped. • Thepumpdesignor technology shouldbe suit- able for the product being transported. • Suitable pump design for the duty cycle required. • The pump itself and the system design must allow for efficient operation– that the pump is selected tooperate at thebest efficiency point on the performance curve. • The speed of the pump on duty point – and that the pipe work is designed around correct velocities. • Power supply is adequately sized, and correct switch gear is utilised. • The correct valves are in the system – and in the correct positions. www.verderliquids.com/za structures can be used for industrial, residential and commercial applications. They provide the ideal space without the costs of building fixed premises, providing a significant saving for either long-termor short-term applications. All electrical fittings like lights, light switches, plug sockets and required cabling come standard with each Kwikspace office. With over 50 years’ experience in manufactur- ing modular buildings, Kwikspace is Africa’s largest manufacturer. It offers fast delivery and an extensive product offering of both standard and non-standard products. www.kwikspace.co.za

SKF has updated its online Bearing Select tool by creating a completely new version that helps users choose abearingbasedon a range of operating parameters, and can generate automatic results in less than one minute. To use the new tool, designers access it online (www.skfbearingselect.com) and enter relevant values for their design. The software then uses SKF engineering knowledge to evaluate bearing perfor- mance and calculate relevant results, such as rating life, bearing loads, relubrication interval and frequencies. “SKFBearing Select automatically gen- erates abearing report andallows theuser to save calculations for future reference or modifications,” says Francisco Serrano, manager for product line engineering tools at SKF. As well as beingmore intuitive, thanks to a newly developed interface, the latest version of SKF Bearing Select allows the user to quickly run and performs calcula- tions ‘on-the-fly’. Results are displayed while input parameters are still being entered and presented automatically in a clear report, which includes up-to-date graphics of the relevant bearing. Having the relevant input data in place, users Historically a fishing and boat-making community, the small town of Macassar in Cape Town is branching out to farm- ing. The Cape Agency for Sustainable Integrated Development in Rural Areas contacted Kwikspace about providing al- ternativebuilding solutions thatwerepre- fabricated and modular for the farmers. The farmers, who farm vegetables

SKF New online Bearing Select tool makes bearing evaluation faster and easier. can have the automated report within 60 seconds. The newversion of SKF Bearing Select gives users a fast, easy, and accurate, evaluation tool for bearing performance. Since the new software is built on a scalable and modular platform, users can expect extra functionality in future, including access to SKF’s latest advances in bearing technology, and more evalua- tion models. OEMs are themain target audience for the newsoftware, but any userwho needs to evaluate the performance of a bearing based on operating conditions such as loads, speeds and lubrication, could ben- efit from using it. www.skfbearingselect.com in tunnels, needed office space as well as a vegetable processing area. With Kwikspace’s innovative products for any sector requirement, they had the solu- tion – two double-wide modular units. Each unit is 15m in length by 7m inwidth. Kwikspace is a specialist relocatable building manufacturer in South Africa. Its modular construction double-wide

Kwikspace assists emerging farmers

Emerging farmers in Macassar use tunnels to grow vegetables.

June 2019 • MechChem Africa ¦ 35