MechChem Africa March 2019

Mech Chem MARCH 2019 AFRICA

The Industry 4.0-ready South African manufacturer

This month: Natural gas set to grow across Africa

In-time condition monitoring and diagnostics

MAP packaging for good-looking red meat

Africa Energy Indaba: Employment the key driver

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Special Report 8 In-time condition monitoring and diagnostics On the evening of March 21, 2019, condition-monitoring specialist, Martec unveiled its new brand and outlined its future strategy. MechChem Africa reports. Pump systems, pipes, valves and seals 10 Dewatering with a difference Atlas Copco has solidified its place at the forefront of the pumps industry with the introduction of WEDA 50+ and 60+ dewatering pumps, designed for enhanced performance, improved efficiency and hassle-free maintenance. 11 Innovation-packed liquid ring vacuum pump 12 KSB expands aftermarket services 13 Grindex slurry pump perfect for Africa 15 Industrial IoT fuels growth for intelligent pumps 16 The ABCs of steam system inspections Localisation, manufacturing, production and food processing 18 MAP packaging for good-looking red meat Hans Strydom, Afrox’s Production Quality manager, talks about the unusual requirements for packaging red meat. 20 ECDriveS for SA automotive manufacturers 21 Assembly line production with smart connectivity Power generation, sustainable energy and energy management 22 Africa Energy Indaba 2019: Employment the key energy driver Minister of Energy,Jeff Radebe delivered the keynote address for theAfrica Energy Indaba 2019 at the Sandton International Convention Centre. 24 Energy saving in the agri-sector 25 Genset choices for surviving load shedding Petrochemical, oil and gas 26 Natural gas set to grow across Africa Just ahead of Africa Gas Forum, 2019, Total announced the discovery of gas condensate at Brulpadda, 175 km off the Mossel Bay coast of South Africa. This article unpacks the importance of the find and the potential of natural gas as a cleaner hydrocarbon fuel for our Power Stations. 28 Mokveld Typhoon Valve system receives innovation award 31 VEGAPULS monitor to track molten polyethylene levels Environmental, waste management and cleaning technologies 32 Decontaminating soil using bioremediation Croatian company CorteCros, which is part of Cortec Corporation Group, describes environmentally safe bioremediation solutions using Bionetix products. 33 Potential ground-breaking changes for mine closure 34 The ugly truth about climate change 35 South Africa’s used oil re-refining challenges Innovative engineering 38 Skyriders puts an eye in the sky Industrial rope access company, Skyriders, has introduced a collision resistant drone technology to access areas that may pose health, safety and environmental risks. REGULARS 2 Comment: Keeping the IIoT real 4 On the cover: Weir Minerals: a world-class local manufacturer MechChemAfrica visits the Isando manufacturing facilities ofWeir MineralsAfrica and finds out about the transformational approaches being adopted. 6 SAIChE iCHEMe Water management: a book launch lecture 36 Products and industry news 40 Back page: Wacker Neuson zero-emission boulevard at Bauma

P U B L I C A T I O N S CR O WN

Published monthly by Crown Publications cc Cnr Theunis and Sovereign Streets Bedford Gardens 2007 PO Box 140, Bedfordview, 2008 Tel: +27 11 622 4770 e-mail: mechchemafrica@crown.co.za www.mechchemafricamagazine.co.za Editor: Peter Middleton e-mail: peterm@crown.co.za Assistant editor: Phila Mzamo e-mail: philam@crown.co.za Advertising: Brenda Karathanasis e-mail: brendak@crown.co.za Design: Darryl James Publisher: Karen Grant Deputy publisher: Wilhelm du Plessis Circulation: Brenda Grossmann The views expressed in this journal are not necessarily those of the publisher or the editors. P U B L I C A T I O N S CR O WN P U B L I C A T I O N S CR O WN 2015/02/10 01:17:09PM Transparency You Can See Average circulation October-December 2018: 5 171 Printed by: Tandym Print, Cape Town Front cover: Weir Minerals Africa Veronica Lewarne T: +27 11 617 0700 africa.minerals@mail.weir

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March 2019 • MechChem Africa ¦ 1

Keeping the IIoT real

W ith respect to themonitoring of equip- ment health, I remember my “aha” moment, which came about following my introduction to Harry Rosen’s TAS Online, which has been involved in the monitoring and performance optimisation of pumping systems for significantly longer than the 11 years I have spent at Crown Publications. Back in 2008, Eskom was still driving energy ef- ficiency through its demand side management (DSM) initiative to ease demand on the overstretched na- tional grid. Since the energy cost of pumping systems accounts for 90% of total system costs over their 10 or 20 year life, even small improvements in energy efficiency can amount to massive savings in terms of money and kWh consumed. Back then, energy ef- ficiency was seen as low-hanging fruit for pump users and the electricity generator. Given current constraint on power availability, this is perhaps as true as ever. TAS Online has long offered a pump performance monitoring service based on measuring electrical en- ergy use and the actual pressure and flow of systems. This enables the real operating point (pressure versus flow)ofpumpstobeestablished,plottedontotheorigi- nal pump curve and compared to the system’s best ef- ficiencypoint (BEP). The energy-usedata thenenables the pump efficiency to be determined and tracked. And TAS Online was an early adopter of the use of cellular networks and connected sensors to upload data for remote analysis. “Aha” moments are obvious as soon as they hit you. They make you wonder why you took so long to make the link. Minewas this: efficiency ismeaningless without measurement. To determine how efficient a machine is, one has to compare what is actually hap- pening to what should be happening. A no-brainer, I hear you think. But this simple fact brings the realisation that routine measurement is an essential prerequisite for all effective efficiency management. Efficiency and data go hand in hand. TASOnlinemonitoring, therefore, “…provides instant graphical verificationof pumpperformance in relation to the pump curves and to the system requirements”. Weincludeaspecialreportinthisissuefeaturingthe rebrandingandrelaunchofMartec,theconditionmoni- toring company originally founded by Mario Kuisis, who used towrite the Mario onMaintenance column. A cornerstone of Martec’s offering, from the beginning, was the ultrasonic detection equipment from SDT. Back in August 2010, we published a story called ‘Listeningforleaks:simpleultrasonicconditionmonitoring’ .

Peter Middleton

Martec’sproductmanagerforSDTatthattime,Tommy Roes, compared ultrasonic detection technology to a doctor using a stethoscope to “listen to your breathing or your heartbeat”. By sending anultrasonic shockpulse intoamaterial and ‘listening’ for the echo, SDT monitors hear “ultra- sound that is naturally generated due to friction – the airborne ultrasound created between an escaping gas anditssurroundingsorthestructure-borneultrasound generated by the friction betweenmoving or rotating components,” Roes explained in the article. At the Martec relaunch celebration Adriaan Scheeres, CEO of Martec’s current parent company, the Pragma Group, compared Martec’s condition monitoring offering to an ECG monitoring a patient’s heartbeat. “Wewant tobeable topredict exactlywhen an asset will fail and understand exactly why,” he said. Reliability andEngineered are the twowords asso- ciatedwith the newMartec logo, reflecting that “…we implement reliability fromanengineeringperspective. Custommade solutions are necessary that are specifi- cally engineered to client and plant needs, with asset reliability and plant integrity as key goals,” explained Martec’s newMD, Johannes Coetzee. Talking later in the company’s technical area, he introduced the primary reason for the new brand: Industry 4.0. “This is the real level shift for Martec, which we call ‘In-time monitoring and diagnostics’. “We want to take Industry 4.0 into real use, making plantsmore reliable, improving throughput andprofit- ability. We strive to bring all these together in a real way by monitoring, collecting, analysing and, most importantly, using thedata todiagnose and track plant health …” Johannes said. But the ‘real’ approach he describes still involves people with the highest levels of skills. Using the remote managing capacities of Industry 4.0 enables many distributed assets around the country to be managed by a small group of dedicated specialists for each equipment type, he suggested. Because of much higher network speeds and data capacity, Industry 4.0 enables much more powerful use of conditionmonitoring tools, with automatic data analytics making “in-time diagnostics” possible. But let us never forget that the real value of Industry 4.0 and the IIoT is built on years of work by experienced engineers who know and understand exactlywhat themachines in their care shouldbedoing and the importanceof listening,measuring,monitoring and sensing todetermine thedifferencebetweenwhat is expected and what is actually happening. q

MechChem Africa is endorsed by:

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MechChem Africa visits the Isando manufacturing facilities of Weir Minerals Africa and talks to Hloni Ledwaba, operations director, and Danillo van Eck, general manager for operations, about the transformational approaches being adopted to align local operations with world-class operational efficiency standards. Weir Minerals: a world-class

its vulcanising presses; and manufactures made-to-order hose sections and bends. “No safety incidents were recorded at Alrode, this in spite of having recorded its best-ever production output,” Ledwaba reveals. He says thatWeirMinerals grew ahead of a shrinking market during 2018-2019. “We have been particular aggressive with respect to our installed equipment base, expanding into integrated solutions where we already have a foothold. We are no longer simply product focused. Instead, we offer long-term customised debottlenecking services to help customers improve their overall efficiency and performance,” he tells MechChem Africa . This market success, however, puts in- creasing pressure on manufacturing perfor- mance. “Weoperateapull systemthroughout the operation, sowhen order input increases, all of our manufacturing sites have to step- up to make sure they execute those orders,” he says. “After safety, our key statistic on-time delivery performance, which is currently sit- ting at 93%, while our stock availability is at around 94%. We run an ABC Classification system to identify stocking levels for the equipment and componentswemanufacture. A-classifiedproducts areour top runners and, from a manufacturing perspective, we make sure these are in stock at every branch, with

lowstocking levels directly driving ourmanu- facturing response,” says Van Eck. “For several years now, we have been upgrading our manufacturing facilities to manufacture on-demand, with falling stock levels driving day-to-daymanufacturing deci- sions,” he explains. “This is not restricted to our region, ei- ther. As well as South Africa, we are directly responsible for Weir Minerals’ portfolio in the Middle East and Africa (ME&A), with an approximate 50/50 split between South Africa and the rest of the region. Increasingly, though, we are also exporting product manufacturing in our South African factories to Weir Minerals facilities outside of the ME&A region; into Canada, Brazil, Australia and North America, for example. This global business has doubledandwehave some steep improvement targets in place to ensure the export trend continues,” continues Ledwaba. “Wehavewon the confidenceof our fellow Weir Minerals’ facilities around the world in terms of quality and costs, which completely dispels the low-qualitymythof Africanmanu- facturing,” he says. WeirMinerals’ SouthAfricanmanufactur- ing facilities are all required to deliver world- class quality. In addition, each facility has been re-organised and re-equipped to cater for leanmanufacturing principles so that they can compete with facilities across the globe with respect to quality, overall operational efficiency and costs. “Production needs to respond to the heartbeat of our customers. Manufacturing and assembly rates need to perfectly match customers’ demand and delivery expecta- tions. These need to be perfectly balanced,” adds Van Eck Weir Minerals is therefore using new Industry4.0levellingtoolstobestplanproduc- tion schedules. “Digital data on every order and its delivery date is displayed live on open screens to inform everyone on the manufac- turingfloorexactlywhatisrequiredfromthem and how this affects everybody else. “As manufacturing progresses, a green, orange and red coding system is used to track progress and alert everyone from the MD down toemergingproblems,”VanEck informs MechChem Africa . Digital boards inworkingareas display this information and highlight the standards re-

“ W e at Weir Minerals start every meeting with our number one priority, safety, and we are very proud of that,” begins operations director, Hloni Ledwaba. “Our safety performance has seen significant improvements through the years and last year we had only one lost time injury (LTI): a contractorworking at a logistics contractorwarehouse –we hadno LTIs at our sites last year,” he adds. “We are sitting at a medical treatment injury frequency rate (MTIFR) of 0.12and this arises from the one LTI and one other record- able injury, which each contributed 0.06 to giveus this excellentMTIFRtotal,” heexplains. Weir Minerals Africa has three manufac- turing sites in South Africa: Alrode, Isando and its relatively newly acquired Heavy Bay Foundry (HBF) in Port Elizabeth. The Alrode site, which is also Weir MineralsAfrica’s regional distribution centre, performs pump and screen assembly; houses the Linatex rubber facility;manufactures rub- ber pump andmill linings andmouldings using Weir Minerals Africa’s Hloni Ledwaba (right) and Danillo van Eck.

The carousel line at Isando uses a production-line process to prepare single or multi-cavity moulds to meet high-volume and high-variability needs.

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⎪ Cover story ⎪

local manufacturer

floormoulding area, where largemoulds have to be put together on the floor for pouring from ladles transported by overhead cranes. “This section is for components of between 350 kg and 1.0 t,” says Ledwaba. All castings larger than 1.0 t are manu- factured in Port Elizabeth at the company’s heavy bay facility, which can accommodate individual castings of up to 17 t. “We have three floor moulding lines in PE and we are now investing in a fourth to meet the needs of our export market,” adds Van Eck. While the new heavy bay will not be fully automated, Weir Minerals is incorporating some of its fast loop experience. “This is mostly to accommodate and overcome cooling-time constraints and we hope that after implementing this R30-million invest- ment, we will have one of the best floor moulding facilities for heavy castings in the Weir Group,” he says. Other notable investments being imple- mented to further improve manufacturing efficiency include: • Small 1 500 kg furnaces for the Isando facility for increased flexibility to make wearandwet-endcomponentsfromexotic materials such as duplex stainless steel. • A new horizontal boring and milling machine for Isando. With a 1.6×1.8 m table, thismulti-purposemachining centre comes completewithall of the Industry4.0 communications capability, in-situprocess measurement and initial probing. “The raw castings are put in and finished machined components come out, complete with their own measurement certificates,” Van Eck reveals. • TwoNewMazak Integrex 5 axismachines, whichenable reduced setupand run times. The machines can drill angled holes, turn andmill simultaneously, enablingall opera- tions to be performed on a singlemachine. The machines are equipped with a pallet changer, allowing for quick changeover. “The horizontal boringmachine is another ex- ampleofaforwardlookinginvestmenttoalign production with the pull through demands from generated orders. It will be used mostly for our pump frames and bases. “The two bearing landings need to per- fectly aligned so thesehousingsmust bemade very accurately to guarantee that alignment. The Mazak Integrex machines raise our machining capacity tobettermatch increased capacity from the carousel, better balancing the production stream and enabling us to better meet our targets. “That iswhywe can justify the investment, because we are certain that it will enable us to exceed our customer expectation on quality and on-time delivery, ultimately im- proving our offering to customers,” Ledwaba concludes. q

Weir Minerals is using Industry 4.0 levelling tools to plan production schedules. Digital data on every order and its delivery date is displayed live on open screens.

quiredandcurrent performanceexpectations of each employee involved in production. The outputs required per workstation are made available so that everyone knows, immedi- ately, what is expected of them, what is being delivered and, where problems arise, quick decisions can be made to overcome them. “This is part and parcel of our company culture and an integral part of our globalWeir production system,” Ledwaba says. Foundry innovations The production of products such as Weir Minerals’Warman ® pumps starts in its found- ries, where the quality of castings such as vo- lutes and impellers are essential in achieving efficient pumping performance. “We have three foundry lines in Isando and three at Weir Minerals’ Port Elizabeth (PE) Heavy Bay Foundry. Anything bigger than 1.0 t gets cast in PE, while everything smaller is handled in Isando. But for single- line accountability purposes, Danillo looks after both the PE and the Isando facilities, supported through best-practice sharing by our other Weir foundries across the world,” says Ledwaba. “We have been systematically digitis- ing both of these facilities. Isando is mostly complete, while PE is still awork in progress,” says Van Eck. WeirMinerals’Isandomanufacturingfacil- ity consists of three value streams: foundry processes, machining processes and rubber moulding. “Isando has only one customer, the Alrode assembly plant, while our Heavy Bay Foundry makes use of Isando’s machine shop or third party shops, so it has two customers,

Alrode and Isando,” he continues. Some sizeable investments have been made to secure the company’s growth targets and these are continuing as all manufactur- ing operations are upgraded to match global benchmarks. “Our carousel investment in the Isando foundry is of most significance. This is where we make sand moulds, mostly for parts of up to 150 kg. The carousel line at Isando changes mould making into a production- line process. We use it for preparing single or multi-cavitymoulds tomeet high-volume and high-variability needs. The line is set up for quickchangeovers and togive theflexibility to produce volumewhilemeeting short delivery times,” says Ledwaba. The line enables about 200 parts per day tobe cast fromup to18 t/dayofmoltenmetal. “Wehavealsoimplementedtightercontrol of the process. The moisture content and temperatureof the sandweuse tomake these moulds, for example, is particularly sensitive to ambient conditions. We now take ambient conditions into account so that variability is taken out of the sand we use, so that when the molten steel is poured, the mould experi- ences identical characteristics every time,” Ledwaba notes. For heavier parts in the size range of be- tween 150 to 350 kg, which also present high variability and rapid changeover challenges, the Isando foundry has a fast-loop line, which is a similar concept to the carousel with less automation. “It is still Industry 4.0 ready so it gives good repeatability from a part quality point of view,” he assures. The third sectionof the Isando foundry is a

March 2019 • MechChem Africa ¦ 5

Water management: a lecture, a book and a collaborative effort

On February 28, 2019, professor Thokozani Majozi of the University of the Witwatersrand delivered a lecture onWater management: social and technological perspectives, a book written as a collaborative research project based on studies from 53 contributors who looked at water issues in 19 countries.

S temming from a water management conference held at Wits in 2016 and funding and support from the British Council, the NRF, the Water Research Commission and Sasol, Water management: social and technological perspectives is authored by professors from three universities: Thokozani Majozi from SA’s University of theWitwatersrand; andMotiuKoladeAmosa fromCairo Iqbal M Mujtaba from Bradford University in the UK; University in Egypt. The authors have transformed case studies from 19 countries and 53 contributors into a 30 chapter, 571 page reference manual on the current state of the world’s water. “It was Boutros Boutros-Ghali who first said: ‘The next war in the Middle East will be fought over water, not politics’,” says Majozi in in- troducing theSocial Perspectives topic of thebook. Hehighlighted sev-

second of the book’s t h eme s . Ma j o z i shows a slide com- paring the relative costs of thedifferent

technologies taken fromcommissionedoperational plants:Multi Stage Flash at 1.5 US$/m 3 in Singapore and 2.74 at the Saif plant in Qatar; Multi-effectDistillation inCalifornia at 0.46US$/m3; Thermal Vapour Compression multi-effect in Qatar at 2.48; and, by far the most com- mon, Reverse Osmosis (RO), for whichMajozi cites three plants built at costs of 0.53, 1.1 and 0.50 US$/m 3 , respectively. While describing howRO technologyworks, he points out that the technology uses high pressure to force pure water permeate through the RO membranes, separating out brine concentrate (retentate) for disposal. “Generating ROpressures takes energy, though, so although currently cheapest, other technologies may be more beneficial in the long term,” he points out. Water Treatment also features in the book. Of note is the search for an alternative for activated carbon, currently used in 90%of water treatment facilities as an adsorbent for ammonia and nitrate. Several contenders have been found, including Ivy and strawberry leaves, which tend to be waste materials so they can be sourced easily and cost effectively. Of particular interest to South Africa and Egypt is the potential use of Water Hyacinth, which grows problematically on Hartbeesport Dam and on the Nile River. “Dried and pulverised, Water Hyacinth can be used as a direct replacement for activated carbon to give good adsorption from a fast growing and problematic plant waste,” says Majozi. TheWater Networks chapters in the book discus water reduction case studies fromBradford. Given the task of reducingwater usage at specific sites, Iqbal Mujtaba and his team applied a technique called

eral ongoing conflicts around theworld, many of them relating to rivers shared bymorethanonecountry.“Thedispute on India’s Cauvery River between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka continues to affect hundreds of thousands of people and the disagreement has been going on for centuries,”Majozi said, before adding examples of other water disputes related to rivers: theOkavango; theMekong; the Rhine, Syr Darya dividing Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan; and the Incomati, which is shared amongst South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique. Desalination technology is

South African Chemical Engineering Congress: SACEC 2020 1 st to 3 rd July, Wits University

to continue to improve the lives of all, whilst being cognisant of and reducing our impact? Delegateswill benefit fromthe opportu- nity to engage with peers at a professional forum in order to further their knowledge and understanding of their professional field. The congress will be CPD accredited. Presenterswho are invited to submit full papers that are accepted for publicationwill have their work published in the congress proceedings. The proceedings are fully peer-reviewed. They each have an ISSNand will conformto all DOHET requirements for accreditation. The call for abstracts on the belowtopics

is open, with a submission deadline set for Sunday 30 th June 2019. Submission catego- ries include: 1. Environmental Process Engineering. 2. Reaction Engineering. 3. Separation Technologies. 4. Process and Materials Synthesis. 5. Metallurgical Process Engineering and Coal Technology. 6. Chemical Engineering Education. 7. Other. Pleasevisitusatwww.sacec2020.co.zaand if you are interested in becoming a partner or sponsor, contact the congress secretariat at info@sacec2020.co.za

SACEC 2020 aims to bring the Chemical Engineers of the world together in the hopes of creating real world solutions to global issues. The 21 st century is likely to be the most profound for humankind. As we hurtle for- ward, there are clear signs that never before have we had so much impact on our planet. As chemical engineers our contribution to that impact is more profound than average. Our theme for this congress, Entering the Anthropocene , provides a forum to consider the possibilities of this century. Howwill we utilise our skills in theAnthropocene period

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⎪ SAIChE IChemE news ⎪

Big Data: SAIChE IChemE Gauteng’s Branch Event This was just the first of many events planned by SAIChE IChemE Gauteng for 2019, which include: the AGM in April; SAAFOST at DrinkTec in July; Engineers WithoutBorders inAugust and, inOctober, an interactive session on the Circular Economy. “Look out for the details and we look forward to welcoming you at our next event,” Fakir concludes. q

Water Cascade Analysis to systematically identifyandimplementsavingssolutions.“Any chemical process or facility has a point where themass transfers areoptimised. By routinely hitting these points wherever freshwater is involved, water usage can be minimised. Of the cases analysed by Bradford, 80% of the findings were actually implemented,” Majozi reveals. Closer to home, he ends with a discussion on the Water Energy Nexus and his work at Wits. “South Africa is constrained by both energy and water. We are the 29 th driest country in the world, out of 194 countries. Yet we need energy to get water and water to get energy,” he says. Food is the third aspect of the nexus. “People need to plant crops to get food and crops need watering, which means using pumps that require energy,” Majozi explains. “Also, though, chemicals almost always come into play in some way or another. In the 19 th Century, predictions were that world population would be limited to about 2.5-bil- lion people, but by the 20 th the populationwas atleasttwicethatatover5-billionpeople.Why was the prediction so wrong? In 1918 we dis- covered ammonia, which led to fertilisers that doubledcropyields.So,achemicalchangedthe food supply aspect of the Nexus,” he relates. Describing current research interests in this area, he says that his team is looking at the relationship between water and energy use. “At a typical plant, fresh water for clean- ing, heating, cooling and process reactions is consumed and effluent is created. “Treating the effluent and reusing it can bring down water use andassociated costs, but additional energy is needed to do this, which increases the energy costs. “We are trying to come upwith systematic methods of identifying the point of minimum total cost between the rising energy costs and the falling water costs, that is, the sweet spot or theoptimumoperatingpoint forwater recycling.We are already using this idea todo case studies tooptimisewater useby identify- ingwater streams and recyclingopportunities –andwehavehad some significant successes. At anoldpower plant, for example, whichwas designed to use 1.8 ℓ/kWh of water, usage has climbed over the years to 3.0 ℓ/kWh. Through direct reuse and recycling, we were able to reduceusagebackdown to2.1 ℓ /kWh, andwe calculate that we can get it back to 1.9 with a more costly intervention. Before the intervention, plant usage was sitting at 119M ℓ /day, which is approximately ¼ of the daily use of the City of Cape Town. Reducing usage is, therefore, a valuable and necessary exercise. “Whenever more electricity is needed, however, we need to accept the associated water cost, and vice versa,” Majozi says. q

The Gauteng chapter of SAIChE IChemE kickedoff 2019with an event titled ‘BigData’. AninteractivesessionwasheldwhereSAIChE IChemE member and Gauteng branch chair- person, Carl Sandrock, delivered a seminar focusing on Big Data Analytics, Industry 4.0, and the Internet of Things. As a hot topic in Big Data and Data Analytics, much of the talk was about the de- velopment anduseofNeural Networks and how technology companies make use of the science behind neural net- works to organise their product cata- logues andcreatealgorithms that seem to be capable of predicting people’s interests based on their online activity. Neural networks were explained all the way from a simple starting point in MS Excel – training a three neuron network to regress a given function to the current state of the art. Reinforcement learning was dem- onstrated via experiments in arcade games involving machine learning and current developments in Generative Adversarial Networks, which were shown to produce impressive simu- lated photographs. “This technology is highly relevant to our modern era, and members shared examples of how this science finds application in the agricultural and mining industries, for use in opti- mising crop yields or mineral deposits without the need for expensive human interventions,” reports Qasim Fakir Senior Process EnginineeringManager at Saint-Gobain Gyproc South Africa.

Carl Sandrock presents at SAIChE IChemE Gauteng’s Big Data event.

The Gauteng chapter of SAIChE IChemE attend the first 2019 event titled ‘Big Data’.

Most Promising New Textbook Award (College) The Textbook & Academic Authors Association (TAA) has announced its 2019 Textbook Award winners, which include Attainable Region Theory, An Introduction to Choosing an Optimal Reactor, which is published by Wiley and co-authored byDavidMing, DavidGlasser, Diane Hildebrandt, Benjamin Glasser and Matthew Metzger. Attainable Region Theory is one of 10 publications to receive TheMost PromisingNewTextbookAward, which recognises excellence in 1st edition textbooks and learning materials. approach allows one to find all possible outcomes for all possible designs – even thedesigns one cannot imagine–givingone confidence that what is designed is always optimal for a given situation. Covering both fundamentals and ad- vanced concepts, this book demonstrates how knowledge of attainable regions can lead to powerful insights and discoveries that improve the performance of complex reactor designs.

Attainable Region Theory has over 70 worked examples and 200 illustrations, including interactive software tools writ- ten in Python, which demonstrate how AR theory can be used to solve reactor network problems. Interactive examples are also available on the book’s companion website. attainableregions.com

The book discusses how to effectively interpret, select, and optimise reactors for complex reactive systems, usingAttainable Region theory, which provides a means of understanding chemical reactor net- works from a geometric perspective. This

March 2019 • MechChem Africa ¦ 7

On the evening of March 21, 2019, condition-monitoring specialist, Martec unveiled its new brand and outlined its future strategy. “Martec has embraced Industry 4.0 and is excited about the possibilities it offers for huge advances in plant reliability and infrastructure integrity,” said the Pragma company’s MD, Johannes Coetzee. In-time condition monitoring and diagnostics

4.0, IIoT, machine learning, virtual reality and all of these smart technologies should be incorporated in the future thinking of CEO’s strategies” Scheeres said. “I can proudly say that Pragma is con- tinuously in the process of repositioning its services and researching new technologies to ensure that we can accommodate current issues such as those being experienced by industry while migrating towards future technologies. “The wonderful thing about Industry 4.0 is that it is ideally suited to us in the asset management fraternity. It enables us to get to grips with what is going on in the ‘hearts and minds’ of assets in real time” he said. Over the years, he said, Pragma has grown its business fromamaintenancemanagement and training business to a fullyfletchedenter- priseassetmanagementbusiness,nowinclud- ing a facilitiesmanagement offering: security, access control and themanagement of assets in buildings such as air conditioning systems, and the Condition Monitoring of assets.” Scheeres compared Martec’s offering, acquired only two years ago, to an ECGmoni- toring a patient’s heartbeat. “Martec looks deep into the hearts and minds of machines to analyse the onset of failure and predict when it is likely to happen in the future – and

predictability is something all engineers and plant operators love to have. “We want to be able to predict exactly when an asset will fail and understand ex- actlywhy. That iswhywe addedMartec to the PragmaGroup and tonight isMartec’s time to say yes to this ‘marriage’,” he said. Takingover thepodium, JohannesCoetzee added to the ‘marriage’ analogy: “Havingbeen in this relationship for two years, today we present our baby. We felt it was important to introduce a different logo tomark an exciting turning point in our condition monitoring of- fering. We are immensely proud of our logo and the repositioning of Martec’s brand. It symbolises a departure onto a condition monitoring platform at a new level,” he ex- plained, before inviting Scheeres to helpwith the unveiling. “Pragmabringsawealthofknowledgecon- cerning enterprise assetmanagement and an increasingly important subset of that knowl- edge involves condition monitoring. We see the integration of condition monitoring into the asset management world as offering the best of bothworlds for plants andbusinesses. “You will notice our strapline has been shortened to just two words: Reliability: Engineered. This reflects our belief in reli- ability as a complete entity in its own right,

O peningthecelebrationofMartec’s newbrand, AdriaanScheeres, the CEOof the company’s parent, the Pragma Group, talked of a meet- ing earlier in the day with the COO of a large corporation, “We spoke about maintenance practices not being in place, equipment being pushed to its limit and deteriorating too fast, and funds being unavailable. It’swas all about ageing assets, ageing assets and more ageing assets,” he began. “On the aeroplane, I read about company strategies which cannot live without new technology. Now it’s all about how Industry

Adriaan Scheeres, CEO of the Pragma Group and Martec MD, Johannes Coetzee, unveil the new Martec logo.

8 ¦ MechChem Africa • March 2019

⎪ Special report ⎪

Martec has 26 principles supplying it state-of- the-art technologies such as the SDT Ultrasonic monitoring system. with a unique function within every busi- ness. Second, we implement reliability from an engineering perspective. Custom made solutions that are specifically engineered to client and plant needs are necessary, with as- set reliability and plant integrity as key goals,” Coetzee explained. Moving through to Martec’s technical area, he unveiled a summary slide outlining the expansion of the company’s offering. “We takepride inbringing thebest conditionmoni- toring solutions into the Southern African market and Mario Kuisis, my predecessor, was very good at tracking emerging trends. “Many companies went directly into sup- plying vibration, oil analysis and thermogra- phyequipment, butMartec, fromthewordgo, recognisedthattheelectricalsideofcondition monitoring was the fastest moving. He was instrumental in entrenching our business, froma service and technology perspective, as the electrical condition-monitoring specialist. “Today, we have 26 principles supplying uswith state-of-the-art technologies, andwe are at the front end of these concerning local expertise,” he noted. Turning attention to his one-slide presen- tation,hesaysMartec’sraisedplatformisbuilt onfive key serviceofferings. “Our two trusted steeds remain Technology Systems and Field Services. These are the two pillars that have enabled us to build to where we are today. Webring in thebestmonitoring technologies, handheld devices, sensors and software tools into the market and we gather skilled people around each of these to ensure successful implementations,” Coetzee told us. “Some of the foremost experts from the power industry work for us at Martec. When it comes to transformers and how to maintain them, switchgear, cable fault find- ing and monitoring for partial discharge, we have service experts at the highest technical levels,” he added. Martec’s Training Academy is highlighted as a third well-established service. “We are engagedinabattleforskills.Wedon’tproduce enough skilled people for the needs of plants.

Through a live demonstration of a model materials handling machine, Martec shows that it already possible take Industry 4.0 into real use to make plants more reliable, improving throughput and profitability. We strive to bring foremost global experts into the country to pass on the highest levels of understanding, and the Academy is not only about knowledge, it is about accredit- ing people with directly useful skills so that they can go back to there plants and add real value,” Coetzee assured, adding that a new ‘Essentials of condition monitoring’ course will be introduced very shortly. Leveraging its access to Pragma’s experi- ence,Martechas introducedadedicatedadvi- sory service as its fourth offering: “to identify risks and put in place long-term strategies to minimise them”. “How can we integrate our solutions into a complete programme that will drive plant reliability up, along with plant integrity and sustainability?” heasked. “This requires anun- derstanding of the criticality of the plant and eachpieceof process equipment.We askhow this might change when critical units break down, and we do a plant-wide assessment to establish the optimum levels of monitoring and technology to minimise reliability risks and drive the bottom line,” he explained. Fifth, he cites the Industry 4.0-related primary reason for the new brand. “This is the real level shift for Martec, which we call ‘In-time monitoring and diagnostics’ .” “The reality is, to make sure a plant is reliable 24/7, one cannot rely on individual people, no matter how skilled they are. Experiencedpeople leave, taking their knowl- edge and experience with them. “We see the pooling of data about a plant asanessentialwayofcapturingknowledgefor use long term. We want to take Industry 4.0 into real use, making plants more reliable, improving throughput and profitability. We strive to bring all of these together in a real way by monitoring, collecting, analysing and,

most importantly, using the data to diagnose and track plant health without interrupting any part of the process – or even being near the plant,” he informed us. But the ‘real’ approach is not freeof skilled people. “By using the remote managing capacities of Industry 4.0 to manage many distributed assets around the country, we can afford to employ dedicated specialists for each equipment type,” he continued. Using transformer monitoring as an ex- ample, he says that if a plant depends on one or two transformers, they cannot usually af- ford to have a dedicated specialist caring for them. “They don’t break every day”. “But we have specialists in transformers that can be deployed to look after a collective set of transformer assets from many plants. This makes it economically viable for every critical transformer in our care to be moni- tored 24/7 by experts,” said Coetzee. Pointing tohis transformer teamclustered around a screen running a simulation, he said: “Right here we are creating an actual partial discharge event and demonstrating how we can detect it remotely and respond. Over the years, Martec has saved many companies huge amounts of money by detecting the onset of partial discharge and responding in time. Industry 4.0 technology allows us to collect data via internet-connected sensors, load it to the cloud, analyse it and, through the help of specialists, predict when partial discharge is likely to occur – and respond in time,” he explained. “A large percentage of failures can be pre- vented if we have in-time information – and we can already do this. This is the future,” he concluded. q

March 2019 • MechChem Africa ¦ 9

Dewatering with a difference

Atlas Copco has solidified its place at the forefront of the pumps industry with the introduction of WEDA 50+ and 60+ dewatering pumps. These pumps have been designed to provide customers with enhanced levels of performance alongside improved efficiency, hassle-free maintenance as well as augmented capacity.

minutes. “Maintenance is simple thanks to theWEDAISP (Instant ServicePack) that con- tains the seals, bearing oil andoil housing that can easily be changed onsite,” Bekker adds. Encompassing many features from the successful Atlas Copco WEDA range, the WEDA+ range has taken these features and strengthened themwith additions such as the use of improved aluminium alloy with higher corrosion resistance thereby increasing rug- gedness and machine lifespan. The advance- ment of WEDA+ pumps’ cable entry system not only allows for the use of awider range of cable configurations but also improves seal- ing. A novel feature across this range is the rotation control and phase failure protection that prevents the risk of the impeller rotating inthewrongdirectionand,inthecaseofphase failure, will halt the pump. The economical WEDA+ range features a fuel efficient new motor design with greater efficiency and reduced start current, double row ball bearings with better lifespan as well as newhydraulic ends for boosted productiv- ity and a low lifecycle cost (LCC). The 50+ and 60+ pumps are offered in a normal head (25 and 30µm) and high head (41 and 52 m) respectively with the 60+ also available in a super high head (76 m). The WEDA 50+ features an impressive maximum flow between 1 173 and 2 347  ℓ /min while a maximumflowofbetween984and2650 ℓ /min canbeachievedwiththe60+pump,depending on the pressure head required. The 50+ only requiresamaximumpowerinputof7.5kWand hasthecapabilityofashaftspeedof3460rpm. Followingsuit,the60+pumpneedsamaximum power input of 10 kWwith a 3 470 rpm shaft speed capacity. Both units have a maximum solid handling size of 8,0mm. “Atlas Copco is proud of the new Super HighHeadWEDA60+model that is themost compact and lightweight within its class and delivers unrivalled performance combined with easy portability. Both the WEDA 50+ and 60+ dewatering pumps provide custom- ers and end-users with service excellence, a factor that Atlas Copco strives to uphold throughout our comprehensive product and service portfolio,” concludes Bekker. AtlasCopcoPower Technique supports its range of electrical, diesel and petrol dewater- ing pumps with excellent after-sales service further boosted by a countrywide dealer net- work.Withtheintroductionofthedewatering pump range, Atlas Copco Power Technique added a fourth pillar to its portable energy product offering tobring360° air, power, light and flowsolutions and services tomining and industry across Southern Africa. q

T he powerful and portable Atlas Copco pumps have been built by skilled technicians, using the high- est quality materials and offer an extensive range of dewatering solutions for construction, industrial, emergency and maintenance applications. “TheWEDA range of electric submersible dewatering pumps are reliable and robust, featuring a custom-made sealing system and modular design that contribute to them being amongst the most flexible pumps in the business,” says Sarel Bekker, business development manager: portable products, Atlas Copco. He adds that theWEDA+ range has taken all the impressive features of the founding WEDA range and has further improved on themwith cutting edge additions. WEDA pumps contain a built-in starter and motor protection system that allows for optional automatic level control. The pumps’ smartmodular design includesmachinedslots

that allow for the easy separation of the dif- ferent parts of each pump. All stainless steel bolts and nuts used within the machine are the same size, there- fore making it possible to use one effective tool to complete the entire operation. Other standard components include a reinforced cable entry, built-in run capacitor/contactor, an adjustable discharge connection of 90° or 180°, Class F insulated stators with thermo switches in all windings as well as external plug for grease filling. Manufactured to deliver optimum per- formance in the harshest conditions, these pumps have adjustable wear resistant nitrile rubber diffusors and hardened high quality clog-free chrome impellers. Adding to their durability, the machines’ light weight and compact design allows for easy transporta- tion,installationandstorageinconfinedareas. Featuring a low friction unique sealing system, operators are able to change seals, the impeller and other components within

The sealing system and modular design make the WEDA electric submersible dewatering pumps amongst the most flexible on the market. Inset: WEDA 50+ and 60+ from Atlas Copco Power Technique.

10 ¦ MechChem Africa • March 2019

⎪ Pump systems, pipes, valves and seals ⎪

Innovation-packed liquid ring vacuum pump Atlas Copco announced a new breakthrough in the world of Liquid Ring Vacuum technology with the launch of its LRP 700‑1000 VSD+ range of intelligent liquid ring vacuum pumps.

I deally suited to wet, humid and dirty applications, the LRP VSD+ is a state-of- the-art vacuum solution with unrivalled innovation and integration capabilities. A huge departure from the classic liquid ring pumps available in the market today, the LRP VSD+ is a compact, high performance, energy efficient system enclosed in a strong, noise- containing canopy. The ergonomic design of the LRP 700- 1000 VSD+ along with market leading HMI ensures the optimum operator interface and ease when controlling the vacuum pump. In addition, inlet, outlet and mains cable points are positioned on the top of the pump for straightforward installation. It is not least this feature that makes Atlas Copco’s LRP VSD+ an uncomplicated plug-and-play product. “The LRP VSD+ not only brings energy and water savings to our customers, but also saves on space. Its compact design and small footprint allows users to save space without having to sacrifice any vacuumperformance,” explains Alistair Darroch, product manager, Liquid Ring Vacuum Technologies. The same applies to functionality: this pump contains a large number of performance-optimised components that would normally be supplied as accessories, often taking up additional space for piping and installation. With the LRP700-1000VSD+, these components have been integrated into the pump element to maximise efficiency, performance and space. The soundproof housing significantly reduces noise pollution in the immediate working environment. Indeed, withoperating noise in the range of 65 dBa, the LRP VSD+ is an extremely quiet liquid ring pump. Along with noise reduction, the sturdy canopy and cubicle ensure that the pump and internal electronics are effectively protected against dust andwater. This feature qualifies the LRP 700-1000 VSD+ series for the harshest in- dustrial applications – extending the lifetime of the electronic components as well as the service intervals. Speaking on the engineering design of the LRP VSD+ series, Alistair Darroch product manager: liquid ring pumps & sales tools commented, “The LRP VSD+ vacuum pump is a true breakthrough in liquid ring technol- ogy as we know it today. No other liquid ring vacuum pump offers this level of efficiency andeconomy, whilemaintaining ahighdegree of build quality and standard scope of supply. We drew fromover 150 years of engineering

know-how and applied Atlas Copco’s innova- tive approach to create something truly unique. By combining the classic and rugged benefits of LRP with Atlas Copco’s variable speed drive technology we are in- troducing something that the market has not seen before.”

Oil-free vacuum pumps from Atlas Copco are used in a variety of sensitive areas – in food processing and packaging processes, in the production of semiconductors or medicines, and in the paper industry.

processes and situations. Automatic Seizure Prevention, ASP, and Automatic Cavitation Prevention, ACP, protect pump and customer process alike. Smart monitoring and remote controllability are further key features that really differentiate the LRP VSD+ series. Equipped with Atlas Copco’s MkV Elektronikon® controller as standard, the LRPVSD+ has a comprehensive in-built plant management system. Key information suchas pump status, operating conditions, warning alarms and maintenance information readily available. Multiple pumps can be monitored, controlled and optimised simultaneously, giving customers the most suitable product performance at all times. Paired with Atlas Copco’s SMARTLINK, the LRP VSD+ offers game-changing monitoring, control and connectivity. With features that ensure optimum per- formance, maximum vacuum uptime and pump robustness. TheAtlasCopcoLRPVSD+ series is designed for an array of applications that are wet, humid, harsh or dirty; including filtration, food processing, conveying, ePS, drying, degassing and plastics calibration and rubber vulcanisation, to name a few. q

The Variable Speed Drive technology integrated into the LRP VSD+ is particularly unique. The twin VSD systemoperates in ab- solute harmony within the pump, ensuring optimal vacuum performance at all times. The primary VSD accurately maintains required vacuum levels by controlling the operating speedof the pump, matching pump performance to process demand and saving energy. The second VSD regulates the water circulationpump in response to theoperating conditions seen.Optimisingwaterflowwithin the pump element and providing maximum performance and stability at all vacuum levels and operating speeds. “Intelligence is a key feature of the LRP VSD+. Our patented features and unique algorithms balance theoperationof thewater pump with the speed of the main motor. This guarantees that the pump always delivers peak performance while maintaining maxi- mum energy efficiency,” continues Darroch. Adding to the intelligence of the pump are multiple innovations that allowtheLRPVSD+ to uniquely meet the needs of the customers and the demands of modern day industrial

Clean environmentally friendly vacuum pumps Small traces of oil in vacuum pump ap- plications can easily damage products and compromise people health. Atlas Copco is the first manufacturer to have its vacuum pumpscheckedfortracesofoilbyTÜVRhe- inland in accordance with the ISO 8573-1 standard. environmental friendliness and zero risk of oil contamination. The differences between the individual ISO classes can be decisive for vacuum users in many industries. Only ‘Class 0’ vacuum pumps can guarantee oil-free ex- haust air. Accordingly, only pumps of this class can be classified as safe for sensitive applications.

Theoil-free clawvacuumpumpDZS, the oil-free screw vacuum pump DHS VSD+ and the new Atlas Copco innovation of oil free liquid ring pumps LRP VSD+ have all been classified as completely oil-free in the best ‘Class 0’. This means the pumps are certified for

The impact on environment and health of oil emitting vacuum pumps will not be toleratedbythepublicandsustainablecom- panies,makingitimperativeforAtlasCopco to lead from the front in this regard. q

March 2019 • MechChem Africa ¦ 11