MechChem Africa March-April 2024

MechChem MAR-APR 2024 AFRICA

Level and pressure instrumentation for the process industry

This month: Meeting COP28 targets by optimising pumping

Hydraulic solutions for solar thermal power plants

Sustainable solar solutions for dairy farming

Safety innovations presented at Mining Indaba

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Water, wastewater and pumping solutions 6 Meeting 2030 energy-efficiency targets by optimising pumping systems Harry Rosen of TAS Online argues that as far as energy efficiency is concerned, key pledges from the recent COP28 in Abu Dhabi can be achieved comfortably by paying closer attention to our pumps and pumping systems. 10 AECOM top 500 design firms for dams and reservoirs 11 Affordable preventative maintenance for water infrastructure Power transmission, bearings, bushes and seals 12 Bearings 2000 contributes to the circular economy Lourens Pretorius of SKF talks about the contribution that Authorised SKF Distributor, Bearings 2000 is making to the circular economy using SKF’s Bearing Remanufacturing services in Jet Park, Gauteng. 13 Automating precision tasks Minerals processing and materials handling 14 Safe, smart and sustainable mining Following the 2024 Mining Indaba, MS Prakash, Emerson’s vice president for the African region, spoke to MechChem Africa about championing safe, smart and sustainable change in the mining sector and the innovations making this possible. 16 Cavex ® hydrocyclone for West Africa 19 Twin tilt-down flexible screw mobile conveyor 20 ROMPCO highlights its sustainability efforts on World Engineering Day 21 TAKRAF secures major iron ore project in Mauritania Hydraulics, pneumatics and automation solutions 22 Specialty rentals for air, power, flow and temperature MechChem Africa talks to Henry Fourie of Rand Air about the transformative evolution of the rental landscape in sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting the company’s extended rental offering for air, power, flow and temperature. 24 Hydraulic solutions for solar thermal power plants PowerGen, PetroChem and sustainable energy management 26 Sustainable solar solutions for dairy farming In the lush landscape of Creighton Valley in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), a transformative journey to renewable energy is underway for dairy farm ers and cheese producers, who are turning to solar power from SolarSaver to reduce their electricity costs and ensure a stable power supply. 27 Understanding standby, prime and continuous gensets 28 Energy waste and power quality management 31 Biomass optimisation in the timber sector Environmental management, waste and cleaning technologies 32 Waste management strategies and ESG Leon Brink, the Waste Management compliance manager for Enviroserv, presents the positive arguments for embedding ESG practices into waste management. 33 Sustainable ESG compliance strategies in SA Innovative engineering 38 CSIR safety innovations presented at Mining Indaba Riaan Bergh of the CSIR talks to MechChem Africa about some of the innovative mine safety solutions presented at the Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town. Regulars 2 Peter’s comment: Bell Equipment: from SA to the world 4 On the cover: Best fit pressure measurement options from VEGA Instruments SA. 34 Products and industry news 40 Back page: Enabling energy access for clean cooking

Published bimonthly by Crown Publications (Pty) Ltd 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 Advertising: Elmarie Stonell e-mail: mechchemafrica@crown.co.za Design: Katlego Montsho 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.

Transparency You Can See Average circulation Oct to Dec 2023: 10 846 Printed by: Tandym Print, Cape Town

Front cover: VEGA Instruments SA Contact: Miguel Petersen Tel: +27 11 795 3249 Email: info.za@vega.com Web: www.vega.com

March-April 2024 • MechChem Africa ¦ 1

Bell Equipment: from SA to the world

Peter Middleton

I recently had the privilege of visiting Bell Equipment’s manufacturing facility in Richards Bay, which has lately allocated some of its fabrication space to a new entity, BHI: Bell Heavy Industries. The story behind Bell’s success is a remarkable one. It began when Irvine Bell, a fitter and turner who spent the second world war serving in the Engineering Corp, returned to the Richards Bay area with his wife, Eunice. His first invention was a water boring machine powered by a Jeep engine, which he built and used in a business sinking bore holes for the local farmers. In 1954 he went on to start a successful farm machinery repair service on a sugar estate near Empangeni; and in 1958 he founded ‘IA Bell and Company’ with his brother, his brother-in-law and his wife, who took care of the finances. Irvine Bell’s company continued to invent and manufacture new machines for the local farming community, such as his self-loading sugar cane trailer; and an overhead transfer crane for local farmers. In the early 1960s, he used hydraulic mo tors to build a prototype three wheeled cane loader, the Bell Tri-Wheeler, which was able to control each drive wheel independently to turn on its own axis. The patented machine was licensed for manufac ture to a Johannesburg-based locomotive company. Back then, the Richard’s Bay lagoon was a game sanctuary, which by 1943 had been expanded into Richards Bay Park. The town on the shores of the lagoon was proclaimed only in 1969. The deep water harbour that we know today, along with a railway link and an oil/gas pipeline to Johannesburg was completed in 1976. By that time, Irvine Bell had already been serving the agricultural needs in the area for over 25 years. Irvine’s sons Peter and Gary Bell, followed in their father’s footsteps. While still at school, they built a go-kart that could pull a small tip trailer. They then fitted a blade onto the front of it and used it to spread gravel and repair the local dirt roads on the smallholding. Both Peter and Gary joined the business and, with Irvine, developed and patented a cane cut ting attachment that enabled the Tri-wheeler to further mechanise cane harvesting. The sons were determined to take on the production of these at tachment units, though, producing 50 units in their first year. Then, when the manufacturing licence for the Tri-Wheeler expired, Peter Bell redesigned the machine to incorporate more modern hydrau lics. So, in 1975, with the expiry of the licence to manufacture in Johannesburg, Bell began on its

journey to produce complete machines, conceived, designed, prototyped and tested in-house. Different Tri-Wheeler applications emerged: a rough terrain forklift version; and a log handling version called the Bell Logger. The Bell Haulage Tractor was designed, which was found to be ideal for earthmoving applications. This led to the ‘Built-for-Africa’ mid-size range of wheeled loaders, which became a market leader. Bell Equipment’s first articulated dump truck (ADT), was launched in 1985, and in 1989 the flagship and globally renowned 40-ton ADT was launched. Today’s Bell ADTs offer keyless entry, Hill Stop, Bin Tip Prevention, Turbo Spin Protection, On Board Weighing and an Auto Park Application as standard features, while the Bell-designed fleet monitoring system, Fleetm@tic® offers advanced solutions for project scheduling, machine health monitoring and reduced fleet running costs. The innovative traditions have now extended into the third generation of the Bell Family, with the appointment of Ashley Jon Bell, Irvine Bell’s grandson, as the new Group CEO. So the story of innovation continues. A long-held Bell Equipment commitment is that “through listening, we are able to produce innova tive equipment that matches our customers’ needs”. The huge number of effective and industry chang ing solutions the company has created is testament to the success of this approach. Over the 70 years since Irvine Bell first began to service the needs of local farmers, the Bell Equipment family has been continuously chang ing, creating and innovating. This has led to global success, with Bell Equipment able to compete with any of the top offroad equipment manufacturers in the world – and up to 70% of the ADTs it now manufactures are destined for markets in Europe or the USA. Manufacturing of these ADTs is relocating to the company’s expanded plant in Germany. But in Bell’s case, it is the manufacturing principles and IP developed at its Richards Bay plant in South Africa that will be applied in Germany, rather than the other way around. The levels of professionalism, enthusiasm and innovation on display at all levels during my visit were heartwarming, making me feel that, in spite of all our problems, South Africa has highly competent people, skills and resources to enable us to compete on the global stage. Thanks to the vision of the likes of Irvine Bell, his descendants and his workforce.

MechChem Africa is endorsed by:

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March-April 2024 • MechChem Africa ¦ 3

Best-fit pressure measurement solutions for process control

MechChem Africa speaks to Clint Viviers of VEGA Instruments South Africa about the company’s comprehensive range of pressure measurement options available to suit both conventional and demanding pressure measurement applications.

status, a ring of coloured LEDs displays the on-off status of the switch from a distance and from any direction – 256 colours options can be selected, and switching pressures are fully programable,” he notes, adding that the units are all Bluetooth enabled to permit parameters to be set and changed via any Bluetooth-enabled smartphone or tablet. For these instruments, both metallic and ceramic measuring cells are available. “When put under pressure, the cells produce a very small movement on the sensor that creates a signal to the electronics which is used to calculate the pressure applied by the fluid in the pipe or tank. “Ceramic pressure measuring cells have far more abrasion and impact resistance, and they offer minimal drift, which means they do not need routine calibration. Also, they are solid, so they offer very high overload resistance,” notes Viviers, adding that pressure overload occurs in pipelines due to water hammer when valves are opened or closed and pumps are started or stopped in an adverse sequence. Metallic sensors on VEGA pressure in struments, he explains, have a metal bellows membrane that moves under pressure. This movement transfers pressure via an oil-filled capillary to the electronic sensor inside the instrument. They are much more sensitive to

VEGA’s Ceramic pressure measuring cells have excellent abrasion and impact resistance. They also offer minimal drift, which means they do not need routine calibration.

V EGA offers a range of pressure mea surement options tailored to suit every conceivable process pres sure control application. “Broadly speaking, we split our offering into a Basic Series and a PRO Series, each of which offers multiple sensor and communication options, depending on the specific application and medium involved,” begins Clint Viviers, the technical product manager for VEGA Instru ments SA. The Basic range, VEGABAR 10, 20 and 30 series, he says, is ideal for applications involving water, wastewater and hygienic applications in the pharmaceutical and food & beverage industries. “These are compact pressure measuring devices with a built in switching function and an LED ring lighting system to give a 360° switching status display. The VEGABAR 20 and 30 series, with 3 wire option, can be used as a pressure transmitter, pressure switch, or both. Plant operators do not need to be near the instrument to track

water hammer, and the me tallic bellows can be damaged by abrasive and larger particles in the flow. “If the capillary inside the pressure sensor is damaged, the instrument becomes irreparable. But these sensors can accommodate non-abrasive gas, vapour or liquid pressure at temperatures of up to 130 °C,” he says. The VEGABAR PRO Series 80 As with the Basic Series, the VEGABAR PRO Series 80 pressure transmitters can be fit ted with either metallic or ceramic sensing elements. The VEGABAR 81, for example, has a metallic pressure element that is fitted with a chemical seal system, making it suitable for use at elevated temperatures and aggressive media. A wide range of diaphragm materials and coatings are available to make this pres sure transmitter particularly suitable for the chemical and petrochemical industries:

Differential Pressure (Electronic, EDP) can be determined using any two VEGABAR series 80 instruments (left) or directly using the VEGADIF 85 universal differential pressure transmitter (right).

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⎪ Cover story ⎪

feedback control systems; protecting equip ment and continuous monitoring of process pressure in reactors; exhaust pressures of flue gases such as in waste incineration; for pipeline pressures in dairies; steam pressure control in steam drums; and pressure moni toring in LNG tanks, for example. “Our flagship VEGABAR 82 is a robust all-rounder with an innovative flush mounted ceramic measuring cell that is also manufac tured by VEGA. This versatile instrument handles temperatures up to 150° C with an overload factor of 200, which is unique to the market. The VEGABAR 82 covers 80% of all applications in the process industry and is well equipped for use in all areas of industry,” Viviers points out.

umns in the petrochemical industries.

Differential pressure monitoring To accurately determine the pressure, level, flowrate or density in process applications where the parameters vary, it is often neces sary to measure the differential pressure, which is the difference in pressure between two points in the system: two liquid levels in a closed tank, two points along a pipeline, or two points on either side of a filter, for example. The VEGADIF 85 is a universal differential pressure transmitter with two measuring cells built into the same body. For reverse osmosis systems in desalination plants, for example, one VEGADIF 85 can be used to determine the differential pressure (∆P) across the RO mem brane/filter: to protect the membrane and to optimise the efficiency of water purification process. “VEGADIF is a highly reliable and precise instrument that can sense very low differential pressures,” says Viviers. “Differential pressure can also be deter mined using any two VEGABAR series 80 instruments, with one set up as the primary in strument and the other as the secondary. This system is known as the Electronic Differential Pressure (EDP) system. If using this system for filter monitoring of a desalination plant, for example, one VEGABAR 82 can be set up on the seawater inlet side of the reverse osmosis filter and a second on the desalinated water flow line. Connected via a communica tion cable, the two instruments talk to each other continuously, enabling the electronics to generate and track the ∆P values,” Viviers ex plains. The VEGABAR Series 80 range of pres

sure instruments can be configured to suit a host of measurement needs and connected to any PLC or plant controller for process control and optimisation, data analysis and trending. “As a global manufacturer of state-of-the art sensors for measuring level, point level and pressure as well as devices and software for integrating them into process control and LED ring lighting to communicate the instrument’s switching status from a distance. The compact VEGABAR 38 pressure measuring device from VEGA’s Basic Series. These have a built in switching function

With ceramic measuring cells, the temperature of the process can also be measured and trans mitted as a secondary variable. Some typical applica

tions include: • Monitoring feed pressure in sewage pipelines. • Overload-resistant level and gauge pressure measurement in pressurised batch vessels. • Level measurement of paper pulp in bleaching towers, protecting against dry-run damage to the discharge pumps. • Monitoring of negative pressure – down to absolute vacuum – in distillation col

systems, we at VEGA Instruments South Africa can offer best-fit solu tions for any process-measurement need, from conventional to com plex,” concludes Clint Viviers. www.vega.com/en-za

In the intricate world of industrial processes, achieving accurate level measurements in tanks with agitators has been a persistent hurdle. Enter the VEGABAR 82, an electronic differential pressure (EDP) level measure ment solution that defies turbulence and delivers unwavering reliability. This solution demonstrates the transformative impact Mastering ethanol production with VEGABAR DP pressure instruments the VEGABAR 82 can make on tank-level measurements in complex industrial settings. For AlcoNCP, a multinational corporation based in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, VEGA instrumentation has been a trusted ally since 2017. AlcoNCP's diverse customer base spans industries such as beverages, cosmetics man ufacturing, food, and medical sectors, relying on sustainably cultivated maize to produce neutral ethanol products and Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS), a high-protein animal feed. extended lengths and double seals to ensure flawless measurement, and coupled with the world class Foundation Fieldbus communi cation system with AMSTM and electronic differential pressure (EDP) capability. This proved to be the perfect choice, with the added benefit of a competitive price point. As a result, when the fermentation plant was due for an upgrade it was a no brainer to continue using EDP devices in a slightly less demanding process environment, which also saw these VEGABAR EDPs rolled out in our distillation plant.

Shon Roopnarain, Control Systems Engineer at AlcoNCP, said they faced chal lenges with previous instrumentation, which lead them to choose VEGA for their differ ential pressure measurement needs. VEGA was initially introduced for challenging level measurement applications at the evaporator plant with mixes of high/low temperatures, clean in place (CIP) chemicals, vacuum pres sures and sticky, slurry type products. Sensor-barrels were customised with

Ethanol production relies on accurate pressure measurements for efficient and safe production. AlcoNCP, equipped with the VEGABAR 82 and supported by VEGA's expert service team, now experiences height ened efficiency and peace of mind. In partnership with VEGA, AlcoNCP continues to master the chemical process of turning grain into sustainable products. www.vega.com/en-za

A VEGABAR 82 installed at AlcoNCP in Durban for electronic differential pressure (EDP) level measurement: a solution for accurately monitoring the liquid level in a mixing tank.

March-April 2024 • MechChem Africa ¦ 5

Meeting 2030 energy-efficiency targets by optimising pumping systems

Key pledges from the recent COP28 in Abu Dhabi include tripling the world's renewable energy capacity by 2030, while doubling the rate of global energy efficiency improvements from 2% to 4% per year over the same period. Harry Rosen of TAS Online argues that as far as energy efficiency is concerned, this can be achieved comfortably by paying closer attention to our pumps and pumping systems. O ne of the key pledges announced at COP28 was to double the global rate of energy-efficien cy improvements from 2% to

globalefficiencyintel.com/new-blog/2017/ infographic-energy-industrial-motor-systems ]. All these industrial systems have long been identified as presenting significant opportu nities for energy efficiency savings. In most cases, the investments required to achieve savings are relatively low, and, in almost all cases, the bottom-line payback far exceeds that of installing a renewable energy plant. In the pump industry, optimising pump systems to achieve rapid and lasting energy intensity improvements is not new, while the benefits go well beyond the environmental ones: efficiency optimisation also improves pump reliability and wear life, and can signifi cantly improve productivity. In my role as an International UNIDO pump expert, I get to go across the world to do pump system audits and to present train ing on the optimisation of pumping systems. Based on my experience, the energy efficiency of an installed pumping system can easily be improved by 20%, mostly by changing how the pumps are managed. And by investing a little more in monitoring and control equipment, savings can be significantly higher. Eskom’s Demand Side Management (DSM) energy efficiency initiative, which began back in 2003 and paid out major financial incen tives to companies for saving energy, was premised on the fact that the cost of saving energy through implementing energy saving systems and technologies was five to ten times less expensive than investing in new generation capacity. But where is the money going to come from to incentivise companies now? The costs associated with reducing the

energy used by pumping systems are, in most cases, easily justified based on traditional return-on-investment calculations. And we get to save the planet as a bonus. Harry Rosen, PrEng, TAS, TAS Online, 2KG Training and Verantio SA, offers Engineering Software, Pumping System Assessments and Training services for the Pump Industry. 50% energy savings for bulk water supply pipeline One pump station I looked at as part of the UNIDO programme was a 40 km water pipeline across the desert from the point of production in Abu Dhabi to several different cities and villages. “We identified between 1 000 and 1 500 kW that could be saved in this application, around 50% of the electricity drawn by the original system. Several changes made this possible: Water transport systems have always been – and continue to be – over designed to make sure that any future demand issues can be met without having to further invest in the system. That often means that control valves – throt tling or a bypass valves, for example – must be used to reduce flow to match demand. The result is that the pumps continue to run at full power, but at a greatly reduced volume. The specific energy, that is the power required to pump one unit of flow, is much higher when compared to a system designed to be most efficient at the actual duty. Another type of flow control involves a bypass loop or recirculating valve, where a significant percentage of water is simply pumped back to suction, obviously a great waste of energy. And in cases of day- to- day demand varying, variable speed drives are a cost effective option to match system flow to changing demand, still resulting in significant savings. Understanding the nature of the demand is vital and if the system is not designed cor rectly, there will be a massive opportunity for optimisation once the plant is in service. For one of the water pipelines, a small per centage of water was required to be tapped

4% per year between now and 2030. The IEA (International Energy Agency) mea sures this rate in terms of global energy intensity improvements. As the IEA’s Head of Energy Efficiency, Brian Motherway ex plains: Doubling energy efficiency progress going forward means increasing this rate of improvement twofold, to just over 4% on aver age every year between now and 2030. This would mean that in 2030, one unit of energy used will generate 40% more economic output ;[Ref: https://www.iea.org/commentaries/a global-target-to-double-efficiency-progress-is essential-to-keep-net-zero-on-the-table ] The other massive target was to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030, a pledge that is estimated to cost the world’s nations US$6-trillion per year if we are to stay on the pathway to net zero emissions target by 2050. For South Africa and other developing nations, meeting this target is just not feasible. But can we double our rate of energy intensity improvements every year between now and 2030? I believe we can. According to IEA, around half (47%) of the electricity used globally is consumed by electric motor systems, and this number rises to about 70% in industrialised nations such China, USA, EU, India and Japan. Of this, in the US for example, pump systems account for about 40% of the total, fol lowed by compressed air systems at 22% and fan systems at 20%; [Ref: https://www.

A bulk water supply company pumping station that uses pumps in parallel to deliver water to multiple destinations. Each destination change results in changes to the system pressure profile and the operating points of all the pumps.

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⎪ Water, wastewater and pumping solutions ⎪

Left: A PumpMonitor graph showing the actual performance of a pump used for descaling in a steel mill over a one weekone-week period. As can be seen, the pump seldom operates near its best efficiency (80.4%). Right: A comparative chart showing the energy consumption of a 10 Bar bar pipeline compared to a 6 bar pipeline. Almost twice as much energy was wasted in the 10 bar pipeline due to the higher pressure required to feed remote villages. A 50% energy savings for this bulk water supply was identified.

off by villages en route. Some villages were in the mountains, so the water needed to be pumped at a much higher pressure. But most of the flow did not require the higher pressure to reach the final destination, and increased pressure directly relates to increased power. By splitting the require ment, only 3 000 out of every 10 000 m 3 is pumped at high pressure, while the remaining 7 000 m 3 can be pumped at much lower pres sure. This operational change – optimising each flow rate and pressure to match the actual requirements – is what made the big gest difference in terms of energy efficiency. In the original design, all the pumps were able to deliver at a much higher pressure, making the case for adding variable speed drives or possibly downsizing some of the pumps. And in terms of network design, it is more energy efficient to pump at the lowest possible pres sure over the long distances. Another solution would have been to add a booster pump at each water offtake and only boost pressure of the smaller required flow rate to reach the higher altitude village. Pumping and load shedding In South Africa, our bulk water supply is being affected by loadshedding, We have a system designed to pump water continuously from huge water reservoirs, dams or water treat ment plants into municipal storage facilities for distribution to consumers. Keeping these municipal facilities full requires pumping on a well-planned 24- hour schedule from purpose designed pumping stations. Loadshedding has introduced a regime of constant variability. When electrical power is only available for 18 hours or less a day, the demand cannot be met without pumping at higher flow rates, for which the pumps were not designed, pushing them away from their best efficiency. When reservoirs run dry, valves are opened and closed to allow dif ferent pump combinations to pump through pipelines to different locations. This changes the system pressure profile and the operating points of all the pumps, so the whole system

quickly becomes chaotic. The only way to handle this complexity is to install online monitoring equipment to measure and track the pressure, flow and power consumption of every pump in the system. Then, using real time analyses, losses and inefficiencies across the system can be identified and a clear idea of best possible energy savings can be established. Instrumentation on its own is not enough. Unlike temperature or vibration, which imme diately tell us whether a component is about to fail, pressure and flow rate on their own tell us very little about the condition of the pump. Even calculating the pump efficiency is only useful if we can relate it back to the pump’s performance curve. Only then can we calculate how much energy can be saved – or is being wasted – and more importantly, what needs to be changed to achieve savings. Ongoing performance monitoring can be used to accurately track efficiency and to calculate the real savings against a baseline. Further ad justments can be made to achieve maximum possible pumping effectiveness and energy efficiency. Pump and system changes, once highlighted by monitoring, are often obvious and simple to rectify. It may be better, for example, not to switch on all the pumps to fill a reservoir, and, in some cases, one dedicated pump with all of its flow control valves fully open will perform better than several worn pumps pumping in parallel. Monitoring will tell you this and help to operators to optimise pump combinations and maintain the opti mum flow, pressure and power consumption. Generally speaking, though, there is no simple component- based approach to im prove the energy efficiency of large pumping systems. It is easy to replace 100 W incan descent light bulbs with 3.0 W LED bulbs, and you will get 97 W of savings for each light used. Pumps don't work like that. If you replace pump A (78% as new efficiency) with pump B (85% as new efficiency), Pump B only delivers the improved efficiency if operating at its Best Efficiency Point or BEP. This is rare in most systems I have encountered in

my travels as the changing dynamics of the system affect where the pump operates on its curve. Significantly.! Sophisticated pump monitoring TAS online’s Pump Monitor, for example, uses data from suction and discharge pressure gauges, flow and power meters to determine exactly where a pump is operating on its pump curve, so it can determine how efficiently or inefficiently every pump in a system is performing. This enables complex pump and system changes to be highlighted, offering operators the information they need to re spond quickly to the demand-side variations for effective and efficient end results. Some pump operators are becoming aware of the need for energy management and are calculating the specific energy for each pump – how many kilowatts their pumps are using per unit of production. If this goes high, then it tells them something has gone wrong, but it doesn’t help to identify what has changed. Pump Monitor offers a much more sophis ticated view that can quickly identify pump and system wide problems and offer several solutions. For pumping plants using many mil lions of kWh of power to produce, every 200 kg of gold or 70 000 t of steel, for example, it becomes possible to determine accurately how efficient a plant or an area of the plant is, where the efficiency loss is coming from: if the pumps are worn, if a valve has been left shut, if pipe has become blocked, etc. Pump monitoring enables operators to react quickly to changes to keep the pumps at their best efficiency; to plan for the best time to refurbish every pump and, over time, to right size the whole network. If done on most pumping systems in the world, this can deliver a step-change in efficiency levels, which I believe can, on its own, deliver the 4% year-on-year energy intensity improvements pledged at the end of COP28. And while the costs of implementing pump monitoring are very easy to justify in terms of direct payback savings, proper implementa tion will need to be managed and overseen by

March-April 2024 • MechChem Africa ¦ 7

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⎪ Water, wastewater and pumping solutions ⎪

a professional in the energy-efficiency field. Over the plast 15 or 20 years, a lot of training of these professionals has been done, for the pump and other industries. There are pro grammes all over the world for training people to do system-wide energy management audits to reduce the energy intensity of industrial processes. All that is needed is commitment from industry and plant operators. First to start measuring and then quantifying savings opportunities: of the pumps, compressors and

come the need for load shedding. The reduced energy demand achieved by properly optimis ing a typical large pumping station of 1 500 to 2 000 kW can avoid loadshedding inconve nience in 1 000-odd households. Let’s attack the energy efficiency prob lem where we can make the most significant difference: in industry. It is the most cost effective and sensible way to solve the en vironmental and energy challenges we face. www.tasoline.co.za

fans used for heating, cooling, or processing. A steel or petrochemical plant cannot run without cooling systems that consist of water feed pumps, fans and heat exchangers. It is impossible to optimise these systems without sophisticated monitoring and experienced professionals, who are out there ready and waiting to deliver. In addition to the environ mental and the direct economic benefits of taking this approach, it can also significantly reduce daily demand from Eskom and over

Average pump duty

Calculated wastage

Flow (m 3 /hr)

265.4

Wear loss (%)

10.07

Head (m)

1 502

Duty loss (%)

23.88

Efficiency (%)

55.48

Total loss (%)

33.95

Power (kW)

2 088

kW wasted

710

Qbep %

Savings Opportunity

48.92

Utilisation (%)

46.5

Energy savings

8,940,000 kW.h

Specific Energy (kWh/Ml)

8 267

Cost savings

R 10,726,000

The total kWh wastage over a year for a single descaling pump in a steel mill, showing the massive potential for energy savings by optimising the pump to operate at its duty point.

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Infrastructure consulting firm AECOM was ranked first in Dams and Reservoirs in the Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firms list for 2023, underpinning its reputation as the global leader in dam, reservoir and water projects. AECOM top 500 design firms for dams and reservoirs

and instream flow requirements. It assesses and analyses alternative water resource management strategies and crucially has experience in the complex institutional and regulatory aspects of water rights, environ mental permitting and adaptive management programmes. “We work across the entire project life cycle,” explains Badenhorst. This ranges from traditional and alternative project delivery options such as design-build, design-build operate and public-private-partnerships. Projects include Greenfield sites, as well as dam upgrade and augmentation projects. “As a leader in upgrading and rehabilitating major dams, we have completed projects across the world, which reflects our global reach,” com ments Badenhorst. One of South Africa’s premier dam-design engineers, Badenhorst won Engineer of the Year at the 2016 SAICE-SAFCEC Civil Engineering Awards. He has over 20 years’ experience in major water resource and hydropower development projects, involving master planning, feasibility studies and design, totalling a 40-year career in civil engineering. Badenhorst has carried out numerous tasks as an approved professional engineer, a requirement in South Africa in terms of the Dam Safety Act. In addition, he has contribut ed to national and international best practice in dam engineering, including safety designs. Skills development is also a key focus, with Badenhorst mentoring candidate engineers at AECOM to build technical and professional skill sets in dams and hydropower. In line with creating awareness for dam engineering in South Africa, Badenhorst has represented the country at the an nual meetings of the International Congress of Large Dams (ICOLD) and chaired the South African National Committee of Large Dams (SANCOLD). He has been involved in some of Africa’s most prominent dam projects. These include

the Itare Dam Water Supply Project in Kenya, the Mooi Mgeni Transfer Scheme for the Spring Grove Dam and Appurtenant Works, and the Umkhomazi Water Supply Project, to gether with the rehabilitation of 20 large dams for the Department of Water and Sanitation. He was also Project Manager and Study Leader for the engineering investigations for the bilateral Noordoewer/Vioolsdrift Dam Feasibility Study. Here, he trained client and sub-consultant staff on various aspects of dam-design considerations at the feasibility level. Another major project was managing the repair works at the 145-m-high Mohale Dam during Phase 1B of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, in addition to his role as Dam Design Engineer. His mentorship on this proj ect saw him win the BKS Prize for Innovative Engineering for the design of a river diversion mechanism using a breaching section for the coffer dam. He says his most challenging project to date has been the Corumana Dam on the Sabie River in Mozambique. Accepted by the World Bank, his project proposal resulted in consid erable cost and time-savings for the client. Another key member of the Dams & Hydropower team is Associate Director Isak Malherbe, who has over 30 years’ experience. Malherbe has extensive experience in manag ing and executing projects related to flood mapping, risk management, flood mitigation and hydrological studies. “AECOM is consistently ranked as the No. 1 Dams and Reservoirs firm by ENR, and this proves our capability in the sector. Our goal is to ensure that our water clients have access to globally sustainable technologies, locally delivered. We are committed to delivering projects that improve the quality of life for many South African communities by installing infrastructure that protects against flood ing and safeguards water supply in times of drought,” says Malherbe. www.aecom.com

Danie Badenhorst, Dams and Hydropower Lead at AECOM.

Isak Malherbe, Associate Director Surface Water Management Africa at AECOM.

W ith over 85 years in the indus try, AECOM has worked on thousands of dams and water resources projects around the world. “We offer solutions in every facet of dam engineering, from planning and feasibility through design and construction, commission ing, operation, ongoing dam safety monitoring, maintenance, rehabilitation and decommis sioning,” explains Danie Badenhorst, Dams and Hydropower Specialist at AECOM. From homogenous to zoned earthfill, rockfill, concrete face rockfill dams (CFRD), asphalt concrete rockfill dams (ACRD), roller compacted concrete dams (RCC), mass con crete, concrete buttress and concrete arch, AECOM’s dam specialists have achieved suc cess in all design types. Its hydropower experts have designed and constructed all types and sizes of plants. The team has extensive experience in deliv ering dam engineering projects for public and private sector clients. “We combine our con nected expertise across multiple disciplines to solve our clients’ most complex challenges. This integrated approach allows us to pair local knowledge with global expertise to deliver the best project outcomes,” explains Badenhorst. AECOM has even developed specialised procedures and computer models to simulate past, present and future water system opera tions. Its world-class engineers and specialists excel in simulating surface and groundwater supply options, complex reservoir operations

Danie Badenhorst says his most challenging project to date has been the Corumana Dam on the Sabie River in Mozambique. Accepted by the World Bank, this project proposal resulted in considerable cost and time-savings for the client.

10 ¦ MechChem Africa • March-April 2024

⎪ Water, wastewater and pumping solutions ⎪

Xylem SAM PRO is a cloud-based preventive and strategic reliability-centred maintenance system that can be retrofitted to any equipment to generate data analytics on customised dashboards, informed by digital twin technologies. Affordable preventative maintenance for water infrastructure

Left: Xylem SAM PRO can monitor any piece of mechanical or electrical equipment to provide utilities with comprehensive monitoring, diagnostic and prediction insights. Right: Water utilities can enjoy the best modern maintenance insights and planning using Xylem SAM PRO.

P reventative maintenance saves water utilities considerable time and money. However, adding such technologies to water sites can be daunting, which is why Xylem developed SAM PRO: an elegant, affordable, scalable, and efficiently deployable preventative mainte nance platform that incorporates digital twin technologies. The maintenance paradox Maintenance is a crucial part of any site's pro ductivity. Yet, the challenge is knowing when to apply maintenance. Until the early 1960s, the overwhelming belief among engineers was that component failure related to age. They wagered that as long as a component is within its useful life, it will perform reliably. Minds began to change when numer ous studies after World War 2 showed this logic to be a fallacy. Most equipment failures didn't relate to age but to faults in new equip ment or disruptions caused by maintenance. Maintenance can be the leading culprit behind equipment failures. There is even a name for it, the Waddington Effect, which states that maintenance can increase breakdowns because it disrupts a satisfactory condition. But maintenance is necessary. In response, maintenance engineers developed Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM), which links maintenance planning with productivity requirements. It is very effective: RCM is

utilities with comprehensive monitoring, diag nostic and prediction insights. The collected data populates real-time dashboards, alerts, and analysis reports that utility managers can design and tweak. The system can detect and diagnose opera tional anomalies quickly, triggering proactive maintenance or asset replacement alerts. SAM PRO delivers these results through digital twin technologies: digital copies of physical equipment that the software uses to test hypothetical and developing issues before they impact real-world equipment. Traditionally, such capabilities were costly and complex. Xylem has closed that gap through modern cloud infrastructure, digital software and extensive experience in water utility maintenance. The result is a cost effective, secure and scalable water utility maintenance service that can plug into any site, regardless of age or complexity. Water utilities can enjoy the best modern maintenance insights and planning using Xylem SAM PRO. They can precisely correlate technical machine conditions with process conditions. The results are fewer breakdowns, lower costs, and reduced maintenance disrup tions to site productivity. Bring the power of reliability-centred maintenance and digital twin technologies to your water infrastructure. Xylem SAM PRO is a powerful software service that will fit your needs and budget. www.xylem.com/en-za/

why most aircraft keep flying; nuclear power stations don't melt down; and steel smelters deliver sustained performance. RCM can apply to any complex site, includ ing water utilities. As long as one can collect the correct data and create reliable analytics, an RCM strategy is attainable. Digital tech nology is simplifying access to this level of predictive maintenance and making it more affordable. Specifically, Xylem's SAM PRO service enables intelligent and affordable strategic maintenance schedules for water infrastruc ture without breaking budgets or upsetting operations. Xylem SAM PRO (Smart Asset Management Performance & Reliability Optimisation) is a decision-intelligence tool designed to im prove asset reliability and lifespans, reduce unplanned maintenance, and decrease costs. SAM PRO utilises a secure, cloud-based platform that seamlessly deploys to monitor different mechanical and electrical systems, delivering 360° Performance insights for pre ventive and proactive maintenance. It helps site managers develop productivity-focused maintenance strategies that reduce related issues and knock-on effects, and enhance as set management. Xylem SAM PRO can monitor any piece of mechanical or electrical equipment, providing SAM PRO: smart maintenance for water sites

March-April 2024 • MechChem Africa ¦ 11

Bearings 2000 contributes to the circular economy

Lourens Pretorius, SKF Circular Economy Centre Manager, talks about the contribution that Authorised SKF Distributor, Bearings 2000 is making to the circular economy using SKF’s Bearing Remanufacturing services in Jet Park, Gauteng.

SKF has extended its renowned Microlog Analyzer family of data collection devices with the addition of the Microlog Analyzer dBX. Currently SKF’s most powerful diag nostic tool, this cutting edge device rede fines diagnostic capabilities, enabling users to take measurements three times faster than its predecessor. Empowered by SKF's advanced ana lytic software, the Microlog Analyzer dBX revolutionises rotating machine mainte nance scheduling, provides best-in-class information and unparalleled insights into rotating asset health. Its robust capabilities, including impact tests, digital recording, modal analysis, multi-plane balancing, and cross-channel phase analysis, make this feature-rich device the go-to diagnostic solution across diverse industries such as pulp & paper, food & beverage, renewable energy, mining, off-highway, metals, auto mation, and marine. As a cornerstone of condition monitoring solutions, the SKF Microlog Analyzer dBX strong focus on remanufacturing, mainly Spherical Roller Bearings (SRB) used in food & beverage applications. In addition, larger sized Spherical Roller Bearings (SRB) and Deep Groove Ball Bearings (DGBB) for the Pulp & Paper industry were also processed. For the duration of 2023, this collabora tive effort resulted in the reuse of 5 354 kg of high-quality bearing steel, contributing to a total energy saving of 42 080 kWh. This outcome translates into avoiding a total a 19 120 kg of CO 2 emissions, which is estimated based on the avoided energy use in SKF’s and suppliers’ production phases and on SKF Group data for 2022. This has been achieved without any compromise to the quality of the remanufactured bearing compared to a new equivalent. “Wynand Jurg, regional business devel opment lead at Bearings 2000 and partner to SKF, is driving the Reman Project with the objectives of maximising and accelerating T hroughout 2023 to date, SKF Authorised Distributor, Bearings 2000, has supported SKF’s Remanufacturing Services with a

swiftly detects rotating machinery issues using the innovative MPA-in-a-flash meth od. Developed by SKF, this method ensures rapid, accurate data collection, setting new standards in vibration analysis. According to John Storm, SKF Connected Technologies Manager, MPA or Multi-Point Acquisition is SKF's fastest vibration data collection method, typically three times faster than our previous Microlog series. Equipped with a host of state-of-the art technologies, including an embedded camera and a high-resolution 10.1-inch screen with up to six simultaneous mea surement windows, the Microlog Analyzer dBX offers unparalleled user experience. Its hybrid touch and keypad control, along with simplified navigation, ensure seamless operations. Moreover, the device maintains backward compatibility with SKF's proven Microlog CMXA Series, ensuring a smooth transition for existing users. The development of the Microlog Analyzer dBX draws on SKF’s decades of mount role in the global drive to decarbonise and promote environmental sustainability, because the process of remanufacturing a bearing – compared to manufacturing a new bearing – eliminates the use of raw materials and reduces energy consumption and CO 2 emissions. SKF’s Remanufacturing Centre, located at the bearing and rotat ing technology specialist’s head office in Jet Park, Gauteng, aligns with the global organisation’s commitment to be an ac tive contributor to the circular economy through the development of cutting-edge products, advanced technology and pro our joint contributions to the circular econ omy. More importantly, he is instrumental in assisting customers to achieve their economic and environmental goals,” says Lourens Pretorius, SKF Circular Economy Centre Manager. “Beyond making an indel ible contribution to the circular economy, SKF’s Bearing Remanufacturing solutions have proven instrumental in delivering benefits to many customers operating in a variety of industries. Objectives achieved!” Bearing remanufacture plays a para

experience and expertise in developing com prehensive condition monitoring solutions. By optimising maintenance processes, SKF empowers customers to enhance machine reliability, efficiency and service life, ulti mately boosting plant uptime and ensuring sustainable production and profitability. In summary, the SKF Microlog Analyzer dBX represents a leap forward in data col lection efficiency and diagnostic capabili ties, empowering industries to achieve peak performance and reliability in their rotating machinery. www.skf.com fessional service solutions. “Our specialist Remanufacturing Services is a three-way win, adding value for customers, for the environment and for SKF,” says Lourens. “Additionally, owing to our remanufacturing lead times of between five to ten working days, depending on volume and current or ders, we can deliver remanufactured bear ings back to the customer in a very short time frame. This is particularly impressive if you compare it to the delivery period for an overseas order. The waiting period for certain large size bearings can be up to sev eral months. For our customers, our short delivery times mean minimum downtime and maximum productivity and production.” “We applaud Bearings 2000 and extend our sincere thanks for their sustained support of our Bearing Remanufacturing Services. We will continue to bolster our collaborative efforts in a bid to sustainably achieve our environmental and circular economy goals to the ultimate benefit of our valued customers and our fragile planet,” concludes Lourens. www.skf.com

Fast and powerful SKF Microlog Analyzer

The cutting edge SKF Microlog Analyzer dBX enables users to collect data three times faster.

12 ¦ MechChem Africa • March-April 2024