MechChem Africa November-December 2021

New NCPC-SA training initiatives extend IEE project success

MechChemAfrica talks to Tanya van Zyl of the National Cleaner Production Centre of South Africa (NCPC-SA) about the success of the training courses developed and delivered as part of the IEE Project in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and about some of the exciting new courses that have been added to extend this success.

Power Quality Management In introducing thenewpowerqualityfield, Van Zyl says that this area has become extremely important due to theadditionof somanymore renewable energy plants to the energy mix. “As companies andprofessionals begin to con- vert their electricityuse to renewableoptions, they often forget that the quality of power frommultiple sources may not be consistent, which, at worst, can damage equipment and, more commonly, will compromise energy ef- ficiency and system performance,” she says. Renewable solar and wind power plants, for example, tend to rely on high switching frequency inverters to create grid compatible ac power. This can inject harmonics onto the power grid, creating power quality problems at the point of use. “Most power quality problems can be attributed to faulty connec- tions and/or wiring, though, while frequency disturbances, electromagnetic interference, transients, harmonics and low equipment power factors also need to be properly man- aged,” she tells MechChem Africa. ThePowerQualityEndUser course covers the fundamental principles of power qual- ity to introduce those involved in electrical systems to power quality; regional regulatory

practices; the rights of users and the obliga- tions of utilities; and the legal perspectives that protect users of electrical energy. “We also have an expert course in Power Quality that covers the application of power quality principles, which is aimed at delegates with electrical, mechanical or electro-mechanical backgroundswithfieldexperienceor relevant qualifications,” Van Zyl notes. As with all NCPC-SA expert courses, after the classroom-based theoretical training , the following9-12months requires eachdelegate to perform power quality assessments at his or her workplace and write and present an assessment report for the site. Progress is monitoredon amonthlybasis via onlinewebi- nars, during which delegates report progress while being mentored by a facilitator. The qualification is awarded following a short final written exam, with the candidate’s plant report being assessed for evidence of proficiency.

S ince 2010, the NCPC-SA has trained over 6 000 professionals in Energy Management Systems and Energy Systems Optimisation in a number of energy systems, including steam, pumps, motors, compressed air and fans: all linked to the principle of energy management and efficiency optimisation. Describing the coreobjectiveof theNCPC training initiatives, Tanya van Zyl says the NCPC-SAoffers training at introductory, end user and expert levels and these courses are designed to provide comprehensive learning pathways forprofessionalswishing todevelop expertise in creating more energy efficient and cleaner production plants in SouthAfrica and across theworld. “Our resource-efficient and cleaner production (RECP) training is basedontheUNIDO/UNEPtoolkitandequips trainees with the skills required to conduct assessments and identify and implement improvements. This typically involves the analysisof rawmaterials,water,waste, energy consumption, along with the identification and implementation of improvements. “Our energy management training pro- grammes are all based on the SANS/ISO 50001 standard and have created a new pro- fession for individuals to develop and imple- ment energymanagement systems for indus- try. Our systems optimisation programmes then focus on the specific technologieswhere energy efficiency interventions can reduce consumption and carbon emissions while also saving companies substantial amounts money,” she tells MechChem Africa. “We have recently added a few new spe- cialisations for energyprofessional toourmix, most notably, Power Quality Management; Biogas Project Development; and Large Scale Cooling and Refrigeration System Optimisation,” says Van Zyl.

Biogas Systems Optimisation courses

“Biogas is of particular importance to us at the NCPC, because it allows us to promote the generation of renewable, sustainable

The third new set of offerings consist of the CRSO End User and Expert courses, which are aimed at individuals involved with large industrial chiller and refrigeration systems.

4 ¦ MechChem Africa • November-December 2021