MechChem Africa September-October 2021

⎪ Heating, cooling, ventilation and air conditioning ⎪

installed OEM HVAC and/or retrofitted HVAC systems, neither of which are consid- ered suitable for the harsh environment in NorthernCape. Thesevehicles aregoing tobe used to service a mine near Aggeneys in the NorthernCape, where it is very hot. “Because South African working conditions now apply, HVAC systems are required and, while the vehicles were originally fitted with cooling systems, few of them are still working and none of these are suitable for the operating conditions,” Spies tells MechChem Africa. We will be retrofitting our off-the-shelf cabin cooling system into these vehicles using the originally-used PTO. Miller continues: “Generally, HVAC units are rated in kW of cooling, so our system for theseunitswill deliver7.5kWof cooling to the cabins. But there are big differences between our 7.5 kW units and those designed for on- road buses and trucks. “First off, our systems are rated to provide this level of cooling in ambient temperatures of up to 45 °C and can still provide cooling in temperatures of 50° to 55°C without trip- ping, while conventional units are generally only rated for 35°C. This 15° makes a mas- sive difference to load requirements and the overall design. Component specifications are typically between 40 and 50% higher in our units tocater for thehigher temperatures, and systems designed for 35 °C simply cannot op- erate at these temperatureswithout tripping. “Also, conventional systems are designed for use on flat roads with vibration absorbing soft rubber tyres. Ona trackedorwheeledve- hicle being usedoff-roadwhere vibration and shock loading is the norm, these HVAC units can be destroyed within months,” he says. “Whenever a low-costHVACsystemin the vehicle stops working, the driver has to stop working, so the vehicle has to be taken out of service until the cooling system is repaired. So while our more robust systems might be more expensive than conventional systems, they aremuchmore cost effective in the long run, because downtime is massively reduced and the life of the units extended,” he notes. “Wehaveaproventrack record,” continues Spies. “Our HVAC systems last and, while maintenance is going to be required to get the longest life, this is an integral part of our service offering. Filters need cleaning and compressors will have to be refurbished or

Final quality inspection of Booyco HVAC systems, which are built to withstand excessive vibration, shock loading, dust and extreme temperatures.

replaced, but we have these maintenance needs carefully mapped out for the entire lifecycle of the units, and we can provide field service technicians to ensure that the necessary planned maintenance is carried out,” he assures. Spiesnotesthreeuniqueadvantagesofusing Booyco HVAC units: the design expertise for dealingwithextrahightemperaturesandharsh conditions; the reliability of the units and their associated extended life; and the company’s field services and maintenance offering, which ensure that theexpecteduptime and reliability is achieved. “On the rail side, we employ fulltime techni- cians at eight Transnet sites to look after the Transnet fleet, while for exported military systems,wehaveserviceagreementswithlocal providers, which we train and supply to take care of maintenance. We have a good mainte- nance track record in mining, too, having been on site at onemine for 15yearswherewehave threepermanent technicians takingcareof the 100+ units fitted to this operation’s vehicles. “We have years of proven experience in designing, manufacturing and maintaining specialistsystems foruseinextremeconditions andwe are now taking all of that expertise and putting it intoourminingunits.Whoeverbuysa BooycoHVACsystemwill get thesamereliabil- ity, quality and life that Armscor, Bombardier, Alstom, Transnet and all of our International customershaveenjoyedformanyyears,”Miller concludes. q Completing a Booyco refrigerant compressor assembly used on many military and mining systems.

September-October 2021 • MechChem Africa ¦ 27