SAME: Mar 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

AN ENGINEER’S VIEW
Energy Policy? What

Energy Policy?
The Dinokeng Scenarios paint a number of likely outcomes that depend on the in-
put criteria we follow at present. The worst case is characterised by the practice of
“shuffling of the elites”, Ministers who simply cannot get their acts together. Time
it seems does not matter in the life of ministerial decision making. Leadership is
seriously lacking, skills and experience to run a ministry appear not be required, all
that is needed are political connections and a score card of past freedom fighting.
C
Chris Reay
Chairman of the Working itizens have a right to be in- Will the first set at Medupi Power Station be com-
Committee: Communications formed on some fundamental missioned on due date in 2012? Eskom says it will.
(SA Institution of Mechanical policies and plans that affect Credibility may throw some doubt on this. Eskom
Engineering) them both as citizens and as has told us to be ready for load shedding in the run-
business persons. Let’s take a look at up to 2012. Industry that saw the supply problem
the Planning Commission that was introduced after arising and made representations to government
the last elections. to interconnect private cogen have been waiting
for 3 years, and still no answer.
Seen or heard anything yet?
Manuel and Co have been heard to be considering It will be interesting to see how Eskom will man-
choosing the members of the commission. Amazing age the demand during the World Cup. If forecasts
progress after nearly a year. are on track, some extra 400 000 to 500 000
first-world type energy users will be adding to the
It’s a mess whatever way you look at it and no-one in winter load. Who is going to sacrifice consumption
government can convince me otherwise over this period?
Shortly, a NIASA initiative to produce a video for
Well, as an Engineer in SA I am very concerned about public consumption on an energy model for SA will
the state of the energy industry and what appears be available to the public. This has been the sterling
to be a complete lack of an energy policy, and if it work of John Walmsley and a NIASA subcommit-
does exist, then the communication of that is ap- tee and it will hopefully take an experienced look
palling. What is going on with the topic of nuclear at the energy position and an approach will make
power? One minute we see the effective demise of sense in the future.
the PBMR project with a shrinkage policy of 75% Slight stirrings
of specialised 800 employees, the option of a PWR Energy policy of course includes hydrocarbons, and
station, which was on and then off and maybe on this area insofar as SA is concerned appears to also
again, a maybe to resurrect uranium enrichment, be a mystery to the observer. In 2005, after years of
no stated policy on cogen and renewables intercon- inactivity due to the licensing and royalty changes
nection and a NERSA sop to the Eskom created by government, the exploration off the west coast
funding mess. Then there is the Act that governs commenced. Business has been hoping for 5 years
the Regional Electricity Distributors or REDS. now that the African west coast oil exploration gear
If a track exists north of us would find expanded maintenance and
Can anyone actually determine what they have servicing in Cape Town and Saldanha Bay. If you
achieved so far, and are they on track if a track look closely and keep still, you may see some very
exists, and if so when will that happen, and whose slight stirrings taking place.
engineering resources will they employ to take over Without a plan the musical chairs of the shuffling
distribution, connections and maintenance, and will elites will continue to wreak havoc with our infra-
they be friends or enemies of the municipalities and structure, ably assisted by a poor level of governance
Eskom whose roles they are going to replace? across the board.
So what does Mr. Citizen/ Businessman make of all
this? It’s a mess whatever way you look at it and
no-one in government can convince me otherwise.
Talk is cheap: where is the action?

March 2010 VOLUME 60 NUMBER 3
Featured on the Cover Contents

Steinmüller
Tel: (011) 806-3000 Monthly Column Hydraulics & Pneumatics
8 Don’t Drink and Die 29 Know What You Sell
Fax: (011) 806-3330
32 Bigger is Better
Email: info@steinmuller.co.za Cover Story
11 Giants in Pressure Parts
Mills
Power Transmission 35 Cost-effective Milling
13 Chain Reaction
15 Endurance Calculations for Regulars
Bearings 3 An Engineer’s View
6 Institution News
Copyright POWER GENERATION TODAY 19 SAIT
All rights reserved. No editorial
matter published in “SA Mechani-
23 To Our Shores 28 Nuclear Institute (SA Branch)
cal Engineer” may be reproduced 25 About the AP1000 39 Market Forum
in any form or language without 26 Power Generation News 46 On the Move
written permission of the publish-
ers. While every effort is made to
ensure accurate reproduction, the
editor, authors, publishers and
their employees or agents shall
not be responsible or in any way
liable for any errors, omissions or
inaccuracies in the publication,
whether arising from negligence or
otherwise or for any consequences
arising therefrom. The inclusion
or exclusion of any product does
not mean that the publisher or
editorial board advocates or rejects
its use either generally or in any
The monthly circulation is 4 242
particular field or fields.
Produced by:
Official Publication of
PROMECH PUBLISHING, THE SA INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
P O Box 373, Pinegowrie, 2123 and endorsed by:
Republic of South Africa
Tel: (011) 781-1401, Fax: (011) 781-1403  CORROSION INSTITUTE OF SA
Email: editorial@promech.co.za  SA PUMP MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION
Website: www.promech.co.za  SA VALVE AND ACTUATORS MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION
Managing Editor Susan Custers  THE SA INSTITUTE OF TRIBOLOGY
Editor Kowie Hamman  NUCLEAR INSTITUTE
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THE SA INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
News! News! News!

SAIMechE
CEO Visits
Council 2009/2010
Secunda
Office Bearers On Wednesday, 17
President .................................................. G Barbic (George) February 2010,
President Elect ............................................. D Findeis (Dirk) Vaughan Rimbault
National Treasurer ................................. K Nyangoni (Kudzai) was hosted by Sa-
sol Technology and
Branch Chairpersons Megchem at the
Central ...................................................... M Cramer (Mike) Sasol Recreation
Eastern Cape ............................. Prof Dr DG Hattingh (Danie) Club in Secunda.
KwaZulu/Natal ........................................... AG Fileczki (Alex) Reaching far into
Western Cape ......................... Prof B Collier-Reed (Brandon) their respective
Portfolios: companies, the
Communications .............................................. CD Reay (Chris) hosts were able
Education - Universities................... Prof JL van Niekerk (Wikus) to gather over 90
Education: Universities of Technology............... E Zawilska (Ewa) participants to the
Vaughan Rimbault, CEO
Membership .................................................... E Zawilska (Ewa) event. Following
SAIMechE
Seminars and Workshops.................................. D Findeis (Dirk) on an introductory
Technology Programme ................................. SZ Hrabar (Steve) safety talk on the
new Pressure Equipment Regulations by Sasol
Chief Executive Officer: Vaughan Rimbault Technology, Vaughan presented the gathering with
information on ECSA, SAIMechE, the relationship
National Office Manager: Anisa Nanabhay
between the bodies and implications for engineer-
PO Box 511, Bruma, 2026
Tel: (011) 615-5660, Fax: (011) 388-5356 ing professionals.
Email: info@saimeche.org.za Both Sastech and Megchem are Company Affiliates
Website: www.saimeche.org.za of SAIMechE, and their support of the Institution
Membership: Central, Eastern Cape & KZN: within their own ranks is to be commended. Both
membership@saimeche.org.za companies have indicated that the successful de-
Membership: Western Cape: saimeche.wc@vodamail.co.za velopment of the profession should be driven by
Company Affiliates the Voluntary Associations, and have pledged their
Ainsworth Engineering (Pty) Ltd support to see this come to fruition.
Alstom Power Service SA
Babcock Africa Limited ---------------------------------------------------
Bateman Engineered Technologies
Fluor SA
GEA Air-cooled Systems SAIMechE Endorses Pneudrive Challenge
Hansen Transmissions SA “SAIMechE considers the
Hatch Africa PneuDrive Challenge to offer
Howden Power a valuable bridge between
Industrial Water Cooling the theory and practice of
Megchem Eng & Drafting Services
mechanical engineering,
Osborn Engineered Products SA
and we are happy to extend
Rotek Engineering
RSD a division of DCD-Dorbyl our endorsement and sup-
S.A.M.E Water port of the challenge” says
Sasol Technologies Vaughan Rimbault, CEO of
SEW Eurodrive SAIMechE. “Industry’s en-
Siemens Ltd gineering human resources
SNC-Lavalin SA are provided via tertiary education institutions,
Spicer Axle SA and it makes good business sense for industry to
Spirax Sarco SA be involved in the education process. Challenges
Thyssenkrupp Engineering of this kind can establish a useful platform for
Transvaal Pressed Nuts & Bolts industry to influence the education of their future
Vital Engineering engineering resources.
Weir Warman Africa
Winder Controls Visit the Pneudrive Challenge website: www.pneudrive.
co.za

THE SA INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Geoffrey Alder Developer & Presenter of “Refrigeration Explained”

Workshop & “Psychrometrics & Psychrometric Processes” Workshop
Geoff is a Pr Tech (Eng). He changed his employ- rica. His material is widely
ment to that of Airconditioning draughtsman in filed by readers as ‘technical
Durban during 1957 and has remained directly resource material’.
involved with the Airconditioning Industry ever In his earlier retirement
since. He uprooted for a stint with “Carrier” in years, he spent much time
Melbourne and Brisbane, before returning perma- presenting In-house com-
nently to Durban. pany teaching for various
Geoff became a roving nationwide ‘technical companies in Durban and
troubleshooter’ for his company, gaining consid- Cape Town, and latterly for
erable practical experience along the way. He SAIMechE.
headed a commissioning department for a number Through his career, Geoff
of years. has presented numerous
In the early 1970s, he was given a brief to con- technical papers to meet-
duct regular technical training sessions within ings of the South African
his company. He took it upon himself to always Institute of Refrigeration and Geoff Alder - Consultant, author, publisher and
SAIMechE’s Refrigeration course developer
self-generate the material for use in the sessions, Air Conditioning, including
a principal from which he has never deviated. His two at international confer-
employer sent Geoff on a 3-month overseas study ences. He has published a book and much other
period with companies in the US and France. technical material, and holds the Gold Medal of
Since 1979, Geoff has been contributing regular the South African Institute of Refrigeration and Air
technical articles to the various trade magazines Conditioning (SAIRAC).
covering the airconditioning industry in South Af- www.alder.co.za
Training Events Calendar - 2010

Whilst every effort is made to ensure that events take place as scheduled, SAIMechE reserves the right to change the
sechedule as circumstances dictate. A registration form and full terms and conditions may be obtained from Carey Evans
on email: carey@saimeche.org.za or Tel. (031) 764-7136. Detailed individual event programmes are available from Carey.
Corporations wishing to book In-House Workshops may contact Linda Robinson on email: linda@saimeche.org.za or
Tel: (031) 764-7136.
Event Full Title Date Region
Code
D0310 Steam Distribution; Pipeline Ancillaries; Steam Flow Metering; Desuperheating 7-Apr-10 Vereeniging
A2110 The Management of Health & Safety Risks/Hazards 8-Apr-10 Durban
F0310 Steam Distribution; Pipeline Ancillaries; Steam Flow Metering; Desuperheating 14 to 15-Apr-10 Secunda
A3310 Stainless Steel - Complete Overview for Engineers Including Design with Stainless Steel 20-Apr-10 Durban
A3410 Aluminium - A Complete Overview for Engineers Including Design with Aluminium 21-Apr-10 Durban
C0310 Steam Distribution; Pipeline Ancillaries; Steam Flow Metering; Desuperheating 21 to 22-Apr-10 Cape Town
A3510 Plastics - A Complete Overview for Engineers Including Design with Plastics 22-Apr-10 Durban
F1310 Structured Problem Solving Techniques 28-Apr-10 Secunda
J0610 The Engineer As Manager 28-Apr-10 Pretoria
D3610 Project Management - A Review of Essentials 05-May-10 Vereeniging
A0410 Steam Trapping; Condensate Removal; Condensate Recovery 05-May-10 Durban
D4710 Capital Budgeting for Projects 06-May-10 Vereeniging
E2710 Philosopy of Mechanical Maintenance 12-May-10 East Rand
A2910 Practical Lubrication and Lubricants 13-May-10 Durban
D1310 Structured Problem Solving Techniques 19-May-10 Vereeniging
C3410 Aluminium - A Complete Overview for Engineers Including Design with Aluminium 26-May-10 Cape Town
F2910 Practical Lubrication and Lubricants 26-May-10 Rivonia

MONTHLY COLUMN
Don’t Drink and Die

A
policeman who can attest to this is super-
intendent George Archer, commander of
the SAPS dive school in Pretoria, who has
sacrificed many of his public holidays in
his thirty years as a diver to go out and search for
people who have drowned unnecessarily.
“SA Mechanical Engineer” speaks to him at the
dive school in Pretoria where he has been training
police divers for the past eighteen years. “Many
drownings, especially over the festive season, long
weekends and warm sunny days, could have been
avoided if people had been wearing life jackets,”
he says. “They load plenty of drink and food on
the boat, but the last thing they think about is a
life jacket.”
Tasks
Recovering bodies from watery graves is just one
of the police diver’s grim tasks. Other times they
do normal investigative detective work under water,
searching for evidence, recovering vehicles from the
water, assisting at boating events and searching for
explosives under water for security purposes.
This is in addition to their normal duties as police-
men because the divers in the SAPS are all volun-
A police diver in clear water teers who have gone through a strenuous training
course to become class IV commercial divers, the
level that sport and professional commercial divers
Contrary to popular belief, brandy and water don’t always
generally aspire to.
go well together, especially when you’re skippering a boat,
yacht or canoe. Intoxication on the water may end up with Able to distinguish between a potato
your body being recovered from the deep murky waters after and a hand grenade under the water
drowning because drunken courage made you do silly things.
Training
“Police diving and training is very different from sports
and even navy diving, there’s a complete paradigm
shift in our work,” says George. “A police diver, for
instance, more often than not works in murky ‘black
water’ where visibility is zero, so we have to learn
to use our fingers as well as our eyes.
“Through touch, we are able to distinguish between
a potato and a hand grenade under the water. In
theory, a flashlight enables you to see in black
water, but our divers often work in water where
even a flashlight doesn’t help, so they have to use
their bare hands to search for objects be it a gun,
explosives or a body.”
Although there is sophisticated equipment such as
side-scan sonar and multi-beam sonar detectors
on the market, this is a luxury police divers can’t
afford. George says “There are some technologies
we can use to a limited extent, but ultimately it is
up to the diver to do the job.”
Best moment
Superintendent George Archer, commander of the SAPS
dive school in Pretoria That this is a psychologically challenging job which

MONTHLY COLUMN
requires special dedication leaves no doubt.

In his thirty years of diving, George has
only once in his life picked up something
live from flooding waters. “It was during
the Laingsburg floods. After three days of
searching, I ended up on a small section of
the roof of a house sticking out the water,”
he recalls while suddenly picking at a speck
of dust in his eye.
“As I pulled back a sheet of roofing, the light
fell on a small swallow perched between
the rafters and huddled next to it a kitten
lifted its head. That moment will be with
me forever.”
Dangers
Police diving is dangerous and can also be
scary. “The risk is compounded by the fact
that it is dark and in the case of flooding,
the water is moving in all directions all the
time,” says George. “Once you’re down there,
you are on your own and totally dependent
on the training you’ve had regarding unex-
pected eventualities. Because police divers
are volunteers, they know the score, but
you can never be prepared for everything
Recovering an expensive boat
that comes your way, and then we do get
people who opt out after a while.
“Diving can be compared with parachuting,”
adds George. “Under controlled conditions
you can train the person for every even-
tuality, but the moment the parachutists
jumps out the plane, he’s on his own out
there and may react differently from the
way he was taught.
Safety record
“The same applies to us. Will the driver
remember the drill when he first loses a
mask, or his line gets snagged? We simply
don’t know as there’s always the human
factor which means we can’t predict the
behaviour of each person under certain
conditions, it’s just too complex. However,
the norm among our divers is that they’re
mature enough to know when to pull out of
a situation that will endanger their life.”
The SAPS divers have an impeccable safety
record that has been recognised by the many
international diving schools who’ve worked
with them. “I am very proud of this track
record and ascribe it to the dedication of
our volunteers who often put their life on Recovering evidence in a suicide case
the line around the clock,” says George.
“We work with the laws of physics and, unlike our You can never be prepared for everything that comes
constitution, they aren’t forgiving. If you step over your way
the line, they’ll kill you.”
exceed your personal or equipment limitations,
Respect nature you’re pushing up the risk of injury. If you fail to
The three elements divers work with are personal comply with mother nature’s limitations such as
limitations, equipment limitations and mother barometric pressure laws, or any one of the other
nature’s limitations.” Explains George, “If you two, then you’re guaranteed to go to hospital. But,

MONTHLY COLUMN
Too often fun on the water

ends like this
When to pull out of a situation that will endanger their service delivery at all levels witin the SAPS.”
life In conclusion, George warns boaters who go out on
if you exceed all three, then you’re likely to end the water while under the influence, not to do it.
up paying with your life. This is what we hammer “The percentage of unnecessary drownings due to
home in our training and probably the reason we alcohol misuse is too high,” he says. “One way or
have such a good track record in terms of safety.” another we’re going to meet and it’s sad that too
“Our values service orientated team work, integrity, often it is to haul your body from the water.”
committment and quality also resonate from the George Archer, SAPS Dive School, Tel: (012) 353-9338,
dedication of our trainers to raise the bar of efficient Email: diveschool@saps.co.za
10 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

COVER STORY
Giants in Pressure Parts
For almost 50 years Steinmüller Engineering to the long-term relationships such as the main-
Services has been raising the bar in boiler tenance contract with Eskom now in its eighth
pressure parts for power generation – but year and a ten year Mill and Feeder contract with
there is so much more to the firm petrochemical giant, Sasol.
S
Recent ventures
teinmüller in South Africa is a well-known The most recent ventures by Steinmüller include
company specialising in, among others, a new factory that opened in July 2009 and has
the design, manufacture, construction and already expanded from the original 27 000 square
maintenance and spare part offerings in metres to the present 55 000 square metres.
pressure parts for boilers. Since its establish- The new facility is manufacturing boilers for the
ment in 1962, the Group has been providing a national power utility’s two new power stations,
comprehensive range of technical, engineering, Medupi and Kusile.
maintenance and project management services, “Manpower is up to over 800 already and we are
as well as plant and equipment hire and various bringing in an exciting new piece of kit, an induction
innovative technologies bender system which will be used for bending HP
Steinmüller’s vision is to eventually conquer the 120 piping,” adds Bob. Additionally, the group acquired
KOG fabricators, a company specialising in low to
tonne pressure vessel market medium pressure piping systems and the manufac-
ture of the “Lisega” range of pipe supports as well
Permanent presence
as various stainless steel expansion bellows.
“We have a permanent presence at around 11
power stations, where we maintain and optimise Conquer the market
plant operations, extend plant life cycle or bring The current focus on pressure parts is a precursor
mothballed stations back into service. We have to the next stage - the capability of working in the
played a leading role in the highly successful de- realm of high pressure feedwater heaters, which in
mothballing Camden, Komati and Grootvlei power turn will be followed by looking at pressure vessels.
stations” says Business Development Consultant, Steinmüller’s vision is to eventually conquer the
Bob Stevens. 120 tonne pressure vessel market.
He attributes the growth in the company’s stature The company is clearly not short on ambition and
THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010 11

COVER STORY
vision. Bob explains how this is expected to play Engineers equipped with core competencies such
out. “The key to the future is good management as the commissioning of new plants, re-commis-
and skilled artisans. We run our own internal sioning of plants after outages or maintenance
training programs at the EBS Academy as well as interventions and boiler and boiler auxiliary plant
Eduardo Construction where we hone our artisan optimisation.
and technician skills. These facilities located in
Many activities
Bethal, Witbank and Pretoria are going full-bore to
The section’s other activities include providing process
equip our artisans and graduates with the necessary
specialists to industry for due diligence, fault finding
skills and knowledge.”
and root cause analysis of incidents or occurrences;
the generating of technical documentation with focus
Spares no effort in looking after and keeping the best on technical-, operating- and maintenance manuals;
personnel client interface for the development of new projects
during technical assessments and feasibility studies;
assistance with technical and financial analysis of
Short supply projects or modifications on plant; maintenance
Skilled staff is in short supply the world over, and
engineering for plant shut down; management for
according to Bob, Steinmüller spares no effort in
maintenance and repair activities.
looking after and keeping the best personnel. “We
make a conscious effort to discuss the future of Tel: (011) 806-3000, Fax: (011) 806-3330, Email: info@
the company, where we intend going and where steinmuller.co.za
people would fit in. This is an ongoing process
aimed at showing our people that the company is
making progress and instilling in them the desire
to move with it.”
But what are the individual departments of the
firm and what do they do? Well, firstly, the Techni-
cal Services Department, with a team of over 80

POWER TRANSMISSION
Chain Reaction
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Each link con-
sists of several parts that have to be cast or forged and then
machined to precise quality-controlled tolerances.
S
ugar mills use such a chain in diffusers and
it is an area where no chances should be
taken with inferior components manufactured
by fabricators who do not have experience
in the highly-specialised field of chain and compo-
nent manufacturing. A sugar mill in Mozambique
recently had this experience when the links supplied
Not an off-the-shelf item purchased in haste from the

shop around the corner
Adrian Vorster of
Bearings International
power transmission
director of Bearings
International. “The
speed with which
branch manager
Robin Blake and
his team responded
ensured that the
wheels at the mill
kept on turning,” he
says. “They found
that the cast inner
and outer links on
the 500 mm pitch
chain were break-
ing and needed to
be replaced, and
quickly, in time for
crushing the sea-
sonal crop.”
Chain of this type,
however, is not
an off-the-shelf
item purchased in
haste from the shop
The old chain that had to be replaced
around the corner.
to them from an ‘unknown’ source arrived on site “Usually chain of
with cracks which promptly started breaking after this type is manufactured with forged links, but
installation. we couldn’t find a local company who could do
the forgings within the time constraints,” explains
Saving the day Adrian.
Roller Chain-Opti, a Durban-based Bearings Inter- “It was then decided to manufacture the inners and
national (BI) company, which specialises in sugar outers out of VRN 400 material locally. This involved
chain products throughout Africa, was called to profile cutting and then machining and boring the
the rescue. To learn how they saved the day, “SA parts to specified tolerances. The two engineering
Mechanical Engineer” speaks to Adrian Vorster, companies who did this job for us deserve praise

POWER TRANSMISSION
The total length of chain that was changed came

to 1 320 metres. Within the first week, produc-
tion throughput returned to normal and the mill
was back up to speed to produce 380 tonnes of
crushed cane an hour.
Replacement links
Although Bearings International has been supplying
imported chain for many years, Roller Chain Opti’s
handling of this project has now paved the way for
more projects of this nature to take place. And BI
has been approached by several other mills around
Africa for replacement links. “As we could not find
a large enough press locally to forge 500mm pitch
links, we’ve had to import. But even if we have to
have the links made elsewhere, we make sure that
the manufacturer has the right equipment and can
The hardening (dark area on the sides) of link material produce a product within our specified tolerances,”
says Adrian.
The temptation to go for the lower cost products on the “We then undertake a local destruction test of the link
market is always present plates to 2300 kilo-Newtons to make sure they’re
strong enough before proceeding with a project and
as they really pulled out all the stops to deliver a with the prior approval of our customers.
world-class product we could endorse.” Hardening
Installation “The machining and induction hardening on the
The mill contracted Roller Chain Opti to do the sliding surfaces of the link plates is also carried
installation of the replacement links as well. “This out under our supervision and has to be certified,”
was a challenge in itself because the work had to adds Adrian. “Similarly the bushes and pins are
be carried out on site with minimal disruption to made of special materials that are manufactured
their production schedule,” adds Adrian. “Robin to very specific tolerances.
and his team of subcontractors carried out the “We’re working on a project now where we have
installation over a three-week period, installing to make use of an engineering company across the
thirty metres of chain at a time while the diffuser border because it will take too long to import and
was still in operation.” export the components. As it is our responsibility to
deliver a quality product, we will strictly supervise
the manufacturing process and have appointed a
third party company close to the manufacturer to
monitor the quality control on the project.”
Award
Although most mills are aware of the importance
of only buying chain from reputable manufacturers,
the temptation to go for the lower cost products on
the market is always present. “We pride ourselves
on providing a world-class product to the steadily
growing sugar industry in Africa,” says Adrian.
“Whether the product is made locally or imported,
we go to great lengths to ensure that our quality is
on a par with the best there is. Roller Chain Opti
has become specialists in chain solutions, not only
for the sugar cane industry, but for all industrial
chain such as bucket elevators, transmission chains,
conveyor chains and many other chain applications.
This was recognised recently when we received an
award from the biggest sugar company in South
Africa,” Adrian concludes proudly.
Robin Blake, Roller Chain Opti, Tel: (031) 468-5420,
Email: RobinB@bearings.co.za. Adrian Vorster, Bearings
International, Tel: (011) 345-8000, Email: adrianv@bear-
ings.co.za. Frans Pienaar, Bearings International (011)
A test to destruction on a chain link 345-8000, Email: FransP@bearings.co.za

POWER TRANSMISSION
Endurance Calculations
for Bearings
Practical experience has shown that seemingly identical rolling bearings operating under identical conditions
will not necessarily exhibit the same endurance life. Standardised life calculation methods help make educat-
ed choices about a bearing size’s suitability for a particular application.
T
he industry turns to standardised life cal- Predict more accurately
culations for good reason: It is realistically The evolution of standards has been to refine the
impractical from a time and cost perspective life calculation methods to predict more accurately
to test the number of bearings for a specific the actual life in a specific application, given cer-
application and its operating conditions for required tain operating parameters: In other words, a closer
acceptable confidence. match of the calculated life with the experienced
A growing list of factors relevant for bearing life service life. Recent scientific advances in bearing
calculations have been integrated over the years manufacturing, tribology, materials, end-user con-
in keeping with an increasing understanding about dition monitoring, and computation abilities have
operating conditions and the related “system” influ- led to more sophisticated and accurate bearing life
calculation possibilities.
Grounded in a manufacturer’s
experience with similar applications
In 2007, ISO (the International Organisation for

Standardization) published a revised ISO-281
Standard further advancing the capabilities
for life calculations by including a bearing
material’s fatigue stress limit and a fac-
tor for the effect of solid contamination
for different lubrication systems (such
as grease, circulating oil, oil bath, and
others) on bearing life.
In defining the term “life”, several types
often will be referenced.
Attain or exceed
A bearing’s basic life or its L10 (as defined
in ISO and ABMA standards) is based on
the life that 90% of a sufficiently large
group of apparently identical bearings can
be expected to attain or exceed. The median
or average life (sometimes called MTBF, or
Mean Time Between Failure) is approximately
five times the calculated basic rating life.
Service life represents the actual life of a bearing in
real operating conditions before it fails or is deemed
necessary to be replaced for whatever reason. The
specification life is generally a requisite L10 basic
rating life and is grounded in a manufacturer’s
ences of solid contamination, lubrication, operation experience with similar applications.
regimes, internal stresses from mounting, residual
stresses from hardening and other manufacturing Getting started
processes, the material cleanness, matrix and Bearing selection is usually based on bearing life
fatigue stress limit, and others. and rolling contact fatigue models to predict the

POWER TRANSMISSION
life. Therefore, selection of initial bearing size for hypothetical load (constant in magnitude and direc-
an application normally starts by comparing its load tion and acting radially on radial bearings or axially
ratings to the applied loads that generate fatigue, on thrust bearings), which, if applied, would exert
causing stresses with regard to the requirements the same influence on bearing life as the actual
for service life and reliability. Both dynamic and loads to which the bearing is subjected.
static bearing load conditions must be indepen-
dently verified.
Radial bearings often are subjected to simul-
The basic dynamic load rating will be used for life taneously acting radial and axial loads. If the
calculations involving dynamically stressed bearings, resulting load is constant both in magnitude
such as those bearings that will rotate under load. and direction, the equivalent dynamic bearing
This rating defined in ISO 281 expresses the bearing load can be obtained from the equation:
load that will provide a basic rating life (L10) of 1
P = XFr + YFa
million revolutions. Dynamic loads should be checked
using a representative duty cycle or spectrum of where
load conditions on the bearing, including any peak P = equivalent dynamic bearing load
(heavy) loads that may possibly occur.
Fr = actual radial bearing load
In practice, of course, the basic rating life may deviate Fa = actual axial bearing load
significantly from the actual service life X = radial load factor for the bearing
Static load Y = axial load factor for the bearing
The basic static load rating applies to calculations An additional axial load only influences the
when the bearings will rotate at speeds less than equivalent dynamic load P for a single row ra-
10 rpm, become subjected to very slow oscillating dial bearing if the ratio Fa/Fr exceeds a certain
movements, or will remain stationary under load limiting value. With double row radial bearings
during certain periods. Static loads are not only even light axial loads are significant.
those applied with the bearing at rest or at very low
rotational speeds, but should factor in the static The same general equation is also applied for
safety of heavy shock loads (very short duration spherical thrust bearings and other thrust types
loads). Excessive static loads can compromise the that can take both axial and radial loads. For
integrity of a bearing by causing plastic deforma- thrust ball bearings and other types that can
tions on the contact surfaces. carry only purely axial loads, the equation
can be simplified (P = Fa), provided the load
The loads acting on a bearing can be calculated ac- acts centrically. For thrust bearings that sup-
cording to classical mechanics if the external forces port both axial and radial loads, designs vary
are known or can be calculated. As examples, these such that manufacturers’ catalogues need to
external forces may include resultant forces from be consulted.
power transmission, shaft or housing supports, or
inertia effects.
Sake of simplification Basic rating life equation
When calculating the load components for a single The calculation of bearing life has its roots back
bearing, the shaft is assumed to be a beam resting almost 60 years ago, when Gustaf Lundberg from
on rigid, moment-free supports. Chalmers Institute of Technology and Arvid Palmgren
from bearing company AB SKF applied the Weibull
In basic catalog or simplified calculations, elastic probability theory of fatigue to the calculation of
deformations in the bearing, the housing, or the rolling bearing life. Their fundamental assumptions
machine frame usually are not considered, nor are and derivations in 1947 and 1952 regarding inter-
the moments produced in the bearing as a result of nal load distribution, equivalent loads, and Weibull
shaft deflection. Historically, standardised methods statistical distribution of bearing life form the basis
for calculating basic load ratings and equivalent for ANSI/ABMA and ISO life rating standards and
bearing loads are grounded in similar assumptions most bearing manufacturers’ catalogues.
for the sake of simplification.
First adopted by ISO in 1962, the simplest
Same influence
method for bearing life calculation is represented
If the calculated bearing load fulfills the require-
by the ISO 281 or ABMA Standards 9 and 11
ments for the basic dynamic load rating (meaning
equation for basic non-adjusted rating life:
the load is constant in magnitude and direction
and acts radially on a radial bearing or axially and L10 = (C/P)p or C/P = L10 1/p
centrically on a thrust bearing), then the load may where

be inserted directly into the life equations.
L10 = basic rating life, millions of revolutions
In all other cases, an equivalent dynamic bearing
load should be ascertained. This is defined as the C = basic dynamic load rating

POWER TRANSMISSION
corrosion, mounting damage, lubrication, or seal-

P = equivalent dynamic bearing load ing systems.
p = exponent of the life equation Followed suit
(p = 3 for ball bearings and p = 10/3 for Over the years, science and bearing technology
roller bearings) advances have resulted in improved designs and
manufacturing processes to extend bearing life and
For bearings operating at constant speed it
reduce their sensitivity to severe operating condi-
may be more convenient to deal with a basic
tions. Calculation methods have followed suit to
rating life expressed in operating hours using
predict service life more accurately. The ISO bearing
the equation:
rating and life calculation standard (ISO 281) has
L10h = 1,000,000/60 n (C/P)p developed along with these advances as bearing
or manufacturers and users universally accepted and
used newer technologies.
L10h = 1,000,000/60 n L10
where Can deviate from the basic rating life by a factor of
L10h = basic rating, operating hours nearly five times
n = rotational speed (r/min)
Examples of related progress are inclusion of a
As an application example, a deep groove ball reliability factor to adjust life for those applications
bearing operating in an electric motor at 3,600 requiring higher reliability; a factor on life consider-
rpm is subjected to a radial load of 100 lbs. ing the effects of lubricant and lubrication operat-
To calculate the L10h: ing conditions; increased load ratings accounting
n = 3,600 rpm for better material properties and manufacturing
processes; and, in 2000, recognition of a fatigue
P = 100 lbs.
stress limit for bearing steels and the effects of
C = 3,330 lbs. (from manufacturer’s catalogues solid contamination on bearing life.
or other supplied information)
Modified equation
p = 3 (for ball bearing) The new revision to the ISO rating and life standard
Using these values and the “operating hours” (ISO 281) offers a modified life equation along with
equation, the basic life expressed in hours for agreed-upon calculation methods for high-quality
the bearing in this case would be 166,375 bearings to supplement the basic rating life. This
hours. will account for the lubrication and contamination
condition of the bearing and the fatigue limit of
the material.
Since individual bearing life can only be predicted
statistically, it is especially important to consider that
life calculations refer only to a bearing population While the individual bearing manufacturer should be consulted
and a given degree of reliability. The basic rating on the applicable specifics, the following new equation expresses
life L10 is associated with 90% reliability using modified life in operating hours (when speed is constant):
bearings made from high-quality material, exhibit- Lnm = a1aISOL10
ing good manufacturing quality, and performing in
conventional operating conditions. where
Lnm = manufacturer’s rating life (at n% reliability), millions of
Deviate significantly revolutions (C/P)p
In practice, of course, the basic rating life may
deviate significantly from the actual service life Lnmh = manufacturer’s rating life (at n% reliability) operating
in a given application. As an example, published hours
results have shown that actual tested life can devi- L10 = basic rating life (at 90% reliability), millions of revolutions
ate from the basic rating life by a factor of nearly
a1 = life adjustment factor for reliability (1.0 for 90% reliability)
five times.
aISO = manufacturer’s life modification factor according to ISO
“Service life”, then, represents the actual life of
281
a bearing in real operating conditions before it
fails. The determination of aISO involves the use of a contamination
factor based on the lubrication system and cleanliness class of
“Service life” further underscores that field failures
the lubricant system as defined in ISO 4406. Graphs for differ-
can result from “root causes” instead of bearing
ent cleanliness classes considering bearing size and lubrication
fatigue. While the bearing is the victim and has
operating conditions are provided. This contamination factor is
failed, most times today it is the abnormal stresses
then used along with the ratio of the bearing fatigue load limit to
in the bearing as a result of poor operating envi-
the bearing equivalent load limit and the lubrication condition to
ronments leading to the failure. Examples of root
determine a life adjustment factor, aISO.
causes include contamination, wear, misalignment,

POWER TRANSMISSION
Generally, the better the lubrication condition and

lower the equivalent load, the less sensitive a bearing
will be to contamination levels. Conversely, the higher
the load and the poorer the lubrication condition,
the more sensitive bearing life is to contamination
cleanliness level.
The possibility to downsize a bearing under

good operating conditions to reduce friction,
energy and weight
Advantages and caution

The bearing life calculated according to the new
methods (whether the new ISO 281 or similar meth-
odology offered by individual bearing manufacturers)
today greatly enhances a user’s ability to predict and
ascertain the actual service life with known operating
conditions to a much greater extent.
This leads to a variety of advantages:
• The possibility to downsize a bearing under good
operating conditions to reduce friction, energy and
weight.
• Select lubrication and filtration to maximise bear-
ing and system life.
• Extend warranties or service intervals under con-
trolled operating conditions.
• Ability to better evaluate the influence of operating
parameters on specific bearing types and designs.
Some pitfalls
But life calculations do not come without pitfalls.
Cautions include:
• The calculations are sensitive to operating condi-
tions of load, temperature, lubrication condition and
contamination. If improper operating conditions are
used in conjunction with bearing selection it could
lead to premature bearing problems.
• The methodology and calculations assume bearings
are made according to modern designs, manufacturing
processes, and bearing material specifications.
• The bearings are installed and maintained cor-
rectly.
Input and support from experienced resources with
demonstrated engineering expertise and bearing knowl-
edge can serve users well for a bearing’s lifetime.
Daniel R Snyder PE, is Director, Applications Engineering
for SKF Industrial Division, SKF USA Inc. E-mail: daniel.
r.snyder@skf.com, Website: www.skfusa.com
SKF South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Tel: (011) 821-3500, Fax: (011)
821-3501, Email: samantha.joubert@skf.com, www.skf.
co.za
Log onto www.promech.co.za

to read back issues of
“SA Mechanical Engineer”

THE SA INSTITUTE OF TRIBOLOGY
Are you Getting what

You’re Paying For?
I
n South Africa we rely on the South African Obviously if the manufacturer is an ISO 9001 ac-
Bureau of Standards (SABS), who regulate credited company there can be some assurance that
and control the SANS (South African National the blending is conducted consistently and correctly
Standards). These are developed in conjunc- to the tested formulation and that the product is
tion with the input from industry, interested and appropriately certified. Complete engine testing for
affected parties and their accredited bodies through these products is rather cumbersome and expensive,
the various technical committees. Standards are which opens the door for unscrupulous blenders
typically based on international standards and or of lubricants to make fancy packaging and labels
best practices and are then adapted for the South claiming international performance standards on
African conditions and requirements. their products.
These standards are regularly quoted on the prod- Due to the fact that the majority of the end us-
ucts in the South African lubricant market. There is ers in the automotive field are Joe Public and
however very little chance of testing these products not familiar with these standards, comebacks on
completely against the quoted standards, due to the product performance against these suppliers would
cost and complexity in doing so. So, this begs the be limited.
question, how does the end user, ie, the consumer It is time for action in this regard as the implemen-
know that what they are getting? tation of the Consumer Protection Bill, later this
year, will bring about interesting challenges with
Sure, the label and packaging might state regard to compliance for the lubricant marketer and
that this product meets certain performance recourse from a consumer’s point of view.
specifications such as API CH4/SJ, but how
can the consumer be sure that this is indeed Andrew Kirk, SAIT Committee Member
the case? Gill Fuller, Tel: (011) 802-5145, Fax: (011) 804-4972,
Email: secretary@sait.org.za, www.sait.org.za

Introducing Our New
Copyright
All rights reserved. No edi-
torial matter published in
Monthly Section
“Power Generation Today” Do you remember when beneficiation was on everybody’s lips?
may be reproduced in any Then it was all about globalisation followed shortly by skills
form or language without training. I have seen ‘fashion’ come and go in the engineering
written permission of the field as well. Not that these issues aren’t always important, it’s
publishers. While every effort just that one or the other takes turns at being centre stage. The
is made to ensure accurate new ‘fashion’ is energy efficiency.
reproduction, the editor, au-
thors, publishers and their When my colleagues and I debated the idea of starting this
employees or agents shall monthly Power Generation section, we wanted to be sure that
not be responsible or in any energy efficiency and power generation would not be superseded
way liable for any errors, by a more important focus. We came to the conclusion that
omissions or inaccuracies energy is a commodity that is unlikely to reduce in cost. The Barry MacColl
in the publication, whether opposite, in fact.
arising from negligence or
otherwise or for any conse- Whereas we were all guilty of wasting energy in the past, no reader has to be told about the
quences arising therefrom. huge increases in energy costs which are bearing down on us. So energy efficiency is very
The inclusion or exclusion of much a business imperative but it has the added bonus of conserving resources too.
any product does not mean
Our new monthly section entitled “Power Generation Today” has great things in store for
that the publisher or editorial
board advocates or rejects its readers. In this issue, we kick off with the great news that South Africans will be part of
use either generally or in any Westinghouses’ international programme. Through the year, we will be discussing traditional
particular field or fields. sources such as coal and oil, we’ll also be talking about wind, tidal, natural gas, landfill
gas, solar and molten salt energy among others.
Barry MacColl, Manager of Technology Strategy and Planning at Eskom has helped us
to compile our list of topics and is championing this section together with the staff and
Produced by: readers of “SA Mechanical Engineer”. We are very fortunate to have such an experienced
PROMECH PUBLISHING, advisor on board.
P O Box 373, Pinegowrie, 2123 As we tell all our reader and advertisers, there isn’t a single thing that moves in industry
Republic of South Africa
that hasn’t involved a mechanical engineer along the line. All of these technologies have
Tel: (011) 781-1401 needed or will need input from the mechanical engineering fraternity. We will be talking all
Fax: (011) 781-1403 things Power Generation, up until Power Distribution which we leave to the electricals.
Email: editorial@promech.co.za
I hope you will enjoy and benefit from our new
Website: www.promech.co.za
venture. Please get in touch with us with criticisms,
Managing Editor Susan Custers comment and suggestions.
Editor Kowie Hamman Yours sincerely
Advertising Pauline Bouwer
Susan Custers, Managing Editor
Circulation Catherine Macdiva
DTP Zinobia Docrat/Sanette
Lehanie
Disclaimer
PROMECH Publishing does not
take responsibility for the
opinions expressed by individuals.
Printed by:
Typo Colour Printing
Tel: (011) 402-3468/9

POWER GENERATION
To Our Shores
Westinghouse
Electric Company has signed One every five days
a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with DCD-Dorbyl Across the world, nuclear power generation
in Vereeniging to help build six AP1000 modular nuclear is growing steadily. Last year, 15% of the
power stations for the US and four for China. In order to world’s electricity came from nuclear power.
fulfil its obligations on such a huge project, Westinghouse According to the World Nuclear Association,
during the 1980s, one new nuclear reactor
went in search of capable fabricators around the world for
started up every 17 days on average. By the
the highly specialised components.
year 2015, this rate could increase to one
every five days.
America produces the most nuclear energy,
at 19% of its total electricity supplied, while
T
hey soon came across DCD-Dorbyl in in France, this figure stands at 80%. In the
Vereeniging and after carefully assessing European Union as a whole, nuclear energy
each other, the two companies have just provides 30% of the electricity with only a
signed a (MOU) whereby DCD-Dorbyl has handful of countries such as Austria, Estonia,
the opportunity to become part of Westinghouse’s and Ireland having no active nuclear power
international supply chain for large fabricated stations at all.
components for the power stations being built. Fourteen altogether
“This MOU will allow the collaboration on work Westinghouse has a unique approach and a
associated with bringing the AP1000 nuclear demonstrated track record in localising the
power plant to the global marketplace, potentially supply chain for a new nuclear build. This
including the Republic of South Africa,” says Bob approach is currently being implemented
in China, where work is already underway
on the first two of a series of four AP1000
plants being constructed there.
In addition to the four AP1000 plants that are
under construction in China, Westinghouse
and the AP1000 have been identified as
the supplier and the technology of choice
for no fewer than 14 plants that have been
announced for construction in the United
States, including six for which engineering,
procurement and construction contracts have
been signed.
Additionally, Westinghouse and China are
currently discussing plans for additional
AP1000 plants to be sited inland of China’s
coastal areas.
Pearce, director of international customer projects

at Westinghouse at the signing ceremony in Ver-
eeniging.
The MOU between Westinghouse and DCD-Dorbyl
covers areas such as design, production, fabrication
and integration of AP1000 nuclear power plant
modules, nuclear component manufacturing and
supply chain development support.
Partners
The agreement is a key milestone in a process that
Louise Taljaard and Bob Pearce after signing MOU is expected to result in significant construction and

POWER GENERATION
export opportunities for potential South African supply

chain partners. A significant percentage of the work
and services required to build any new AP1000 unit
could come from the South African supply chain.
“We are absolutely delighted to be working with DCD-
Dorbyl,” says Rita Bowser, Westinghouse regional
vice president for South Africa. “This partnership
is a vital component in our ambition to bring the
AP1000 to South Africa as part of the government’s
drive to have new nuclear capacity coupled with
manufacturing localisation. It represents a significant
step towards realising the major opportunity nuclear
energy presents to South African businesses and its
economy as a whole.”
Localisation ideals
Louise Taljaard, managing director of DCD-Dorbyl,
lauds the agreement signed between the two com-
panies. “This is a wonderful opportunity for us to be
associated with a world leader, such as Westinghouse,
in the nuclear technology arena. We see the signing
of this agreement as the first step in establishing
this manufacturing technology and expertise in
South Africa.
The DCD Dorbyl Group is a multi-faceted black
economic empowered company, committed to serv-
ing its diverse clients throughout the mining, rail,
marine and metallurgical industries. With a uniquely
holistic approach to business based on the measur-
able criteria incorporating a scientific, engineered,
quality-based, cost effective and flexible approach,
the company has positioned itself as both a national
and international engineering industry leader. Already,
85% of the company’s heavy engineering work is
being exported.
PWR
Westinghouse believes the AP1000 modular nuclear
power station is ideally suited for the worldwide
nuclear power marketplace. The AP1000 technol-
ogy is based on standard Westinghouse pressurised
water reactor (PWR) technology that has achieved
more than 2 500 reactor years of highly successful
operation. It is an 1100 MW design that is both ideal
for providing base load generating capacity and is also
modular in design, promoting ready standardisation
and high construction quality.
The plant is economical to construct and maintain as
it uses less concrete and steel and fewer components
and systems which means there is less to install,
inspect and maintain.
The plant is designed to promote ease of operation
while still featuring the most advanced instrumenta-
tion and control systems available in the industry.
Westinghouse supplied the world’s first PWR in 1957
and today, the company’s technology is the basis
for approximately one-half of the world’s operating
nuclear plants, including 60 percent of those in the
United States.
Sias Booysen, DCD-Dorbyl, Tel: (016) 428-0019, Email:
sbooysen@dcd.com

POWER GENERATION
About the AP1000

The technology Design Control Document (DCD) and Probabilistic
The AP1000 is composed of components that Risk Assessment (PRA). Results of the PRA show
incorporate many design improvements distilled a very low core damage frequency (CDF) that is
from 50 years of successful operating nuclear power 1/100 of the CDF of currently operating plants and
plant experience. The reactor vessel and internals, 1/20 of the CDF deemed acceptable in the Utility
steam generator, fuel, and pressurizer designs are Requirements Document for new, advanced reactor
improved versions of those found in currently operating designs. It follows that the AP1000 also improves
Westinghouse-designed PWRs. The reactor coolant upon the probability of large release goals for
pumps are canned-motor pumps, the type used in advanced reactor designs in the event of a severe
many other industrial applications where reliability accident scenario to retain the molten core within
and long life are paramount requirements. the reactor vessel.
Licensed passive safety systems Unequalled safety
The unique feature of the AP1000 is its use of The AP1000 pressurized water reactor is based on
natural forces - natural circulation, gravity, convec- a simple concept: in the event of a design-basis
tion and compressed gas - to operate in the highly accident, such as a main coolant-pipe break, the
unlikely event of an accident, rather than relying plant is designed to achieve and maintain safe
on operator actions and AC power. Even with no shutdown condition without operator action, and
operator action and a complete loss of all on-site without the need for ac power or pumps. Rather
and off-site AC power, the AP1000 will safely shut than relying on active components, such as diesel
down and remain cool. generators and pumps, the AP1000 relies on natural
forces - gravity, natural circulation, and compressed
Because natural forces are well understood and
gases - to keep the core and the containment from
have worked as intended in large-scale testing, no
overheating.
demonstration plant is required. The Westinghouse
advanced passive reactor design underwent the The AP1000 provides multiple levels of defence
most thorough pre-construction licensing review for accident mitigation (defence-in-depth), resulting
ever conducted by the US NRC. in extremely low core-damage probabilities while
minimizing the occurrences of containment flood-
Large safety margins ing, pressurization, and heat-up.
The AP1000 meets the US NRC deterministic-safety
and probabilistic-risk criteria with large margins. Defence-in-depth is integral to the AP1000 design,
The safety analysis is documented in the AP1000 with a multitude of individual plant features includ-
ing the selection of appropriate materials; quality
assurance during design and construction; well-
trained operators; and an advanced control system
and plant design that provide substantial margins
for plant operation before approaching safety limits.
In addition to these protections.

POWER GENERATION NEWS
Improving power Power Systems divisions.

plant efficiency ABB will supply key equipment like dry-type transformers
In November 2009, and energy-efficient variable-speed drives, as well as several
power and automation other products for the plants. The drives will optimize the
technology group ABB performance of boiler-feed water pumps that typically con-
won an $54 million sume around 2.5% of the energy generated by a coal-fired
order from Eskom, to power plant.
provide electrical and “Technology transfer has provided ABB in South Africa with
automation solutions that the opportunity to gain further expertise in energy efficient
will improve reliability technologies,” says Carlos Poñe, Chief Executive Officer, ABB
and energy efficiency at in South Africa.
three of its largest power
plants. Shivani Chetram, Tel: (010) 202-5090, Email: shivani.chetram@
za.abb.com, www.abb.com
As the turnkey contractor,
ABB is responsible for
Peter Leupp, head of ABB’s Power
the design, installation
Systems divisions
and commissioning of
the electrical and au-
tomation equipment. ABB will also conduct a performance
analysis and refurbishment of motors in the plants to boost
efficiency and extend the service life of the thermal power Compressed air systems
stations, located in the north-east of the country. Each plant “While pressure to use energy frugally is mounting, there are
has six generating units and a combined capacity of about tremendous opportunities when it comes to energy saving,”
4,000 megawatts. says Philip Herselman, Atlas Copco Business Line Manager,
“Energy-efficient generation can make a significant contribu- Industrial Air Division. “To assist customers achieve maxi-
tion to our collective effort to reduce fuel consumption and mum production, we focus on reducing cost and eliminating
lower carbon emissions,” said Peter Leupp, head of ABB’s production downtime.”
Says Philip, “Having a good understanding of the ur-
gency of conserving energy, Atlas Copco has teamed
up with a number of other manufacturers and suppliers
of major energy consuming plant to offer ‘Seminars for
Mining and Industrial Energy Efficiency and Energy
Saving’.
The aim is to assist mining and industry to identify
energy savings opportunities to be found in systems
fitted with compressors, conveyors, drives, fans, mo-
tors, and pumps, among others.
“Having the wrong, or poorly maintained, compressed
air system adversely affects energy efficiency. By ad-
dressing areas such as maintenance, leakages, pressure
drops, control and design efficiency, for example, it is
possible to reduce power consumption by at least 10%,
which is in line with Eskom’s directive. This translates
to 40% saving on the initial capital outlay.
“A 10mm diameter leak can result in as much as
R100 000.00 in energy loss a year, a waste which
can be easily prevented by regular monitoring and
daily maintenance.” Inappropriate use of compressed
air is also a source of unnecessary energy consump-
tion. A centralised control and monitoring system and
the elimination of operational inefficiencies will also
reduce energy consumption.
Mechanical and electrical designs and the construc-
tion methods of compressor and ancillaries have an
effect on overall efficiency. Electrical design also has
an influence as a high efficiency electric motor is a
major part of the compressor unit.
Philip points out that through a holistic approach,

POWER GENERATION NEWS
Industrial. “Electrical back-

up systems a necessity, not
a luxury,” he says.
Engine Applications has
an extensive product range
that covers mobile and
fixed diesel generators,
static or rotary uninter-
ruptible power supplies,
switchboard and metering
systems for generator sets,
standby battery banks, die-
sel driven pump sets, and
remote monitoring systems
and building management
systems.
The company, which is
fully BEE compliant, has
already supplied power
generation products to
major organisations such
energy efficiency in any production plant can be boosted by as Volvo Penta, Southern Africa’s mines, Natalspruit Hospital,
up to 60%. “Changing technology, installing the correct and Mamelodi Hospital, Maxidor, and Plascon, and has exported
most efficient equipment and operating efficiently will make its products to many African states such as Ghana, Nigeria,
a vast difference to the energy bill.” Sierra Leone and the DRC.
Atlas Copco South Africa Pty Ltd, Tel: (011) 821-9000, Fax: (011) Gerald Spaans, Engine Applications, Email: ghspaans@gmail.com
821-9106, www.atlascopco.co.za
Western Cape power generation

Engine Applications Western Cape, a new branch of a 30-year-
old Gauteng-based supplier of standby power to industrial,
commercial, residential has begun operating in the Western
Cape. The company, based in Gordons Bay, is headed by Gerald
Spaans, formerly MD of the power generation company Spa
Engine Applications’ new Western Cape manager, Gerald Spaans,

says electrical power back-up systems are now vital

NUCLEAR INSTITUTE (SA BRANCH)
No-threshold Debate
In 1983, Yorkshire Television caused a sensation by revealing medical care they receive, particularly pre-employ-
the existence of a leukaemia cluster associated with the village ment medical examinations intended to weed out
of Seascale, a few miles south of the then Windscale Works cancer suspects and other undesirables. But even
on the then Cumberland coast. There had been seven cases I am not entirely happy with the logic. Medical
of leukaemia in people under 25 over a period of thirty years examinations surely do not prevent cancer.
since the plant started up. Now, suddenly, we have two reports, or rather one
report and one book, that will gladden the hearts of
S
tatistically there should have been one – if even the most cockeyed of optimists. EPRI Technical
that. Successive investigations have shown Report 1019227, as summarised in this January’s
that the maximum radiation exposure that ‘Nuclear News’, reviews over two hundred recent
the Seascale villagers could conceivably reports on aspects of low-level radiation. It appears
have received is at least two orders of magnitude to conclude that low doses have disproportionally
too small to have done the damage. small effects and that there is no evidence at all
of adverse health effects due to acute radiation
Similar clusters have since been found around exposures below 100 millisieverts.
other nuclear and non-nuclear rural industrial sites.
Conventional wisdom is that the effect is viral due For comparison, radiation workers are allowed to
to the invasion of peaceful rural communities by receive up to 100 mSv averaged over five years and,
thousands of urban roughies. at both Pelindaba and Koeberg, actually average
less than 1 mSv per year. The surrounding public
Radworkers have a twelve to fifteen percent lower is limited by law to the same one millisievert per
incidence of cancer year and actually receive a few microsieverts at
most over and above natural background radiation
Others disagree. In particular, Dr Chris at around 2,4 mSv per year.
Busby, scientific secretary of the UK
Green Party’s self-proclamed European Lesser exposure
Committee on Radiation Risks, consid- Prof. Wade Allison is described as a nuclear and
ers that there are biological mechanisms medical physicist at the University of Oxford. In
that render the cells in the human body ‘Radiation and Reason’ he makes the same point,
hundreds of times more vulnerable to io- namely that adverse radiation effects such as can-
nising radiation, particularly if the source cer cannot be detected against the natural cancer
of the radiation is itself within the body, background for population exposures less than
than most of us believe. 100 mSv. He discusses the body’s natural defence
mechanisms which evidently cope with damage
Indeed, Chris Busby and friends believe that
due to lesser exposure. He concludes that current
not only is radiation linearly dangerous right
John Walmsley allowed exposure levels are vastly too restrictive and
down to the minutest doses, but that very
proposes limits for single exposures of 100 mSv, a
small doses are actually disproportionally
monthly allowance of 100 mSv and a lifetime limit
dangerous. Damage done by such doses somehow
of 5000 mSv – without distinguishing between
creeps in under the body’s defensive radar.
radiation workers and the general public.
A little radiation does you good One wonders, after decades of what Professor
These are the introvert pessimists. At the far end Allison considers gross over-regulation, how the
of the scale stand the optimists who believe in ra- public would react to being told that radioactive
diation hormesis, a little radiation does you good. effluent discharges could actually be increased a
Their champion is, or was then, Dr Bernard Cohen thousand fold.
who was responsible for a massive study in the
USA which appears to show beyond doubt that The book deals with Japanese data (around ninety
the incidence of lung cancer decreases in homes in additional leukaemia deaths and some four hundred
areas with relatively high concentrations of naturally other cancer deaths among 87 000 monitored
occurring radioactive radon gas. bomb survivors between 1950 and 2000) and, in
particular, with Chernobyl. If Allison is right, and
Nowadays, the optimists can also point to epide- I see little reason to doubt him, that the threshold
miological studies of literally hundreds of thousands for biological radiation damage is indeed around
of past and present radiation workers which show 100 mSv, then the ‘official’ estimates of several
unequivocally that up to age 85 radworkers have a thousand eventual ‘statistical’ (ie, unobservable)
twelve to fifteen percent lower incidence of cancer deaths in Belarus and the Ukraine reduce to the
than peers in other industries. Fence-sitters like sixty or so deaths already documented.
myself tend to say that that’s probably due to the John Walmsley

HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS
Know What
Festo has implemented globally, is revolutionising
the manner in which orders are processed and
service is delivered to industry.
Client comes first
You Sell
“Our primary focus with the SID is efficient Customer
Relationship Management (CRM) to ensure that the
needs of our clients come first while good service is
paramount,” Nico says. “For the SID, we’ve recruited
twelve employees who are not only qualified in
engineering, but also come from diverse engineer-
ing backgrounds. In this way, clients will be able
There is nothing more frustrating than talking to a to speak to specialists relevant to their industries
in order to expedite the service process.”
salesperson who does not fully understand a product, its
application, its associated problems, nor the industry it’s The new recruits have undergone extensive hands-
intended for. on training in all departments. “In addition, SID
specialists and agents have attended a plethora
of training courses through our Didactic and other
T
well-established training facilities,” says Nico. “At
his message was driven home to Festo the heart of the SID is the SAP system, coupled
who conducted a customer survey which to an advanced PABX, as well as a data/telephony
indicated that while the company provided operating system called Genesys.”
a high level of service, there was room for Data
improved efficiency and increased response times This system delivers customer specific data to the
to customer enquiries. To address the issue, the agents with every call. It records the phone number
company has established a Sales Inter@ction of origin for every call that reaches the SID and,
Department (SID). once the number has been put into the database,
“SA Mechanical Engineer” speaks to Nico Landman, agents then add on the appropriate company de-
SID Manager: Festo South Africa about the concept. tails and all other relevant data, including account
“The SID includes an automatic fax handling (E-Fax) information, the nature of the query and transac-
system, E-Procurement Solutions (E-Business) and tion histories.
an Online Shop,” he explains. “This concept, which The system is capable of drilling down to extension
Clients will never have the typical call centre experience numbers from internal company switchboards,
enabling agents to store data on specific personnel
where they have to ‘talk to’ an automated answering
from various companies.
machine
All Festo SID em-

ployees come from
diverse engineering
backgrounds. This
ensures that clients
will always receive
sound advice
relevant to their
specific industries

Wallboards have
been strategically
placed around
the SID to allow
sales agents and
specialists to ac-
tively monitor their
progress and the
overall operational
status of the SID.
This allows them to
prioritise their work
load in accordance
with client require-
ments
“We can now deliver support and services which ing a reference library, or, if need be, the technical
are not only relevant to the company, but also to department on the floor above. “Similarly, each SID
the individual calling,” adds Nico. “The technology work station is equipped with the latest PC hard-
and interfaces offered by Genesys have been in ware, including two monitors to enable agents to
operation for a number of years, but this is the first view all relevant client information in conjunction
time that they have been applied to the automation with digital technical references,” says Nico.
industry in South Africa.” “In addition, a comprehensive metrics system
monitors the performance of each agent. Without a
We have enough agents to handle calls during peak quantifiable means of measuring performance, you
periods cannot identify areas which can be improved.”
Prompt service Digital Information Wallboards have been placed
Using optimal resource planning and configuration, in full view around the SID to allow staff to gauge
Festo has adopted the 80/20 performance metric. their own performance, as well as the performance
“In essence, 80 percent of all calls that reach the of the SID as a whole. “Genesys supervisor tools
SID must be answered in less than 20 seconds,” allow us to accurately monitor the performance of
says Nico. “This means that clients will never have each SID member, identify areas of improvement,
the typical call centre experience where they have and implement the appropriate training measures
to ‘talk to’ an automated answering machine.” to ensure premium service delivery across the
board,” Nico explains.
The SID will also act as a telecommunications
hub. “Each call made to any of our eight branch Track trends
offices will be routed through the SID first,” adds “We can also track SID traffic trends, so we can
Nico. “The SID is tasked with handling and resolv- ensure we have enough agents to handle calls during
ing most incoming calls to guarantee faster, more peak periods. Follow-up calls, targeted campaigns
accurate service. If a call is routed to a branch or and value-added service offerings further enhance
department, we carry all routing costs which means customer relations.”
clients are only charged for a local call.” Joanne Dexter, Festo, Tel: (011) 971-5560, Fax: (011)
Mobile agents 974-4203, Email: joanne_dexter@festo.com
Each SID agent and specialist is equipped with a
wireless headset which is capable of operating one Engineer Placements
hundred metres from its work station. This allows
operators to freely consult relevant resources, includ- www.engineerplacements.com

GF Piping Systems
Jointing
Valves Automation
Technologies
Fittings Pipes Measurement

& control
We are dedicated to marketing and supplying piping systems
for safe and secure conveyance of liquids and gases
NATIONAL NUMBER: 086 1100 420 www.maizey.co.za
Bigger
is Better
Bigger yields require bigger crushers to handle bigger chunks

of rock. But as an oversized rock can jam a crusher to the
point that it takes days to break the rock down before the
crusher can continue its work, bigger hydraulic rock breakers
and grabs are the order of the day.
T
A big rock breaker
built for an iron his is the challenge that faced hydraulic the base, something no other rock breaker on the
ore mine rock breaker designer and manufacturer, market can do.”
Gunter Wodak of HME Sales. “SA Mechani-
Getting the feel
cal Engineer” speaks to him at his office
Hydraulically, the reach of 13 metres presents it
in Randburg. “The problem with hydraulics is that
own challenges. “Once the distance between boom
you can’t just fit bigger cylinders and power packs
and operator controls exceeds a certain distance,
to get more power out of machine, as the costs
operation becomes difficult, as a standard pilot
simply go sky-high,” he explains. “To increase the
control system has a time lag reaction on the move-
capacity, you have to design a more sophisticated
ments,” explains Gunter.
system with high precision in order to get the
optimum performance out of a rock breaker with “Therefore we have to make use of proportional
a longer reach and a heavier hammer fitted at the electro-hydraulics to get the signal from the joy-
end of the boom.” stick to valve block instantly. These are ‘sensitised
electronics’ so that the operator still has the ‘feel’
The boom reaches vertically down right at the base of a hydraulic system in order to manipulate the
boom accurately.”
Biggest in the world
This led to Gunter designing, building and com- No more over-designing
missioning the largest rock breaker in the world for On site, a special concrete foundation had to be
an iron ore mine in South Africa. “Considering my built to withstand the forces generated from this
track record of designing and building rock breakers unusually large rock breaker. The specifications
and hydraulic grabs for over thirty years, the mine were supplied by Gunter according to the software
engineer showed confidence in my work and asked simulation he performed in the design package.
me to build the 13-metre reach rock breaker,” he “In the old days, when we designed our first grabs
says, showing us the 3D CAD model of the breaker and rock breakers on old-fashioned drawing board,
he created in SolidWorks. you simply could not take chances, especially for
equipment working in Africa, so we simply over-
“Mechanically, I diverted from the traditional design designed everything,” he says.
to fit an extra hydraulic manipulation on the back
of the boom so that the boom can extend much “Today, sophisticated software allows stress tests
more, both vertically and horizontally, on a fixed and analysis to support a much more economical
base. The boom reaches vertically down right at design before you even start building.

Gunter Wodak of HME Sales
Hydraulics
“Previously, I used to design the mechanical sys-
tem as well as all the hydraulics, but today, there
are reputable companies that do the hydraulic
side for you,” says Gunter. “I just give them my
specifications and they design and manufacture all
the hydraulic components I need for an advanced
system such as this rock breaker.
“The client also wanted computer control of the
system, but I still believe a machine for African
conditions should be kept as simple as possible.
It just means there is less that can go wrong over
time.”
One of Gunter’s special grabs, similar to theone that works under water
Bring bigger ones
Being the first of its kind, the commissioning of
the rocker breaker had everyone out on site keen the crusher, so I set out to make one with three
to witness the breaker’s performance. “The client jaws so that the operator can clearly see and eas-
had trucks ready with the biggest lumps of rock ily manipulate the jaws around the rock before
they could find which were dumped into the pit grabbing it and lifting it out,” explains Gunter.
while many engineers watched anxiously,” recalls “We have built many of these, from small to large
Gunter. grabs that can lift three cubic-metre rocks out of
“It took five minutes to break a huge rock, some- the crusher pit.”
thing that would usually take a couple of hours
The onlookers still had doubts and called for more large
or even days. The onlookers still had doubts and
called for more large rock, but the breaker handled rock
everything they threw at it with ease. Since then I
have built three similar large ones for other mining
Under water
Another first from a copper mine in Zambia was
companies.”
for a hydraulic grab that could work under water.
Three jaws “There is a huge 20-metre deep pit filled with water
HME’s bread and butter comes from the familiar into which the slag flows to cool down. This has to
octopus hydraulic grab with six arms that is used in be cleaned out regularly,” explains Gunter.
the steel industry, but Gunter has also designed one
“I used one of my standard “Electro Hydraulic”
that only has three jaws for a mining operation.
eight cubic metre grabs that goes all the way down
“With an octopus grab, the operator can’t position under water to pick up the slag. So the whole
the grab properly to take an oversized rock out of power pack, built into the grab, was modified to

That Gunter is a
practical hands-on
engineer is clear. “I
evolved as design
evolved over the
years, from a draw-
ing board to fancy
3D software that
makes life much
easier today,” he
says in conclu-
sion. “However,
there is nothing
that beats practi-
cal experience in
the field. The 3D
design concept has
helped me to think
in 3D, as you would
The standrad rock breaker HME has been manufacturing for years when you’re actu-
ally building some-
You still need to get your hands dirty to learn how things thing, but you still need to get your hands dirty to
work learn how things work. Young engineers should get
work under water with just a cable going up to out there and learn how things work in the field,
the surface for electricity and control. This meant otherwise they’ll believe the first person who tells
special seals for the hydraulics, and electrics. After them it can’t be done.”
sorting out minor glitches in the beginning, it has Gunter Wodak, HME Sales, Tel: (011) 478-1715, Email:
been working for years now.” gunter@hme-sales.co.za

MILLS
Cost-effective Milling
Many OEMs have revised the way they build Polysius. “Just the fact that the mill end-walls
machines so that they fulfil an order quickly and girth gears on our mills are fabricated as op-
without having to keep stock to meet demand. posed to the conventional practice of casting, has
This is particularly applicable to capital reduced production time significantly because we
equipment like large mills that are not fabricated don’t have to wait for the foundries. We also have
on a continuous production line and stocked much better control on the overall manufacturing
until a buyer walks in to purchase the item off quality,” he says.
the showroom floor. Mill end walls
R
“The fabricated end walls of the shell-supported mill
educing the lead time by simplifying the also allow for more flexibility in terms of selecting
manufacturing process was just one of the the correct size of the in- and outlet for different
considerations when mill manufacturer applications. It is also possible to modify the outlet
Polysius, a division of ThyssenKrupp, came size in the end wall at a later stage.
up with a mill design that has several unique “Over the past decade, mines have gone for larger
features. equipment to move higher tonnages which has
“SA Mechanical Engineer” speaks to Gerhard naturally led to a demand for larger processing
Sauermann, marketing manager of minerals at equipment. By following the market demand for
larger-sized mills with more powerful drive trains,
Reduced production time significantly because we don’t our latest generation shell-supported mills have
have to wait for the foundries many technical advantages,” says Gerhard. “The

MILLS
design has been applied successfully and proven

in installations around the world.”
Features
The development of a hydrodynamic multi-shoe
bearing as support for mill shells allowed Polysius
to get rid of the need for a cast trunnion. “We also
no longer need large roller bearings for trunnion
support,” adds Gerhard. “The entire mill shell is
fabricated and can even be designed to be split in
several sections to make transport to site easier
before it is bolted or welded together on site. This
provides us with very attractive delivery times.
Multi-shoe bearings provide predictability and high bear-
ing performance
“These latest developments are a result of the
evolution of our original design through practical
experience gained in the field,” says Gerhard.
“Through innovation, our design engineers have
eliminated unnecessary and costly components
Gerhard Sauermann of Polysius
allowing us to construct a mill from carefully-con-
sidered components of the highest quality while Shell supporting bearings
remaining price competitive. “The hydrodynamic four-shoe bearing principle we
“For example, the entire mill shell is constructed from developed provides exceptional reliability compared
high quality low-sulphur steel. Mills often operate with the large percentage of conventional mills
in remote areas where the skill levels of operators that use single-shoe trunnion bearings,” explains
and maintenance staff are the bare minimum. To Gerhard. “As loads and bearing sizes are increased
this end, the robust ergonomic design is specifically in conventional grinding mills, bearing problems
developed to make maintenance easy. usually occur due to the lack of a proper oil gap
A Scrubber at Voorspoed mine

MILLS
A SAG mill installation
resulting from distortion of the trunnions, machining onto shafts so that torque is transmitted from the
allowances or deflections of the sleeve bearing. shafts to the pinions through toothed couplings.
“These factors have forced manufacturers to reduce The toothed couplings and spherical bearings make
the circumferential shoe angle thereby reducing the the tilting of the pinion possible which provides an
inactive bearing area which, in turn, increases the optimal load pattern on the torque transmitting
friction losses caused by oil turbulence. In contrast, tooth flanks.”
multi-shoe bearings provide predictability and high
bearing performance as each shoe is mounted on a We’re currently manufacturing an eleven-metre mill -
pivot support so that deflections caused by ovality one of the biggest we’ve ever made
and bending of the mill shell under load can be
accommodated.”
The motor
Drive train The high-speed motor is directly connected to the
Another unique feature in Polysius mills is the drive reducer through a flexible coupling to absorb shock
train. “The Combiflex reducer is a twin pinion gear loads and vibration. One common lubrication system
reducer, made up of standard stock components,” is used to provide oil to the bearings, the reducer
says Gerhard. “The Combiflex can be installed for and to the girth gear. “As fewer components need
drive trains transmitting from 1.5 MW to 14 MW to be aligned, the mill drive installation is consider-
as either single or dual drives. The design has sev- ably simplified and the installation time shortened,”
eral advantages over conventional girth gear/pinion adds Gerhard. “The reduced number of components
drives in that the number of components used in also means there are fewer parts to be monitored,
the complete drive train have been minimised. The again simplifying maintenance.
twin pinion arrangement spreads the load across
girth gear teeth allowing us to incorporate a nar-
References
“The more than 1 500 installations we have
rower girth gear.
worldwide, is an indication that this technology
“This was achieved by incorporating the girth gear has proven itself ,” says Gerhard in conclusion.
and the reducer into one common housing together “We’re currently manufacturing an eleven-metre
with the slide shoe bearings, eliminating parts like mill - one of the biggest we’ve ever made - in
high torque couplings, transmission shafts and Vereeniging for an American company. This large
separate pinion bearings. mill follows on the two 10.4-metre, 12MW mills
“Spur-geared pinions mesh with the girth gear in recently commissioned in Australasia.”
a self-aligning arrangement,” says Gerhard. “They Gerhard Sauermann, Polysius, Tel: (011) 236-1176, Email:
are mounted on spherical bearings and assembled gerhard.sauermann@thyssenkrupp.com

Munters (Pty) Ltd
22 Angus Crescent, Longmeadow East, Modderfontein
Email: info@munters.co.za , Web: www.munters.co.za
Call us on 0860 MUNTERS
Market Forum
BBBEEE accreditation a compact installation when compared size for size with
conventional swing and lift type check valves.
in top gear
In South Africa’s new de- DCV wafer check valves are available in a wide range of body
mocracy, BBBEE affiliation materials from bronze to austenitic stainless steel and with
is of the utmost importance seating options of stainless steel, viton or EPDM to match
to companies looking to grow most applications.
and extend their standing from When boilers are shut-down and steam pressure lost, the
one industry to the next. It is head of water above the pump can cause flow through the
no surprise that David Brown pump which may flood the boiler. The DCV2B fitted with
Gear Industries is a leader in a heavy-duty spring and installed after the feedpump will
this field, having achieved prevent any gravity flow.
value-adding supplier level
6 BBBEE compliance on 22 Spirax Sarco, Emily Heath, Tel: (011) 230-1300, Fax: (011) 393-1922,
E-mail: info@za.spiraxsarco.com, www.spiraxsarco.com/za
May 2009.
Human Resources Business
Tumi Mametse Partner at David Brown Gear
Industries, Tumi Mametse
is part of the team that spearheaded this accreditation. In
three to four months, David Brown progressed from a level
8 to a level 6 accreditation by fulfilling four of the seven
Pipe replacement project
pillars necessary in the BBBEE scorecard. “What we’re most
EThekwini Water Services is in the process of replacing mu-
excited about is our new status as a value-adding supplier”
nicipal asbestos cement pipes of up to 150mm diameter. The
as it means we are making a difference in the society Tumi
R1.653-billion Asbestos Cement (AC) Pipe Replacement Project
says.
is one of the biggest projects of its kind ever undertaken by a
According to BBBEE certification codes, labour based com- municipality in South Africa. The project which commenced
panies with salaries and wages that form a
large part of their expenses are awarded value-
adding supplier status. “This means that even
though recognition for level 6 suppliers is at
60%; clients and suppliers who do business
with David Brown are rewarded by being able
to multiply their procurement recognition level
at 75% which is only 5% less from a level 5
recognition level,” adds Tumi.
David Brown Gear Industries, Tel: (011) 748-0000,
Fax: (011) 421-2553, Email: SalesSA@davidbrown.
com
Wafer check valves stop reverse

flow
Spirax Sarco’s DCV wafer check valves can be
used in a wide variety of applications such as
hot and cold water systems, process line sprin-
kler installations and in steam and condensate
lines. Installed in ‘reverse’ mode, the DCV will
act as a vacuum breaker preventing any back
syphoning of liquids damaging upstream equip-
ment when the steam supply is turned off and
the equipment cools.
The DCV wafer check valves provide an effective
maintenance-free solution for the prevention of
reverse flow in pipelines carrying most types
of liquids, steam and gases. Designed to fit
between two pipeline flanges, they provide

Market Forum
in July 2007 is sched-
uled for completion in
June 2010.
“Initially the municipal-
ity identified 1750 km
of old AC pipe which
needed replacement.
However, in certain ar-
eas, especially smaller
local authorities that
were taken over by
eThekwini, the length
of pipe needing re-
placement was un-
known” says eThekwini
Project Executive, Alan
Kee.
“It was this unknown
factor which led pro-
curement specialists
in the municipality
to identify the New
Engineering Contract
3 (NEC3) as the most
appropriate method
of managing this pro-
cess,” says Kee. Nonkuthula Sithole, Health and Safety Officer and Nokubonga Ngcobo, site clerk, work for Royal Africa Trading,
a sub-contractor on the AC Pipe Replacement Project
The NEC3 family of
contracts is especially designed to allow for a variety of Opportunities to address new export
unknown factors in a large project. For this project, an op-
tion was selected that has schedules that can be adapted
markets
Credit insurer Coface South Africa has launched a service
to suit the needs of a given area, in a flexible and effective
giving exporters financial and credit information on more
manner.
than 50-million companies globally.
This project encourages the development of teams consist-
“South African exporters currently face massive challenges
ing of a design consultant, a large contractor and smaller
in the global market. The international economic slowdown
developing sub contractors. Within designated areas, the
has resulted in many financially-stable companies becoming
contract provides the flexibility to match the skills of the
unstable almost overnight,” says Coface Operations Director,
team to the needs of the project.
Jacqui Jooste.
One of the mainstays of the project is the mentorship pro-
“Countries that a year ago would were classified as ‘safe’
gramme that has encouraged the development of 16 small
to trade with have been turned upside down. Whilst the
emerging sub contractors, working under four large, main
current global economy is a minefield, exporters should be
contractors.
exploiting the opportunities available to them using the right
Jochen Dedekind (Lead Programme Manager): 033 342 8721 or 082 information as a guideline,” she says.
907 3205. Evan Smith (Lead Project Manager): 031 266 5255 or 083
635 8236, www.durban.gov.za/Durban/services/waterandsanitation/ “The information Coface provides is based on data essential
services/replacement-of-ac-secondary-watermains for doing export business. Researching business opportuni-

Market Forum
ties can be difficult
because the quality
information often
comes into ques-
tion,” says Jacqui.
Without good qual-
ity information on
specific companies
and markets, many
SA exporters are
nervous to invest
time and money.
Coface provides
exporters with up-
to-date reports on
overseas companies through its international network of The new SNX rotary joint is designed specifically for appli-
information providers in over 94 countries. “The information cations with a rotating pipe and two flow passages. It also
is always up to date because, daily, it is used for our credit features a convex seal ring and two carbon graphite support
insurance business worldwide,” concludes Jacqui. bearings. The two support bearings are widely spaced to
Coface South Africa, Natasha Hardy, Tel: (011) 208-2517, Fax: (011) support the joint and rotating horizontal pipe. The external
208 2601, Email: natasha_hardy@cofaceza.com bearing is free to rotate, distributing overall wear and extend-
ing the rotary joint life.
The rotating pipe is sealed and supported by the end of the
nipple, thereby eliminating drive key wear resulting from
rotating pipe misalignment. In addition, the o-ring sealed
spring shoulder and internal differential seal for the rotating
siphon pipe provide a positive seal between the steam inlet
and condensate outlet. The SNX rotary joint is available with
New compressors for Impala Platinum
a 1” threaded or quick-release flange nipple connection and
GE Oil & Gas will supply two new compressors for miner
is rated up to 260°C, 20 bar pressure and 450 RPM for
Impala Platinum’s sulphuric acid plant in Rustenburg, South
steam service. In addition to steam applications, the SNX
Africa. The new compressor packages will be commissioned
rotary joint can be applied to thermal oil applications up to
in mid-2010.
343°C and 10 bar pressure.
The $2-million contract for the supply, and commissioning of
Yale Engineering Products, Sales: Tel: (011) 794-2910, Email: kevin@
the two compressor trains was awarded through GE’s local
yalejhb.co.za
agent, Flotech. The compressor packages include auxiliary
equipment such as lubrication oil systems, electric motors,
gearboxes, and instrumentation.
GE Oil & Gas account manager South Africa Shawn Prince
said, “We focused on reducing the delivery time to assist
in having the plant operating at full capacity in the shortest
time possible.”
GE Oil & Gas has developed a strong presence in South Africa’s SAP now available on monthly subscription
mining and petrochemical sector, as well as throughout the SCT Services, has announced a new licensing and delivery
region. Beyond South Africa, GE Oil and Gas is pursuing option for SAP Business All-in-One (SAP BAiO) solutions.
opportunities in Namibia, Mozambique and Zambia, where The new hosted and subscription-based delivery model is
platinum, coal and copper are being mined. designed to help midsize companies obtain a world-class
business application with a lower up-front cost.
Nigel O’Connor, GE Oil & Gas, Tel: +44 (0) 207 302 6941, Fax: +44
(0) 776 611 5135, nigel.o’connor@ge.com SCT Services CEO, Victor van der Watt says this model
means customers will avoid up-front software licensing fees
and hardware purchase charges, freeing them from the need
to maintain or support an on-premise solution within their
own IT infrastructure.
The hosted delivery model is available from SAP partners
such as SCT Services that participate in the SAP BAiO fast-
Steam/thermal oil rotary joint start programme and who are certified by SAP to provide
Yale Engineering Products, sole distributors of Kadant John- application management and hosting services for SAP BAiO
son products throughout Southern Africa, has introduced a solutions. The subscription-based hosted delivery model for
new self-supported rotary joint for steam and thermal oil SAP BAiO solutions is available immediately on a two, three
applications. or four-year basis.

Market Forum
Victor recognises that one size and one delivery model does The Goba/K’Enyuka joint
not fit all. “In the current economic situation, many midsize venture will focus on
customers struggle to get much needed investment capital. projects in the water and
To this end, we have expanded our SAP product range of- wastewater treatment
fering by adding subscription-based hosting of SAP to our sectors in the mining,
portfolio. It gives our prospects and customers another sound municipal, parastatal
option when deciding to acquire SAP.” and industrial markets.
As the cash outflow on this investment is driven from opera- According to Mike Sy-
tional and not the capital expenditure, subscription-based monds, managing direc-
hosting is perfect for growing businesses who prefer to rent tor of K’Enyuka, it is the
rather than buy. JV’s intention to operate
as an EPCM contractor
SCT Services, Alan Yates, Tel: (012) 345-5669, Email: ayates@ and cover the whole
mySCT.com gambit from upgrading
small to larger plants as
well as participating in
greenfields wastewater
treatment projects.
“Both companies have Mike Symonds, managing director of
strong project manage- K’Enyuka
Goba/K’enyuka joint venture enters ment capabilities and
wastewater sector this, together with our access to multi-disciplinary service
K’Enyuka, a South African hydro-pyrometallurgical and offerings, will allow us to become a serious player in the
mineral processing engineering and project management market,” he says.
company, has announced that it has formed a joint venture
“It is our belief that by adopting a flexible approach we will
with the independent South African consulting engineering
be able to accommodate the diversity of client and project
firm, Goba.
requirements and applications, and provide the most suit-
able total solution for a particular problem or application,”
Symonds says. “Moving into the water and wastewater sector
for K’Enyuka is a natural evolution for the company and will
include mine wastewater treatment and acid mine drainage
applications. Embarking on this joint venture will allow us
to diversify into a new market where we see substantial
potential,” he adds.
Resources within the Goba/K’Enyuka JV include highly
qualified people across a spectrum of disciplines, including
process, mechanical, civil and structural engineers.
Mike Symonds, K’enyuka, Tel: (011) 498-6000, Fax: (011) 498-6060,
Website: www.kenyuka.com
Increased availability from Greenside plant

A contributing factor to the 30% increase in availability of
plant at Greenside Colliery is the use of service exchange
units supplied and installed by Weir Warman Africa’s Wit-
bank branch.
“Usually these components or pumps are simply supplied
to the mine for installation by the mine’s personnel,” Nico
Smit, branch manager for Weir Warman Africa Mpumalanga,
says. “In the case of Greenside Colliery, Weir Warman Africa
technicians installs the components or pumps.”
Nico explains the rationale behind this unconventional
approach in what is often a very conventional industry.
“It is all very well using service exchange units in pump

Market Forum
installations, but another
factor is the time it takes
to remove and reinstall
the replacement. This
becomes critical when
limited time is available,
and artisans have to un-
dertake maintenance to
other areas of the plant
as well.
“Using our technicians
to remove and replace
pumps, translates into a
far more productive use
of labour and skills,” Nico
says. “On most plants,
generally only one day is
allocated for maintenance
each week, which limits
the mine artisans’ avail-
able time. Our pump spe-
cialists are better equipped
and skilled to do pump
and pump component
changeouts.”
Weir Warman Africa’s
In the case of Greenside Colliery, the components or pumps are being installed by Weir Warman Africa
Witbank branch operates technicians

Are You
Doing
Your
Bit?
Green This prestigious award recognises
Supply
people, projects and products
that have gone above and
beyond the call of duty to
enhance the environment in which
Chain
they operate.
The inaugural awards in 2009
Awards
enjoyed a wonderful response
from the supply chain community
and everything is on track to make
this year’s event one of the indus-
try’s most prestigious accolades.
Come and see who walks away

with the coveted trophies and
enter your product or project for
this year’s event.
Entries for this year’s event close in

June and the awards ceremony is
being planned for 26 August 2010.
Contact: Catherine Larkin on

Tel: (011) 789-7327/787-9127,
Cell: 083 300 0331, Fax: (011) 787-7865
Email: cvlarkin@ciltsa.org.za
30
44 Supply Chain Today
THE SOUTH Jan
AFRICAN 2010
MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010
Market Forum
a fully equipped service centre with a comprehensive parts operating and maintenance costs, while delivering better,
stockholding. “Service exchange units are generally the more sustained yield consistency.
complete pump unit and we can supply and install Warman The high density alumina ceramic used for these impellers is
1/1.5 AH pumps right up to the Warman 16/14 AH pumps second only to a diamond’s hardness. It is the most versatile
from this branch,” Smit says. and effective wear-resistant material for use in process plants.
“With this coordinated approach,” Smit explains, “the mine Few materials can compete on a cost to life basis.
makes its maintenance schedule available to our branch The ceramic impeller comprises a steel frame that takes
and we are able to forecast the parts necessary to build up up the mechanical forces and a ceramic outer lining, for
the service exchange units. These are prepared in advance optimum wear resistance. The ceramics are bonded to the
to ensure that on the day of maintenance the pumps will steel by means of Multotec’s proprietary adhesive. This re-
be immediately available. This system is effected in such a silient bonding absorbs impacts from foreign objects passing
manner that specific sections of the plant are addressed at through the pump, when used in arduous pumping applica-
each maintenance interval. tions. Alumina-ceramic impellers are particularly resistant
Rene Calitz, Weir Warman Africa (Pty) Ltd, Tel: (011) 929-2622, to the tearing damage caused by sharp objects often found
www.weirminerals.com in slurries. Ceramic impellers are chemically inert and suit-
able for use in hazardous and hostile environments. The
impeller, however, has to be adapted when pumping acidic
materials.
Multotec impellers combine the same performance char-
Ceramic pump impellers acteristics as the original equipment manufacturer (OEM)
Multotec Wear Linings offers a range of ceramic impellers for specifications. The extreme hardness and high density of
slurry pumps. These ceramic impellers significantly reduce ceramic impellers lead to superior erosion and corrosion
resistance at both high and low im-
pingement angles.
The increased life of ceramic impellers,
in some cases between four and six
times more than conventional rubber or
steel impellers, results in substantially
reduced downtime.
In addition, the performance of the
ceramic impeller results in increased
pump volute life and greatly reduced
maintenance costs. The mass of the
ceramic impeller is about half that
of a steel impeller, again resulting in
substantially reduced bearing main-
tenance.
Bernadette Wilson, Multotec Group, Tel:
(011) 923-6193, Email: marketing@mul-
totec.co.za, www.multotec.com
Multotec Wear Linings offers a range of ceramic impellers for slurry pumps

On the Subscription
Please fax us if you wish to subscribe to “SA Mechanical En-
Move
gineer” at R400,00 (incl postage and VAT) per year; R945,00
per year for Africa/Overseas. We will post you an invoice on
receipt of your fax.
PROMECH PUBLISHING Fax No: (011) 781-1403
From:......................................................................................
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Title: ......................................................................................
Company: ..............................................................................
Neil Wilson Francois Otto Anton Bothma
Changes are afoot at Goscor as Neil Address: ...............................................................................

Wilson has been appointed CEO and
Francois Otto is group financial man- ...............................................................................................
ager of the Goscor group of companies.
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Telephone: ( ) ....................................................................
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Index to
Advertisers
Afzelia 46
AST Inside Front Cover
Axiom Hydraulics 20
Bearings International 4
BMG 10
Chorus Call 42
DCD-Dorbyl 22
Donaldson 19
Engineer Placements 30
EPNS 34
Festo 40
GEA Grasso 18
Hansen Transmissions 12
KSB Pumps Inside Back Cover
Maizey 31
Multi Alloys 26
Munters 38
SAID 43
SEW Outside Back Cover
Steinmüller Outside Front Cover
WCNDT 24
Yellow Tec 27, 45

Pumps Valves Systems
KSB Slurry Pumps – Ton after Ton

Take tons of solids, add liquid and shake vigorously – a recipe for slurry. Whatever the mineral,
KSB slurry pumps can finesse the complexity of tar sands and phosphates or transport the glint of gold,
copper and metal ores. Beyond mineral processing, KSB’s expertly engineered and robust pumps and valves
can also support secondary operations like chemical processing or wastewater pumping.
KSB Pumps and Valves (Pty) Ltd

www.ksbpumps.co.za
LCC-M LCC-R LSA-S MDX

Hard metal pumps for 16 Bar rubber lined pumps Premium design
design, hard Maximizes up
up-time
time in
general slurries for general slurries metal pumps for severe SAG, Ball mill circuits
slurries and cyclone applications

SEW-EURODRIVE - Driving the world
We don’t develop products

we develop solutions.
Suppliers of geared motors, industrial gears, frequency inverters, drive electronics, servo technology and services.
Naturally, as the leading drive-technology specialists, we consistently develop new products that are above all reliable,
energy-efficient and produced cost-efficiently. Moreover, our know-how and experience allows us to go a step further than
the rest – providing solutions that you can build on. That’s what we call Drive 360o – Seeing the big picture: from the system
availability to problem-solving competence, achieving lower operating costs through energy-efficiency right through to
finished systems. We can fulfill all your needs.
SEW-Eurodrive (Pty) Ltd

PO Box 90004 l Bertsham 2013
Tel: +2711 248-7000
Fax: +27 11 248-7289
48 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER

www.sew.co.za VOL 60 March 2010

SAME: Mar 2010

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THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010 

 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

Energy Policy? What

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010 

Featured on the Cover Contents

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010 

News! News! News!

 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

Geoffrey Alder Developer & Presenter of “Refrigeration Explained”

Training Events Calendar - 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010 

Don’t Drink and Die

 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

requires special dedication leaves no doubt.

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010 

Too often fun on the water

10 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

Giants in Pressure Parts

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010 11

12 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

Not an off-the-shelf item purchased in haste from the

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010 13

The total length of chain that was changed came

14 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

In 2007, ISO (the International Organisation for

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010 15

centrically on a thrust bearing), then the load may where

16 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

corrosion, mounting damage, lubrication, or seal-

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010 17

Generally, the better the lubrication condition and

The possibility to downsize a bearing under

Advantages and caution

Log onto www.promech.co.za

18 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

Are you Getting what

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010 19

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010 21

Pearce, director of international customer projects

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010 23

export opportunities for potential South African supply

24 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

About the AP1000

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010 25

Improving power Power Systems divisions.

26 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

Industrial. “Electrical back-

Western Cape power generation

Engine Applications’ new Western Cape manager, Gerald Spaans,

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010 27

28 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

All Festo SID em-

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010 29

30 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

Fittings Pipes Measurement

Bigger yields require bigger crushers to handle bigger chunks

32 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

Gunter Wodak of HME Sales

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010 33

34 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010 35

design has been applied successfully and proven

A Scrubber at Voorspoed mine

36 THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MECHANICAL ENGINEER VOL 60 March 2010