Antifragile is not a concept I was aware of – in industrial systems or otherwise – before it came up in a letter received from Dr Michael Grant of DataProphet. In responding to the article by RS Components MD Brian Andrew published in the May edition of Electricity + Control, Dr Grant outlines the concept of antifragile production and the possibilities it offers to improve performance in production processes. (Antifragility, apparently first developed as a concept by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his book Antifragile, published in 2012, is described by Taleb as a mathematical idea.)
In Industry 4.0 + IIoT, Nick Durrant, CEO of Bluegrass Digital highlights the double-sided role digital technologies play in the drive towards sustainability. He points out that, as well as enabling greater efficiencies which reduce carbon emissions, the digital world also contributes to increasing carbon emissions.
As this issue of Electricity + Control goes to print, the City of Johannesburg has just hosted its first Energy Indaba, convened by the Mayor’s Office and in collaboration with Johannesburg’s electricity distribution entity, City Power. The City is looking to partner with IPPs in a R26 billion electricity investment drive to gain a greater degree of independence from Eskom – in order to improve the stability and security of supply for citizens and industry in South Africa’s economic hub. Mayor Mpho Phalatse remarked on the enthusiastic response from IPPs and has indicated that a Request for Proposals will be issued in the coming months.
Energy management + the industrial environment is one of the main features in this June 2022 issue. Asante Phiri of Enel Green Power South Africa, noting that independent power producers are already supplying renewable energy to the national grid, sets out some of the complexities entailed in this. Against the background of the future open energy market for SA, David MacDonald of SolarAfrica highlights the benefits of wheeling electricity through the national grid and the advantages this offers in terms of energy cost savings, particularly for high energy users, and greater use of renewable energy. Looking more closely at energy management in industry, John Mitchell of CP Automation presents some tips for mitigating harmful harmonics in industrial plants.
In Measurement + instrumentation Sam Miller of Endress+Hauser looks at the problematic effects of water content in natural gas pipelines and the importance of accurate measurement to prevent the risks – and potentially dangerous consequences – of pipeline corrosion.
Transformers, substations + cables are critical in the safe and consistent distribution of electricity. In this feature, David Claassen of Trafo Power Solutions sets out the benefits of using dry-type transformers in mining – safety and reliability among them. With relevance for South Africa’s extensive electricity distribution network, NovaTech Automation presents the case of Berryville Arkansas-based Carroll Electric Cooperative Corporation, one of the largest electricity cooperatives in the US, which it helped to overcome the challenge of managing its large and geographically dispersed network of substations efficiently. We also offer readers a brief synopsis of the insights into condition assessment of transformers which are presented in a recent series of blogs by experts at Doble Engineering Company.
In Engineering the future we see Anglo American and its partners leading the way in developing the world’s first hydrogen-powered mine haul truck – in operation at its Mogalakwena PGMs mine in South Africa. And Write @ the back, we note that Manufacturing Indaba is coming up 21 and 22 June, exploring the opportunities to broaden industrialisation, strengthen manufacturing and generate economic growth in SA and on the continent.