In this November 2023 issue of Electricity + Control we feature Control systems + automation; Drives, motors + switchgear; Sensors + switches; and Plant maintenance, test + measurement.
We also celebrate all the young winners in this year’s Eskom Expo International Science Fair. Through their research projects these bright and enquiring youngsters explore such interesting possibilities in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics applied to questions that intrigue them. The ISF gives them the chance to present their projects to an experienced panel of judges – and to take home what may be lifechanging awards, including study bursaries and tech equipment which will support their further progress. We congratulate them all.
If you are tea drinker, or even if you aren’t, have you ever wondered how tea gets into those tiny bags, or how the leaves stay inside when the tea is brewed? Meerbusch-based Teepack has been making machines to do that since 1948. In its latest high-performance machine, it relies on PC-based control and drive technology from Beckhoff to set new benchmarks for speed and precision in tea-bag packaging. Frank Würthner of Beckhoff Automation reports on this application case in the lead article in our feature on Control systems + automation.
In Drives, motors + switchgear, we see how some manufacturers and suppliers of such critical equipment, which is used across all industries, are providing for online purchasing. This means orders can be placed any time, from anywhere. We see too how SA-based manufacturers are extending their supply and service support into the African market, working with established in-country specialists. There is also a continuing push to choose energy-efficient motors and manage motors consistently, which can reduce energy usage costs substantially to deliver a lower overall total cost of ownership.
In Sensors + switches, VEGA highlights the importance of accurate measurement in enabling efficient mining processes and a high-quality end product. This is presented in the case of Kansanshi Mining’s gold and copper mine, located in the Zambian Copperbelt.
Ifm outlines the roles smart sensors play in supporting sustainable agriculture, from farm to table, managing processes and resources to minimise waste and increase food safety and – in the bigger picture – contribute to the global effort to eliminate hunger.
In Plant maintenance, test +measurement, specialist measurement tools manufacturer, Fluke, which is locally represented by Comtest, points to the service panel as a good starting place from which to identify the cause of power quality problems and hence to locate the fault and attend to the required adjustments or repairs.
Wireless monitoring systems are often the best solution for efficient plant management on large sites where assets and equipment are widely dispersed. Ian Loudon, of wireless monitoring specialist Omniflex, sets out some of the important power supply considerations to be taken into account in ensuring the best system for each application.
And Babcock reports on the meticulous repair work it carried out on a damaged steam air heater – a multi-row finned tube heat exchanger installed in the air ducting of a boiler at one of South Africa’s biggest power generation plants.
In Engineering the future, we learn that TAE Technologies is engineering new possibilities in fusion energy – and California has recently passed legislation which supports the development and testing of this potential source of clean energy.
Write @ the back a team from Webber Wentzel sets out the opportunities that Eskom’s new Virtual Wheeling Platform opens for companies with multiple smaller and low voltage loads scattered across various geographic areas in South Africa to participate in the wheeling market.
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