LH Marthinusen (LHM), a division of ACTOM and one of South Africa’s leading repairers of electrical rotating machines and transformers for industry, is gearing up to enter a new market sector. This follows the recent decision by management to acquire a specialised state-of-the-art fan testing facility for its Denver, Johannesburg plant.
The new facility, currently being installed and due to start operation in August this year, is dedicated to testing auxiliary ventilation fan assemblies used in underground mines.
Fan Fitter Assistant Patrick Sishuba puts finishing touches to one of the two newly-installed test columns in LHM’s auxiliary fan testing facility.
“It is the key facility that we required to enable us to provide a full, reliable auxiliary fan repair and refurbishment service to the mining industry. This is a niche market for which dedicated testing equipment is needed to meet the mining industry’s specific requirements for these fans,” said Craig Johnston, General Manager of LHM’s Fan Service division.
“The new facility will have the capability of proving performance efficiency after repair by ensuring the fans meet the set performance criteria in terms of volume, pressure and power, as stipulated in the international ISO 5801 code applicable to them and required by the mining industry in South Africa. It will also be equipped to prove other important parameters we know the industry needs and wants,” he added.
The enhanced testing services will include:
- Testing the sound levels of the fans with the aim of reducing the high noise levels most auxiliary fans produce. “The mines have a huge problem with noise pollution, with auxiliary fans being a big contributor to this problem, which causes hearing loss among many mine workers,” Johnston commented.
- Testing the fans’ efficiency in terms of energy saving. “Auxiliary fans are known to be substantial consumers of energy, so anything that helps to reduce their energy consumption and the attendant costs will be welcomed by the industry,” he said.
The advanced monitoring and testing system being installed in the test area which has been set aside for it in LHM’s premises, is fully automated and includes an observation room where customers may witness on a screen the test data and results as each test procedure is carried out. The facility includes two test columns in which underground working conditions are simulated while the newly repaired auxiliary fans undergo testing in terms of the various performance parameters.
Repairs and refurbishments of auxiliary fans will be undertaken in tandem by LHM’s Fan Service and Rotating Machines divisions. “The motor driving a fan is its single most important component, so the auxiliary fan service facility has been incorporated into the existing Rotating Machines division,” said Pieter van der Walt, the division’s General Manager.
“This gives us the opportunity to maximise the resource, using our well-established LV motor repair systems and infrastructure and enhancing this facility’s loading and cost-effectiveness,” he explained.
Auxiliary ventilation fans are in the 4 kW to 132 kW power range, typically using 525 V motors, with fan impellers from 400 mm to 1 600 mm in diameter.
The two LHM divisions between them are equipped to perform repairs and rebuilds of the full range of equipment in their respective fields, from very large to small. The LHM Fan Service division deals with large power generation and mining fans as well as a wide range of industrial fans used in process plants. The LHM Rotating Machines division refurbishes and repairs all types of motors from small to multi-megawatt units, including traction motors.
For more information visit: www.lhm.co.za
