Wear resistant product specialist, Weir Minerals leads this month’s MechChem Africa issue with the company’s successful approach to meeting the long-term needs of mines and process plants.

MechChem Africa also features stories from Endress and Hauser, on the importance of measuring consistency from lab to process, and a university duo who discuss a device which uses natural protein to create electricity from moisture in the air.

Other featured articles include SKF; discussing software and equipment advancements for bearing arrangements and pumps and compressors, and an article from Investec. For the Innovative engineering feature, a piece discussing the use of liquified air energy storage technology.

On the cover: Weir Minerals’ comprehensive pumping solutions:  MechChem Africa talks to Weir Minerals Africa’s pumps product manager, Marnus Koorts, about the extensive depth and range of pumping solutions available through Weir Minerals. Read more…

Peter’s comment: Changing the power generation landscape:  Access to reliable energy is an African hot topic. Peter Middleton discusses the role smaller mini grids will have in delivering uninterrupted power, and maximising Africa’s renewable energy potential. Read more…

Pump systems, pipes valves and seals

Speeding up design of bearing arrangements and product development: Machine designers can now design complex bearing arrangements and analyse bearing loads more quickly without having to master complex software programs thanks to SKF’s software and equipment technology advancements. Read more…

Farm dam dredging helps optimise water resources’: Integrated Pump Rental is applying its equipment and experience to ensure optimal use of water resources by implementing effective pond dredging. Click to read in the online magazine...

Matching pump to application ensures low total cost of ownership: Pumping fluids with high solids concentrations is more complicated than pumping water. To avoid sedimentation in the system, the correct pump size with appropriately dimensioned hoses and pipes must be selected. Click to read in the online magazine...

Chemical, petrochemical, oil and gas

The importance of measuring consistency from lab to process: Digital sensors offer a solution to guarantee data consistency and a way to easy, uniform sensor management. Click to read in the online magazine...

In-depth material knowledge vital to petrochemical sector: The pressures experienced by the South African petrochemical industry – including the trend towards the reduction of operational carbon footprint, and a proliferation of new technological developments – present new and dynamic opportunities for the industry if it can evolve apace with industry developments. Read more…

Connecting SA’s largest petrochemical with a mobile radio system: South Africa’s largest petrochemical company selected Hytera's TETRA mobile radio solutions to improve remote monitoring and communication across its two large locations in Sasolburg and Secunda. Click to read in the online magazine...

Power generation and energy management

Power generation from ambient humidity using protein nanowires: Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed a device that uses a natural protein to create electricity from moisture in the air. Read more…

Measures of ensuring SA’s security in the energy supply: Coega Development Corporation’s Energy Sector Manager Sandisiwe Ncemane comments on measures of ensuring South Africa’s security in the energy sector, as it undertakes extensive technical readiness work for up to 3 000 MW of gas-driven power. Read more…

Shedding the risk – how derivatives can help manage the costs of running a generator: The latest round of load-shedding has focused attention on the cost of running generators during power outages, in particular mitigating the effects of volatile diesel prices. Click to read in the online magazine...

Environmental management and cleaning technologies

Afrisam defines good neighbourliness: Increasingly hemmed in by urban development, AfriSam’s Jukskei quarry and ready-mix plant have been applying stringent controls and standards to remain an environmentally friendly neighbour. Read more…

Controlling dust, insects and heat means more hygienic conditions: The ineffective control of dust and insects, coupled with variances in temperature, often results in breaches in environmental control in manufacturing operations. With its general-purpose strip curtains, Apex Strip Curtains & Doors offers an affordable and viable solution to maintain good hygiene, as well as health and safety compliance. Click to read in the online magazine...

Commercial window cleaning trends to look out for in 2020: Exterior maintenance is an important part of creating productive and hygienic professional environments. InterClean looks at commercial window cleaning trends, such as drones and robots, which are set to make cleaning tasks easier in 2020. Click to read in the online magazine...

Manufacturing and food processing

Manufacturing in 2020: Connecting machines to networks and companies to end-consumers: While change is buffeting the industrial manufacturing industry from a number of directions, the most disruptive changes will be those which manufacturers can and should make for themselves. Click to read in the online magazine...

NitraLife and Bystronic partner to advance cutting-edge steel processing: South Africa’s pioneering nitrogen generator manufacturer and supplier, NitraLife, has partnered with Bystronic, a leading Swiss steel processing solutions manufacturer in a deal which will see the Swiss company marketing NitraLife’s NitraCut generators. Read more…

Servo press provides short die and tooling change times: Ute Schlieder Metallwarenfabrik GmbH metalworks has been forming metal for 140 years. In equipping itself for the future, the company purchased a fully networked MSP 400 servo press from Schuler as part of the process, and it has been successfully running for more than six months. Click to read in the online magazine...

INNOVATIVE ENGINEERING

Using liquid air for energy storage and Birmingham University’s initiatives: With the help of the University of Birmingham’s energy storage specialists, Professor Yulong Ding and Professor Toby Peters, MechChem Africa takes a look at the use of liquified air energy storage technology. Read more…

REGULARS

Products and industry news. Festo: Integrated connectivity for electric automation a reality with Festo: System planners and design engineers can rely fully on the Festo Automation Suite to achieve integrated automation and digitalised machines and systems. Read more…

Products and industry news. Click to read in the online magazine...

Backpage: Electric mobility and lightweight design - symbiosis or contradiction. Click to read in the online magazine...

Click to download and read this isse in PDF format.