CONTENTS · 2020-03-19 · LIST OF ADVERTISERS ... and waveforms. The world’s most advanced power quality meter, the Powerlogic ION9000 Information from Schneider Electric ... complies

CONTENTS

energize - March 2019 - Page 1

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ENERGIZE A voice for the IEEESouth Africa Section

ENERGIZE A voice for Cigré in

Southern Africa

ENERGIZEA voice for the South Africa Energy Storage

Association

ENERGIZE A voice for SANEA in

Southern Africa

ENERGIZEA voice for SAPVIA in

Southern Africa

ENERGIZEA voice for EPRI in Southern Africa

Editor: Roger Lilley

Features editor: Mike Rycroft Pr Eng MSAIEE

Investigative editor: Chris Yelland BScEng CEng

Consulting editors:

Max Clarke PrEng

Prof. Naren Gupta BSc(Eng) DTSc MTech PhD MBA CEng

Advertising: Mark Yelland

Design and layout: Elizabeth Lotz

Production manager: Helen Hartzenberg

Published by EE Publishers (Pty) Ltd

PO Box 458, Muldersdrift, 1747, South Africa

Tel: 011 543-7000

Cell numbers:

Roger Lilley 082 569-7495

Mark Yelland 074 854-1597

Mike Rycroft 082 465-8233

E-mail: [email protected]

Web site: www.ee.co.za

March 2019LEAD EDITORIAL ..........................................................................................................3

FRONT COVER STORY .................................................................................................4

VIEWS, COMMENT AND OPINION .............................................................................6

INDUSTRY NEWS ......................................................................................................13

POWER DEVELOPMENTS IN AFRICA ..........................................................................18

RENEWABLE ENERGY

v Grid connected mines look to renewables to cut costs by Amiram Roth-Deblon, Juwi Renewable Energies .............................................19

v Renewable Energy News ................................................................................ 21

TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION

v Benefits of covered conductor systems for MV overhead line distribution by Mike Rycroft, EE Publishers ...........................................................................23

v Condition-based assessment of on-load tap changers by I Gray, Wear Check .....................................................................................27

v Transmission and Distribution News ................................................................ 31

GENERATION

v The travelling wave nuclear reactor by Mike Rycroft, EE Publishers ...........................................................................33

v Generation News .......................................................................................... 37

APPLICATIONS

v Electrification of the chemical industry: Power-to-chemicals programme by Mike Rycroft, EE Publishers ...........................................................................39

v Electric powered farm vehicles set to revolutionise agriculture sector by Mike Rycroft, EE Publishers ...........................................................................41

v Application News .......................................................................................... 46

PEOPLE NEWS ...........................................................................................................48

ENGINEERS@LEISURE................................................................................................49

POWER ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING INDUSTRY EVENTS ..............................................52

LIST OF ADVERTISERS ................................................................................................52

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LEAD EDITORIAL COMMENT

If South Africa’s electricity crisis is to be successfully addressed, the whole electricity supply industry will need to develop a long-term vision of the future. All that’s happening at present is firefighting. The industry should take a bird's eye view of the entire electricity industry supply including municipalities.

Right now, the industry is reeling from one disaster to another. Underperforming power stations, cable theft, non-payment, deferred maintenance, ageing infrastructure, illegal connections, ever-increasing tariffs, declining demand, distributed generation, tens of billions of rand in overdue municipal and customer arrear debts, together with many other factors, are creating havoc in the industry.

Disruptive technologies such as rooftop PV, energy storage, low-energy lighting and energy efficient equipment are challenges which power utilities – both national and municipal – are going to have to manage. Furthermore, although the government, through its Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme, has allowed additional generators to enter the market, its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) is still heavily biased towards supporting Eskom as the primary generator of electricity.

One of the industry’s challenges is the aspect of dual regulation. Eskom is regulated differently to municipalities. This is particularly visible in the way tariffs and operating costs are regulated. The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) determines how much Eskom may receive in revenue from electricity sales in any given year. In 2019/20, that figure has been capped at R206,38-billion. Since the power utility’s generating capacity is known, this equates to actual tariff figures which, in this case, equates to a 9,4% increase in tariffs.

Should Eskom’s cost of generating electricity, and despatching it via its transmission and/or distribution networks end up being higher than the utility originally predicted in its application to

Levelling the playing field: Placing Eskom in a competitive environmentby Sicelo Xulu, SAIEE

The dividing of Eskom into three separate entities: Generation, Transmission and Distribution may be a good thing and might help to make the utility more efficient, focused and transparent. However, the electricity crisis does not start or end with Eskom. The entire electricity supply industry needs a major overhaul.

Nersa, the utility can claim the difference from the regulator through the Regulatory Clearing Account (RCA). Should the regulator concur with Eskom that the losses resulted from factors outside of Eskom’s control, the regulator may impose a further tariff increase in the next financial year to cover that cost. In the case of 2018/19, that RCA was 4,4% which comes into effect in 2019/20, making the actual increase 13,8%.

Municipalities purchase power from Eskom at wholesale prices and then add what they believe to be the cost of distributing this electricity to consumers plus an allowable profit margin. However, should a municipality get its calculations wrong and lose money by charging tariffs which are lower than what it actually cost, it has no recourse to the regulator and must absorb the loss.

The playing fields should be levelled. Perhaps President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent announcement that Eskom is to be divided into three parts will help to bring that about. Notwithstanding all the concerns about potential job losses, and the “threat” of privatisation, separating generation and transmission from distribution is actually a good idea.

One option is to establish a few, government-owned regional distribution companies – each responsible to supply electricity to the residents and businesses within its region. These distribution companies would take over Eskom’s direct customers and supply users directly or via the municipalities within the region.

Equally, they would be free to purchase electricity from any bone fide, registered electricity-generating company, including Eskom, IPPs and organisations which have surplus distributed generation to sell. The grid code would be used to regulate the quality, frequency and reliability of supply from these generating companies to ensure that the end-user would always receive high-quality, reliable and affordable electricity. Serious penalties could be levied on defaulting generating companies.

The new distribution companies would, therefore, need to be catered for in the IRP, as would independent electricity generators. To this end, there should be no cap placed on the quantity of electricity to be produced. This will stimulate competition which, in a modern economy, is how all services, products and commodities should be traded.

Although the government has appointed a task team to evaluate Eskom’s power stations, many previous teams have been appointed to consider the way forward for Eskom. Indeed, there is no shortage of reports, documents and proposals dating back to the 1990s. But there has been, until now, a paralysis of action. The president’s announcement may be the first real step in the recovery of the industry.

The way ahead is not the privatisation of the industry, but an allowance to permit privately-owned and state-owned electricity companies to operate side-by-side on the same grid via independent, state-owned distribution companies for the growth of the economy, the confidence of foreign investors and the ultimate good of the country.

Send your comments to [email protected] v

Sicelo Xulu

FRONT COVER STORY


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VIEWS, COMMENT AND OPINION


The minister was at pains to explain the history of, and rationale behind, the renewable energy independent power producers procurement programme. South Africa, he said, committed itself to various global obligations on the combating of climate change when the late minister of environmental affairs, Edna Molewa, signed the Paris Agreement (part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) in 2015. The basic rationale behind renewable energy is therefore arresting the high negative impact of fossil fuel sources of energy such as oil and coal.

Energy policy

History shows that the decision to introduce renewable energy into the electricity system can be traced back as far as December 1998 with the White Paper on Energy Policy which articulated the objective to stimulate the introduction of renewable energy sources into the energy mix. In November 2003 the government adopted the White Paper on Renewable Energy which provided for renewable energy generation to be included in the energy mix, and set a target of 10 000 GWh to be achieved by 2013.

The I n t eg ra t ed Re sou r ce P l an 2010-2030 (IRP 2010) was consequently promulgated on 6 May 2011 after an extensive public consultation process, including NEDLAC. Over and above these consultations, the Green Economy Accord was negotiated with all parties involved and signed on 17 November 2011 in Parliament. This accord makes specific commitments by all stakeholders towards a greener economy in South Africa, including renewable energy with a target of 3725 MW by 2016, one million solar water heaters and 300 000 green jobs by 2020.

The minister of energy on the status of electricity generation in South Africa

Information from the Department of Energy

Following societal and industry concerns regarding what the Department of Energy’s decisions will be with regard to the latest update to the country’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) following public consultations and the public statements made by the leaders of certain political parties and labour unions, the minister of energy, Jeff Radebe, addressed the media regarding the status of the latest IRP update at a special meeting held on Sunday 24 February 2019, at the Pretoria offices of the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS).

The IRP 2010 provided that by 2030, 17 800 MW of new capacity would be from renewable energy sources, 9600 MW from nuclear, and other technology options like coal were also provided for under this IRP. This was a prudent policy decision taken at that time, taking into consideration the projected electricity demand, our policy objectives and the regulatory framework outlined under the Electricity Regulation Act. From 2011 to 2015 various ministers of energy published Ministerial Determinations for 14 700 MW of new renewable energy capacity, after concurrence by Nersa, the energy regulator.

The Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme

In order to ensure a competitive, open, fair and transparent process, the government established a procurement office, the Independent Power Producers

( IPP) Office, under the direct ion and guidance of the Department of Energy and the National Treasury. The minister of energy determined that the Department of Energy would procure new capacity and Eskom would be the buyer of electricity from the IPPs through a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA). The government undertook to support Eskom in the event of default. No support was offered in the event of private sector default.

Since 2011 a series of competitive bid windows have been offered to the market under the REIPPP programme, and 6422 MW has been procured from more than 100 IPPs through seven rounds and five bid windows. A total of 3776 MW from 62 IPPs have been connected to the grid. Without their contribution by the renewable energy IPPs the recent load-shedding would have been much worse.

The Multi-Year-Price-Determination and regulatory framework

The renewable energy IPPs are cost neutral to Eskom as the cost is passed on to the consumer. The calculation of the electricity price that Eskom charges to the consumer, and as allowed by Nersa, is in fact a very simple process. Eskom provides Nersa the income or revenue needed to fully cover its prudently incurred annual costs which is then divided by the number of electricity units, measured in kWh, which will be sold to customers during that year, as estimated by Eskom. This process is strictly regulated by Nersa through the Multi-Year-Price-Determination (MYPD) and the annual regulatory clearing account (RCA).

The prudently incurred cost includes purchases by Eskom of primary energy

Jeff Radebe



(coal, diesel, nuclear fuel, and water), as well as the electricity generated by the IPPs. Notably IPPs are not limited to renewable energy but include the diesel-fired generators at Avon and Dedisa plus Cahora Bassa from Mozambique. The regulatory model allows for costs related to production, for example, labour and the operations and maintenance cost of the generation facilities and lastly, supply costs, for example, the costs related to the distribution and transmission of electricity from source to customer.

The assertion that Eskom incurs losses as a result of the IPP programme is without foundation, misleading and false, the minister said. Since 2013, Eskom has not incurred a cent in buying electricity from the IPPs which they have not been able to recover through the tariff allowance. This treatment of REIPPP cost applies to Cahora Bassa as well, and this is long established practice.

Eskom and the impact of the REIPPP programme

After the f i rs t renewable energy projects came on-stream in the 2013, Eskom presented an EBITDA number of R26-billion, nearly twice the earnings of the previous year. This points to one thing: Eskom’s financial problems are mostly related to the cost increases, including the increased interest during construction, associated with the delay of the new-build projects, Medupi, Kusile and Ingula.

Eskom is not borrowing money for buying the electricity generated by IPPs or for funding the construction of the IPPs. Similarly, up to 2018 Eskom had presented annual positive EBITDA margins. It is therefore clear that the financial losses of Eskom cannot be attributable to the introduction of the renewable energy programme.

Coal and the Renewable Energy programme

While some coal jobs might be at risk in South Africa, the minister said, this is not as a result of the REIPPP programme. Eskom has, as early as in the IRP 2010, reported that it will be decommissioning some of the older coal-fired power stations which are reaching the end of their commercial and operational life. According to Eskom, by 2030, 13 000 MW of coal-fired capacity is scheduled for decommissioning.

Local as well international banks have taken a hard line against the funding of coal projects, citing climate concerns. The World Bank and other international development finance institutions, as well as commercial banks have also instituted a no-coal policy. Many countries have indicated that they are downscaling their coal-fired fleets. Coal is still part of the energy mix, And will remain si for the foreseeable future, he added.The decision by Eskom, since 2015, to refuse to sign the PPAs for renewable energy resulted in the manufacturing capacity of goods and services in the value chain to close down. The manufacturing capacity has been a result of the introduction of the renewable energy programme, and was foreseen as one of the positive outcomes in the Green Economy Accord. For example, due to this delay, the Coega wind tower manufacturing plant in the Eastern Cape, owned and operated by South Africans, has been mothballed with the associated job losses. Eskom’s actions contradicted the government’s policy and was only corrected in 2018.

Renewable energy, the programme and its benefits

The REIPPP programme has received many awards over the years, of which the first award was from EnergyNet in 2013, as a recognition of the programme as the Best Renewable Energy Programme of the year and last was the Thompson-Reuters Project Finance International Award for the best programme on the continent in 2018. This award was received on 6 February in London this year. Worldwide, it is regarded as the “Grammy” for infrastructure projects, given its prestige.

The REIPPP programme has made significant impacts on the economy, job creation, community upliftment, economic transformation and climate change. In a short, eight-year period, it has attracted R209,4-billion in committed private sector investment, resulting in much needed alleviation of fiscal pressure. Renewable IPPs have created already 38 701 job years for youth, women and citizens from the surrounding communities.

Mul t i - sec tor ia l in te rven t ions by government, labour unions and the private sector can collectively reskill affected workers in the coal sector to align their capabilities to participate in industries surrounding their existing areas

of work, in order to avoid relocation, while maintaining similar or improved income levels.

Local communities have already benefited from over R1-billion spent by IPPs on education such as upskilling of teachers, extra teachers and classrooms, and 600 bursar ies to s tudents f rom disadvantaged communit ies, the provision of health facilities and medical staff, social welfare such as feeding schemes, support to old age homes and early childhood development and support to and establishment of more than a 1000 small enterprises.

Black South African equity shareholding in the REIPPP programme has progressively increased with each bidding round. The South African equity shareholding across Bid Window 1 to Bid Window 4 and Smalls Bid Windows 1 and 2 equates to 52% (R31,4-billion) of total equity (R60,9-billion), which is substantially more than the 40% requirement.

Black owned companies own, on average, 33% of the projects that have reached financial close. Broad-based black participation is also secured across the value chain through community participation, including in engineering, procurement, construction, operations and maintenance contractors where black ownership amounts to 21%.

The REIPPP programme’s contribution to our climate change objectives can also not be disputed with carbon emission reductions of 33,2-million t CO2 and water savings of 39,2-million kl achieved by 31 December 2018. Renewable energy generation plants, complementary hybrid technologies such as storage and the associated industrial value-chain activities will support the creation of jobs and better employment prospects, whilst at the same time manage our scarce water resources and bring down water usage and costs.

Energy can be the driver not only for electricity into the transmission grid, but also to supply water, by desalination, rehabilitation and harvesting initiatives, no less in current coal mining and generation areas, as a step towards creating linkages to agricultural and other productive opportunities, the minister said.




In Consumers, prosumers, prosumagers – How service innovations will disrupt the utility business model, Fereidoon Sioshansi helps readers grasp the spirit of the times, the importance of the stakes and the uncertainty of the outcomes. The 19 essays, written by experts in their respective fields, in this 550-page book, are divided into three parts: How service innovations will lead to disruptions in the status quo; how regulatory policy will impact the evolution of services; and how emerging business models will transform the electric power sector.

The author of a number of energy-related books, a contributor to energypost.eu and publisher of the monthly EEnergy Informer newsletter, Sioshansi has wide and deep experience and knowledge of the energy sector. Here, he introduces us to three types of electricity user: passive consumers, prosumers, (i.e. those who generate at least part of what they need), and “prosumagers”, i.e. prosumers who not only generate electricity for their own needs, but who store the surplus for later use, or to trade with the utility or another consumer.

Until fairly recently, electricity was a commodity delivered to where we needed it. A power utility provided a supply of electricity to us, and whatever electrical equipment we connected to it presented a load to the utility. The energy consumed by the load was metered by a fairly simple electromechanical device which indicated how much energy we had consumed over a given period. The energy was typically measured in units (kWh) and the period was usually a month.

The monthly electricity bill was calculated by multiplying the number of units consumed during the month by the rate (c/kWh). To pay less for electricity, one could simply reduce the load and use fewer units per month. This load reduction could be done by replacing energy-intensive equipment with energy-

“Consumers, prosumers, prosumagers” reveals dramatic changes coming

by Roger Lilley, EE Publishers

The electricity sector has entered a phase of unprecedented change. Three of the industry’s pillars are moving simultaneously: generation, consumption and trading arrangements. These changes will bring about new and exciting opportunities for those who dare to embrace the challenge of environmentally-friendly, distributed and stored energy, electric vehicles and innovative trading options.

efficient types, or to use different energy sources: gas for cooking and space heating, for example.

A new reality

The fourth industrial revolution, which is being ushered in by dramatic developments in digital electronics, will transform the energy market and cause a transition from the old way of buying and selling electricity to a new, liberalised system which offers consumers a new world of opportunities. Electricity generation can now be decentralised without losing efficiency; generation can be clean without a cost penalty, and generated electricity can be traded with the utility or between consumers.

Renewable energies (RE) and battery storage are more and more competitive, grid parity for photovoltaic (PV) electricity is being achieved in many places, and as a result, energy systems are becoming more and more decentralised. These exciting new possibilities are explored in the first part of the book.

While large commercial and industrial customers are generally more likely to engage in the energy transition than residential consumers are, and there is no guarantee that residential consumers will effectively take advantage of these opportunities, the new energy world which offers new opportunities, also adds new complexities.

Those who can navigate the complexities wil l welcome the opportunit ies – especially when the value of the new options becomes apparent. There may be some resistance however. The energy sector has to cope with consumers’ suspicion regarding the risk of intrusion or invasion of privacy that comes with smart meters and digitalisation, topics extensively covered in this book.

Regulation

The second part of the book shows that the regulator’s role will become much more important than in the past, due to the speed and spread of the disruption. In many countries, self-consumption (i.e. consuming self-generated electricity, and referred to as “prosumers” in this book) is encouraged or subsidised by public authorities. It may be that these self-consumers will end up receiving subsidies, paying less taxes on energy, and paying less in network tariff too.

As the whole energy-plus-tax system is, at a given time, a zero-sum game, other less privileged customers will have to pay more to compensate as a number of chapters in this book explain. This cannot be a good outcome for two basic reasons:

l Efficiency: in the long run, it is inefficient to distort economic signals. For instance, net metering may help to encourage self-consumption, but it is very costly for the electric system if the renewable energy is produced when the value of power is low, or potentially negative; and

l Equity: a public policy which ends up making poor or middle-class people



Chris Yelland

How to deal with Eskom’s ever-rising electricity tariffs

Eskom has applied to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) for a 15% tariff increase from 1 April 2019 for three consecutive years compounded, on top of a 4,4% RCA price increase already awarded by Nersa for this date, and further RCA applications in the pipeline.

The power utility is facing dire financial constraints with excessive corporate debt of more than R420-billion (as per its interim results presentation on 28 November 2018).

Current outstanding arrear municipal and Soweto debt (for electricity delivered but not paid for) amounts to some R28-billion, and is rising by about R1-billion a month.

Eskom cannot simply pass its severe financial sustainability problems on to the customer through increased tariffs.

Eskom itself must share the burden through a lower rate of return on assets, increased efficiency and belt-tightening across the board.

The shareholder – namely government and thus the taxpayer – must share the burden through further equity injections (bailouts) linked to performance in terms

of a credible recovery plan supported by government and the Treasury.

Eskom executives, management, staff and workers must share the burden through reduced pay, forgoing bonuses, reduced staff numbers, retrenchments and improved productivity.

To protect their existing Eskom business, coal suppliers must share the burden through better prices and special pricing agreements to reduce Eskom’s primary energy costs.

The justice department, police, director of public prosecutions, Hawks, courts and Eskom itself must all play their part to root out and punish perpetrators of fraud, corruption, maladministration and unauthorised expenditure at Eskom, without fear or favour.

Simply expecting electricity customers to bear the burden alone through huge tariff increases will just accelerate the utility death spiral, with severe economic consequences for the whole country.


potentially subsidising the wealthiest doesn’t make much sense.

Beyond self-consumption, one of the main tasks of energy regulators is to set network tariffs. They must take into account the increased diversity and complexity of network users: distributed generation, self-consumers, storage, demand response operators, electric vehicles, and other behind-the-meter assets. As shown in several chapters of the book, innovative ideas are required to convey the right economic signals and to allocate network costs and/or benefits to those who generate them. Another fundamental task for the regulators is to allow optimal network access to all users, and especially the new kind of users. A fully competitive retail market, with distribution system operators as neutral market facilitators, is an essential part of the market design and will help energy consumers reap the benefits of innovation.

Business models

However, any innovation must, in due time, find a viable business model and this is the central focus of the third part of the book. First, the rollout of smart meters and the development of distributed resources will change the way distribution networks are managed. Self-consumption, local energy communities,

positive energy areas and microgrids will challenge traditional business models of distribution operators, which will see less energy withdrawn from the grid. The ultimate disruption is the development of independent, non-connected microgrids. It appears that such standalone microgrids will be rare in developed countries with good existing networks, but they will play a major role to electrify the last billion people in the world still without access to electricity, with innovative business models such as pay-as-you-go systems described in the book.

Then, of course, there are all the newcomers, from the simplest business model of low-cost energy supplier to the most sophisticated ones like blockchain peer-to-peer platforms, virtual power plants (VPPs), demand response operators, and others. One very strong newcomer is the transport sector, which may be able by itself to disrupt the energy sector, if bullish forecasts of electric vehicles penetration turn out to be true. The vehicle-to-grid business model has the potential to fundamentally change the way flexibility is procured and managed on electricity networks, and to allow for very large proportions of renewable intermittent electricity sources to be stored

during sunny daylight hours when energy is plentiful and cheap.

Energy is a fascinating sector. It is, at the same time, both the source of our prosperity and the main cause of climate change, which may ultimately destroy our civilisation. This fascinating sector, with all its exciting prospects, will affect everyone in one way or another, given the scale of change we are witnessing.

A must-read

Sioshansi’s new book is a must-read for anyone interested in the evolution of the electricity sector. While the sector’s historical roots are useful for understanding how we find ourselves with the current infrastructure and system of networks, its future will prove to be more dynamic and flexible than anyone could have thought possible. This book will show you how that will come about.

Consumers, prosumers, prosumagers – How service innovations will disrupt the utility business modeI.

by Fereidoon Sioshansi, Menlo Energy Economics

Academic Press, 2019

550 pages, US$125

https://bit.ly/2F6699T




In October 2018, an analysis and study of Eskom’s own air pollution monitoring reports, commissioned by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) and undertaken by Dr Ranajit (Ron) Sahu, a USA-based consultant in the field of environmental, mechanical and chemical engineering, revealed the sorry state of Eskom’s atmospheric emissions – with some 3200 exceedances of its atmospheric emission licence limits in a 21-month period.

The analysis was presented in the form of a report to the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), provincial and municipal licensing authorities, and Eskom, and follows an earlier study of Eskom’s annual emission reports conducted by Prof. Eugene Cairncross, emer i tus professor o f chemica l engineering at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

EE Publishers’ investigative editor Chris Yelland spoke to Dr Sahu, Prof. Cairncross and lawyer Robyn Hugo, head of the CER’s pollution and climate change programme, to find out more about the issues.

Q1: How were you able to get the monthly emission monitoring reports from Eskom? Did Eskom cooperate in making the reports and data available? Are you receiving the reports on an ongoing basis now?

To obtain Eskom’s monthly atmospheric emission reports, we had to resort to the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to enforce our right to access the information requested.

Initially Eskom failed to provide the reports, despite us giving them numerous extensions of time to comply with the deadlines of our PAIA application. This was followed by an appeal from our side against Eskom’s refusal to provide the information. It was only after Eskom’s refusal was raised with the parliamentary portfolio committee on environmental affairs that Eskom finally provided the reports.

The sorry state of air pollution from Eskom’s coal-fi red power stations

by Chris Yelland, investigative editor, EE Publishers

With all the emphasis currently focused on Eskom’s fi nancial and operational sustainability and future structure, the utility’s environmental performance and sustainability is inevitably neglected, and indeed has become the sacrifi cial lamb on the altar of the money gods.

Today, Eskom still requires us to use this very inefficient and slow PAIA process in order to access further records, including the atmospheric emission reports, on an ongoing basis.

Q2: I notice from your analysis that there were notable omissions, inconsistencies and deficiencies in Eskom’s emission monitoring reports, and the data contained therein. Please can you elaborate on the most important of these, and how did you deal with these deficiencies?

Regarding omissions, some monthly reports were simply missing, while in some of the reports there was missing data. There was no plant operating or production data, and explanations were missing where the emissions data was unrealistically high. The reports for each power station had different formats, and there were major data inconsistencies. Some reports had both raw and final data, with many days missing one or another type. Others had no explanation of data type. Reports for some months had identical data to that of earlier months. The data was not presented in electronic format, for example in a

spreadsheet, which inhibited proper analysis.

In our analysis, we dealt with the data inconsistencies, deficiencies and omissions by simply not considering any questionable, duplicated or missing data. This means that the number of violations reported in our analysis is conservative, and would have been much higher if the full and correct data had been available.

Q3: Certain monthly reports appear to be direct copies of earlier monthly reports. Does this indicate there may be some deliberate misrepresentation of results, and what does this say about the oversight of the reporting by Eskom and the environmental compliance authorities?

I really cannot speculate as to intent, and I have no idea why the graphs were identical month after month at one power station, why there were missing monthly reports from many stations, or why there was missing data within some monthly reports. However, I would have expected that the people receiving the reports, both at Eskom and the regulatory authorities, would have actually reviewed them,

Dr, Ron Sahu and Robyn Hugo in a more pristine setting.



identified the obvious data deficiencies, just as we did, and followed up with remedial actions.

The fact that we received the reports in this deficient state indicates that there was indeed no adequate review, follow up and corrective action. It would appear that those receiving the reports at Eskom, the licensing authorities and the DEA are just filing them without really doing anything, which defeats the whole purpose of this reporting in the first place.

Q4: From your broad experience as experts in the field of environmental, mechanical and chemical engineering, is the quality of the reports and data received from Eskom considered to be up to standard and acceptable for one of the major power generation utilities in the world?

I would say unequivocally no.

In the USA, for the last 20 years, every utility with a power plant more of more than 25 MW (and you know that Eskom’s power plants are several thousands of MW each) has been reporting the heat input and MW output, and particulate matter (PM), NOx and SO2 emissions, hourly. This is done electronically to a public database where anyone in the world can download the data in a user-friendly format, 45 days after the end of the previous quarter. China is reporting similar continuous emission monitoring data for several hundred large power plants.

In this day and age, with the tools readily available, Eskom is simply nowhere near its peers in other countries. So if it has aspirations to be counted amongst the better members of its class, it has a long way to go.

Q5: From your analysis, it would appear that in each of the areas of PM, SO2 and NOx, the number of non-compliances at particular Eskom coal-fired power stations stand out like a sore thumb. For example, the number of PM non-compliances at Matimba are 200 times higher than at Kendal, while NOx non-compliances at Matla are 150 times higher than Majuba. Why are these variances so great, and what does this indicate?

Additional operating data is required, and has been requested, to help identify the causes of these variances.

It could be that some of the plants are not running as much as the others, or with lower capacity factors, or certain plant may have been off for some period of time. There may be differences in how the generation units and their pollution control equipment have been maintained. Perhaps management has not prioritised maintenance, nor focused on the mission of minimising pollution, while pushing production.

Without having this production and operating data, it is hard to pin-point the differences that we see. To us, a review by a regulator should have prompted these types of questions to get answers from Eskom. At the very least, operating profiles would help resolve some of these variances.

Q6: Has Eskom and the DEA been given adequate opportunity to review and respond to your analysis and findings, and if so, what has been their response?

We reported our analysis and findings to the DEA, to the provincial and municipal licensing authorities and to Eskom at the end of October 2018. We had an

initial response from the DG of the DEA, who said “let’s meet, compare notes and reflect on the trends”. But since then, nothing, despite repeated meeting requests from our side, and despite many years of complaints against Eskom, including the submission of an earlier report that we submitted in October 2017.

We also repeatedly reported the situation to the parliamentary portfolio committees on environmental affairs and health. But to date no meaningful action has been taken against Eskom in relation to its non-compliances with its air emission licences.

Eskom does say it has some issues with the 2015 SO2 limit imposed at Medupi and Matimba, because of the high sulphur content of the coal. Yet despite all the damning evidence in their own reports, in public, Eskom consistently maintains that it complies fully with its emission licences, and we have had no specific response at all from Eskom to this particular analysis.

Q7: How stringent are South Africa’s minimum emission standards, particularly in relation to those of other developing countries? Would Eskom’s coal-fired power stations be able to operate legally in any other countries of the world?

South Africa’s minimum emission standards are not stringent, and this is a point we make in our study. Based on the exceedances that Eskom reports, as currently designed and with the pollution control equipment they currently have, Eskom’s power plants would have a tough time meeting the air pollution standards in almost all other jurisdictions. This includes not just developed countries, but also developing countries.

2019-02-Engerize-FlukeTiPro-Reev1-0

Monday, 28 January 2019 3:23:13 PM



Take India for example. India is retrofitting flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) scrubbers on many of its coal-fired power plants. China is another example. So yes, without adding more air pollution control equipment, Eskom’s coal-fired power stations could not meet the current Indian or Chinese standards. In fact, South Africa’s minimum emission standards are many times weaker than those of China, India and Indonesia. So it is not as though we are trying to hold Eskom to some impossibly difficult measure.

Q8: From their failure to respond to your analyses, and the difficulties experienced in obtaining the Eskom reports and data in the first place, do you feel Eskom and the DEA are being adequately open and transparent about the thousands of emission non-compliances by Eskom?

Clearly not. Eskom and the DEA are being the very opposite of open and transparent. We are talking here about violations of the constitutional rights to a healthy environment. Research shows that the burning of coal at Eskom’s power stations is responsible for some 2200 premature deaths every year and thousands of cases of asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory illnesses, which cost the state – and therefore the taxpayer – about R33-billion each year.

We know that air pollution from Eskom has significant health impacts, and to date we have had no response regarding these significant exceedances of its emission limits, and nothing is being done to address these really dire violations of human rights. So definitely, Eskom and the DEA are not being open and transparent.

Q9: So what should the DEA and the relevant emission compliance authorities be doing about the thousands of flagrant breaches of the applicable daily emission limits detailed in Eskom’s own reports? How serious are these offences?

The law governing our minimum emission standards outlines what reporting Eskom should be doing; including that Eskom should report on its root-cause analyses, and should provide details of what will be done to avoid similar exceedances and violations of licence conditions in future.

By setting out Eskom’s responsibilities, the expectation would be that the regulatory authorities should at least look at the reports, follow-up on obvious omissions, discrepancies or inconsistencies to get explanations, and compare them to previous reports to establish trends.

If the above were being done, and the root-causes identified and actioned, then

over the 21-month period analysed there should have been a decrease in certain types of exceedances. The whole point of emissions reporting is not to bury the reports, but to act on them. However we can see no evidence of that.

Regarding the seriousness of the violations, for example, just on PM emissions, Grootvlei’s exceedance were 15 times the emission limit at times, Kriel’s were six times the limit, and Duvha and Lethabo five times the limit. We are not talking about small exceedances here, about serious and often persistent violations.

Quite apart from having a reporting process to understand when and why there are non-compliances, the DEA should be taking enforcement action against Eskom. These violations are criminal offences under the Air Quality Act. Upon conviction, Eskom and its directors could be liable for fines of R5-million and/or 5-year imprisonment per offence.

An atmospheric emission licence does allows some leniency in relation to start-up, shut-down and so-called “upset” conditions. But of course the vast majority of exceedances are not related to start up, shut down or upset conditions, but qualify as offences for which the above penalties are applicable.

Q10: What should Eskom be doing about this sorry state of affairs, and can Eskom’s response be considered adequate in any way?

About 18 months prior to this latest study, Prof. Cairncross did an earlier study the results of which we presented to both Eskom and the regulatory authorities. Because of the poor quality of data we received from Eskom, we could only infer that seven out of twelve of Eskom’s power stations were probably exceeding their limits.

This second analysis, which been done with more detailed information from daily emission data in the monthly reports received as a result of our PAIA request, should therefore come as no surprise to Eskom or authorities.

It is clear that Eskom needs to start taking the reports from its own power stations seriously. It should be reviewing the reports, not just from a quality standpoint to make sure the data is complete and accurate, but also to take decisions and remedial action. Eskom needs to do the required root-cause analyses, provide explanations and fix the problems

that they are currently simply denying. Somehow the messages from within its incomplete and inconsistent data and reports are just not getting through.

The decommissioning of coal-fired power plants that will clearly never comply with the already weak minimum emission standards in South Africa should be accelerated in a way that allows a just transition that protects coal workers, their families and the surrounding communities.

Whatever happens in a future unbundled and restructured Eskom, these non-compliances cannot be allowed to continue at the expense of human health and environmental rights. The current crisis at Eskom provides a unique opportunity for a new electricity supply industry, one that generates power at least-cost and in a way that doesn’t poison our people and communities.

Q11: What can civil society do about this, and are any strong legal or other actions actually happening or being contemplated?

In the first instance, we look to regulators to protect South Africans from industrial pollution. This is their constitutional obligation and their statutory mandate. Air pollution is the world’s largest environmental health risk, and the air quality in various parts of South Africa, including the Highveld Priority Area, where twelve of Eskom fifteen coal-fired power stations are located, is extremely poor.

Court applications are currently being drafted to address various air quality governance failures. Amongst the relief we seek will be a declaration that the air quality in the affected areas breaches peoples’ Section 24 constitutional rights. We will also be seeking an order to set aside the doubling of the SO2 minimum emission standards by the DEA without following the legally-prescribed due process. Civil society is already doing the work of the regulators in analysing Eskom’s emission reports. If the regulators were doing their job and following up with even a minimum of due diligence, these types of independent analyses would not be necessary.

These f lagrant breaches of the country’s air quality laws are completely unacceptable. If no action is taken against Eskom, we may have no option but to consider direct legal action to deal with this criminal non-compliance.

Eskom's response: https://bit.ly/2VSzBpd




INDUSTRY NEWS


Electricity tariff increases “shocking”, says BUSA

Following a highly publicised request by Eskom for tariff increases of between 15 and 17% per year for the following three years, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa), has announced its decision to allow Eskom to increase the tariff for electricity by 9,41% in 2019, 8,1% in 2020 and 5,22% in 2021. This increase is over and above the 4,4% increase regulator had already allowed and which will come into force at the same time.

Business Unity South Africa says the increases in electricity tariff allowed by the energy regulator are shockingly high. The body warns that economy, which is already underperforming, will struggle to grow in the wake of such above-inflation increases and that these tariffs could lead to further job losses and ultimately the collapse of Eskom as demand will most probably decline further.

Eskom, which received far less of an increase than requested, has also criticised Nersa, saying that the power utility’s application was based on the need to ensure Eskom’s financial sustainability to enable it to fulfil its mandate to supply electricity to the country.

Nersa’s decisions

MYPD3 RCA year 5 (2017/18) decision

The energy regulator approved an RCA balance of R3,869-billion which will be recoverable from the standard tariff customers, local special pricing arrangement (SAPs) customers and international customers. The energy regulator will develop an implementation plan for the MYPD3 year 5 RCA for the 2017/18 financial year balance for approval. The approved Eskom RCA balances for the 2017/18 financial year are provided in Table 1.

MYPD 4 (2019/20 to 2021/22) decision

The energy regulator approved an allowable revenue of R206,380-billion for financial year 2019/20, R221,843-billion for financial year 2020/21 and R233,078-billion for financial year 2021/22. The approved allowable revenue will result in average percentage price increases of 9,41%, 8,10% and 5,22% respectively. The allowable revenues approved are detailed in Table 2.

Nersa will subject the costs in Table 2 to further extensive prudency reviews, eff iciency tests and performance

thresholds. It will also perform an independent valuation of Eskom’s regulatory asset base (RAB), and conduct performance audits on Eskom’s generation fleet, and make adjustments if deemed necessary.

The regulator ruled that the allowed revenues must be recovered from both Eskom’s standard and non-standard tariffs based on the previously approved tariff principles and structures using Eskom’s retail tariff structural adjustment (ERTSA) methodology as approved by Nersa.

The regulator will consider the ERTSA for the 2019/20 financial year following Eskom’s submission. The power utility had already conceded that certain governance failures occurred within the organisation, however, at the time of the above decisions and although some of the adjustments were affected, the extent of the governance failures or amounts associated therewith had not been fully quantified.

Nersa says it may initiate its own investigation into the governance failures at Eskom and may effect adjustments to the utility’s revenue based on the outcome of its investigation and/or those undertaken by bodies or entities, including, but not

limited to, Eskom, National Treasury, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), the South African Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (also known as the Hawks), parliament or any commission of enquiry as and when they are concluded, or a conclusive outcome is reached and the costs associated therewith have been quantified.

Eskom’s MYPD3 RCA year 5 (2017/18) application, totalling R21,6-billion, and its MYPD4 application for a duration of three years were received in September 2018. Eskom applied for R219-billion for financial year 2019/20, R252-billion for financial year 2020/21 and R291-billion for financial year 2021/22. Upon receipt of the applications, Nersa conducted an analysis to ensure compliance of the applications to minimum information requirement for tariff application (MIRTA) requirements.

The decision was made after due process had been conducted, the regulator says, which included publishing Eskom’s applicat ions and invi t ing wri t ten comments from stakeholders between 19 October and 30 November 2018. Nersa also conducted public between 14 January and 5 February 2019 to afford interested and affected stakeholders the opportunity to present their views, facts and evidence.

RCA for 2017/18 (Year 5 of MYPD3) R'm Eskom 2017/18 RCA Balance

NERSA Adjustment

NERSA's decision

Revenue 26 896 -10 956 15 940

Primary energy -4385 -1856 -6241

CESA 925 -3951 -3026

EEDMS -1118 0 -1118

SQI 390 0 390

ECS -1122 0 -1122

Inflation 39 7 46

Revenue from previous year (McKinsey) 0 -1000 -1000

Total 21 625 -17 756 3869

Table 1: Approved Eskom RCA year 5 (2017/18) balances.

MYPD4 Decision 2019/20

Decision 2020/21

Decision 2021/22

Total expected revenues from all customers (R'm) 206 380 221 843 233 078

Negotiated price agreement and international customers (R'm)

15 441 16 736 18 480

Revenues from tariffs based sales (R'm) 190 939 205 107 214 598

Forecast sales to tariff customers (GWh) 186 064 184 898 183 856

Standard average tariff (c/kWh) 102,62 110,93 116,72

Percentage traffic increase (%) 9,41% 8,10% 5,22%

Table 2: Approved MYPD4 allowable revenues.

INDUSTRY NEWS


Lauren Hermanus, University of Cape Town

SA takes important next steps to solving its power crisis

South Africa’s power utility Eskom is on the brink of collapse. It owes foreign and local lenders more than R400-billion, it receives insufficient income from the sale of electricity to service its repayment commitments, is owed about R35-billion in overdue arrear debt by direct users and municipalities and is bogged down by two enormous “ill-designed” new-build power station projects which are years late, almost four times over budget, and even the parts which are operating are proving to be unreliable.

In his maiden budget speech, the minister of finance, Tito Mboweni, confirmed the depth of the financial crisis at South Africa’s power utility Eskom. He also underscored the serious risks this poses to economic recovery in the country. Mboweni allocated R23-billion a year over the next three years to Eskom, to be extended over the next ten years if needed. Without this support – and additional measures to address the structural roots of operational and governance crises at the utility – the costs could be much higher.

The minister made clear that fiscal support would be provided with strict conditions. First off, a “chief reorganisation officer” (CRO) will be appointed by the ministers of finance and public enterprises. This person’s mandate will be to implement the recommendations of a recently appointed task team set up to advise government on resolving Eskom’s challenges.

Mboweni also confirmed that Eskom would be broken up. This follows President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement earlier this month that the power utility would be unbundled into three separate companies – generation, transmission and distribution. The first priority would be to establish an independent transmission company.

In addition, Eskom’s turnaround plan will be formalised in a new shareholder compact with the minister of public enterprises. This will include maintenance plans, technical improvements and management of the capital expenditure programme. The interventions and reforms in the budget combine both short term interventions – such as the fiscal support – as well as the first steps to longer term structural reforms. The idea is to keep Eskom afloat while the sector transitions.

The route being mapped out is controversial. Government should listen to the vocal opposition from unions to unbundling as well as questions being

raised about the appropriate role for the private sector. It ’s not enough to demonstrate how the proposed in tervent ions might address the governance, operational and financial crisis at Eskom. Government will also have to show how its plans will protect the most vulnerable and how its plans will deliver tangible benefits to all South Africans. The only way this will be possible is through meaningful engagement with labour, municipalities and civil society. It will also need transparent planning and implementation.

Taking the first step

Experience elsewhere shows that there are often considerable delays between announcing plans and implementation. South Africa is no exception. Previous plans to restructure Eskom got bogged down in lengthy policy and legislative processes. But the new approach suggests there’s room for some optimism. Establishing an independent, state-owned transmission company within the current legislative framework is a pragmatic first step in a longer-term process. Working within the bounds of existing policy is prudent and could help catalyse the momentum to transform the sector.

The transmission company will be established as a subsidiary of Eskom Holdings and a board will be appointed by mid-2019. Following this, the relevant assets, debts, personnel and licenses will be migrated to it. This will include Eskom’s substations and associated infrastructure, the national control centre,

system operator assets and a group of Eskom’s power stations known as “peaker” stations. These operate during peak periods or when the system is under duress and are essential for system balancing. Property rights, transmission licenses and supply agreements with existing clients, will also be transferred.

Separating the national transmission grid could lead to critical changes in the sector. In the short-term, it could provide some relief from the current crises, such as the recent power cuts. Critically, combining transmission with systems operation, power planning, procurement and buying functions could pave the way for contracting new power suppliers, at a lower cost, through competitive procurement processes.

Fast-tracking this procurement process may lead to an increase in generation capacity within the next two years. It would also diversify the risks of dependence on Eskom generation, which is facing a myriad of problems. These include the faulty and costly Medupi and Kusile mega-sized new power plants.

A number of global trends are also likely to facilitate change. Countries are increasingly moving to renewable energy because it’s becoming cheaper to produce on the back of rapid technology developments. This places countries like South Africa in a much better position to move to new, cheaper and cleaner technologies, as well as to develop innovative distribution models. For example, municipalities might procure power directly from independent power producers, using the transmission grid to transport it. Or individual households might be able to switch to paying for back up electricity services to balance solar home generation.

Benefits

A host of additional benefits are likely to flow from the unbundling of Eskom. For example, the power utility’s operations should become much more transparent, which in turn will improve accountability. In its current form, Eskom’s sheer size and complexity gets in the way of making it accountable to its shareholder – the government – and South African citizens.

Acknowledgement

This article was first published by The Conversation and is republished here with permission.




INDUSTRY NEWS


Prestigious double accolade for energy efficiency achievements

Netcare won two coveted awards at the 2018 South African Energy Efficiency Confederation (SAEEC) conference. The private healthcare group was recognised with the Commercial Corporate Company of the Year and Commercial Energy Project of the Year awards at the

recent 13th annual SAEEC conference that took place in Kempton Park, near Johannesburg, recently. The SAEEC accolades follow on four international awards – two gold and two silver Climate Champion Awards – which Netcare received earlier this year following its participation in the 2020 Health Care Climate Challenge, which is organised by the internationally renowned Global Green and Healthy Hospitals organisation.

Dr Richard Friedland, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Netcare Group, says the SAEEC’s Commercial Corporate Company of the Year award was made to Netcare following an evaluation of its sustainability programme, consisting of 63 major energy-saving projects and initiatives implemented across the group’s facilities since 2013. He says that the projects have resulted in the reduction of their carbon footprint by a total of more than 47 000 t of CO2/y.

These projects have included the utilisation of heat pumps and waste heat for generating domestic hot water, the optimisation of HVAC systems, the implementation of energy efficient building management systems, a major lighting retrofit project and the installation of solar PV panels at 53 of the group’s facilities. The SAEEC’s second award to Netcare, Commercial Energy Project of the Year, was for the group’s massive R130-million lighting retrofit project, which involved the replacement of more than 108 000 inefficient lamps and light fittings with modern energy efficient alternatives. This project resulted in energy savings of more than 17 000 000 kWh in the first year of operation, which translated into a 40% saving on Netcare’s lighting load. It also reduced the hospitals’ carbon footprint by more than 16 000 t of CO2/y.

Contact Martina Nicholson, MNA, Tel 011 469-3016, [email protected] v

US$100-million to help SA achieve its climate targets

The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) has been granted funding to the value of US$100-million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to establish the Embedded Generation Investment Programme (EGIP). Embedded generation, under EGIP, is defined as the production of electricity from generation facilities which are connected to the national grid with or without wheeling arrangements. According to the draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2018, embedded generation will contribute approximately 11,5% (2600 MW) to renewable energy capacity by 2030.

EGIP consists of a credit support mechanism which will develop a model for funding embedded generation renewable energy projects in South Africa. The sub-projects under EGIP will be implemented by private sector entities (in their capacity as Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and off-takers) and local municipalities (acting primarily as off-takers).

DBSA, a South African state-owned enterprise and a leading development finance institution which works across the African continent, has matched GCF’s US$100-million funding, thus ensuring there is a funding contribution of US$200-million towards the implementation of EGIP from the two institutions. Approximately US$84-million of the US$200-million funding will be used to provide Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) funding to enable the participation and ownership of local communities and small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in renewable energy.

The financing mechanism is also intended to crowd-in additional funding of approximately US$104-million from local financial institutions and to assist South Africa to make further inroads towards its climate change objectives.

Once all sub-projects are in operation, the proposed investment will add 330 MW of new generating capacity, thereby directly avoiding emissions of more than 700 000 tCO2e per annum.

Patrick Dlamini, the CEO of DBSA says the key objective of the EGIP is to improve the viability and bankability of the initial projects so that they reach financial close. This will ensure that a market for embedded generation is created in South Africa. The programme will create an enabling environment and a new funding model for continued renewable energy investments outside of the REIPPP programme. It is critical in helping South Africa achieve its climate targets, he says.

As the accredited and executing entity, DBSA will be responsible for programme implementation and management. It will also take responsibility for overall portfolio management, evaluation and monitoring in respect of the sub-projects under EGIP. The implementation of the programme is expected to commence upon the approval the revised IRP by Cabinet, which the minister of energy, Jeff Radebe, is quoted as saying will be shortly after his department’s discussions with Nersa, scheduled for 5 March 2019.

Contact Sebolelo Matsoso, DBSA, Tel 011 313-3716, [email protected] v

From left: Khomotso Phala; Eddie Herrmann, Magan Reddy; Johan Durand; Marema Mathenjwa; Jaco Ras;

and Andre Nortje, Netcare.

INDUSTRY NEWS


SABS turnaround plan re-introduces customer-specifi c requirement testing

Acting SABS chief executive off icer Garth Strachan reported to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry that the turnaround plan, approved by the minis ter of Trade and Industry in January, had brought back stability to the entity and that the SABS had reintroduced customer-specific requirement (CSR) testing.

According to Strachan, a key element in stabilising the SABS was to address the laboratory turnaround and this presented a need to resolve the issue of “partial testing” which was abandoned in 2015.

“This business decision to limit all testing activities to a full South African National Standard (SANS) had many unintended consequences. As a result, the SABS and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) were inundated with customer complaints and requests for us to reinstate the provision of partial testing.”

He says the SABS had to change its strategy and create the capacity to deliver on customers’ business needs.

“As a result, the SABS turnaround plan has introduced a risk-based approach to customer-specific requirements testing. We still have a long journey ahead but initial industry engagement shave validated our decision. We call on industry associations and companies with unresolved matters to contact the SABS urgently”.

The SABS, which had suffered from declining board g o v e r n a n c e a n d p o o r p e r f o r m a n c e c o n c e r n s , was placed under administration in July 2018. Three co-administrators were appointed for a six-month period and Dr Rob Davies, the minister of Trade and Industry, has subsequently extended the co-administrators’ appointment until end-October 2019.

“The diagnostic report undertaken by the co-administrators and the disclaimer audit opinion by the auditor general demonstrates that the decision by the minister to place the SABS under administration was taken timeously and in the public interest”, says Strachan.

He says the turnaround plan has begun to deliver results on cost containment, revenue generation and procurement process optimisation. The SABS has budgeted R300-million for capital expenditure of which R58-million was approved for the upgrading of critical testing infrastructure in the petroleum, chemicals and materials and agro-processing laboratories; R80-million for the digitisation of business processes and the remaining R95-million for infrastructure maintenance including the National Electrical Test Facility (NETFA) in Olifantsfontein.

In the six months under review, the co-administrators had halved the trade deficit to R24-million, filled critical vacancies and maintained the SANAS accreditation. The SABS has revitalised the local content verification programme and has identified 64 projects, 15 of which are in project execution. The SABS local content verification programme still depends on an approved government funding model which could open new verification opportunities in the mining sector.

Contact Nils Flaatten, SABS, Tel 082 409-2020, [email protected] v

Nedbank and EE Publishers launch energy and ICT infrastructure seminars

Nedbank and EE Publishers will host a series of morning seminars on important infrastructure issues facing the energy and ICT sectors in South Africa at Nedbank main auditorium, 135 Rivonia Road, Sandton.

The purpose of the seminars is to initiate meaningful, constructive dialogue on energy and ICT infrastructure initiatives needed to unlock the economic and human potential of South Africa.

The seminars will cover political, economic, environmental, policy, legal, regulatory, planning, investment, business, labour and social issues. Attendees will be addressed by a number of key sectoral leaders, followed by open discussion and dialogue with the audience on the challenges arising. An entrance free of R150 pp will be levied.

7 May 2019: Ensuring a just energy transition

The need for a just energy transition in South Africa to ensure environmental sustainability and reduce the carbon intensity of South Africa – issues of job creation, education, training, re-skilling and geo-location of clean energy resources for maximum impact and least cost.

25 Jun 2019: Enabling SSEG in SA

The role of small and medium scale embedded generation and ”smart grid” in meeting the electrical energy needs of the future – the necessary business case, policy, regulatory and financing environment for behind-the-meter solutions such as rooftop solar PV and other distributed generation.

13 Aug 2019: Establishing a viable gas sector

How to facilitate a viable gas sector in SA from imported liquefied natural gas (LNG), imported compressed natural gas (CNG) from neighbouring countries, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from the SA petrochemical industry, and exploration and exploitation of shale gas in the Karoo and natural gas along the SA coast.

22 Oct 2019: Flexible power generation

The role and business case for flexible generation, including gas-to-power, pumped water storage, thermal energy storage and battery energy storage systems to complement intermittent wind and solar renewable energy sources, and to provide much needed auxiliary grid services.

26 Nov 2019: Supporting effective ICT ecosystems

The need for effective ICT bandwidth, spectrum and infrastructure, together with a sound policy, legal, regulatory and planning framework in South Africa, to facilitate universal affordable broadband access, e-business and Industry 4.0 for inclusive economic growth.

For information regarding sponsorship opportunuties please visit https://wp.me/p5dDng-18dg v

Sebenza substation, the city of Johannesburg’s biggest electrical project in a decade, was officially opened by the city’s mayor, Herman Mashaba, recently. In his speech, Mashaba said he was proud to announce that this substation, which will strengthen City Power’s distribution network had been built within budget and on time.

This new substation, which is located immediately behind the Kelvin power station near Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, is rated at 1000 MVA, 400/275/132 kV. As one of the main intake substations in the north-eastern region of Johannesburg, it provides a reliable supply of electricity to the businesses and residents of the city.

The new substation was built by Consolidated Power Projects (Conco), an engineering procurement and construction (EPC) contractor, with consulting engineers from PSW and Nyeleti. The substation has been fitted with three 315 MVA, 275/88/22 kV autotransformers which were specially designed and manufactured locally for the project.

Covering a land area of 260 x 440 m, the substation is situated on land which was previously used by the Kelvin coal-fired power station to dump coal ash from its furnaces. This project is expected to stimulate much needed economic growth for the city of Johannesburg and will relieve load from the Prospect substation.

Conco says this substation has been built to dramatically improve reliability and stability of the grid. Part of the Sebenza project involved Conco having to upgrade and make additions to both Prospect and Kelvin substations, which included installing four sets of reactors and new switchgear on some of the main feeders at Kelvin.

This substation incorporates a number of special features and not a few “firsts”.

Firstly, it uses specially designed transformers which use high-impedance coils to match the 40 kA circuit breakers installed at the old Kelvin power station. These transformers incorporate a specially customised three-stage cooling system designed to provide high efficiency cooling at various temperatures, while at the same time minimising energy use.

It also incorporates the largest 132 kV high voltage gas insulated switchgear (GIS) board ever delivered in Africa. The gear consists of 132 kV GIS, circuit breakers 88 kV surge arresters and point-of-wave relays. The 132 kV GIS board comprises 38 bays.

Evacuating power from the substation is done by means of heavy-duty high-voltage cables. These cables run from under the power transformers, out of the substation building underground in special trenches, to new overhead lines. New towers carry new lines out of the substation to transmit the power to the city via the transmission grid at 88 kV.

The lines are however built for 132 kV duty. The connection between Prospect and Sebenza is via a double circuit 275 kV line which was totally refurbished during this contract. This installation is also equipped with a state-of-the-art SCADA communication system which allows central control to operate this installation remotely.

Mario Prasti, Conco’s special projects director, says the company is proud of this project and pleased to report that although the lifetime of the project required over 1-million man-hours of work, it incurred no lost-time incidents.

Within budget and on time: Substation strengthens city’s distribution network

ADVERTORIAL

Contact Mario Prasti | CONCO | Tel 011 805-4281 | [email protected]

www.concogrp.com


Hydropower life extension project

Ex tens ive rehabi l i ta t ion and modernisat ion measures wi l l be undertaken at the Nangbeto hydropower plant to extend its life by another 30 years. The project is a joint venture between Benin and Togo and is worth US$25-million. The project comprises the refurbishment of the generators, the cavitation inspection of the turbines, the replacement of the blades, the rehabilitation of the cooling system, an overhaul of the automation and communication infrastructure, and the modernisation of the supply buildings and switchyard. A water treatment plant will supply the neighbouring communities with fresh water. v

Off-grid electricity grows in sub-Saharan Africa

T h e S w e d i s h I n t e r n a t i o n a l Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) says that projects for the provision of off-grid electricity will be extended to include Burkina Faso, Liberia and Mozambique. These projects are expected to provide up to 15-million people with electricity. Sida says that by leapfrogging the national electricity grid and promoting modern off-grid solutions, people’s lives will be improved, jobs created, and poverty could become a thing of the past. v

Power company posts healthy profit

Kenya Power reported a net profit of US$29-million for the half year to 31 December 2018. Sales of electricity grew by 9% from 4882 GWh to 5324 GWh and revenue from these sales increased by 21,3%. Transmission and distribution costs increased by 37,3%; and finance costs increased by 23,5% the company’s managing director and CEO Jared Othieno says. Apparently, additional initiatives are being undertaken to improve the supply of reliable power through the strengthening of the distribution network and an efficient service delivery to ensure customer satisfaction. v

Tender for the construction of 90 kV transmission line

The World Bank has extended a loan to the government of Burkina Faso to be used to finance the country’s Electricity Sector Support Project (PASEL). Part of the money will be used to fund the construction of the 90 kV Wona-Dédougou transmission line. The country’s national electricity company (SONABEL) has extended an invitation for eligible candidates to submit bids to carry out the work. Bidding companies must have completed at least two contracts, worth at least $2-million, including the construction of a powerline of 63 kV at least. v

Improving rural electrification

The African Development Bank is undertaking a feasibility study for improved electricity business models in Nigeria and Ethiopia. The study will consider the regulatory, legal, technical, and socio-economic factors which impact the creation of electric cooperatives in the two nations as tax-exempt businesses set up and owned by the consumers who benefit from the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. v

Major interconnection project starts

President of the Gambia, Adama Barrow, laid the foundation stone of a substation in Jarra Soma, in the Gambia River Basin’s lower river region. The substation will be a key component of the country’s energy interconnection project with Guinea Conakry, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal. Known as the OMVG Energy Project, the interconnection, which includes a transmission line of 1677 km and 15 substations, will reinforce regional integration and cooperation by using and exploiting the shared hydroelectric resources in the local river basins and increase electricity access from 40% to 60%. v

Egypt to participate with EAPP countries

Egypt is to work with East Africa Power Pool (EAPP) countries in an attempt to advance common goals in the energy sector. These goals include the greater use of renewable energy in rural electrification, improving energy efficiency and the planning of electricity projects ion the region. Speaking at a recent ministerial meeting of the EAPP in Entebbe, the country’s minister of energy, Mohamed Shaker, said that Egypt’s achievements in the last four years have resulted in the addition of 25 000 MW to the country’s national power grid. v

Togo approves solar subsidy

The government of Togo has approved an innovative solar subsidy for customers using the BBOXX solar home systems, to spend on solar energy. The subsidy, known as the CIZO Cheque, provides households which use the company’s solar home systems, a monthly subsidy of about US$3,5 over a three-year period. The system, which works on a prepaid arrangement, has been operating in Togo since December 2017, after being awarded a tender to install 300 000 solar home systems by 2022 across the country, largely in rural areas. v

Tender for substation upgrades

Nigeria is expected to call for tenders for the rehabilitation of its 330/132 kV and 132/33 kV transmission substations. Consulting services are likely to include project management and supervision; technical control of designs; receipt of the equipment in factory and supplies to site; pre-commissioning tests and commissioning upon completion of work, as well as on the job training and transfer of knowledge. v


RENEWABLE ENERGY

The global mining industry is facing a future where falling ore grades are forcing a transition to more energy intensive mining methods. With the energy expenditure predicted to increase to more than 30% of total operational outlay, cost remains the primary driver for grid-tied mines to integrate renewable generation into their energy mix.

Demand for renewables from mining companies has increased because of increasing financial benefits and improved energy and price security, whereas they were seen formerly as support for carbon emissions reduction and CSR. As a rule of thumb, cost reductions for renewables and batteries

Grid connected mines look to renewables to cut costsby Amiram Roth-Deblon, Juwi Renewable Energies

In the face of increasing electricity costs and decreasing ore grades, grid-connected mines are looking to renewables as a solution to burdensome cost and logistical concerns. It is no longer about if renewables work in mining, but rather about how to integrate them in an optimum way. Conversations with the mining industry today centre around maximising renewable contribution, while ensuring a robust and reli able supply of energy.

are forecast to be 3 to 8% year on year in the coming years.

In addition to offering the opportunity for reduced operating costs, adopting renew ables allows grid-tied mines to shield themselves from volatile energy markets and spiking electricity prices.

Avoiding wholesale electricity increases is a huge motivator for grid-connected mines, and sudden price hikes are not restricted to under-developed power mar kets. Mining companies in Australia, including Glencore and Rio Tinto, have had to absorb spot prices as high as AU$14 000/MWh, making via ble, self-sufficient energy generation, independent

of a national grid, an increasingly attractive proposition.

Security of energy supply is paramount to mines, with sudden outages or mandated curtailments impacting all facets of the operation, from worker safety to production and profit. As the mining industry expands into emerging markets with immature power sectors, the integration of renewable generation offers grid-connected mines the opportunity to secure their energy supply, regardless of the strength of the local energy market.

The flexibility of renewable solutions enables grid-connect ed mines to introduce them in a granular and scalable fashion, adding solar or wind to tradi tional energy generation methods to create a hybrid solution that ensures a consistent energy supply.

Security of supply is of paramount impor tance, and power station design, construction and operation differs substantially from utili ty-scale on-grid solar or wind. Juwi has developed hybrid systems that enable seamless integration of solar, wind and bat tery into gas, diesel or HFO power stations or mining grids.

An example is the company’s hybrid SCADA which provides real-time data and monitoring of all generation assets, not just wind, solar or battery. Its solutions can be deployed at new plants or as a retrofit to an existing genset fleet. Renewable energy technology is advancing rapidly resulting in falling costs and increased reli ability of solar and wind generation. Wind turbine technology keeps getting larger, better and cheaper. The world’s largest wind turbines now have between 10 and 12 MW capacities.

According to a recent report in Bloomberg's New Energy Finance, the cost of solar gener ation has fallen by 77% to a global average of US$70/MWh over the last seven years, while the price of wind has dropped 38% to a worldwide average of US$55/MWh.

Fig. 1: Solar PV installation near a mine in Rustenburg.

Fig. 2: Close up of the PV array installation.


RENEWABLE ENERGY

Battery storage technology solves both intermittency issues and provides added benefits to grid-con nected mines by acting as a virtual spinning reserve which balances wind, solar and thermal to its optimum point. At grid-connected mines, it would be energy batteries that enable energy shifting, peak shaving or ancillary services.

The benchmark price for Li-ion batteries fell nearly 80% from US$1000/kWh in 2010 to US$209/kWh in 2017, and prices are likely to continue to fall. In general, batteries will see the strongest cost reduction trajectory as tech nology improvements and production upscal-ing is still in an early phase. Far from being restricted to emergent commodity markets with immature power sectors, mining companies are investing in renewables at a global level, even in countries with established and reliable national grids.

The market activity ranges from studies at PFS stage to international tenders for large operational mines in places such as Australia, Chile or South Africa, to name

just a few. It is often about behind the meter solar and sometimes wind.

We believe that this segment and corporate PPAs for mining are a great option for mines to secure their power supply in a cost competitive way without any carbon footprint. Australia and Chile stand out and are the ones to watch for large behind the meter develop ments. The USA and Canada, as well as Africa or even central Asia, could surprise with projects that might not be that visible today.

In line with its global appeal, renewable ener gy is gaining traction across the diverse oper ations of the mining industry. Gold and copper seem to be the trailblasers in off-grid applications at the moment, but we also see demand from a diverse range of re sources such as nickel, graphite, cobalt, min eral sands or even larger operations such as iron ore. We also believe that diamond operations could benefit greatly from renewable energy deployment.

Despite its apparent benefits and increasing attractiveness to the mining

industry, integrat ing renewables into a mining operation is not without its challenges: Regulatory hurdles such as grid access, firm ing power requirements, generation, and pow er trading licenses, and market mechanisms for battery integration are significant topics. Some of these delay the development of projects, and we are glad to be working with IPPs and mining companies to address these challenges.

For established grid-connected mines looking to adopt renewable generation, the key to success is a thorough understanding of the mine’s power needs and end applications for the design and implementation of a seamlessly integrated mining power solution.

As evidence of the value of renewable energy to mining operations, one should consider the success of the company’s collaboration with Sandfire Resources on the DeGrus sa solar project. The hybrid system at the DeGrussa has now been running for more than two years at 100% uptime and has been proven to deliver power to even the most demanding Ball/SAG mills and CIL/Leach processing plants.”

DeGrussa’s solar power provides the majority of the mine’s daytime electricity re quirements and offsets around 20% of its total diesel consumption annually. Not only does the project offset approximately 5-million l of diesel fuel per annum and cut the mine’s emissions by around 12 000 t CO2/y, it also serves as an example of how renewables can effectively be integrated into a tradi-tional generation system without loss of reliability. It is not easy to combine two or even three different power sources and to deliver 99,8% power station uptime, but both have been achieved and exceeded, for more than two years, at the DeGrussa mine in Western Australia.

Lessons from the success of the DeGrussa solar plant can be carried forward to provide that same value to future projects with grid-connected mines. One relevant finding has been that wind can work at sites with PPA tenors as short as seven years and compete against pipeline natural gas, even in Western Austra lia. Another highly relevant area has been behind the meter power in Africa and Australia. We proved at several mine sites that both on- and off-site solar or wind power can reduce cash operating costs and exposure to grid price increases or reliability issues.

Contact Amiram Roth-Deblon, Juwi Renewable Energies, [email protected] v

Fig. 3: Satellite view of the mine, showing PV installation and mine workings.

Company Projects Products Technology


RENEWABLE ENERGY NEWS

Africa’s first sea water solar desalination plant

Afr ica’s f i r s t sea water so lar desalination plant has now produced more than 10 000 kl of drinkable water. The plant is located in Witsand in the Western Cape. The project, co-funded by the French Treasury and the Province of the Western Cape, has been fully developed and completed in less than 18 months by Turnkey Water Solutions (TWS) and Mascara Renewable Water, together with a strong team of local consultants and contractors. The Osmosum plant, designed by Mascara, is currently producing an average of 150 kl of drinkable water per day, two-thirds of the production from solar energy only and at a very competitive price.

Contact Patrice Boyer, Mascara renewable water, [email protected] v

Three-in-one waste-to-power technology

Growthpoint Properties has embarked on an excit ing partnership with the Dutch green technology provider Waste Transformers by installing an on-site, anaerobic digester at its N1 City Mall property in Cape Town which uses organic waste to produce green electricity, hot water and fertiliser. The Waste Transformers unit is a modulated structure comprising four large containers that are run by a number of processes and occupies about six or seven parking bays onsite at the mall. The hot water is used to clean the plant and the waste area. The methane gas is harvested, filtered and housed in the gas component of the installation. This gas is then used to run an electric generator which then provides electricity to the shopping centre. The last product of the system is a liquid fertiliser which is distributed to a large number of non-profit organisations, hospitals and the Parow Golf Course.

Contact Gavin Jones, Growthpoint Properties, Tel 011 944-6278, [email protected] v

Solar park enters commercial operationThe Kathu Solar Park, which was constructed by Sener and Acciona Industrial, came into commercial operation recently. With an installed capacity of 100 MW, it will allow clean energy to be supplied to 179 000 homes in the Northern Cape Province and prevent the emission of 6-million t CO2 into the atmosphere over the next 20 years. The plant incorporates parabolic trough collectors and a molten salt storage system which enables heat from the solar park to be stored and electricity to be generated in the absence of solar radiation. This molten salt storage system, which provides up to five hours of power generation, extends the operational capacity of the plant after sundown and on cloudy days. Kathu Solar Park was one of the projects awarded during bid window 3.5 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) by the South African Department of Energy (DoE).

Contact Acciona Industrial, [email protected] v

To monitor wind turbine blades

The new ping monitor is an innovative acoustic solution and a world-first application of aero-acoustic analysis for wind turbine maintenance and repair. The device monitors the sound from the blades and then compares this with previously known acoustic signatures from damaged blades to help identify the likely scale and type of damage to the blades, including cracking, pitting, erosion and delamination, which over time will lead to loss of aerodynamic performance and potentially a catastrophic failure. This continuous detection allows repairs to be responsive, swift and targeted, reducing costs to turbine owners/operators and end-power users. Turbine downtime from more serious damage is reduced, as a result of the early detection of the defects.

Contact Matthew Stead, Ping services, [email protected] v




PV solar simulator power supply

I t e c h h a s r e c e n t l y launched its new high speed high performance p h o t o v o l t a i c / s o l a r simulator power supply. The IT6500C is a high-power DC power supply equipped with SAS1000 solar array simulation software to accurately simulate the IV curve of the solar cells. The IT6500C has output voltages up to 1000 V with power from 1,8 kW to 100 kW, depending on the model. It can be used to test the MPPT efficiency for photovoltaic inverters in the real environment, and can also construct the PV system together with photovoltaic inverters, which supplies supports for research and development and testing of smart electric meters, photovoltaic controllers, micro-grid control center and other equipment.

Contact Daniel Haywood, ITech, Tel 066 231-1900, [email protected] v

Upgrading a pumped storage power plant

ABB’s generator c i rcu i t-breaker technology will help to enable smooth integration of renewables and modernise one of UK’s key power plants. The Dinorwig pumped storage power plant in North Wales has been hailed as one of the world’s most innovative construction projects. Dinorwig power plant is the fastest pumped storage installations of its kind, capable of reaching maximum generation of 1728 MW in less than 16 s. The plant is capable of providing continuous power to 3-million people in Wales for five-and-a-half-hours. It is also the largest installation of its kind in Europe. ABB will replace the existing equipment at Dinorwig with the latest state-of-the-art GCB technology as part of a high-voltage service contract. The GCB protects key equipment such as generators and transformers by clearing potential harmful short-circuit faults to prevent severe damage and possibly lengthy plant downtime.

Contact Sumaya Abdool, ABB, Tel 010 202-5000, [email protected] v

Advancing the alternative energy industry

Diesel Electric Services r e c e n t l y i n s t a l l e d a 690 kWp grid t ied PV system together with an 800 kVA generator feeding an 11 kV ring for the Lords View warehousing complex. This will significally reduce electricity costs and peak demand charges, providing considerable incentives for tenants and owners. The company has also supplied many gas fuelled generating sets into various applications, which also adds to its drive into the renewable space.

Contact Diesel Electric Services, Tel 086 110 6633, [email protected] v

For hot water and electricity production systemStraightLine Energy Solutions has developed a container solution for producing hot water and energy using the EscoPod system, described as saving up to 80% of the cost compared to conventional methods of producing energy. The Siemens monitoring system allows StraightLine to compare the performance and costs of the EscoPod with comparable values from the systems originally used to produce hot water and electricity. In an ideal scenario, the EscoPod costs would be up to 80% less than those achieved with a conventional system. If the monitoring shows that specific targets defined in the service contract between StraightLine and the customer have been met, the company receives the bonus previously agreed. Each unit is fitted with a Siemens S7 PLC which controls the EscoPod unit and collects data from several monitoring points, including the flow and temperature of the hot water produced, electricity generated, and CO2/prime energy avoided. The web-based graphic interface of the monitoring system was developed by Siemens through joint workshops with StraightLine.

Contact Jennifer Naidoo, Siemens, [email protected] v



MV distribution lines are generally make use of roadside poles of lengths which provide ground clearance for conductors but which fall within contact distance of undergrowth and surrounding trees.

Contact with fallen or wind-driven trees and vegetation not only provides a path to earth and between conductors, but can damage bare conductors and cause contact between conductors, resulting in arcing and sparking. Tree branches falling across wires provide a high resistance path which will not operate protection devices, but the low current can cause the fibres to ignite and fall down into the undergrowth, starting fires.

The risks associated with bare wires on MV routes can be divided into three groups:

l Risk of failure of the overhead line due to contact with trees and other falling structures, high winds, passing traffic, etc.

Benefits of covered conductor systems for MV overhead line distributionby Mike Rycroft, EE Publishers

MV distribution networks generally make use of uninsulated conductors strung between poles of varying materials. In many areas there is a risk of failure and consequent environmental damage with bare conductors. Insulated conductor systems for medium and high voltage have been developed to reduce risks and have proved to be successful in many areas.

l Risk of damage to property or the environment caused by fault conditions on the line. Typically bush or forest fires due to sparks or arcing, contact between lines, insulator breakdown, contact with trees or other conductive material, contact with live conductors.

l Harm to large birds, small animals or humans.

Bush fires due to faults on overhead distribution routes are common in places such as Australia and California. Electrocution of large birds is a common occurrence on MV and HV routes in South Africa. Because of the larger number of MV routes, they constitute a greater problem for bird electrocution.

To overcome these risks and improve the reliability and safety of MV distribution routes, overhead conductors provided with an insulating covering have been developed. The technology is known by

the more common name of “covered conductors”, as their properties are different from what is conventionally known as insulated conductors.

The use of covered conductors also allows for more compact assemblies and lower masts and poles and helps to minimise the environmental impact of transporting electricity by reducing reducing the visual intrusion of wires, poles and transmission towers.

Covered conductor systems were developed in the 1970s and are used extensively in Europe, Australia, America and the Far East, but do not seem to have found much application in the South African system, although MV aerial bundled cable (ABC) is available locally and has been used on some routes [3].

Usage is usually restricted to 33 kV for MV distribution but systems using single covered cable at 132 kV are also in use. European experience with covered conductors suggests that covered-wire fault rates are about 75% less than bare-wire fault rates.

Technology

The covered single conductor forms the basis of all MV covered conductor systems. The covered conductor system, although not a touch-safe screened cable system, is designed to provide protection from initiation of flash-overs due to clashing of conductors, bird or animal incursions, and tree branches or debris which has blown or fallen on to the line, especially in conditions of severe weather and high pollution.

CENELEC standard EN 50397 defines covered conductors up to 36 kV as: “Covered conductors consist of a conductor surrounded by a covering made of insulating material as protection against accidental contacts with other covered conductors and with grounded parts such as tree branches, etc. In Fig. 1: Spacer system pole mounting (Hendrix).



The impulse strength of a single layer of XLPE sheathed CC is around 115 kV [1]. However, the electrical stresses caused by trees on the line or conductors on the cross-arm can erode the sheath in periods from months to minutes depending on the system voltage.

Surface voltage stresses are greater with porcelain insulators rather than polymeric insulators due to the greater difference in the dielectric constants of the porcelain (three times that of polymeric insulators) and the XLPE sheath. Surface tracking of XLPE sheathed conductor also occurs in coastal environments, especially if the carbon black content is around 3% (which is the case in many CCs).

This effect can be reduced by the use of polymeric insulators or switching to an HDPE sheathed conductor which contains substantially less carbon black.

Multiple sheath CC (MV)

CCs can have three, five or seven sheath layers problems. Generally uncompacted, the core has a larger overall diameter than the equivalent compacted versions. A mastic EVA compound provides moisture penetration resistance. It is also available in partially compacted form. Fig. 3 shows a three layer CC.

The three layers are basically a semi-conducting screen close to the metal

Fig. 2: Spacer system spacer design.

comparison with insulated conductors, this covering has reduced properties, but is sufficient to withstand the phase-to-earth voltage temporarily.”

In other words, the covered conductor has lower insulating properties than “insulated cable” and is designed to withstand conditions other than those which would be encountered by insulated cables in electrical installations.

Four distinct systems exist, all based on the basic single conductor:

l Covered conductors and tree wire: Single cable covered with single or multiple layers of insulation and screening

l Spacer cable systems (Hendrix technology): Manufactured in the united states this consists of a group of covered conductors separated by spacers and supported by a “messenger”or catenary wire.

l Ericsson universal cable system: A three core cable designed for overhead or underground use. Commonly used in European and Nordic countries.

l MV aerial bundled cable (MV ABC) systems: A configuration adapted from the LV ABC technology that uses three insulated conductors plus an integrated insulated support cable.

Covered conductor technology (CC)

CC consists of single core conductors with a variety of insulation layers and

outer sheath coverings. The conductors are generally of aluminium, aluminium alloy or aluminium core steel reinforced construction (ACSR). The high density outer layer resists abrasion, electrical tracking and UV degradation. The insulation materials are polyethylene, XLPE, and EPR. XLPE and HDPE are the most commonly used sheath materials for covered conductors. XLPE is preferred to HDPE since it has about twenty times the environmental stress crack resistance and about five times the impact and tensile strength of HDPE insulation. Single sheath conductors commonly use uncompacted aluminium alloy wires with an XLPE or HDPE sheath. The thinner sheaths reduce the overall diameter and thus, the wind resistance, leading to lower vibration levels and lower snow loads [2].

Single sheath CC

The characteristics of single sheath CCs are:

l A single layer acting as insulation and protective sheath.

l Typically low density polyethylene is used (XLPE).

l Covering thickness ranges from 2,3 to 3,3 mm.

l Lower impulse strength than two and three layer designs.

l Provides some resistance to outages caused by tree and wildlife contact.



conductor to equalise out the electric field, an insulating polyethylene sheath and finally a hard abrasion-resistant outside layer of HDPE. The semi-conducting sheath is particularly useful on an uncompacted conductor as it equalises out the electric field and reduces the local voltage stress across the sheath when in contact with another object (tree, crossarm etc.). This allows the conductor to last for considerable lengths of time when, for instance, it is brought into contact with an earthed object. Further layers are added to improve the screening and electric field equalisation.

In this configuration an additional semiconductive screen layer is added on the outside of the insulation layer, which further serves to equalise the electric field in the cable and reduce high electric stress points. In this configuration an additional metallic screen , which may consist of tape or wire wrap is added on the outside of the insulation layer.

Copper is generally used for this purpose. The metal screen may also replace the semiconductive screen completely.

Field experience has shown that the semiconductive screen easily becomes damaged due to incorrect handling during installation or abrasion during operation, and this results in damage to the cable, causing arcing and bush fires. The metallic screen increases the diameter and weight of the cable, but the improved performance outweighs the disadvantage [5].

Covered wire (tree cable) systems

Covered wires of the types above may be used as a direct replacement for open wires with the same design and construction methods with the exception that reduced clearances and conductor spacing are applicable. CC cannot be used with porcelain insulators because the difference in dielectric constants between porcelain and polyethylene will eventually lead to electrical erosion of the polyethylene cable insulation.

In normal overhead line design the phase-to-phase clearance at the mast or pole is determined by the need to maintain an acceptable level of mid-span clearance under specified conditions. This means that the phase-to-phase clearance at the towers of a conventional overhead line is significantly over-dimensioned from a purely electrical point of view. With covered conductors the situation is totally different [1].

Another difference is in arcing behaviour. When flashover occurs between the phases of a normal overhead line the arc starts to move immediately, but if the flashover and puncture occurs with covered conductors the arc will remain in the extinction point and is very likely to melt the conductors. This must be prevented and effective shielding against lightning strikes must be provided. It has been assumed that flashover may happen at the tower and arcing horns are needed. The live end arcing horns must also have galvanic contact with the conductor.

Spacer cable systems (Hendrix cable system)

Spacer cable systems are essentially three CC phases in a polymeric support cradle supported by a “messenger” or catenary cable. The system, as manufactured by Hendrix, is used extensively the United States and has been tested for use in several other countries. The system is usually used for MV routes up to 33 kV but has been successfully extended to 69 kV routes.

The conductor used is the triple sheathed CC version discussed earlier. The system is used widely in the USA, South America and parts of Canada and is being marketed in Europe. Overall it is used in 60 countries.

Spacer cable is a pre-engineered electrical distribution system designed for high reliability, and improved right-of-way flexibility. The conductors are covered with three layers of polymer designed to allow intermittent contact with ground points (tree branches, etc.) without causing an outage or nuisance tripping. The conductor is supported by a high strength messenger (catenary) wire which provides mechanical support, a system neutral, and acts as a shield wire against lightning. The conductors are hung loosely beneath the messenger and supported by “spacers”, which results in virtually no tension on the conductors. The insulating properties of the covering allows the messenger and the conductors to be bundled into a compact area. The messenger wire is used as the earth of the system because of its high strength and high conductivity.

Ericsson universal cable

This is a self supporting three-core cable system designed for a variety of different applications, including overhead routes. The cable consists of three metallic screened CCs enclosed in common protective sheath of linear low density Polyethylene (LLDPE) as shown in Fig. 5.

The cable is available in 12, 24 and 36 kV versions, with a maximum ampacity of 160 A for 12 and 36 kV systems and 200 A for 24 kV systems [4]. The cable is used extensively in Nordic countries for overhead MV distribution.

MV aerial bundled cable (MV ABC) systems

MV aerial bundled cable consists of three CCs bundled together with a support wire or catenary. At medium voltages, typically

Fig. 3: Ericsson universal cable construction (Ericsson).



<11 kV, it is becoming general practice in some countries to use the ABC option instead of open wires. This allows the adoption of shorter poles, and the result is generally considered to be visually less intrusive.

The type of CC used may be any of the varieties previously discussed, and the choice will depend on the application. In South Africa the applicable standard is SANS 1713 “Electric cables – medium-voltage aerial bundled conductors for voltages from 3,8/6,6 kV to 19/33 kV”. The cable may be of the three core plus catenary or four core self-supporting type. The conductor may be aluminium or copper. The conductor may be shielded or unshielded.

Ampacity of a typical product ranges from 150 to 400 A across the 6,6 to

33 kV range. HV ABC is used extensively in some countries such as Australia, where bare overhead wires pose a high risk of the ignition of bushfires, and extensive experience in the use of HV ABC has been gained. There are a few instances of MV ABC use in South Africa.

Economics

The economics of CC use depends on the inspection and maintenance procedures of the utility and the cost benefit put on safety, reliability and fault reduction [1].

Some utilities state that the lifetime costs are lower due to greater reliability and reduction in fault levels. Others state that their line patrols etc. still need to be carried out and so no reduction in lifetime costs is apparent. CC is, however,

accepted world-wide as having a major impact on safety levels for both human and wildlife though some utilities state that this alone does not justify the higher initial capital cost.

The problem of detecting a downed conductor is still the subject of research but most utilities consider that the use of SEF and recloser strategies is sufficient to meet safety requirements and that the performance of downed CC detection is very little different than that of detection of a downed bare wire conductor.

Installation costs may be higher with CC lines due to the increased care level necessary so as not to damage the conductor. The use of CC can add 15 to 20% to the overall cost compared with bare wire [1]. The cross-arm is generally smaller and lighter and more easily handled. It is therefore cheaper to install and may have additional long-term benefits for linesmen.

Poles are generally heavier and taller for CC lines due to the increased weight and sag. However, the incremental cost of the extra height is quite small in terms of overall installation costs and the use of stronger poles may benefit increased security. Poletop hardware may be slightly cheaper with CC lines due to the increased use of fittings which are easier and cheaper to install than bare wire fittings.

Lightning protection is an additional cost for CC lines, but this may be balanced partially by fewer faults due to lightning. The gains from reduced weather outages (no clashing, fewer problems with blown debris and trees), improved third-party safety, better pole-top working conditions (with shorter cross-arms), reduced vandalism and being more environmentally friendly to wildlife are very difficult to quantify.

References[1] J Wareing: “Covered conductor systems for

distribution” EA Technology, Report No. 5925, Project No. 70580, December 2005. [2] Powerline January 2017: Special section on covered conductors.

[3] R Kruger and K Kraft: “Proactive bird mortality mitigation in distribution”, Eskom standard ENV16-R223.

[4] B Trager: “Spacer cable vs. tree wire: pros and cons of two distinct construction options”, www.powerandcables.com

[5] Ericsson: “Universal cable handbook”, Ericsson, 20091201 23/28701-FGC101683 Rev F.

[6] CBI African cables MV ABC catalogue.


Fig. 5: Reliability of bare wire and CC systems [1].

Fig. 4: MV ABC cable (CBI Electric African cables).



Coking o f the con tac t s causes overheating, which can cause thermal runaway. Regular maintenance is necessary to ensure continued proper functioning. Oil testing has long been recognised as an important tool for detecting incipient faults in the main tanks of transformers and is being applied to load tap changers.

Some of the advantages of oil testing are:

l Can usually be performed while equipment remains in service.

l Can detect a wide range of problems in the early stages.

l Can be used to ascertain a reasonable sense of the severity of the problem.

l Has been shown to be very cost effective.

Oil testing is used to provide one of the most important early warning diagnostics for on-load tap changers and, because of its effectiveness, has made condition-based maintenance a reality. Dissolved gas analysis (DGA) has been applied successfully for many years to non-current switching oil-filled power equipment. The application of DGA to OLTCs has both similarities and differences to the use of DGA in other oil-filled power equipment. It is similar in that the same processes produce the same gases. However, in terms of gas production, OLTCs are far more complex than transformers.

OLTCs may or may not produce all of the so-called “fault gases” in normal operation and the gases that are produced may or may not be lost through venting. The first applications of DGA to evaluate the condition of an OLTC were based on experiences with transformers. Threshold limits were developed for the gases produced by overheating, both individually and in combination. Many factors such as design, operation, ventilation, and online filtration affect gas levels.

Condition-based assessment of on-load tap changersby I Gray, Wear Check

On-load tap changers (OLTCs) are a crucial element of utility networks, as they must operate in a precise fashion in order to maintain a constant voltage output. This must be achieved regardless of variation on input or load. OLTCs have been a weak link in many networks, as they deteriorate over time due to mechanical problems or contact wear from repeated operation. Erosion of the contacts over time is expected due to the nature of their function.

Consequently, this gas-threshold approach offered limited success, but proved the potential usefulness of fluid testing for OLTC condition assessment. Since gas data alone cannot provide sufficient information to fully assess OLTC condition, new approaches were required for OLTC evaluations. The search for an effective new approach led to the development of condition codes, which provide a condition assessment of the load path components. In addition to revealing useful information for the

maintenance of insulating fluid, fluid assessment tests are used in conjunction with OLTC gas data to provide diagnostic information about the condition of OLTCs. Keeping the oil free of water, arc decomposition products and other contaminants is essential for proper operation of the OLTC.

Particle profiling provides important information about the deterioration of materials that result in particle production. This includes information about in-service processes such as

Table 1: Gas-producing process.

Equipment Normal Abnormal

Transformers Heating Excessive heating, partial discharge and arcing

OLTCs Arcing Excessive heating and partial discharge

Gases Indication

Hydrogen Partial discharge, heating, arcing

Ethylene, Ethane, Methane "Hot metal" gases (heating)

Acetylene Arcing

Carbon oxides Cellulose insulation degradation

Table 2: Indication of gases.

Fig. 1: Relative proportions of six combustible gases under normal and abnormal conditions.



fluid degradation, contact deterioration and mechanical wear of moving parts and rust formation. Two of the most important fluid degradation processes to be evaluated are charring of the oil and coke formation.

Table 1 shows the gas-producing processes that occur in oil- filled electrical equipment. The gases that are produced by these processes are listed in Table 2. Recognition of these differences between normal and abnormal gassing patterns paved the way to diagnostic assessment of OLTCs. DGA and other non-invasive tests can be combined to assess the OLTC’s condition. Diagnostic programmes have been successfully developed to achieve the goal of condition-based maintenance with the consequent saving in costs.

Non-invasive tests for OLTCs

Dielectric breakdown voltage

The oil in an OLTC should maintain a minimum dielectric breakdown voltage. In recent years on-line filters have been used for compartments containing arcing contacts in oil to better maintain the dielectric breakdown strength of the insulating materials. This approach has been effective in pushing out maintenance cycles and reducing the rate of contact wear. The dielectric breakdown voltage is a function of the relative saturation of water in oil and the amount, size, and type (conductivity) of particles.

Water content

Excessive water reduces the dielectric breakdown strength of the oil and can accelerate the ageing of the contacts.

Neutralisation number

As oils and cellulosic materials age,

they will deteriorate and form ageing by-products, including acids. Eventually the ageing by-products will begin to polymerise and form sludges. Increasing acidity can be used as a guide to the ageing rate of the oil. When high values are reached, the oil should be replaced or reclaimed. Acid by-products, particularly in the presence of water, are corrosive.

Total metals in oil

The metals test, consisting of both particulate metals and those dissolved in the oil, is an extremely meaningful test. It provides an indication of the amount of material that has been worn or sublimated from the moving and/or stationary contacts and is now present in the oil. It also provides a quantitative analysis as to composition of the metals found in the oil.

Particle count and qualitative analysis

The total number of particles by size groupings is used to detect abnormal quantities of by-products and wear materials. The ratio(s) of the size groupings provides information as to the extent that a detrimental condition has progressed.

DGA diagnostics

It is undisputed that DGA plays a primary diagnostic role. The interpretation protocol for applying DGA is empirical in nature. In the case of OLTCs it is generally accepted that fault gas interpretation will be most useful if it is model specific. Individual gas concentrations-based diagnostics for OLTCs are not useful as they are operation count-and breathing configuration-dependent. DGA ratios of fault gases are fairly independent of

operation count. The various gas ratios are excellent diagnostic tools.

Table 4 lists the gas ratios proposed by Weidmann-ACTI (F Jakob, K Jakob and S Jones).

The primary test for OLTC diagnostics and condition assessment is that of dissolved gas-in-oil, as this detects most of the problems. There are three main types of OLTCs:

l Reactive with arcing contacts in oil.l Resistive with arcing contacts in oil. l Arcing contacts in a vacuum bottle.

There should be differences in the gassing behaviour between resistive and reactive types, as the shorter time of arc extinction of the resistive type (5 to 6 min after contact separation) should lower the concentrations of gases generated. However, the gassing behaviour of different models of OLTCs is so different that generic rules for reactive and resistive OLTCs are not adequate.

The primary diagnostic gases used to develop condition codes are methane, ethylene and acetylene. In addition, three ratios are used:

l Ethylene/acetylene: Distinguishes between thermal and electrical discharge activity in oil

l Methane/acetylene: Distinguishes between thermal and electrical discharge activity in oil and can also detect partial discharge activity as a predominant gassing pattern. For example, localised overheating of contacts or the reversing switch will generally show increasing combustible gas generation with ratios of gassing going from an

Fig. 2: The Duval Triange for the interpretation of DGA in OLTCs.



arcing pattern to characteristics of high temperature overheating of oil. Excessive arcing between contacts is most likely to develop high gas concentrations until the later stages when heating occurs (causing the combustible gas ratios to change). Examples of causes of overheating include:- Excessive contact resistance due

to the formation of organic films and carbon deposits result in metal fatigue causing poor contact pressure.

- Loss of direct contact surface area from misalignment or loss of contact material.

Excessive combustible gas build-up can result when the vent becomes plugged. This eventually leads to low oxygen

content as it is consumed in oxidation reactions and is not replenished. Typically, the ratios will remain normal unless another problem is present at the same time. Various other thermal and electrical problems can also be detected depending upon the model of OLTC.

New DGA interpretation scheme

In an attempt to improve the understanding of the significance of DGA results, the “Kohonen net” cluster analysis technique has been relatively successful in grouping together DGA results of an apparently similar significance and identifying when a result appears to move to a different state. Although such techniques can be argued to provide a better basis for identifying an unusual condition than the purely statistical approach, they still rely very much on the human expert to

ascribe some significance to the clusters identified.

The new approach proposed makes use of the relative proportions of the six combustible gases H2, CH4, C2H4, C2H6 and C2H2, which are displayed as a bar chart to illustrate the gas signature. The novel aspect of the approach proposed here is that this method is used to investigate and illustrate the clear difference that exists between “normal” and “abnormal” results. The graphical plotting of these ratios gives a clear indication of a heating problem (thermal runaway) when compared to the normal arcing process.

The Duval Triangle for the interpretation of DGA in OLTCs

The Duval Triangle using CH4, C2H4

Heating to arcing ratios

Ratio 1 Ratio 2 Ratio 3 Ratio 4

Temperature-dependent ratios

Ratio 5 Ratio 6

Table 4: Diagnostic gas ratios.

Diagnostic tool Problem detected Result

DGA Coking, contact misalignment Overheating (thermal runaway)

Oil quality Coking, contact wear, charge in arcing characteristics, oil sludging

Conducting particles in oil, sludge

Metal analysis Contact wear, misalignment Contact wear

Table 3: Diagnostic tools.



and C2H2 gases in a single graphical representation has been developed for tap changers, the basic Duval Triangle can be used to detect faults in compartment-type OLTCs.

When DGA points move with time from the normal to a fault zone, this means a fault is appearing. What makes the use of DGA in OLTCs different from its use in transformers is that during the normal switching operation of OLTCs, arcs in oil or hot spots in various OLTC components are produced, generating gases such as C2H2 and C2H4 which may interfere with the detection of abnormal faults. The “normal” gas formation of OLTCs must therefore be identified first as precisely as possible, in order to use DGA for the detection of faults in OLTCs. Triangle 2 has been developed to dis t inguish between normal and abnormal gas formation in OLTCs of the compartment and in-tank resistive-type OLTCs that, without any fault, generate large amounts of heating gas, especially ethylene.

Confirmation and complementary tests

There are several non-oil tests that have been employed to confirm or identify OLTC problems. These include the following:

Infrared thermography and temperature differential

A frequently-used method to detect or confirm overheating of contacts or the reversing switch in OLTCs is to determine the temperature difference between the main tank and the OLTC. Normally, the main tank should be operating at a higher temperature than the OLTC compartment except for the occasional transient, such as when the pumps initially come on to cool the main insulation. As thermal problems develop in the OLTC compartment, the oil temperature will

consistently be higher than the main tank. This difference in temperature can be detected using continuous temperature monitors mounted to the tank wall or by periodic inspections using infrared thermography.

Electrical tests

There are several electrical tests that can be used to confirm or help identify the source of OLTC problems before entering for visual inspection.

l Exciting current tests on all OLTC tap positions can be used to detect shorted turns and core problems in the preventive autotransformer, contact problems and connection problems in the preventive autotransformer or in taps.

l Turns ratio can detect shorted turns in the preventive autotransformer.

l Power factor tests are used to detect insulation deterioration such as from moisture and partial discharge activity, including tracking and carbonisation of solid insulation structures.

l Contact resistance is used to detect excessive contact wear, poor contact pressure, and coking and polymeric films on contact surfaces.

l Sweep Frequency Response Analysis (SFRA) and leakage reactance (short circuit impedance) are both used to detect winding movement or deformation and contact problems.

l Tap changer diverter resistor and contact analysis provides a means for condition assessment of tap changers using dynamic contact resistance measurement techniques. A signal is injected into the phase under test with the secondary and tertiary windings shorted. The tap changer is tapped through its sequence and a trace is produced of the complete sequence. The detail of each tap can be viewed, allowing the timing of the transition to be measured. The test results provide

the necessary information to establish the state of the tap changer to make planned decisions or take corrective actions minimising the need for intrusive inspections.

Acoustic and vibration analysis

Some investigators have developed a database of OLTC signatures using acoustic analysis to complement diagnostic programmes for OLTCs.

The advantages of the tap changer analysis programme are:

l Units that require maintenance are identified.

l Units that do not currently require maintenance are identified.

l Maintenance activities can be better focused.

l Operators and planners can assess loading capabilities.

l Failures and collateral damage to transformers can be reduced.

l Reliability is enhanced.l Costs are reduced.l Safety is not compromised.

Percent savings are based on a comparison of the percentage of units requiring maintenance as given by the condition code versus the number that would be maintained on a fixed-time interval.

Conclusion

The ability of utilities and other power transformer operators to convert from time-based maintenance to condition-based maintenance for on-load tap changers has been greatly enhanced by the advancement of oil diagnostic testing. These tests have gained acceptance in the industry and will be standard practice in the near future. We have found that once oil diagnostics programmes are started for OLTCs, problems that were not detected by other methods are revealed, and there is acceptance of this approach. After using oil diagnostics for all the OLTCs in a system, the number of problems found the second time around is reduced, showing the effectiveness of the programme.

References

The references for this article can be found with the online version at https://wp.me/p5dDng-19LY

Contact Wear Check, Tel 031 700-5460, [email protected] v

Percentage savings in maintenance

Fixed – year maintenance interval (years)

2 3 4 5 6

% of units 12% 76 64 52 40 32

Requiring 14% 72 58 44 30 20

Maintenance 17% 66 49 32 15 20

Based on 20% 60 40 20

Condition code 25% 50 25

Table 5: Percentage savings in maintenance.

Company Projects Products Technology TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION NEWS


Electrical equipment firm sells supplier division

Actom has sold its Wilec division t o M a k a r e n g e Electrical Industries (MEl ) , a black-e m p o w e r e d company based in Gauteng. Wilec m a n u f a c t u r e s input materials to the electric rotating m a c h i n e a n d transformer manufacturing and repair industries. According to Actom’s group CEO, Mervyn Naidoo, the transaction proves the company’s commitment to the development and advancement of black industrialists where merited. While Wilec is a key supplier of input materials required by several of Actom’s manufacturing and repair businesses, it is not considered integral to the group’s main scope of operations, where the focus is on production, supply, repair and maintenance of complete electro-mechanical equipment. MEl is majority owned by Nene Mathebula, a professional electrical engineer and proven entrepreneur with a good track record.

Contact Debby Riddle, Actom, Tel 011 820-5239, [email protected] v

Celebrating 55 000 installations

Australian switchgear engineers Noja Power celebrated the achievement of 55 000 global installations of its OSM recloser product in December 2018, and in commemoration have consolidated the functionality and versatility of this product that has made this achievement possible. Driven to deliver safety, security and simplicity to the global electricity distribution network, the company has partnered with many international leaders in energy distribution to co-create a product which resolves a myriad of distribution network protection, automation and reliability challenges. In recognition of the ongoing development of the product, the updated 2019 OSM recloser product brochure highlights a consolidation of the technology achievements this product embodies, made possible through partnerships, industry feedback and almost two decades of field experience. The product is an integrated solution, comprising of a solid dielectric fully enclosed switchgear module, and the advanced power RC control cubicle.

Contact John Dykes, Noja Power, [email protected] v

TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION NEWS



Substation earth mat and lightning protection testing

For the safety of personnel and assets, the importance of the integrity of the substation earth mat and lightning protection should not be underestimated. The Gossen MetraWatt Geohm series is capable of much more than just easy and reliable implementation of the most common methods of earth measurement. Lightning protection systems are also tested under highly realistic conditions, based on various pulse measuring methods. Thanks to extensive measuring accessories, earth measurements and resistance measurements can be easily implemented in any environment at any earthing or lightning protection system without disconnecting the earth electrode. Furthermore, a professional earthing analysis can be conducted on the basis of measured interference voltages and interference frequencies.

Contact Liz da Silva, HV Test, Tel 011 782-1010, [email protected] v

Aluzinc a game-changer for MCCs

The replacement of steel by aluzinc in the manufacture of Shaw Controls motor control centres (MCCs) brings a range of benefits to the company’s customers. The company traditionally used steel for its MCCs, which must be powder coated in order to protect it from corrosion. This made it necessary to follow quite a long process to complete products – a process which aluzinc can now simplify and speed up. The usual process of preparing the MCC panels includes welding, grinding and pre-washing before the powder coating painting process can start. These phases can now be bypassed by using aluzinc, which effectively resists corrosion without a protective coating being applied. Manufacturers of the product guarantee that it will last for about 35 years before any major maintenance is required.

Contact Zest Weg Group, Tel 011 723-6000, [email protected] v

Measuring volumetric flow by oscillationInstrotech is offering the Kobold DOG range of flowmeters that use the unique oscillation principle to measure dry or humid gases even in low pressure applications. In this measuring procedure, a partial stream of the medium is led into the measuring cell by means of a bypass. In the measuring cell, the medium flows through a chamber with two flow channels. A gate allows the stream to flow through either the left or the right channel. The flow creates over-pressure on one side and under-pressure on the other. The difference in pressure directs the media stream to the other side. This results in the stream between the two sides oscillating, which sets the medium in the connecting channel into vibration. The frequency of the oscillation is directly proportional to the flow speed. A detector determines the oscillation in the connecting channel and converts it into an electrical signal. The signal is processed further in the downstream electronic unit and then displayed or output in another form.

Contact Instrotech, Tel 010 595-1831, [email protected] v

Micro-grid energy management system

Toshiba recently announced that they have won an order to supply the micro-grid energy management system (μEMS) to the “Preparing Outer Islands for Sustainable Energy Development (POISED)” project in the Republic of Maldives from Nishizawa, a Japanese general trading company. The system will start operation in Hithadhoo Island of Addu Atoll in 2020. Almost all of the Maldives’s current power generation capacity is from diesel generators. The government of the country, which faces a crisis of rising sea levels due to global warming, is promoting the introduction of solar power systems to realize a low carbon society and to reduce the fuel cost for power generation. As one of the promotion, the government has already installed solar power systems in the Hithadhoo Island in 2017. Since the island has an independent power grid, μEMS that maintains a balance between the supply and demand of power including solar power is necessary for the island to operate the solar power systems more efficiently.

Contact Chika Yamada, Toshiba, Tel 011 305-2828, [email protected] v


Any optimal energy technology for the future must meet stricter standards than in the past; in addition to being economically attractive, it now must also be environmentally benign, sustainable and scalable to global use. For stationary energy, only one existing resource comes close to meeting all the technical and societal requirements for an optimal energy source: nuclear energy. Despite the obvious and unique effectiveness of nuclear energy of new generation Reactors, there are difficulties in achieving the nontrivial properties of an ideal nuclear reactor of the future.

First, nuclear fuel should be natural, that is, non-enriched uranium or thorium. Second, traditional control rods should be absolutely absent in reactor active zone control system. Third, despite the absence of the control rods, the reactor must exhibit inherent safety. This means that under any circumstances the reactor active zone must stay at a critical state, that is, sustain a normal operation mode automatically, with no operator actions, through physical causes and laws that naturally prevent an uncontrolled chain reaction.

Generation V reactors are being developed to comply with the above requirements. One of the most promising designs is a “burn and breed” type of reactor where the fission occurs in a wave that moves through the fuel. This type of reactor is known by several names: the travelling wave nuclear reactor (TWNR) and the “Candle” reactor (constant axial

The travelling wave nuclear reactorby Mike Rycroft, EE Publishers

Interest in small modular nuclear reactors, which are planned to have short construction times, standard designs and simplified operation, as well as a much higher fuel utilisation, is showing a resurgence. The travelling wave nuclear reactor (TWNR), based on the breed and burn principle, is one of the options being considered.

shape of neutron flux, nuclides densities and power shape during life of energy production).

A travelling wave reactor is a device where a fission or “burning” zone moves in a wavelike fashion through a column of nuclear fuel. The fuel consists of fertile material such as natural uranium and thorium, or spent fuel uranium from a conventional reactor, which is converted to fissile material as the burn zone moves through the column. This process is similar to that of a breeder reactor. The progress of the burn zone can be very slow, of the order of a few cm per year, and the TWR can operate for several decades on a single batch of fuel. The limiting factor appears to be the lifetime of fuel cladding and other materials used in the reactor. One of the foreseen advantages is that it can be constructed safely in a range of sizes, from 100 to 1000 MWe and could be constructed in modular form.

There are two ways in which this principle is being applied:

l Axial travelling wave: In which a nuclear breed and burn (B&B) wave slowly moves axially through the length of the fuel, which stays stationary in the core. Pu239 is bred from U238 in the wave front and then fissions and supplies the neutrons needed to perpetuate the movement of the wave. The concept is used in the Candle concept design [5].

l Standing wave: Rather than a burnup wave moving through the

fuel, the standing (or soliton) wave concept relies on radially shuffling fuel assemblies (moving fuel) while maintaining a relatively constant spatial power distribution. The standing wave core fuel cycle can include fuel charge/discharge and thus eventually reach an equilibrium cycle. Standing wave B&B cores with no in-cycle fuel charge/discharge are currently being pursued commercially.

Fuel utilisation efficiency

TWRs are characterised by a high fuel burnup. Fuel burnup is the amount of fuel that is converted to energy in the fission process. This is most easily expressed as a percentage of the fertile fuel that is used. TWRs are capable of a 40% or higher burnup ratio, compared to approximately 1% for conventional reactors. TWRs are thus estimated to be capable of offering a 40-fold gain in fuel utilisation efficiency compared to conventional light-water reactors burning enriched fuel. The high burnup ratio also reduces the need for refuelling, as more energy is obtained from the same amount of fuel.

The spent fuel does not require reprocessing. The waste treatment for the system is much simpler than a system with reprocessing. The technologies and facilities of uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing are the most important items for nuclear proliferation. This system does not require these technologies and facilities. Since the reactor has a long life and refueling is not required, the reactor vessel can be sealed during reactor life, which helps physical protection. All these characteristics enhance the sustainability of nuclear energy.

The concept of TWR technology was developed from traditional fast breeder reactors The TWNR is not a new concept, and the initial proposal of a fast reactor design that could sustain a breed-and-burn condition using only natural uranium or depleted uranium as fuel was made in 1958 by Savelli Feinberg [1]. Feinberg imagined what we now call a breed-and-burn reactor. Early proposals featured a slowly advancing Fig. 1: Axial travelling wave principle.

GENERATION


wave of nuclear fission through a fuel source, like a cigar that takes decades to burn, creating and consuming its fuel as the reaction travels through the core. But Feinberg’s design couldn’t compete during the bustling heyday of atomic energy. Uranium was plentiful, other reactors were cheaper and easier to build, and the difficult task of radioactive-waste disposal was still decades away [3].

Breeder (breed and burn (B&B)) reactor principles

The Breeder reactor is one which consumes fissionable fuel from its core and breeds fissile fuel from fertile blanket fuel. The capability of a given breeder

reactor is decided by its breeding ratio, which is the ratio of fissile material created to fissile material consumed. Natural uranium, as it is mined, consists of 0,7% U235 and 99.3% U238. In conventional reactors, uranium fuel is enriched to contain 3 to 5% of U235. Spent fuel from a conventional reactor contains uranium with a content of 0,8% of U235, the balance being U238. In a breeder reactor, stable fertile isotopes of uranium (U238) are converted by fast neutron bombardment to fissile material, usually plutonium. B&B reactors can thus use both natural uranium and spent fuel as fuel. The conversion process is illustrated in Fig. 3.

Absorption of a neutron in the U238 nucleus yields U239. The half-life of U239 is approximately 23,5 min. U239 decays (negative beta decay) to Np239 (neptunium), whose half-life is 2,36 days. Np239 decays (negative beta decay) to Pu239.which then produces heat through fission,and also results in fission products and free neutrons, which sustain the conversion process of more U238.

The process has to be “ignited” with fissile material, usually enriched uranium, but once started continues as long as there is U238 available. The process can also be ignited by “spent” fuel from a B&B reactors, which contains neutron emit t ing plutonium. A ser ies of B&B reactors could be “spawned” from a single batch of enriched uranium over decades. The principal has been applied in ways which have resulted in a number of variations. The major differences are configuration, either radial or axial wave, and the method of heat removal or cooling.

Axial travelling wave reactors

Several designs have been developed, the best known being the “Candle” reactor.

The Candle reactor

In this concept, developed by Hiroshi Sekimoto, a burning region moves through the column of fuel, leaving spent fuel behind (Fig. 4). In the top position of the burning region, the produced neutrons leak to the fresh fuel region, and in the bottom position of the burning region the fission products (FPs) are accumulated by fission reactions of the fissile materials [5].

The Candle burnup strategy has the following general merits:

l Burnup reactivity control mechanism is not required, since the excess burnup reactivity is zero during operation. Leaked neutrons do not propagate far into the fertile fuel region.

l Reactor characteristics (e.g. power peaking, reactivity coefficients) do not change with burnup. The estimation of the core condition becomes very easy and reliable. Therefore, the reactor operation becomes simple.

l The radial power distribution can be optimised more thoroughly.

l The reactor core height is proportional to the reactor core life. Therefore, the design of the long-life reactor core becomes easier.

Fig. 2: Radial stationary wave principle.

Fig. 3: Breeder process.

GENERATION


l Since the infinite medium neutron multiplication factor of fresh fuel is less than unity, transportation and storage of fresh fuel become free from criticality accidents.

The Candle could be applied effectively several designs such as reactors with block fuel arrangement, as the progressing wave allows removal of spent fuel blocks and addition of fresh fertile blocks, allowing operation to be unlimited by the height of the core. This is shown in Fig 4. As applied to a high temperature gas reactor (HTGR).

The principle can also be applied effectively to small reactor design. The speed of the burning region of a typical small design is 4 cm/y and 20 years operation requires only 80 cm of the core fuel height, so it is possible to design a reactor which does not require refueling. The maintenance of this reactor becomes simple, safe and easy. The reactor is barely critical and redistribution of fuel usually reduces its criticality performance. Therefore, it is almost free from CDA accident. All these features make our reactor very safe and reliable, and its operation and maintenance become very simple and do not require any highly trained specialists [6].

The stationary wave nuclear reactor

In a SWNR the burn zone or wave is stationary and fuel is moved relative to the wave zone. The most common design is a radial wave as illustrated in Fig. 2. The core has four zones. The localised fission zone contains the initial fissile material which may contain the U235 that decays producing fast neutrons. These are captured in the surrounding breeding zone, converting a fertile isotope like U238 into a fissile isotope like Pu239, which itself decays producing between two or three fast neutrons. The fresh zone contains unreacted fertile material, and the depleted zone contains mostly fission products and leftover fuel [4].

The Terrapower SWNR

TWR-P is a 1475 MWth/600 MWe gross liquid sodium cooled, fast neutron spectrum reactor that uses U-10%Zr metallic fuel with HT-9 ferritic-martensitic stainless steel clad. The 4 m diameter, 5,5m tall cylindrical core sits near the bottom of a 13,3 m diameter, 17,65 m tall reactor vessel which is enclosed within a guard vessel.

The reactor, which is in design phase, is an axial wave reactor that uses liquid

sodium as a coolant, and operates at a temperature of around 550°C. The breed-and-burn wave of the TWR does not itself move. Instead, the fuel in the core is moved in and out of the breed-burn region which remains stationary as a “standing” wave. Fuel shuffling will be automatic, and won’t need the reactor to be opened. The reactor has a once-through (open) nuclear cycle. It operates at around 550°C, with the heat being removed by liquid sodium to drive steam turbines.

Previous large-scale fast breeder power stations have also used liquid sodium cooling, for example, and the TWR is a pool type reactor (primary heat exchangers and pumps are immersed in the reactor tank) which is also well known. The major difference lies in the core. This is approximately cylindrical and composed of hexagonally shaped fuel bundles. The fuel bundles contain a combination of enriched and depleted uranium metal alloy fuel pins clad in steel tubes.

Fig. 4: Concept of the “Candle” burnup strategy [5].

Fig. 5: Refueling of a candle reactor [6].

GENERATION


Core geometry is a major and important part in the SWR. The core is cylindrical and has hexagonal fuel bundles. Core has two types of fuel that are fissile and fertile. The fissile fuel is located in central zone called active control zone and producing most of the generated power.

Fertile fuel is placed in core periphery called fixed control zone. The core has very special design feature, i.e. fuel shuffling. In fuel shuffling, after predetermined time, high burn-up fuel assemblies in central core moved to the core periphery by means of instrumentation in the reactor vessel in shutdown condition.

TWR advantages

The TWR is projected to have a levelised cost of electricity that is lower than that of LWRs being built today. Capital cost estimates for the TWR yield overnight costs that are similar to equivalent estimates for modern LWRs. Meanwhile, the TWR holds large advantages in its operating costs due to lower fueling and disposal requirements. Over its 60-year life, a 1,15 GW TWR refueled with unenriched uranium would cost between $4-billion and $5-billion less to operate than an equivalent LWR or traditional SFR. Eliminating the need for reprocessing plants and reducing the need for enrichment saves additional hundreds of billions of dollars in infrastructure development costs. In scenarios where TWRs represent a part of the future projected growth of nuclear energy, beginning in the 2030s (~450 GW of TWR capacity by 2100), these cost reductions would total more than $1-trillion dollars [8].

High fuel efficiency, combined with an ability to use uranium recovered from river water or sea-water (which has been recently demonstrated to be technically and economically feasible) suggests that enough fuel is readily available for TWRs to generate electricity for 10-billion people at United States per capita levels for million-year time-scales [2]. It is estimated that the Earth’s rivers carry into the ocean a flux of uranium several times greater than that required to replace the implied rate-of-consumption, so that the Earth’s slowly-eroding crust may provide a readily-accessible flow of uranium sufficient for all of mankind’s anticipated energy needs for as long as the sun shines and the rain falls [2].

TWRs are claimed to naturally retain their efficiently-expended fuel for century length time-scales, so that they intrinsically pose

minimal safety and security transportation hazards in addition to being full-scale carbon-free energy sources [2].

The energy value of the depleted uranium stockpiles (“waste”) accumulated in the US is equivalent to, when used in B&B reactors, up to 20 centuries of the total 2010 USA supply of electricity. Therefore, a successful development of B&B reactors

could provide a great measure of energy sustainability and cost stability [1].

References

The references for this article can be found with the online version at https://wp.me/p5dDng-19K9


Fig. 6: The Terrapower SWNR (Terrapower).

Fig. 7: Core assembly of SWR-P reactor (Terrapower).

Company Projects Products TechnologyGENERATION NEWS


Plastic waste to energy converter solves pollution problem

Recor says its “swallow all” technology can convert waste into electricity, gas, heat, steam and even liquid fuels. The company says it has developed a world first containerised solution that delivers stored power and water from any type of waste. Apparently its gasifiers are robust and simple, and made for third world countries. Its plastics to diesel solutions are a real answer for the growing plastics problem, being able to produce pump-grade diesel or marine-grade fuel from all types of plastics. Other applications include sorting and converting municipal solid waste into energy, removing the need to transport waste to large landfills or mass burn facilities. The future is here for decentralised green waste to energy conversion, the company says.

Contact Anton Pieterse, Recor, Tel 010 001-1043, [email protected] v

Natural gas fuels the future

NGV Gas and Virtual Gas Network (VGN), through its distribution network, ensures that users anywhere within a 500 km radius of Johannesburg receive the required quantity of gas at the right time. Natural gas provides a consistently high energy heat of ca 39,22 MJ (10,89 kWh) per m3, making it a powerful fuel, able to fire various high energy demanding machinery. However, in its efficiency, natural gas emits lower levels of harmful emissions such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxides. It produces fewer greenhouse gases when compared to other fossil fuels.

Contact Wayne Williams, CNG Holdings, Tel 0860 116 917, [email protected] v

Energy company transformed by software

IBM recently announced that Vivo Energy, a company which distributes and markets Shell branded fuels and lubricants in Africa, has selected IBM Services for its digital transformation journey based on SAP S/4HANA. A rapid start to the relationship using agile methods has already led to the completion of a major project milestone, with two out of Vivo Energy’s 15 country locations transferred to the software to help boost efficiency and unlock operational insights. Since its establishment in 2011, the company has rapidly grown adding more than 500 service stations to its retail network. In 2018 the company operated over 1800 service stations and employed around 2360 people. It’s because of this rapid growth that the company needed to make changes to its existing IT environment and improve its enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. The SAP and IBM solutions have started to transform Vivo Energy’s operations, enabling it to streamline processes, enhance employee productivity and improve data visibility.

Contact Marisa Conway, IBM Services, [email protected] v

Diesel Electric Services is a turnkey power solution provider and can add value by keeping all your electrical power infrastructure requirements under one umbrella.This includes: • Design • Manufacture and supply • Mechanical / Electrical Installations• Commissioning • Maintenance / Servicing • Relocation• Remote Monitoring • Training • Repairs / Modification / Refurbishment

Product range:• Generators (Diesel/Gas)• UPS’s (Static / Rotary)• Power Factor Correction• Voltage Stabilisers• MV and LV Cabling and Reticulation• Data Centre and Server Room Monitoring• Manufacturing of MV and LV Switchboards• Real time Diesel Fuel management / Monitoring• Transformers• Trailer Generator Sets –Trailers (<10t)

• Bulk Fuel Tanks• Hybrid Solutions• Harmonic Filters• Oil / Water Separation• Motor Control Centres• Photovoltaic Solutions• Fuel Cleaning and Conditioning• Fire pump sets / Dewatering pump sets• Resistive dummy loads 10kW to 1200kW

For additional information contact:Tel: 086 110 6633 | [email protected] | www. dieselelectricservices.co.za

Features May

T u r b i n e s , g e n e r a t o r s , pumped water storage (PWS) s y s t e m s ; installation of pumps, run-of-river hydropower s y s t e m s ; h y d r o p o w e r plant control, m o n i t o r i n g , managemen t a n d maintenance; ocean (wave) power. v

GENERATION NEWS



Consolidation creates a turnkey solution

Following i ts launch in Apri l 2018, TLT-Turbo has now finished consolidating its South African o p e r a t i o n s . T h e c o m p a n y manufactures radial and axial flow fans for virtually any industrial application and is regarded as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of technology-driven industrial fans and ventilation systems. To enhance the local company’s service offering, LH Marthinusen (LHM), a division of Actom, has been appointed as the group’s authorised service partner. LHM will be responsible for maintaining and refurbishing the full range of the company’s fans, as well distributing spare parts on an exclusive basis in South Africa and on a non-exclusive basis in 20 other sub-Saharan countries. It will provide routine maintenance services on both new and installed products, such as the 36 large induced draft fans at Majuba, Medupi and Kusile power stations, other installed surface and process fans, as well as their range of auxiliary fans, axial flow and centrifugal fans.

Contact Luther Erasmus, TLT-Turbo Africa, Tel 011 878-3050, [email protected] v

Joint research platform for energy storage systems

The new Fraunhofer Project Centre for Energy Storage and Systems (ZESS) was inaugurated in February 2019. The purpose of the new project centre is to develop existing energy storage systems, both mobile and stationary, to the level of industrial maturity, and to demonstrate new solutions at a level of technological maturity. The future of numerous sectors of technology and industry hinges, directly or indirectly, on the development of powerful new energy storage systems. The coming generation of electric cars, for example, will require high-performance batteries. Likewise, stationary power storage facilities are needed to help cushion the variations in grid capacity that result from a reliance on fluctuating sources of renewable energy such as photovoltaic systems or wind turbines. The project centre is a joint initiative of the company’s various institutes in close cooperation with the Technische Universität Braunschweig.

Contact Janis Eitner, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, [email protected] v

Reliable enough for heart surgery

GenCell Energy, a manufacturer of fuel cell energy solutions, recently announced that The Hillel Yaffe Medical Centre in Israel has installed a hydrogen-based GenCell G5 long-duration UPS (uninterrupted power supply) within its cardiac catheterisation unit. The project was executed together with healthcare service provider and GenCell’s medical market distributor, Medtechnica. Representing the country’s first fuel cell used within a hospital environment, the UPS ensures power continuity within the facility for optimal patient care, while reducing its environmental footprint by lowering its dependence on highly polluting diesel generators. Preventing even the slightest interruption to power flow eliminates any possibility of damage to delicate equipment, crucially avoiding equipment downtime and interruptions to surgical procedures. The project signifies an important step for medical and other public service institutions seeking to transition to clean energy and render diesel obsolete. The key driver for introducing this solution was to optimise operations in the intensive care coronary unit (ICCU), where long, complex catheterisation procedures involving sophisticated equipment require imaging devices and computer peripherals with high power load demands.

Contact GenCell, [email protected] v

Water-based fuel to be launched soonElectriq-Global and Dutch company Eleqtec have entered into an agreement to launch Electriq-Global’s water-based fuel technology in the Netherlands. Together they plan to launch the comapny’s recycling plants, and introduce applications for trucks, barges and mobile generators. The progressive Dutch market is moving to adopt zero-emission mobility solutions and is looking for commercial and economical clean energy applications. Comprised of 60% water, Electriq-Fuel is a game-changer in zero-emissions energy. The innovative fuel is a cost-efficient alternative to batteries and compressed hydrogen. When compared to green energy storage solutions like lithium-ion batteries or compressed hydrogen, the company achieves a greater range at a lower cost. The energy density potential of the technology is up to 15 times that of electric batteries currently in use in electric vehicles.The result of extensive groundwork, the partnership is already in advanced commercialisation negotiations with leading Dutch companies. Several demonstration and prototyping projects are expected to be launched in 2020.

Contract Edwin de Bree, Electriq Global, [email protected] v


The chemical industry is the largest industrial user of electricity in many industrialised countries and there is concern in the chemical industry in many countries about rising electricity costs. The growing availability of low-cost renewable electricity might be what the chemical industry needs to enhance its competitive position. The supply of renewable energy (RE) can bring reductions in energy costs, offers numerous opportunities to develop new, high-value products and lowers the carbon footprint of production.

The variable nature of RE means that it often occurs that there is over-production of electricity, which must either be curtailed or, in market driven networks, given away at low cost. The chemical industry in some countries are investigating ways in which this surplus energy can be used in chemical processes, and this has led to new processes based on the use of electricity rather than other forms of energy. Electrical processes not only involve the classical energy efficiency measures but also new ways of manufacturing chemicals that are far more efficient and make less use of fossil fuel feedstocks.

In the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, electricity and heat drive the processes. Their cost drives the cost of the end-product and the company’s profitability. Use of surplus RE can reduce costs but requires that the process can be operated when energy is available and halted when the price goes up. New processes that require far less energy by substituting electrochemical processes for thermal processes are under development.

Power-to-x technology movement

This involves the structured optimisation of power-to-chemicals (P2C) networks for the economic utilisation of renewable surplus energy. Germany’s chemical industry lobby VCI says that so-called Power-to-X technology – converting green power into fuels or chemicals – could

become of “foremost importance” in stabilising the grid and replacing oil as a feedstock [1]. There are several paths being followed by the movement.

Power to heat

This programme line looks at how electricity can be used to upgrade heat and steam for efficient use in chemical processes. One example is the use of electric driven heat pump technology, but other ideas exist as well. Specific challenges within this line refer to those posed by load-following at flexible electricity supply, the feasibility of a retrof i t t ing approach, process integration and the development of a sound business case.

A good example is the use of heat pumps in distillation processes. Distillation columns are responsible for over 40% of the energy used in the chemical process industry. The distillation process uses high quality heat for evaporation and regains low quality heat from condensation. Heat pumps can be used to upgrade the low-quality energy from the condenser to drive the reboiler of the column, thereby providing 20 to 80% energy savings with reasonable payback times of several years [3].

The use of microwave (RF) heating and electric plasma processes to replace thermal heating are also on the cards. Researchers are using ultrasound, microwave and non-thermal plasma technologies to power chemical processes, replacing fossil fuels and achieving higher levels of energy efficiency. New processes including ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction, crystallisation, enzymatic reactive distillation, plasma-assisted biomass gasification and reverse water-gas shift for converting CO2 to methanol, as well as microwave-assisted active pharmaceutical ingredient synthesis, are under study.

Power to chemicals

This path is focused mainly on the use of

surplus energy to produce hydrocarbons which are then used as feedstock for the plastics and organic chemistry sectors, or as fuels for the transport sector. The process uses hydrogen, CO2 and energy to synthesise hydrocarbons. The CO2 is currently obtained from fossil fuels directly, or from carbon capture processes at coal burning power stations, but the recently developed process of direct air capture (DAC) could provide an on-site source of CO2. CO2 is also a byproduct of biogas production. The process starts with the production of hydrogen by electrolysis of water, and then the reaction with CO2 produce to produce a variety of hydrocarbons.

Power to fertilisers

Ammonia is a critical ingredient in agricultural fertilisers. Manufacturing this simple molecule, made from just four atoms – one nitrogen and three hydrogen – is, however, surprisingly difficult and one of the most energy-intensive manufacturing processes on the planet, consuming 1,4% of all energy consumed worldwide. Research is focussed on developing an alternative, efficient process for NH3 synthesis which can use renewable energy.

Currently most plants produce hydrogen using steam reformation of natural gas, and cryogenic mean to produce nitrogen. There are several plants however, that use electrolysis units to generate hydrogen instead of the fossil fuel source usually used, greatly reducing the energy used, and there is ongoing development in this area. The goal however is to replace the Haber-Bosch process with an electro-synthesis process, which relies entirely on electric energy for synthesis. Much research has been conducted on the synthesis of ammonia, using both solid and liquid electrolytes.

The electrochemical synthesis of ammonia exhibits several advantageous characteristics compared to the Haber-Bosch process. The first is that a solid

Electrification of the chemical industry: Power-to-chemicals programmeby Mike Rycroft, EE Publishers

The chemical industry relies heavily on energy for all production processes, from petrochemical to pharmaceuticals to common everyday items. The availability of cheap electricity from renewable energy sources stands to revolutionise the industry, and replace depletable feedstock with renewable material, using surplus electricity from renewable sources.

APPLICATION


electrolyte is a selective ionic membrane, i.e. protons (H+) are the only species that can be transported to the cathode. In solid-state ammonia synthesis (SSAS), hydrogen is supplied in the form of protons and the need for purification is completely eliminated. Another advantage of the electrochemical method is that the use of gaseous hydrogen can be bypassed.

In the Haber-Bosch process, NH3 is produced exclusively via reaction between gaseous H2 and N2. In electrochemical synthesis, depending on the temperature of operation, either steam or an aqueous solution can be the hydrogen source. Ammonia can be thus produced via either reaction of N2 and H2 or N2 and H2O. In the latter case, the electrical energy consumption will be higher because of the more negative voltage required for water electrolysis. Consequently, the economic feasibility of the electrochemical process will depend strongly on the electrical energy cost. If solar or wind energy is the electricity source, the economics may be favourable, especially when taking into account the environmental effect [4]. Regardless of the electricity source, scaling up of an electro-chemical process requires further research and development, but the process remains a promising and more energy efficient alternative to the current system.

Power to fuels

The problem of storing surplus electricity is a real one and the current solution of choice is based on battery storage, but this is more focused on smoothing out supply and demand than absorbing surplus. A process that uses surplus electricity to produce gaseous and liquid hydrocarbon fuels offers a solution to long term energy storage.

Fuel for propulsion engines needs to become carbon-neutral. On means to achieve this is power-to-gas. Instead of storing sustainable energy in batteries, it is possible to produce synthetic natural gas (SNG), which can then be used as fuel. In this process renewable energy that cannot be fed into the grid is used to produce hydrogen and oxygen via electrolysis. Adding CO2 to the hydrogen in a methanation reactor results in methane, a carbon-neutral synthetic gas and very important future energy carrier, perfectly suited for cars and trucks, but also for public transport, and even ships. Using carbon-neutral fuels to power internal combustion engines can make a sustainable contribution to decarbonisation using existing infrastructure. A power-to-gas reactor, which has been successfully operating since 2013 in a German Audi plant, is an example [2]. The gas is fed to

the natural gas grid. By using captured CO2 emissions as feedstock, the fuels produced also become carbon-neutral.

The World Energy Council recently estimated a global demand for carbon-neutral synthetic fuels of 10 000 to 20 000 TWh by 2050, equivalent to 50% of current fossil fuel consumption [2]. To meet that demand, such facilities need to be built on a larger scale in countries that have high potential for solar and wind power – there are huge application potentials in the future.

Power-to-X is where wind energy was 20 years ago. It’s carbon-neutral, but also more expensive. This technology needs political support to make it economically attractive for the energy market, taking into account the emission-reducing effect of the resulting fuel and making it more cost-effective by factoring in the carbon price.

References[1] L Burger: “Chemical industry in bid to harness

Germany’s green power overload”, Reuters Business News, 18 January 2018.

[2] M Grunewald: “Power- to -X: A key to decarbonisation”, Man energy solutions.

[3] A Kiss: “Energy efficient distillation powered by heat pumps”, NPT Procestechnologie, 2 June 2014.

[4] D Keith, et al: “A Process for Capturing CO2 from the Atmosphere”, Joule 2, 15 August 2018.

[5] V Kyriako: “Progress in the Electrochemical Synthesis of Ammonia”, Catalysis Today, June 2016.


Fig. 1: Power-to-X Technologies (Copenhagen Centre for Heath Technology).


Agriculture is under pressure to produce more food using a declining availability of additional arable land and water resources. Mechanised farming can improve food production in Africa, but requires energy, an increasingly costly input to the food production process. There is a need to control energy costs, as in any other industry, by the use of more efficient methods and machinery.

Agriculture is going through a revolution, brought about by new technology, moving to what is known as precision farming (PF), which uses satellite imagery, drones, ground based sensors, GSP systems and agri-robots to control the planting, growth and harvesting of crops. The traditional method of crop management involves blanket application of herbicides, pesticides and fertilizer, while PF makes use of automation and artificial intelligence to precisely control the amounts of fertilizer, herbicide and insecticide applied to crops, with resultant increased yield and greatly reduced use of the above. PF also reduces the energy used by agricultural machinery by directing action only where it is needed and focusing activities on specific areas only.

Much of the ground based equipment used in PF has only been made possible by the decreasing cost of storage and solar power devices, which allow small autonomous electric powered robots to operate for long periods of time and with reduced weight and cost. PF can be operated on a large scale without such robots, but this restricts it to separate fields, whereas with the use of robots, this can be applied to individual plants.

The transition to electric power in agriculture

Agriculture is energy intensive, and the use of large machinery results in high fuel consumption. Farm machinery used for crop management conventionally consists of diesel or petrol engine powered tractors. Energy forms a large

component of the cost of production, which is increasing.

As in many other industries, attention has been given to changing from internal combustion engine drives to electric driven farm vehicles, and a number

of battery powered farm vehicles are now available. Electric vehicle drive systems are well developed in the motor and industrial vehicle industry, and the challenge has been in adapting the existing technology to the needs of

Electric powered farm vehicles set to revolutionise agriculture sectorby Mike Rycroft, EE Publishers

The use of battery power for agricultural vehicles and machinery promises to revolutionise the agricultural industry by lowering costs and improving production. From battery powered large tractors to autonomous small electric robots, battery and solar power are changing the face of agriculture.

Fig. 1: DIY solar powered tractor (Mother earth news).

Table 1: Battery powered tractors on the market or under trial.

Manufacturer Model name Power rating

Battery size

Operation time

Recharge time

John Deer Sesam 130 kW – 4 h –

Seletrac eUtility 15 kW 30 kWh 5 to 8 h 3 h to 80%

RigitracRigitrac SKE50

50 kW 80 kWh 5 h –

Agco/FendtFendt

e100vario50 kW 100 kWh 5 h

0,75 h to 80%

APPLICATION


agricultural machinery. Electric driven farm vehicles are nothing new. They were common in the 1930s but were tethered to the supply by trailing cables. The difference is that the current generation are battery powered.

One of the claims of the industry is that electric farm vehicles are more energy efficient and cheaper to run than diesel powered machinery. The critical factor is the price of electricity versus the price of diesel. The use of electric driven vehicles is also influenced by a growing application of own generation on farms, using solar, wind, biomass or small hydro. The cost of own generation is decreasing, making the use of electric powered farm vehicles more attractive.

The electric powered farm vehicle

The primary vehicle used in agriculture is a tractor, with most performing high energy tasks using, for example, plow disks and subsoilers. This leads to tractors being oversized for medium and low-energy demand applications, resulting in unnecessarily high fuel consumption on lighter-duty tasks and under-utilisation during other times. One of the challenges facing development of electric farm vehicles is the need for sufficient stored energy to run a large vehicle for a full day on a single charge. This has currently restricted the sector to small to medium sized vehicles, comprising farm runabouts, orchard vehicles and smaller tractors.

Tractors

Farming requires powerful machinery to perform ground preparation functions such as plowing, tillage and other energy intensive operations, so the tractor is the heart of most farming operations, and is the primary target for conversion to electric operation. The tractor not only provides transport and traction power, but is also used to drive attached machinery in a stationary operation. Several agricultural machinery (AM) manufacturers have introduced battery powered tractors into the market. Examples are given in Table 1.

Solar powered electric tractors

Apart from numerous DIY versions that actually run directly on power derived from PV panels attached to the tractor, all of the so-called solar powered tractors are powered from a stationary array plus batteries. This allows the array to be dimensioned to charge both the tractor and run other stationary machinery and appliances as well as lighting. Options

Fig. 2: The prototype electric farm vehicle developed by NMU (NMU).

Fig. 4: The Ecorobotics autonomous weeder. (Ecorobotics).

Fig. 3: Small planting robots operating in swarms (Fendt).

APPLICATION


for battery swap out are also being considered, i.e. one battery can be on charge during the morning session and swapped at the midday break for a second battery that would then charge during the afternoon shift.

While even just a few years ago the idea of a solar powered practical electric tractor may have been a pipe dream, the combination of cheap solar panels and the evolution of lithium batteries and other associated technologies are changing everything. Typical of the solar powered tractors is the Seletrac. While not directly powered by the sun, it is recharged via an 8 kW rooftop solar power system which also supplies the power needs for the farm.

An electric tractor concept touted to be a game changer is the AgBot.

Instead of having a single large tractor, farms of the future may have a fleet of autonomous smaller tractors completing various tasks simultaneously. Small tractors also have an advantage of reducing soil compaction and unlike their larger counterparts, can be used in wet conditions without creating as much damage (or getting bogged down). The ability to work just after rain when weeds are beginning to sprout can translate to less herbicide being needed.

Battery charging

The batteries on electric farm vehicles can generally be recharged on a slow or rapid cycle.

Grid recharging

Problems are foreseen with grid recharging as all farm vehicles would be

recharged at the same time at the end of a day, causing a huge spike in demand. This could be overcome by staggered charging or multiple battery systems, where one battery is on slow charge while the other is being used. Recharging of batteries is a challenge as a typical recharge cycle could take up to eight hours. In future variable tariffs may allow the farms to charge batteries when tariffs are low due to low demand or over-generation by renewable energy sources.

Solar or wind charging

Charging from a solar system is being used by at least one model at the moment. Solar charging could be an increasing option on large farms where the trend is to install solar PV for other purposes. This approach would favour the multiple battery system. Most farms have extensive shedding; offering the perfect platform for large scale solar power systems.

Biomass

A study several years ago showed that using biomass to generate electricity was more efficient than using it to produce liquid fuels. There are a large number of small biomass gasifiers on the market and it is common practice to use these to generate electricity on farms. This offers a symbiotic process for the farmer wanting to convert to electric vehicles.

Small hydro

This is an energy source which can run continuously and generate electricity at low cost.

Local development

A local study has shown that electric orchard tractors could replace up to 8000 small tractors on horticultural farms, to undertake a diverse array of low-energy applications [6]. The introduction of electric orchard tractors on these farms could do much to reduce the overall total lifetime cost of farm vehicles. In addition, many farming activities are stop-start and low speed, making them ideally suited to electric vehicles with their low-speed, high-torque characteristics.

The demand for electric farm vehicles is seen to be strongest in the small to medium utility or orchard tractor sector. Nelson Mandela University has developed the first prototype of an electric orchard tractor equipped to undertake a range of low to medium energy applications, and to replace small tractors on farms. The research shows Fig. 6: The Dino battery powered weeding robot (Naio-technologies).

Fig. 5: The RIPPA weeding robot (UoS).

APPLICATION


that this electric tractor would need to be marketed in South Africa at a price point of between R400 000 and R500 000. The market for such vehicles is estimated at 1430 p/a by 2030 [5]. The prototype has a 35 kW motor and a run time of five to six hours per charge, with a load capacity of 1 t and a tow capacity of 1,5 t.

The study showed that the cost of ownership of a 20 kW electric utility vehicle was approximately 50% of that of a 35 kW diesel powered tractor.

Autonomous or self-drive agricultural machines

While the automotive industry is toying with the idea of self-drive autonomous cars and other vehicles, and struggling to manage the complexity of such a concept, self-drive farm vehicles are well developed and taking advantage of electric power. Granted, the autonomous farm vehicle has a much simpler function to perform, and much simpler programming, but has to follow a designated path very accurately. The use of electric motors, especially when applied as all-wheel drives, allows the accurate positioning required for precision agriculture. There is also a move towards semi-autonomous (SA) operation, where the farm vehicle only performs operations selected by a supervising operator, who can step in and change parameters or correct problems. A single operator can control several machines. Master-slave operations are also possible, with the operator in the master machine. SA operation appears to be the solution of choice at the moment, allowing a hands-on approach to automated farming.

Agricultural robots

One of the biggest impacts of the decreasing cost of solar and the increased capacity of storage batteries is in the field of agri-robots (AR). AR range from small low weight machines powered entirely by solar and used for weed eradication, to larger machines using stored energy for more complex tasks, such as sowing, fertilization, crop assessment, harvesting and trimming and pruning. AR use a very small amount of power, and being driven by electric motors, can be positioned very accurately, a feature required for precision agriculture. One of the advantages of battery powered AR is that they can work continuously and do not require daylight for operation.

Precision agriculture

Precision agriculture is one of many modern farming practices that make

production more efficient. With precision agriculture, farmers and soils work better, not harder. Precision means being "site-specific" and "information-specific", as in the most precise way of informing farming decisions. Farmers are able to take large fields and manage them as if they are a group of small fields through gathering information from the fields in real-time by observation and measurement, then responding to inter- and intra-field variability in crops. This reduces the misapplication of inputs and increases crop and farm efficiency.

Precision agriculture practices are used to apply seeds, nutrients, water, and other agricultural inputs to grow more crops in a wide range of soil environments. Precision AR can provide information on how much and when to apply these inputs. Although PA is being adopted in South Africa, it has not yet extended to the use of ARs [2]. AR robots have the advantage of small size and low weight, causing less soil compaction than would happen if tractor based planters and cultivators were used, as well as a massive savings in time and energy.

The Agri-robot swarm concept

Mobile agricultural robot swarms (MARS) is an approach for autonomous farming operations by a coordinated group of robots. One key aspect of the MARS concept is the low individual intelligence, meaning that each robot is equipped with only a minimum of sensor technology in order to achieve a low cost and energy efficient system that provides scalability and reliability for field tasks. The key advantage of this approach is the energy efficiency compared to other methods using robots.

The robot swarms are coordinated by a centralised entity which is responsible for path planning, optimisation and supervision. It also serves as a mediator between the robots and different cloud services responsible for the documentation of the procedure. The swarm approach allows robots to concentrate on areas where action is required and devote less attention to areas not needing attention, whereas individual robots have to cover the whole area.

An entire system, including small robots operating in swarms and a cloud-based system control, is available under the product name Xaver, which fits in with the swarm concept of using a large number of small autonomous machines to do precise agricultural work [3].

Precision planting and plant care

Planting Agri-robots vary from machines based on a simple planting process to those capable of precise seed planting and recording of the position of each seed. Advanced robots use a cloud-based solution to plan, monitor and accurately document precise planting of seeds. Satellite navigation and data management in the cloud allows operations to be conducted round the clock, with permanent access to all data. The position and planting time of each seed is accurately recorded. Knowing exactly where the seed has been planted opens up new potential for the rest of the process, since subsequent operations over the plant cycle, such as protecting or fertilising plants, can be performed precisely according to the individual plant.

An example of an advanced AR robot used for planting is the Mars robot produced by Fendt. It is battery-operated,

Fig. 7: The Bonirob weed eating robot (Bosch).

APPLICATION


with an electrical motor of approx. 400 W, and weighs approx. 50 kg. Autonomous operation allows planting to continue round the clock, seven days a week, and because of the large tyres, ground pressure is almost negligible (approx. 200 g/cm²).

The robots need around 70% less energy to do the same work as diesel driven machinery, and since neither diesel nor oil is required to operate the robots, there is no leakage and there are no local emissions.

Weed control

Weed control ranks among the top challenges for farmers and the biggest pest control issue. Among different classes of pesticides, herbicide use dwarfs all others including insecticide use. Nobody wants to spray herbicides, but nobody wants to see weeds sucking up all the water and nutrients intended for the crops either [4].

There are several weed-eating robots on the market, some entirely solar powered and others relying on battery storage. The robots detect the presence of weeds and eliminate them either by a controlled dose of herbicide, mechanical removal, or mechanical destruction (crushing).

Solar powered weeding robots (SPWR)

A typical example would be the machine designed and under test by Ecorobotics of Switzerland. The robot is completely solar powered and can operates by detecting weeds and delivering a controlled amount of herbicide to the weed.

Under ideal conditions, the robot can cover three ha per day, so it’s not really suitable for large farms. The robot is powered by a 380 W solar array, and an on board battery is fitted.It can continue to operate in overcast conditions, albeit at reduced performance. In good conditions, it can operate up to 12 hours a day and it has 2 x 15 l herbicide tanks – more than enough for one day of autonomous operation. The robot is a relative lightweight, at approximately 130 kg.

A second example is the RIPPA designed by the university of Rippa designed by the University of Sydney.

Battery powered weeding robots (BPWR)

These machines are larger than the SPWR and can cover more ground. Examples are the French-made Dino robot which is guided by accurate GPS signals to follow a pre-programmed route, straddling

vegetable beds while two cameras assess the plant growth and identify weeds to be mechanically dug out from crops. Once under way, the battery-powered unit can work for up to ten hours on a full charge, covering up to five hectare in a day, without the need for further human interference – even sending its operator a text message when the job is finished [5].

Another example is the Bonirob, designed and developed by a Bosch company “Deepfield robotics”. The unit is larger and heavier than the solar powered robots but can also be used with taller crops and in larger fields. The unit can operate for eight hours and can cover up to five hectare per day.

One of the processes under development is the use of lasers to eliminate weeds. Research has shown that a controlled laser burst can retard weed growth or eliminate it entirely. Laser equipment may increase the power consumption of the weeder and require larger batteries and larger robots.

References

The references for this article can be found with the online version at https://wp.me/p5dDng-19An


T840 EN 180x130.indd 1 19/02/19 15:14

APPLICATION NEWS



Converters for infrastructure applications

Siemens Sinamics G120X series of converters are especially suited for use in pump and fan applications in industries such as water/wastewater, building technology and indust r ia l environments. With a power range of 0,75 to 630 kW, these converters can be operated with any motor, but are at their most effective when used with synchronous reluctance motors from Siemens. These converters are configured throughout for cost-optimised and resource-saving operation across all voltages and supply networks, and their characteristic compact design saves space in the control cabinet. Although not featuring an additional output reactor, the converters enable motor cable lengths of up to 150 m.

Contact Jennifer Naidoo, Siemens, Tel 011 652-2795, [email protected] v

Huge market for electric vehicle motors

Traction motor sales grow faster than electric vehicle sales because small vehicles such as mobility for the disabled have two motors. IFEVS has put two in microcars for four-wheel drive. In larger cars, two motors is now commonplace for economy, performance, four-wheel drive, vectored steering, and attack survival. Audi E-tron GT’s two synchronous motors, one at the front and one at the rear, produce a collective 300 kW 664 Nm power output for nought to 100 km/h mph in 3 sec, top speed 238 km/h. The quattro permanent all-wheel drive gives torque vectoring. Two motors are in the following existing and planned cars: BMW X3SUV, Aston Martin RapideE, Mercedes EQC, Tesla S, X and Y. The new IDTechEx Research report, “Electric motors for electric vehicles: Land, Water, Air 2019 – 2029” has the analysis and appropriately comprehensive forecasts. Avid offers so-called portal two motor systems for buses and trucks: BYD does something similar near-wheel with its own technology for its buses selling at ten thousand yearly levels. Indeed, many in-wheel four-motor cars, trucks and buses are imminent: Nikola trucks have six. The Solaris Urbino pure electric 12 m bus has two axle motors.

Contact Charlotte Martin, IDTechEx, [email protected] v

Monitoring absolute and gauge pressure

Instrotech is offering the Kobold PAS pressure transmitter which enables precise monitoring of absolute and gauge pressures. The PAS is a microprocessor-based, high performance transmitter with a flexible pressure calibration and output signal. It has automatic compensation of ambient temperature and process variables. Communication with the instrument and parameter configuration is via Hart protocol. The sensor’s data is loaded, modified and stored in EPROM. The device has measuring ranges of between -1 to 1,5 bar and 0 to 600 bar. The heart of this robust and long-term stable measuring instrument is a piezo-resistive pressure sensor. The accuracy is ±0,075% of the calibrated span and process temperatures may range from -40 to +120°C.

Contact Instrotech, Tel 010 595-1831, [email protected] v

High-performance thermal camera line extended

FLIR Systems has launched the FLIR T840 thermal camera in the high-performance T-Series family. The high-resolution T840 offers a brighter display and an integrated viewfinder to help electrical utility, plant managers and other thermography professionals find and diagnose failing components in any lighting conditions. Featuring the award-winning design of the FLIR T-series camera platform, the T840 features an ergonomic body, vibrant LCD touchscreen and a viewfinder making it easy to use in any lighting conditions. The 464 x 348-resolution camera incorporates FLIR advanced vision processing, including patented MSX image enhancement technology, UltraMax and proprietary adaptive filtering algorithms to provide enhanced measurement accuracy and image clarity with half the image noise. The T840 also offers an optional lens allowing professionals to capture accurate temperature measurements on small targets at far distances.

Contact Reynhard Heymans, FLIR, Tel 011 300-5622, [email protected] v

APPLICATION NEWS



Tools for reliable results on construction sitesComtes t has on o f fe r F luke construction instruments including laser levels engineered to stay within specification, even after a one-meter drop. Whatever electricians, HVAC engineers, surveyors, inspectors, bricklayers, carpenters, roofers and plumbers need measured (including distance; temperature; cable location; electrical values and indoor air quality), Fluke has the tools. The engineered but simple, intuitive operation of Fluke tools means users don’t need to refer to manuals, translating into time saved per measurement. This soon amounts to cumulative labour cost savings. Besides carrying out their primary job function, construction engineers are increasingly called upon to inspect the work of carpenters, tilers, brick-layers and plasterers. Should they not be able to do this, they risk significant waiting time and, at worst, can jeopardise the quality of the entire job.

Contact Comtest, Tel 010 595-1821, [email protected] v

Infrared camera for the solar industry

Infrared cameras are becoming very important within the solar industry due to new developments within the area of infrared sensing technology. Instrotech is of fer ing the Optris PI160 infrared camera, which has a resolution of 160 x 120 pixels and a frame rate of 120 Hz, specifically for visualising and monitoring the process, production and monitoring of solar modules. The unit relies on numerous t he rma l p roces se s . The temperature allocation of wafers for the production of solar modules is captured during string brazing. This a s su r e s a r e l i ab l e and efficient assembling process. Temperature measurement takes place on the silicium surface which is connected to the braze point. Challenges during the monitoring of the brazing processes are: the adequate local resolution and the temporally resolution, as the heating of the braze points can happen in less than a second.

Contact Instrotech Tel 010 595-1831, [email protected] v

Lightning protection for thatched roofs

Lightning and surge protection company DEHN Africa recently presented its high-voltage-resistant insulated (HVI) lightning protection system for thatched roofs in the picturesque location of the Pilanesberg National Park in the North West Province. Hano Oelofse, the company’s managing director says the old 30-metre free-standing masts for external lightning protection are very visible, and create something of an intrusion in the landscape. In contrast, the HVI lightning protection system is compact and neat, and is installed onto the top of the roof itself. Oelofse added that, given the technical expertise offered by the HVI technology, and the company’s confidence in its product, the company is now prepared to offer insurance guarantees linked to its HVI system through the launch of DEHNinsure for thatched roofs, powered by HVI and providing a three-in-one offering of product and public liability, professional indemnity, and electronic equipment insurance.

Contact Hano Oelofse, Dehn Africa, Tel 011 704-1487, [email protected] v

Stainless steel encoders for wet areas

IFM Electronic’s stainless steel incremental encoders for applicat ions such as conveyor belt synchronisation, ensure longer maintenance intervals in harsh environments. The increased protection rating IP 67 qualifies them for use in wet areas in the food industry. All incremental encoders from ifm operate like absolute single turn encoders when used on IO-Link, making them versatile. They detect and save their position value even if power fails. Process values, parameter setting and diagnostic data can be transmitted via IO-Link. Preventive maintenance is now child’s play. The advantages of these encoders include longevity (stainless-steel housing for corrosion resistance); cost reduction (IO-Link allows the use of 3-core cables); permanent (with clearly legible laser-type labels); no loss of values (can also be configured as single-turn encoders via IO-Link), and programmable parameters mean fewer different types of encoder are needed.

Contact IFM Electronic, Tel 012 450-0400, [email protected] v




... People, People, PeoplePEOPLE NEWS


Appointments

Wilfried Breuer, Management board, Reinhausen

Kompi Nthejane, Office Manager, Aurecon

Seen at the recent Africa Energy Indaba

Dr Peter Selders, CEO, Endress+Hauser

Jörg Stegert, Human resources, Endress+Hauser

by Rohan Quince

This is their story.

In Christchurch, Hampshire, we found and bought Heber, a 14-tonne, 42 foot gaff ketch, built as a fishing boat in Ireland in 1917. None of us had ever sailed before, so we motored down the river (utilising a 40 HP diesel engine) and out to sea. The more technically-minded figured out which ropes to pull to raise the sails, and there we were, sailing majestically up and down!

We spent the summer around the south coast of England, mostly in Poole, Dorset and Newtown River on the Isle of Wight. We replaced the worst of the rotten planks, scraped, caulked and repainted the decks, and slowly equipped

the boat for sea. We sailed to Southampton, stopping at Beaulieu River on the way. One day we stumbled onto Lord Montague’s estate, a glorious parkland of flowerbeds and exotic trees, paths alongside lakes and neatly-trimmed lawns. Imagine Lord and Lady Montague’s surprise when they found four hippies sprawled on their lawn! They were very courteous.

“Do you work in the gardens?” the lord enquired. When told that we came from a yacht on the river, he graciously permitted us to stay, as we were “doing no harm”.

The summer slipped by, and winter was approaching. Two of us were studying through UNISA, so we had to reach a

In 1971 a group of friends from Johannesburg followed Timothy Leary’s advice in The Politics of Ecstasy to “turn on, tune in, drop out” by dropping out of Wits University to pursue their hippie dream. After an idyllic few months on a farm in Swaziland, they returned to Johannesburg, finding various employment as ambulance attendants, computer operators, hairpiece salesmen and laboratory assistants. By 1973 they had saved enough money to fly to England with the idea of buying a yacht and sailing off into the blue beyond.

Dr Andreas Mayr, Chief Operating Officer, Endress+Hauser

by Rohan Quince

This is their story.

In Christchurch, Hampshire, we found and bought Heber, a 14-tonne, 42 foot gaff ketch, built as a fishing boat in Ireland in 1917. None of us had ever sailed before, so we motored down the river (utilising a 40 HP diesel engine) and out to sea. The more technically-minded figured out which ropes to pull to raise the sails, and there we were, sailing majestically up and down!

We spent the summer around the south coast of England, mostly in Poole, Dorset and Newtown River on the Isle of Wight. We replaced the worst of the rotten planks, scraped, caulked and repainted the decks, and slowly equipped

the boat for sea. We sailed to Southampton, stopping at Beaulieu River on the way. One day we stumbled onto Lord Montague’s estate, a glorious parkland of flowerbeds and exotic trees, paths alongside lakes and neatly-trimmed lawns. Imagine Lord and Lady Montague’s surprise when they found four hippies sprawled on their lawn! They were very courteous.

“Do you work in the gardens?” the lord enquired. When told that we came from a yacht on the river, he graciously permitted us to stay, as we were “doing no harm”.

The summer slipped by, and winter was approaching. Two of us were studying through UNISA, so we had to reach a

In 1971 a group of friends from Johannesburg followed Timothy Leary’s advice in The Politics of Ecstasy to “turn on, tune in, drop out” by dropping out of Wits University to pursue their hippie dream. After an idyllic few months on a farm in Swaziland, they returned to Johannesburg, finding various employment as ambulance attendants, computer operators, hairpiece salesmen and laboratory assistants. By 1973 they had saved enough money to fly to England with the idea of buying a yacht and sailing off into the blue beyond.

South African embassy to write our November examinations. We were a very literary crew, all reading the great works prescribed in the English syllabus – Middlemarch, Nostromo, Bleak House and Shakespeare’s great tragedies. Our plan was to sail to Greece and write our examinations in Athens. As time went by, and we realised how slowly a yacht travelled, this was revised to Rome and then to Lisbon. No sooner had we posted that letter than we spoke to an experienced yachtsman who assured us that sailing across the Bay of Biscay during the equinoctial gale season would result in our being shipwrecked! He suggested going through the French canals instead. We quickly made a reverse-charges call to our parents to ignore the letter they were about to receive. “Please inform UNISA that we will write in Paris!”

Crossing the English Channel was our first overnight voyage. We made our way gingerly across the busiest shipping lanes in the world to Le Havre. We sailed with the tide up the Seine to Rouen and beyond. We chugged along the river, sitting in the doghouse (a “room” next to the cockpit, with a view protected by windows from sea and wind), translating Sir Gawain and the Green Knight into modern English, peering up at heavily wooded mountains where magical ancient castles and chateaux perched.

We spent five weeks in Paris, tied up next to the Place St Michel, with a view of Notre-Dame Cathedral from our deck. We wrote our exams and took advantage of art museums and free organ recitals in the cathedral.

Winter was fast approaching as we left Paris. We entered the canal system at St Mammes amid snow flurries. All day we would travel slowly along the canals, the trees now grey without their leaves, stopping every few miles at the locks which would lift the boat up to the next level. At night we would fire up the coal stove in the saloon, sipping hot tea and listening to My Word on the BBC.

Eventually we entered the Saône river and travelled down to Lyon. Navigating the Rhône River was an

exciting affair, trying to avoid the strong currents, hidden shoals and fearsome rocks! In early 1974 we reached the Mediterranean. We stepped the mast and sailed along the French coast and then hopped across to Corsica and down to Sardinia.

There was a slight problem when we arrived in Alghero because our Italian visas had long since expired (having been obtained in Paris). Things looked tricky until we said we were meeting mothers and siblings from South Africa. That changed everything. “Mama is coming?” the Italian immigration officials exclaimed. “Welcome to Italy!”

The summer waxed hot as we sailed to Minorca, Majorca and Ibiza and then down the mountainous Spanish mainland, still ruled by General Franco. We managed to earn some money in Malaga by selling our blood – apparently the Spanish did not believe in blood donors.

We visited Gibraltar and Ceuta on the North African coast before setting off for the Canary Islands – a voyage of eight days. Another eight-day sail took us the dusty Cape Verde Islands.

Then we were at sea for forty-one days, slowly crossing the Atlantic to Brazil. We swam in the doldrums among the flying-fish and the dolphins. Then we picked up the south-east tradewinds and made steady progress. I was the navigator. Long before the days of satellite navigation, we used a sextant and Reed’s Nautical Almanac, aided by the radio and a stop-watch for accurate time. Latitude was easily deduced using a noon sight. Longitude was more of a challenge, involving equations and logarithms. At last we sighted Rio de Janeiro’s Sugarloaf Mountain and Corcovado.

I wrote my philosophy finals at the South African consulate, completing my degree. We spent time exploring the islands along the Brazilian coast – deserted beaches and forests with huge colourful butterflies. On Boxing Day 1974 we set sail for Cape Town, a voyage that took us forty-six days. It was very different to the first Atlantic crossing. Now the weather grew cold as we headed

south towards the Roaring Forties, the strong westerly winds. We saw graceful albatrosses gliding over the waves. One morning we awoke to killer whales exploding out of the water across our stern! Sometimes at night we would leave dazzling phosphorescence in our wake.

Our perception of time changed as the weeks wore on. Our environment was always to be surrounded by sea – sometimes as calm as undulating blue fields, sometimes with huge waves rising over us as the boat plummeted down into the troughs. We stuck up an extract from TS Eliot’s The Dry Salvages:

“Fare forward, you who think that you are voyaging. You are not those who saw the harbour receding or those who will disembark. Here between the hither and the farther shore, while time is withdrawn, consider the future and the past with an equal mind.”

Cape Town was shrouded in mist and fog as we approached one February morning. As we reached the harbour entrance, a fresh westerly wind sprang up, Table Mountain revealed itself, and we sailed triumphantly into the yacht basin and dropped anchor. We completed the ship’s log with the words of TS Eliot’s Little Gidding:

“We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.”

Acknowledgment

Illustrations by Jeremy Bark

Contact Rohan Quince, Tel 072 230-9338, [email protected]

South African embassy to write our November examinations. We were a very literary crew, all reading the great works prescribed in the English syllabus – Middlemarch, Nostromo, Bleak House and Shakespeare’s great tragedies. Our plan was to sail to Greece and write our examinations in Athens. As time went by, and we realised how slowly a yacht travelled, this was revised to Rome and then to Lisbon. No sooner had we posted that letter than we spoke to an experienced yachtsman who assured us that sailing across the Bay of Biscay during the equinoctial gale season would result in our being shipwrecked! He suggested going through the French canals instead. We quickly made a reverse-charges call to our parents to ignore the letter they were about to receive. “Please inform UNISA that we will write in Paris!”

Crossing the English Channel was our first overnight voyage. We made our way gingerly across the busiest shipping lanes in the world to Le Havre. We sailed with the tide up the Seine to Rouen and beyond. We chugged along the river, sitting in the doghouse (a “room” next to the cockpit, with a view protected by windows from sea and wind), translating Sir Gawain and the Green Knight into modern English, peering up at heavily wooded mountains where magical ancient castles and chateaux perched.

We spent five weeks in Paris, tied up next to the Place St Michel, with a view of Notre-Dame Cathedral from our deck. We wrote our exams and took advantage of art museums and free organ recitals in the cathedral.

Winter was fast approaching as we left Paris. We entered the canal system at St Mammes amid snow flurries. All day we would travel slowly along the canals, the trees now grey without their leaves, stopping every few miles at the locks which would lift the boat up to the next level. At night we would fire up the coal stove in the saloon, sipping hot tea and listening to My Word on the BBC.

Eventually we entered the Saône river and travelled down to Lyon. Navigating the Rhône River was an

exciting affair, trying to avoid the strong currents, hidden shoals and fearsome rocks! In early 1974 we reached the Mediterranean. We stepped the mast and sailed along the French coast and then hopped across to Corsica and down to Sardinia.

There was a slight problem when we arrived in Alghero because our Italian visas had long since expired (having been obtained in Paris). Things looked tricky until we said we were meeting mothers and siblings from South Africa. That changed everything. “Mama is coming?” the Italian immigration officials exclaimed. “Welcome to Italy!”

The summer waxed hot as we sailed to Minorca, Majorca and Ibiza and then down the mountainous Spanish mainland, still ruled by General Franco. We managed to earn some money in Malaga by selling our blood – apparently the Spanish did not believe in blood donors.

We visited Gibraltar and Ceuta on the North African coast before setting off for the Canary Islands – a voyage of eight days. Another eight-day sail took us the dusty Cape Verde Islands.

Then we were at sea for forty-one days, slowly crossing the Atlantic to Brazil. We swam in the doldrums among the flying-fish and the dolphins. Then we picked up the south-east tradewinds and made steady progress. I was the navigator. Long before the days of satellite navigation, we used a sextant and Reed’s Nautical Almanac, aided by the radio and a stop-watch for accurate time. Latitude was easily deduced using a noon sight. Longitude was more of a challenge, involving equations and logarithms. At last we sighted Rio de Janeiro’s Sugarloaf Mountain and Corcovado.

I wrote my philosophy finals at the South African consulate, completing my degree. We spent time exploring the islands along the Brazilian coast – deserted beaches and forests with huge colourful butterflies. On Boxing Day 1974 we set sail for Cape Town, a voyage that took us forty-six days. It was very different to the first Atlantic crossing. Now the weather grew cold as we headed

south towards the Roaring Forties, the strong westerly winds. We saw graceful albatrosses gliding over the waves. One morning we awoke to killer whales exploding out of the water across our stern! Sometimes at night we would leave dazzling phosphorescence in our wake.

Our perception of time changed as the weeks wore on. Our environment was always to be surrounded by sea – sometimes as calm as undulating blue fields, sometimes with huge waves rising over us as the boat plummeted down into the troughs. We stuck up an extract from TS Eliot’s The Dry Salvages:

“Fare forward, you who think that you are voyaging. You are not those who saw the harbour receding or those who will disembark. Here between the hither and the farther shore, while time is withdrawn, consider the future and the past with an equal mind.”

Cape Town was shrouded in mist and fog as we approached one February morning. As we reached the harbour entrance, a fresh westerly wind sprang up, Table Mountain revealed itself, and we sailed triumphantly into the yacht basin and dropped anchor. We completed the ship’s log with the words of TS Eliot’s Little Gidding:

“We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.”

Acknowledgment

Illustrations by Jeremy Bark

Contact Rohan Quince, Tel 072 230-9338, [email protected]

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Copyright©2019 - EE Publishers (Pty) Ltd. All rights reserved.Copyright of all material appearing in this publication is vested in EE Publishers and the author(s). In submitting any article for publication, the authors confirm that they own the copyright to the said article, which is ceded to EE Publishers for publication. The editor reserves the right to edit or shorten articles submitted for publication. Editing and/or shortening is done with due diligence, where necessary in conjunction with the author(s).No part of this publication may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, except as described below, without the written permission of EE Publishers. Copying of articles in not permitted except for personal and internal use, to the extent permitted by South African law. Permission is not required to make abstracts, on condition that a full reference to the source is shown. Requests for permission for other kinds of copying should be addressed to EE Publishers.DisclaimerArticles published in ENERGIZE do not necessarily reflect the views of EE Publishers or the editor. In addition, views expressed by the editor do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation affiliated to ENERGIZE.It is a condition of publishing material in ENERGIZE that EE Publishers and the editor shall not be liable for any consequential or other damages arising from the publication in good faith of any article, advertisement, picture, comment, view or opinion. This applies to publishing, failing to publish, late publishing or incorrectly publishing any article, advertisement, insert, picture, caption, etc.It is acknowledged that errors in transcript, human and technical errors can and do occur, but that reasonable effort will be make to minimise their occurrence, and to acknowledge and correct such errors when they are brought to the attention of EE Publishers.

Enabling SSEG in SANedbank Main Auditorium, 135 Rivonia Road, Sandton25 June 2019

The role of small and medium scale embedded generation and “smart grid” in meeting the electrical energy needs of the future – the necessary business case, policy, regulatory and financing environment for behind-the-meter solutions such as rooftop solar PV and other distributed generation.

Contact Charmaine Manicom, EE Publishers, Tel 011 543-7000, [email protected] v v

Actom MV Switchgear ................................................................................................ OBCAlectrix ...........................................................................................................................2Comtest ........................................................................................................................11CONCO ......................................................................................................................17Copper Development Association ...................................................................................31Dehn Africa ..................................................................................................................29Diesel Electric................................................................................................................37FLIR ..............................................................................................................................45Reinhausen SA ................................................................................................................5SA GeoTech 2019 ....................................................................................................... IBCScheider Electric ........................................................................................................ OFCTIS ............................................................................................................................. IFC

Ensuring a just energy transition Nedbank Main Auditorium, 135 Rivonia Road, Sandton7 May 2019

The need for a just energy transition in South Africa to ensure environmental sustainability and reduce the carbon intensity of South Africa – issues of job creation, education, training, re-skilling and geo-location of clean energy resources for maximum impact and least cost.

Contact Charmaine Manicom, EE Publishers, Tel 011 543-7000, [email protected] v

PowerGen Africa 2019 CTICC, Cape Town14 – 16 May 2019

PowerGen Africa 2019 provides a platform to engage with peers, seek out best practice, and learn about the success stories in Africa and from around the world which can be implemented in your businesses. This event offers the power industry opportunities to make positive change in the region.

Contact Clarion Events, [email protected] v

Thinking Sustainability Glenhove Events Hub, Melrose, Johannesburg10 – 11 April 2019

The demand for energy, food and water are increasing, driven by growing human populations, increased energy needs, adverse weather patterns, urbanisation, and other issues. Experts from business, government and civil society will address the issues and share knowledge and information about the energy-food-water nexus for South Africa.

Contact SANEA, Tel 012 346-6004, [email protected] v

Cigré regional conference 2019

Misty Hills Country Hotel, Conference Centre and Spa

1 – 4 October 2019

The conference will provide a platform for discussions between electric utilities, system operators, regulators, manufacturers and suppliers, universities, standardising bodies, research laboratories and authorities on topics in the field of the development of electrical systems in Africa.

Contact Anelja de Bok, Cigre, Tel 082 902-4606, [email protected]

African Utility Week CTICC, Cape Town14 – 16 May 2019

Along with multiple side events and numerous networking functions, African Utility Week boasts a 6-track conference with over 300 expert speakers. Over 7000 decision-makers attend this annual event, which is the ideal place to source solutions, generate business and connect with new and existing energy markets.

Contact Zara Eckles, African Utility Week, Tel 071 700-3541, [email protected] v

Organised and hosted by

Dates: Monday & Tuesday 22 & 23 July 2019Venue: Emperors Palace | Johannesburg | South Africa

www.SAGeoTech.co.za

� emeGeo-tech to drive new business opportunities and economic growth

A geo-technology conference and expo for social, economic,business and infrastructure development and economic growth

Organised and hosted byOrganised and hosted by

www.SAGeoTech.co.za

Dates: Monday & Tuesday 22 & 23 July 2019Venue: Emperors Palace | Johannesburg | South Africa

� emeGeo-tech to drive new business opportunities and economic growth

A geo-technology conference and expo for social, economic,business and infrastructure development and economic growth

Conference and Exhibition

DesignTech | ArchiTech | MeasureTech | PositionTech | MineTech | ConstrucTech

MEET THE LATEST MEMBER OF OUR TEAM –

SBV4XE

Partner with ACTOM for turnkey medium voltage energy solutions.

•Reducednumberofcircuitbreakermechanismparts•Energyefficientopeningandclosingreleases•BoltedandrivetedhousingandcircuitbreakerdesignmadefromAluminiumandZinccoatedsteelsheeting•12kV,25kAupto1250AratingstoIEC62271-100/200•Enduranceclassof“E2”and“M2”•Simplifiedcarriagelatching,interlockingandrackingmechanisms•Superiormanoeuvrabilityofbreakercarriage.

MV SWITCHGEARA division of ACTOM (Pty) Ltd

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CONTENTS · 2020-03-19 · LIST OF ADVERTISERS ... and waveforms. The world’s most advanced power quality meter, the Powerlogic ION9000 Information from Schneider Electric ... complies