Eskom Power Plant Engineering Institute · PDF file2Produced by EPPEI 2014-2015 Programme Eskom Power Plant Engineering Institute – February 2016 EPPEI 2015-2016 Programme 1 Contents

Eskom Power PlantEngineering Institute

2015-2016 Programme

EPPEI

Eskom Academy of Learning Driving towards Engineering Excellence

EPPEI 2015-2016 Programme 12 EPPEI 2014-2015 Programme Produced by Eskom Power Plant Engineering Institute – February 2016

Contents

1. Foreword by Sylvia Mamorare 2

2. EPPEI management report by Malcolm Fawkes 4

3. Technical committee 5

4. EPPEI management team 6

5. Specialisation centre strategies 7

6. Specialisation centre academic representatives 8

7. Academic supervisors 16

8. Industrial mentors 17

9. EPPEI student population 19

10. Current projects – research topics 20

11. Completed projects 80

12. Publication list 98

13. EPPEI Junior Enterprise 109

14. Student conferences 112

15. Appendices 116

Acknowledgements

Prof Francis Petersen – University of Cape Town

Prof Ian Jandrell – University of the Witwatersrand

Prof LJ Grobler – North-West University

Prof Sunil Maharaj – University of Pretoria

Prof Christina Trois – University of KwaZulu-Natal

Prof Willem Perold – Stellenbosch University

EPPEI 2015-2016 Programme 32 EPPEI 2015-2016 Programme

The past year has been riddled with challenges as Eskom has had to tighten its belt in various areas. In times of budget cuts within a business, training and research are usually the first area to be affected. As the Chief Learning Officer (CLO) of Eskom, I find it particularly heartening that in these tough financial times, Eskom has remained committed to its training and education initiatives.

While the Eskom Academy of Learning (EAL) has been affected by budget cuts, it has recognised the great value that the EPPEI programme has added to both Eskom and EAL, and has shouldered much of the financial cuts to protect the EPPEI budget.

In late 2014 we had to reassess this position and approached universities to work with us to introduce cost-saving measures. EAL and the universities identified the critical areas of spending to sustain EPPEI. Great effort had been made to enrol academic staff, who now have experience in understanding the power industry and specifically Eskom’s needs and they are key to EPPEI’s continued success. We felt it was important to maintain the crucial relationships between Eskom SMEs, engineers and these academics. Therefore we first prioritised the staff in our spending and then the short-term needs in the coal power stations at Eskom.

We are delighted with the commitment and response from universities who have shown their support of both EPPEI and Eskom during these trying times. I am happy to report that the partnership between Eskom and the universities is going from strength to strength.

While 2014 has been a difficult year, there have also been some highlights. EAL was very honoured to be selected by the Association of Power Utilities in Africa (APUA) as a centre of excellence that will provide training to members of APUA. We see EPPEI playing an important role in fulfilling this mandate.

EAL along with the universities have also been working on the business case to extend the EPPEI programme for a further five years from 2017 to 2021. This business case will be brought to Exco this year for their consideration. EPPEI is now in its fourth year of a five year mandate.

Foreword by Sylvia Mamorare

Looking at our accomplishments over the past three years, I am even more convinced of the impact that EPPEI will have on the Eskom business in the long term. It has been especially positive seeing the value added to business units when students return from their research at universities. Some of our students have been promoted to lead engineers in their field.

We are indeed seeing the development of experts through the EPPEI initiative as well as the development of the knowledge base necessary to take Eskom into the future.

Yours in continuous learningSylvia MamorareCLO, Eskom

1.

“ I am happy to report that the partnership

between Eskom and the universities is going from strength to strength. ”

Sylvia Mamorare


EPPEI management report for 2015 by Malcolm Fawkes

2.

EPPEI entered into its third year in 2014. We saw the first and second intakes of master’s students completing their studies towards the end of 2014. It is encouraging to see the quality of academic research work that has been produced in the objective of working on real-world challenges in Eskom’s plant. Some of the solutions developed through EPPEI research will also be able to be implemented into current Eskom projects. In addition, the research will assist South Africa in developing its own Intellectual Property in the power industry, one of the Visons of EPPEI. This will enhance the prospects of our economy through local manufacture and export of goods and services. Eskom continues to experience severe technical, financial and manpower constraints. As a result of this, the EPPEI budget has been cut by 42%. It has thus been decided that in future the funding available will need to be allocated pro rata to the eight specialisation centres in accordance with Eskom’s current challenges and in accordance with the capacity of centres to deliver. This has resulted in additional risks to some centres in terms of ability to continue with academic appointments, for example. The Eskom restriction on manpower numbers has resulted in Line Managers being hesitant to release young engineers for postgraduate studies. This is one of the biggest risks for the EPPEI programme. Where possible, and in line with governance requirements, bursaries have been given to non-Eskom students to do research towards solving Eskom’s technical challenges.

The central EPPEI coordination office, currently hosted by UCT, and the Coordination and Administration (C&A) committee of the six universities provided excellent services to EPPEI in 2014. The purpose of the C&A committee is to share the different administrative activities among the universities. EPPEI management is very grateful for the continued support and co-operation from the universities and their willingness to assist. The need for better monitoring of student progress has been identified by the C&A committee as a priority. On average it is taking longer than two years for students to complete their research and to complete their final dissertations. Closer monitoring of progress and more coaching is required to ensure that their project plan is kept on schedule. It has also been disappointing to note how many students, relatively, have resigned from Eskom after graduation or during the completion phases of research. This has been due partly to personal reasons but in other cases it was felt that career paths were ‘greener on the other side’. EPPEI will continue to work with Line Management to see how Eskom can prevent this in future.

Very good news was received recently that Eskom had approved the continuation of the EPPEI programme for another five years until 2021. This continuation was intended from the first approval in April 2011. Work has started in earnest to get the commercial processes finalised to conclude new contracts with the six partner universities. The exciting new “Hub-and-Spoke” business model is to be pursued with a Consortium of the universities. This new approach will hopefully see EPPEI prosper until it can become financially independent of Eskom in 2022. Exciting times lie ahead.

The EPPEI technical committee met twice in 2014. The members include: Eskom senior management,EPPEI Technical Committee (TC), academic and industrial coordinators of the specialisation centres and the EPPEI Junior Enterprise. The committee provides a platform where the various specialisation centres can give feedback to EPPEI management and implement changes for the development of EPPEI.

EPPEI Management

EPPEI Senior Manager Malcolm Fawkes

EDF Senior Manager, EPPEI Louis Jestin

EPPEI Senior Advisor Robert Jones and Carolynn Koekemoer

Eskom Executive Advisors

Eskom Power Plant Engineering Titus Mathe

Electrical Engineering Prince Moyo

RT&D Barry MacColl and Chris Gross

Specialisation Centre Industrial Coordinator Academic Coordinator

Energy Efficiency Joe Roy-Aikins Wim Fuls

Combustion Engineering Anton Hart Walter Schmitz

Emissions Control Yokesh Singh Stuart Piketh

Material Science Marthinus Bezuidenhoudt Bernhard Sonderegger

Asset Management Mark Newby Stephan Heyns

High Voltage Engineering AC Abré le Roux John van Coller

High Voltage Engineering DC Rob Stephen Inno Davidson

Renewable Energy Zama Luswazi Wikus van Niekerk

EPPEI Junior Enterprise Leaders

EPPEI Junior Enterprise Intake One (2012) Priyesh Gosai

EPPEI Junior Enterprise Intake Two (2013) Rudzani Mutshinya

EPPEI Junior Enterprise Intake Three (2014) Naeem Tootla

EPPEI Junior Enterprise Intake Four (2015) Christine Schutte

Technical committee 3.


Name Malcolm Fawkes

Position Senior Manager Eskom Academy of Learning (Midrand)

Tel +27 11 655 2552

Email [email protected]

Name Louis Jestin

Position EDF Senior Manager, EPPEI Mechanical Engineering (UCT)

Tel +27 21 650 3239


Name Carolynn Koekemoer

Position Senior Advisor Eskom Academy of Learning (Midrand)

Tel +27 13 693 2265


Name Robert Jones

Position Senior Advisor Eskom Academy of Learning (Midrand)

Tel +27 13 693 3216


Name Nicola Taylor

Position Central Co-ordinator Mechanical Engineering (UCT)

Tel +27 21 650 2119


EPPEI management team4.

• Eskom specialisation centre in Energy Efficiency at the University of Cape Town

• Eskom specialisation centre in Combustion Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand

• Eskom specialisation centre in Emission Control at North-West University

• Eskom specialisation centre in Material Science at the University of Cape Town

• Eskom specialisation centre in Asset Management at the University of Pretoria

• Eskom specialisation centre in High Voltage Engineering (AC) at the University of the Witwatersrand

• Eskom specialisation centre in High Voltage Engineering (DC) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal

• Eskom specialisation centre in Renewable Energy at Stellenbosch University

www.uct.ac.za

www.wits.ac.za

www.nwu.ac.za

www.uct.ac.za

www.up.ac.za

www.wits.ac.za

www.ukzn.ac.za

www.sun.ac.za

EPPEI Specialisation Centre (SC) strategies

5.


EPPEI specialisation centre in Energy Efficiency at University of Cape Town

Name Wim FulsPosition Coordinator, Senior LecturerDept Mechanical Engineering (UCT)Education PhD Nuclear Engineering (NWU) Tel 021 650 2600Email [email protected] Thermo-hydraulic process modelling

Name Igor GorlachPosition Professor & ChairDept Mechatronics (NMMU)

Summerstrand Campus (North)Tel 041 504 3289Email [email protected]

Partner University:

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University

Louis JestinProfessorMech. Eng. (UCT)PhD ThermophysicsHabilitated Prof (Marseille University, France) 021 650 [email protected]

NamePosition

DeptEducation

TelEmail

Pieter RousseauProfessorMech. Eng. (UCT)PhD Mech. Eng. (UP)

021 650 [email protected]

EPPEI specialisation centre academic representatives

6.

Name Walter SchmitzPosition Coordinator, ProfessorDept School of Mechanical Industrial and

Aeronautical Engineering (Wits)Education PhD Mech. Eng. Tel 011 717 7047Email [email protected] Computational Fluid Dynamics

Name Reshendren Naidoo Position Senior LecturerDept School of Mechanical Industrial and

Aeronautical Engineering (Wits)Education MEng Eng. Man. (UP) Tel Email

011 717 [email protected]

Interests Numerical Combustion

Partner University:

University of Johannesburg

EPPEI specialisation centre in Combustion Engineering at University of the Witwatersrand

Dr Daniel MadyiraLecturerMech. and Eng. Science (UJ)011 559 [email protected]

NamePositionDeptTelEmail


EPPEI specialisation centre in Emission Control at North-West University

Name Stuart PikethPosition Coordinator, ProfessorDept Unit for Environmental Science and

Management and Chemical Resource Beneficiation

Education PhD (Wits) Tel 018 299 1582Email [email protected] Atmospheric and environmental impacts

Name Hein NeomagusPosition ProfessorDept School of Chemical and Minerals

Engineering (NWU)Education PhD (University of Twente, NL) Tel 018 299 1535Email [email protected] Coal conversion and characterisation,

reactor modelling, membrane processes

Name Dr Hilary Limo RuttoPosition Senior LecturerDept Chemical Engineering (VUT)Tel 016 950 9598Email [email protected]

Partner Universities:

University of Venda and Vaal University of Technology

EPPEI specialisation centre academic representatives continued...

Name Bernhard SondereggerPosition Coordinator, ProfessorDept Mechanical Engineering (UCT)Education PhD Mech. Eng. Habilitation Mater. Sci.

(Graz University of Technology, A) Tel 021 650 3675Email [email protected] Materials microstructure, electron microscopy

Name Robert KnutsenPosition Professor, Head of DepartmentDept Mechanical Engineering (UCT)Education PhD (UCT) Tel 021 650 4959Email [email protected] Materials microstructure, electron

microscopy

Partner University:

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University

EPPEI specialisation centre in Material Science at University of Cape Town

Name Dr Johan WestraadtPosition Senior ResearcherDept Centre for High Resolution

Transmission Electron Microscopy (NMMU)

Tel 041 504 2301Email [email protected]


EPPEI specialisation centre in Asset Management at University of Pretoria

Name Stephan HeynsPosition Coordinator, ProfessorDept Mechanical and Aeronautical

Engineering (UP)Education PhD (UP)Tel 012 420 2432Email [email protected] Machine and structural health

monitoring

Name Bo XingPosition Senior LecturerDept Mechanical and Aeronautical

Engineering (UP)Education PhD (UJ) Tel 012 0420 2431Email [email protected] Electrical and electronics engineering,

computational intelligence

Name Dr Dawood A DesaiPosition Acting Section Head MechanicalDept Mechanical Engineering (TUT)Tel 012 382 5886Email [email protected]

Partner University:

Tshwane University of Technology


Name John van CollerPosition Coordinator, Senior LecturerDept School of Electrical and Information

Engineering (Wits)Education PhDTel 011 717 7211Email [email protected] Power system modelling, high voltage

engineering

Name Hugh HuntPosition LecturerDept School of Electrical and Information

Engineering (Wits)Education MSc(Eng) Tel 011 717 7254Email [email protected] High voltage, lightning

Name Mr Jerry WalkerPosition Visiting ProfessorDept Power Engineering – Centre for

Cable Research (VUT)Tel 016 421 5190Email [email protected]

EPPEI specialisation centre in High Voltage Alternating Current (AC) at University of the Witwatersrand

Partner University:

Vaal University of Technology


EPPEI specialisation centre in High Voltage Direct Current at University of KwaZulu-Natal

Name Inno DavidsonPosition Coordinator, Senior LecturerDept Eskom CoE HVDC Engineering (UKZN)Education PhD Elec. Eng. (UCT), (SEMAC,

BC Inst. Technol., Barnaby, CA)Tel 031 260 7024Email [email protected] Modern power and energy systems,

SMART grid utility

Name Andrew SwansonPosition LecturerDept Electrical, Electronic and Computer

EngineeringEducation MSc (Wits) Tel 031 260 2713Email [email protected] High voltage engineering

Name Mr Eamon BussyPosition Head of DepartmentDept Steve Biko CampusTel 031 373 2062Email [email protected]

Partner University:

Durban University of Technology


Name Wikus van Niekerk Position Coordinator, ProfessorDept Centre for Renewable and Sustainable

Energy Studies (SUN)Education PhD Mech. Eng. (University of California,

Berkley, USA) Tel 021 808 4277Email [email protected] Mechanical engineering, renewable energy

Name Frank DinterPosition Professor, Eskom Chair in CSPDept Mechanical and Mechatronic Eng. (SUN)Education Dr.-Ing (University GH Essen, DE) Tel 021 808 4024Email [email protected] Solar thermal power plants, CSP, storage

systems, industrial heat, demand side management

Partner University:

Cape Peninsula University of Technology

EPPEI specialisation centre in Renewable Energy at Stellenbosch University

Name Dr Nawaz MahomedPosition Dean of Engineering (CPUT)Tel 021 959 6217Email [email protected]


1. Prof Gary Atkinson-Hope (Cape Peninsula University of Technology)

2. Dr Thorsten Becker (Stellenbosch University)

3. Dr Johan Beukes (Stellenbosch University)

4. Dr BW Botha (University of Pretoria)

5. Paul Gauché (University of Stellenbosch)

6. Dr Nathie Gule (Stellenbosch University)

7. Prof Albert Helberg (North-West University)

8. Dr Jaap Hoffmann (Stellenbosch University)

9. Prof Zhongjie Huan (Tshwane University of Technology)

10. Prof Hanno Reuter (Stellenbosch University)

11. Dr Hamed Roohani (University of the Witwatersrand)

12. Prof Rotimi Sadiku (Tshwane University of Technology)

13. Prof Christ Storm (North-West University)

14. Dr Coenie JH Thiart (University of Pretoria)

15. Dr Johan van der Spuy (Stellenbosch University)

16. Assoc Prof Johan Vermeulen (Stellenbosch University)

17. Dr George Vicatos (University of Cape Town)

18. Prof Krige Visser (University of Pretoria)

Note: The mentors that have already been listed as coordinators or members of the specialisation centres are not included in this section.

Academic supervisors7.

1. Adam Bartylak (Eskom)

2. Dr Graeme Chown (PPA Energy, UK)

3. Assoc Prof Jasper Coetzee (University of Pretoria)

4. Steve Conyers (Eskom)

5. Roger Cormack (Eskom)

6. Norman Crowe (Eskom)

7. Gary de Klerk (Eskom)

8. Manny de Sousa (Eskom)

9. Philip Doubell (Eskom)

10. Dr Francois du Preez (Eskom)

11. Chris Du Toit (Eskom)

12. Naushaad Haripersad (Eskom)

13. Frans Havinga (Eskom)

14. Herman Kleynhans (Tshwane University of Technology/UNISA)

15. Mike Lander (Eskom)

16. Noel Lecordier (Eskom)

17. Arnoud Madlener (Eskom)

18. Peter Magner (Eskom)

19. Dr Marubini Manyage (Eskom)

20. Nhlanhla Mbuli (Eskom)

21. Dr Thabo Modisane (Eskom)

22. Sidwell Mtetwa (Eskom)

23. Phuti Ngoetjana (Eskom)

24. Ebrahim M Patel (Eskom)

25. Dr Thobeka Pete (Eskom)

26. Carel Potgieter (Eskom)

Industrial mentors 8.


27. Dr JP Pretorius (University of Stellenbosch/Eskom)

28. Dr Joe Roy-Aikins (Eskom)

29. Ronnie Scheepers (Eskom)

30. Kobus Smit (Eskom)

31. Riaan Smit (Eskom)

32. James Sproule (Cape Peninsula University of Technology)

33. David Tarrant (Rotek Engineering)

34. Dr Christopher van Alphen (Eskom)

35. Willem van der Westhuizen (Eskom)

36. Chris van Tonder (Eskom)

37. Kobus Vilonel (Eskom)

38. Nigel Russel Volk (Eskom)

39. Christo van Wyk (Eskom)

40. Thomas Will (University of Cologne, Germany)

41. Marthinus Bezuidenhout (Eskom)

42. Armien Edwards (Eskom)

43. Nico Smit (Eskom)

Note: The mentors that have been already listed in other sections are not included in this list.

Industrial mentors continued...

In early 2015, 21 MSc and 3 PhD students were enrolled at the respective universities as part of intake four. A breakdown of the various specialisation centres and the number of students that were placed in these centres for each intake is shown in the following graph.

This book contains detailed information of the intake four student projects and showcases projects that have been completed by students from previous intakes.

Intake 3 (2014)

Intake 2 (2013)

Intake 1 (2012)

Number of students per intake

0 1 2 3 4 5 6

EE – UCT

CE – WITS

EC – NWU

MS – UCT

AM – UP

HV(AC) – WITS

HV(DC) – UKZN

RE – SUN

EPPEI student population 9.

Intake 4 (2015)

7 8 9


1. Emissions Control 22

EC1 - Influence of SO3 and moisture content on the resistivity of fly ash from typical South African coals 24

EC2 - The effects of low quality limestone on the absorber reaction tank sizing 26EC3 - Correlating South African fly-ash resistivity with electrostatic precipitator collection

efficiency 28 EC4 - Value-added utilisation possibilities of Coal Combustion Products (CCPs) 30EC5 - Dissolution kinetics of representative South African lime stones in aqueous solutions 32EC6 - Characterising trade-offs between fabric filter bag dimensions, ash collection

efficiency, associated pressure drop and pulsing behaviour 34

2. Material Science 36

MS1 - FEM modelling of stress, deformation and damage of creep loaded components in thermal power plants 38

MS2 - Experimental investigation of creep damage of a thermally exposed component in coal power plants 40

3. Asset Management 42

AM1 - Continuum damage modelling on HP pipework for predicting creep fatigue interaction 44AM2 - The effect of non-uniform microstructure on the failure mode of hamer forged

line hardware failure prediction 46AM3 - Vibration monitoring of transformer windings 48AM4 - Reliability modelling for the prediction of failure probability of a critical plant at a

power station 50AM5 - Eskom high pressure feedwater heater maintenance management optimisation 52AM6 - Develop a troubleshooting guide for vertical spindle roller mills using process history

data and machine learning 58AM7 - Risks and effects of turbo-generator torsional vibration in an expanding and

diversifying Southern African electricity gridT 60AM8 - Evaluation of a viable technique to determine mass flow rate in a pneumatic ash

conveying system to validate performance requirements 62

Current projectsResearch topics

10.

4. High Voltage Engineering (AC) 64

AC1 - A method for measuring and recording changes on wood pole impedance over time 62AC2 - Power exchange optimisation of distributed energy resources utilising smart

transformers and active voltage regulation 64

5. High Voltage Engineering (DC) 66

DC1 - Impact of DC options and VSC based facts devices on voltage stability in southern Africa 68

6. Renewable Energy 70

RE1 - Investigation into the effect of wind on fan performance in an ACC 72RE2 - Geographic location optimisation of wind farms in South Africa 74RE3 - Integrated O&M strategy for Sere Wind Farm 76RE4 - Life cycle cost of energy technologies (fossil fuel-fired, gas, renewable and nuclear) 78

EPPEI 22015-2016 Programme 2322 EPPEI 2015-2016 Programme 22 EPPEI 2014-2015 Programme

Focus points• Environmental legislation and compliance

for air, water and soils

• Monitoring of pollutant emissions andenvironmental impact

• Technologies for reduction and control ofenvironmental pollutants (dust, SOx, NOx,Mercury, CO2)

• Cost benefit assessment of emissions control

• Materials handling of by-products

Eskom Power Plant Engineering Institute

Emissions Control


StudentJaco Burger

Email: [email protected]

Industrial mentor Ebrahim PatelEmail: [email protected]

Academic supervisors Prof Hein NeomagusEmail: [email protected]

EC1Influence of SO3 and moisture content on the resistivity of fly ash from typical South African coals

Subject background

Fly ash resistivity directly influences the efficiency of an Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP). Resistivity is the measure of the conductibility of a material given as ohm.cm. Future legislation will require ESPs to have optimal performance to comply with particulate limit legislation set out by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA). SO3

conditioning is used in Eskom to lower the resistivity of fly ash. Eskom does not have data available that shows the effect of various conditioning concentrations on fly ash resistivity. This study will generate data required to inject optimal conditioning concentrations for the desired resistivity required.

Applicability/Benefit to Eskom

• Resistivity data will enable Eskom to determine the conditioning concentrationrequired to get the fly ash at the desired resistivity for optimal ESP performance

• There is potential for cost reduction from an operating cost perspective as a bigreduction in sulphur usage may result in only a small increase in emissions, thishas not been quantified in Eskom before. This however will rely on the fly ashelemental characteristics that Leon van Wyk explored

• The resistivity results can be used as an input to an ESP performance predictionmodel

• The modification to the resistivity oven will help in future if testing on newconditioning technology is required

• Eskom (or subsidiary) can do resistivity analysis for outside companies as a formof revenue generation

Proposed research

• The objective of the research study is to develop a correlation between theconcentration of SO3 or moisture conditioning and fly ash resistivity

• This project will be carried out in collaboration with the North-WestUniversity

• The existing resistivity oven from Eskom RT&D will be modified toaccommodate ash conditioning

• The resistivity oven will be validated against Leon van Wyk’s results obtainedfrom the Southern Research Institute in the US using the same samples

• The study will look at resistivity values at a temperature range typical of ESPinlet temperatures in the Eskom fleet and different conditioning concentrationsat these temperatures

• Moisture content will be the first test where after SO3 conditioning will beimplemented in the oven and tested

• The aim is to test 10 fly ash samples. These will be the same samples that VanWyk used

• Recommendations will be made as to what conditioning concentration isrequired for optimal resistivity on the various samples

Expected deliverables

• Resistivity curve on 10 samples for various SO3 and moisture conditioningconcentrations at various temperatures.


StudentRachel Puseletso Godana


Industrial mentorStefan BinkowskiEmail: Stefan.Binkowski@ steinmueller.com

Academic supervisor Prof Ray EversonEmail: [email protected] Dr Dawie Branken Email: [email protected]

EC2The effects of low quality limestone on the absorber reaction tank sizing

Subject background

Sulphur dioxide (SO2) in a coal-fired power plant, is generated as a result of fossil fuel burning. When emitted into the atmosphere, it is a precursor to acid rain and sulphate aerosol particles which have been shown to have environmental, health and hydrological effects. Consequently, the South African government has classified SO2 as criteria pollutant and has imposed limits on its levels both in the atmosphere and at the source.

Internationally SO2 emissions have been controlled for years using various methods, one of which is a process called Limestone Forced Oxidation (LSFO) Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD). Since SO2 is an acidic component, it can be neutralized by bringing it into contact with an alkaline. In the LSFO process, limestone is ground, mixed with water to form a slurry, and sprayed over SO2 containing flue gas in an absorber. The absorber is mostly an open tower with several components with specific functions. At the bottom of the absorber is a reaction tank. The reaction tank fulfils several functions namely; 1) a holding tank that provides proper conditions for limestone dissolution, 2) compressed air is injected into the contents to ensure oxidation of sulphite (whichis difficult to dewater) to form sulphate, and 3) a holding tank to ensure that gypsumcrystals grow to acceptable sizes for dewatering purposes. The resultant product ofthe process, after undergoing the dewatering step, is synthetic gypsum.

The type and quality of limestone used during the process is an important factor in both the design and operation of the process. South Africa has a number of limestone sources, but compared to international limestone, many of these are considered very low quality. The process function at specific pH levels and the size of the reaction tank is a function of the required operating pH level and the rate at which the limestone dissolves.


In 2009, Eskom obtained a tool to size the absorber and reaction tank. This tool uses a predefined correlation, as a function of several factors, to determine the operating pH of the reaction during the developmental design phases. This was derived using good

quality limestone and its validity range is unknown. For sizing of the reaction tank, the tool uses several assumptions and subsequent correction factors, based on conditions different from those encountered in South Africa. Eskom will be using this tool to size and review its FGD plants but it needs to be adjusted for South African conditions.

Proposed research

• Review the absorber sizing tool to determine what correlations, assumptionsand correction factors are used and what they are based on

• Obtain information about the reactivity of South African limestones anddetermine what correction factor(s) (if any), with specific emphasis on reactiontank liquid retention time, need to be applied

• Choose one limestone and experimentally test if the pH correlation is valid• If the above correlation is not valid - revise/derive a new pH correlation


• A revised absorber reaction tank sizing tool applicable to Eskom’s specific needs• A pH correlation (modified/new/ affirmed current correlation)


StudentJandri Ribberink


Industrial mentor Naushaad HaripersadEmail: [email protected]

Academic supervisor Prof HWJP NeomagusEmail: [email protected]

EC3Correlating South African fly-ash resistivity with electrostatic precipitator collection efficiency

Subject background

Two thirds of the Eskom fleet currently utilizes electrostatic precipitator (ESP) technology to capture fly-ash from the flue gas stream exiting the boiler. An important design parameter of ESP is resistivity. Resistivity (measured in ohm cm) is an intrinsic material property and denotes a materials ability to oppose the flow of electrons. With the new Air Quality Act (AQA) calling for large reductions in emissions it has becomes ever more important to better understand fly-ash resistivity, the effect of ambient conditions on resistivity and how fly-ash resistivity influences ESP operation.


• Recommissioning of the resistivity oven will facilitate the measurement ofcurrent fly-ash resistivity. These values can then be evaluated and compared tothe resistivity values with which the ESP plants were designed, giving insight intocurrent ESP operations

• Modification is currently being conducted on the resistivity oven which will betterfacilitate flue gas conditioning experiments

• The updated resistivity oven can be used to test martial resistivity for externalcompanies as a form of revenue generation

• Because of limited data, fly-ash resistivity will be measured with varying watervapour fractions. An increase in water vapour fraction will lower fly-ash resistivityvalues, leading to increased ESP performance. Flue gas conditioning with steam/water can be considered an inexpensive alternative to SO3 conditioning

• A pilot scale ESP (currently under construction) will be used to better understandthe effect of resistivity on ESP performance

• Three different fly-ashes, each with varying ash properties and resistivity values,will be passed through the pilot scale ESP and the performance measured. Theseexperiments will lend insight into the effect of resistivity on ESP collection efficiency (ESP pilot plant offers variable air velocity, geometry, plate to wire spacing anddischarge electrode configuration)

• Once the resistivity data, ash mineralogy and ESP collection data is available, asimplified model will be developed and validated. The simplified model can thenbe used to describe current ESP collection efficiencies

Proposed research

The aim of this study is to correlate South African fly-ash resistivity, and the effect of moisture thereon, with ESP collection efficiency.

The objectives of this study are to:• Standardise and validate an experimental method for measuring fly-ash

resistivity• Characterise the effect of the water vapour fraction on fly-ash resistivity• Establish the effect of fly-ash resistivity on ESP collection efficiency• Propose and validate a simplified ESP model


• Resistivity data of three fly-ashes, with varying water vapour fractions• ESP collection efficiencies of the three ashes• Simplified ESP performance prediction model


StudentChristine Schutte



Academic supervisor Prof Stuart PikethEmail: [email protected] Prof Hein Neomagus Email: [email protected]

EC4Value-added utilisation possibilities of Coal Combustion Products (CCPs)

Subject background

In order to comply with more stringent air quality standards Eskom will be installing an FGD plant at its new coal fired power stations. The disposal of Coal Combustion Products (CCPs), which includes fly ash and the new FGD gypsum, causes significant environmental and economic difficulties for Eskom. Only a small fraction of these CCPs are used by other industries whilst the bulk of it is held in ash dams. To reduce the environmental and economic impacts of the disposal, alternative utilisation of these CCPs must be investigated.


Alternative utilisation of these CCPs will benefit Eskom in the following areas:• Reduction in disposal costs of the CCPs• Reduction in land use• Environmental impact reductions and legislation compliance• Socio-economic contribution of Eskom towards the environment and community

Proposed research

• Investigate the possibility of designing cost effective insulation products fromthe FGD gypsum to assist in making offset interventions more efficient. Theseinsulation products can be used to improve thermal efficiency in low costhousing in South Africa, which will in turn decrease the need for domesticburning

• Investigate the possibility of replacing materials in the South Africanconstruction environment with stronger and light weight alternative materials; especially looking at the possibility of using CCPs in road construction


• Identify the different uses of CCP’s on a global scale• Conduct a market situation analysis in South Africa for fly ash and gypsum• Characterise the quality of the FGD gypsum at Kusile and the fly ash from Kendal

and Kusile• A design for wall and/or ceiling insulation products that can be used in low cost

housing applications


StudentPieter Swart



Academic supervisors Prof Hein NeomagusEmail: [email protected]

EC5Dissolution kinetics of representative South African lime stones in aqueous solutions

Subject background

The amount of SO2 generated during coal combustion is a function of the sulphur content in the fuel. None of Eskom’s current plants were designed with SO2 reduction in mind and none of these plants will be able to comply with the 500 mg/Nm3 emissions limit. Kusile power station is first to be retrofitted for Flue Gas Desulfurisation (FGD), followed by Medupi power station during its first General Outage (GO) cycle, while Medupi power station was built as “FGD ready”. The FGD retrofit entails rotating the chimney by 180o, lining the chimney flues for operating in both un-saturated and saturated environments, leaving space on the terrace for the FGD island and make provision in the plant balance for the support systems such as water, sorbent, waste etc. Limestone is used in the FGD process and introduces CaCO3 to react with the SO2, removing it from the discharge gas. The use of lower quality limestone will result in cost saving and is therefore important to investigate.


• The optimisation of water and sorbent resources on the FGD plant process• Assist in mitigating the risk of resource availability and reducing associated waste

management, thereby managing the environmental footprint of the station• If lower quality limestone sources are found to be viable in the use of FGD, it will

have an economic impact which could benefit Eskom

Proposed research

• Evaluate the dissolution and reactive properties of a low grade limestone, whichserves as a key input for modelling the wet FGD processes

• The project will be carried out in collaboration with students at NWU thusfamiliarising them with the state of research concerning determination ofdissolution capacity of limestone samples from different sources with regards to:

– methods available for measuring dissolution rates – the equipment used to perform measurements – establishing the most suitable method to test dissolution after collaboration

between all parties involved.

• Evaluation and/or modification of the current absorption reactor at NWU inorder to conduct dissolution related testing

• Determine chemical, physical and mineralogical properties of low grade limestoneby means of XRF, XRD QEMSCAN and other analyses if required

• Develop correlations between limestone composition (chemical, mineralogical,physical) and parameters that influence the dissolution of limestone

• Perform experiments with the current or new laboratory absorption reactorsetup and adjusted methodology for the determination of dissolution properties


• Characterisation of the low grade limestone selected for the FGD process forinclusion in a process model

• Comparative evaluation of the dissolution rate of available low grade limestonesources


StudentHendrik van Riel


Industrial mentorLeon van WykEmail: [email protected]

Academic supervisors Dr Dawie Branken Email: [email protected] Prof Hein NeomagusEmail: [email protected]

EC6Characterising trade-offs between fabric filter bag dimensions, ash collection efficiency, associated pressure drop and pulsing behaviour

Subject background

Within Eskom’s fleet of coal-fired power stations almost two thirds are equipped with Fabric Filter Plants (FFP’s) to control particulate matter emissions. These stations are Majuba, Arnot, Camden, Duvha units 1 – 3, Grootvlei, Medupi, Kusile, and Hendrina. Duvha units 4 – 6, Tutuka, Matimba, Lethabo, Matla, Kriel, Kendal and Komati are equipped with Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP’s).

Due to poor performance and high emissions, ESP’s can be retrofitted with FFP’s. To retrofit the ESP’s the discharge electrodes and collecting plates are replaced with fabric filter bags. The selection of the fabric bag sizes has largely been outsourced and currently no clear selection criteria exist. Within the Eskom fleet there are two types of fabric filter systems namely High Pressure Low Volume (HPLV) and Low Pressure High Volume (LPHV). Within Eskom the bag sizes varies from 135 mm nominal diameter to 165mm nominal diameter on the HPLV systems and the typical bag size for the LPHV system in 127mm nominal diameter.

Some of Eskom’s power stations equipped with FFP’s are experiencing problems with either flow through the bags or a drop in pressure across the tube plate. The root cause is not clear and is expected to be due to plant modification as well as operational issues. One known contributing factor is the fabric filter size selection, both length and diameter. In this dissertation, the focus will be to study the pressure drop across individual bags and FFP units as a whole.


Relevant to Eskom’s existing, ESP to FFP retrofits and new built FFP’s, to reduce operational costs.

Proposed research

The aim of this study is to establish appropriate design criteria for a FFP in relation to bag size, costs, fabric bag material, and length versus diameter. The objective of this study is to apply Darcy’s law to the various FFP sections and determine the effect of each section individually and also the interaction between different sections.

• Determine the effective residual drag across the fabric material– Test the fabric filter beg material for air permeability

• Determine the specific resistance coefficient of the ash cake on the material– Determine the K value for the specific resistance coefficient of the ash using

the air permeability rig along with the identified ash for application• Find the ash concentration at the inlet of the filter bags• Determine the different mechanical losses with regard to the different fabric

bag sizes– Use different sized holes in the tube plate and measure the differential

pressure across the tube plate


• Establish a computational modelling method• Build and use an experimental setup to study bag characteristics• Perform a techno-economic evaluation• Suggest options for the retrofitting of ESP plants


Focus points• Physical metallurgy of materials used in the power

generation industry

• Effects of manufacturing, construction and operationon materials

• Welding and heat treatment of metals

• Non-destructive evaluation technologies

• Damage mechanisms and failure investigations

• Plant life management from a materials perspective


Material Science


MS1FEM modelling of stress, deformation and damage of creep loaded components in thermal power plants

Subject background

Creep ageing, damage and plastic deformation occurs in components exposed to high temperatures and pressures. The components involved include turbine rotors, disks and blades, boiler parts and steam pipes. Even at constant load, the temperatures in these components are not uniform, and stresses vary significantly locally depending on the geometry. Furthermore, stresses can be uniaxial as well as multiaxial. Load shedding leads to additional temperature variations and accompanying thermal stresses in the components. It is therefore difficult to reasonably estimate the creep damage and remaining lifetime of a component, using conservative safety factors and costly experimental investigations of the local damage states. Finite Element Modeling (FEM) calculations of the stress states can improve this situation greatly by indicating the most stressed areas within a component. With this knowledge, the experimental damage investigation can focus on these specific areas. The same FEM simulations can go a step further when combined with creep models, and improve the lifetime predictions to a point where the local temperature and stress states can be considered. The latter part is the aim of this project.

This project partially overlaps with an Asset Management topic “Continuum damage modelling on HP pipework for predicting creep fatigue interaction”.


Improved creep life estimation and life management of creep loaded components across the Eskom fleet. Consideration of the local stress and temperature state. Aged components can be handled with greater confidence and improved safety.

Proposed research

Literature study of simple (phenomenological) creep and damage models considering temperature changes and multiaxial stress states. These models should be specifically optimised for the components’ materials, i.e. martensitic and bainitic steels. FEM simulations of the (elastic) stress distribution of selected components. Coupling of the creep models with the FEM simulations. Comparison

with experimental results of the damage state (using investigations already made by Eskom or in related EPPEI projects). The components to be investigated are going to be selected in discussion with the student and the industrial mentors.


• Identification of the components to be investigated• Identification of the most suitable FEM software package• Stress analysis of a component at constant load and temperature• Statistical analysis of the stress states• Literature study of creep and damage models considering temperature variations

and multiaxial stress states• Implementation of the creep and damage models into the FEM simulations• Comparison with experimental local damage investigations (taken from related

projects)• Recommendations on damage and creep models used currently by Eskom• Apply the resulting model for an improved prediction of the remaining lifetime of

the components

StudentNicolas Cardenas

Email: Nicolas.cardenas@ eskom.co.za

Industrial mentor Marthinus Bezuidenhout Email: [email protected]

Academic supervisor Prof Robert KnutsenEmail: [email protected]


MS2Experimental Investigation of Creep Damage of a Thermally Exposed Component in Coal Power Plants

Subject background

Due to high temperature and stresses, material degradation such as creep deformation and damage are the most prominent problems when estimating the remaining lifetime of the components. In addition, the specific shape of the component leads to uneven distribution of the stresses, which in addition can be uniaxial as well as multiaxial. Furthermore, material which has been used up to date (21CrMoV57V) is continuously replaced by the more modern P91. The components to be investigated are steam turbine penetrations; however, the applied methodology is applicable to arbitrary types of creep resistant steels. The task of this thesis is to investigate deterioration of the materials considering creep and damage. A detailed investigation of the mechanical properties and the microstructure will permit accurate damage characterisation, and, at the same time will facilitate separating the effects of stress and temperature (as far as the two effects can be treated individually).


Improved creep life estimation and life management of creep loaded components. Consideration of local stress and temperature state, will improve damage investigation techniques. Aged components can be handled with greater confidence and improved safety. All collected data will contribute to setting up more advanced models on the evolution of microstructural degradation and damage. They can thus be combined with micromechanical models and finally act as part of improved creep models.

Proposed research

This research project deals with the experimental investigation of creep and damage of steam turbine penetrations. Steam turbine penetrations will be provided from Eskom’s Lethabo Power Station (Unit 1). In order to accurately characterise the metallurgical damage, the following experimental investigations are proposed:• Metallographic replication: to provide records and information of material

degradation using microstructure damage and defect analysis• Hardness tests: Indicate the thermal softening of the material and can be used

to estimate the actual mean temperature to which the material was exposed to• Light microscopy: Investigate the homogeneity of the investigated material and

indicate flaws stemming from the initial production process, such as inclusions ordelta-ferrite

• Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM): For more detailed investigating of themicrostructure with regards to homogeneity, inclusions, precipitates, quantificationof creep pores and damage due to cree

• SEM/Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD): Quantitatively measure dislocationdensities. Identify recrystallized grains. Eventually will be carried out as Transmission-EBSD to achieve higher resolution

• Energy filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM): identify and quantify ofprecipitates, investigate coarsening processes


• Identification of the critical positions within the steam penetrations with highestdamage

• Improvement of Eskom’s damage investigation techniques• Detailed investigation of the local microstructural evolution• Provide quantitative microstructural data for improved creep- and damage models• Develop an understanding on the impact of temperature and stress on the local

damage

StudentKashir Singh


Industrial mentor Marthinus Bezuidenhout Email: [email protected]

Academic supervisor Prof R KnutsenEmail: [email protected]


Focus points• Engineering approach to asset management

• Life cycle analysis

• Reliability centred maintenance

• Optimised management of strategic spares

• Preventative maintenance analysis

• Condition-based maintenance analysis

• Vibration analysis


Asset Management


Subject background

The High Pressure (HP) pipework in a power station experiences fluctuating high temperatures and pressures. Replacement of these components is planned according to creep condition monitoring. Due to fatigue damage, which is not monitored, premature replacement of these components has been experienced. Consequent Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) reveals that the difference between creep damage and fatigue damage is not distinguishable and only the total damaged is measured. The HP piping is a critical component and replacing the pipework requires long outages ultimately leading to extended periods of power load loss. It is desirable that a method for determining, and forecasting, the amount of fatigue damage in the HP pipework is established.


This research will provide Eskom with a system to quantify and forecast fatigue damage in HP pipework from operation history. This will also aid in verifying forecasted creep damage in HP piping.

Better forecast of total damage will assist with outage planning. Furthermore, the system will use real time indicators to alert power plant personnel to accelerated damage due to operational conditions.

Proposed research

• Research and implement established methods for continuum damage modelsfor practical implementations on steady state thermal solutions on HP pipework

• Develop Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of the full HP pipe system and apply thebest suited damage model to the full HP pipe system

• Investigate sensitivity accuracy of the model using plant data creep models andNDT testing preformed on HP piping

• Using plant data on thermal and pressure cycles to quantify creep-fatigue damagein the HP pipework

• Prescribe required measurements point of measurement that would be requiredto turn this model into a real time on-line condition monitoring system

AM1Continuum damage modelling on HP pipework for predicting creep fatigue interaction


• A method of determining the accumulated creep fatigue damage in HP pipeworksystems

• A full FEA model of an existing HP pipework system that can be used for futurecalculations

• Known feasibility of using such a system for real time condition monitoring ofexisting HP pipework systems

StudentStephen Bydawell


Industrial mentor Michael HindleyEmail: [email protected]

Academic supervisor Assoc Prof Schalk Kok Email: [email protected]


Subject background

The demand for electricity in South Africa had significantly increased to support economic growth; hence Eskom had to expand its electrical capacity. To overcome servitude challenges; required a change in Eskom’s overhead line design philosophy, which included the use of larger conductor sizes and longer line spans, resulting in an increase in mechanical loading on termination points at towers.

Increasing the strength classes of hardware without or limited changes to existing geometry and mass, required unalloyed medium carbon steels to replace low carbon steels as material of choice for hamer forged hardware and heat treatment such as quench and tempering are used to further improve the strength. As the geometry of most line hardware changes along the profile of a component, heat treatment thereof will result in a nonhomogeneous microstructure. Although, the characteristics of the predominant microstructures are known, the characteristics and behaviour of a combination of these predominant microstructures within one component, along with possibly manufacturing deviations in mass production are unknown. Resulting in a significant degree of uncertainty regarding the performance of hamer forged hardware and especial where hardware such as bow shackles are used as single attachment point components when exposed to static and dynamic loading under normal operating conditions.


Probabilistic failure methodology analyses can be used to determine if existing lines are at risk due to deviations in mass production of hardware. By knowing the effect what manufacturing (hammer forging, pickling and galvanizing) and heat treatment would have on the mechanical and material behaviour of hardware would minimise the risk of installing sub-standard hardware, hence minimise the risk of potential failures when the introduction of alternative heat treatable material is considered to further increases the strength class.

In addition, by knowing the typical microstructure that will be obtained with changes in geometry, as well as the mechanical behaviour of such microstructures, will help to identify critical hardware that requires regular inspection and/or replacement in order to minimise potential failures.

AM2The effect of non-uniform micro-structure on the failure mode of hamer forged line hardware failure prediction

Proposed research

To develop a probabilistic failure methodology to address scatter in strength of bow shackles subjected to cycle loads and exposed to fatigue. Particular attention will be paid to creation and propagation of fatigue cracks from edges and surface defects such as laps with variation in the following:• Microstructure changes associated with changes in geometry• Changes in microstructure properties (tensile, hardness, layer thickness) due to

variation associated with manufacturing• Surface defect size that can be tolerated by the mix microstructure• Location of such surface defects along the load distribution of a bow shackle


• Both the material and mechanical characteristics of current material used forhamer forged hardware will be known, including the correlation between hardness(surface and core) and tensile properties. In addition, the relationship betweenmicrostructure changes and the probability of failure when exposed to typicalloading experienced under normal operating conditions will be known.

• Possible new shackle design to minimise the risk of possible failures of singleattachment hardware.

StudentJacques Calitz


Industrial mentorDr Michael Hindley Email: [email protected]

Academic supervisor Prof Schalk KokEmail: [email protected]


Subject background

Transformers are one of the most expensive and critical pieces of equipment in the electricity distribution industry. Ensuring the well-being of transformers will be a resource saving activity for the business. During the last 20 years or so, the reasons for transformer failures have been extensively researched. No conclusions have been made from this research regarding the failures and the challenges such as premature failure of transformers as well as compromised maintenance still remain. The use of condition monitoring information for the identification, preparedness and mitigation of transformer failure is an area of interest which this project will investigate.


• Optimised asset life, which is of great financial benefit• Better overview of plant performance, maintenance planning and design

specifications• Preparedness for plant ageing or failure• Optimised maintenance and operations• Expert skills acquisition on the subject of transformer failures, operations,

monitoring and maintenanceThis software will equip companies operating powerplants to make financially sound operational decisions such as inspection intervalsas well as component replacements.

Proposed research

The primary objectives are to:• Conduct a literature study on:

o transformers and their operating principles,o transformer vibrations,o existing transformer vibration monitoring techniques,o stereophotogrametry

• Through physical experimentation this project will measure the core and windingvibrations of a test transformer under different load conditions by making use ofhigh speed cameras. Lay a foundation for succeeding research.

AM3Vibration monitoring of transformer windings

The secondary objectives of this project are:• Determine the natural frequencies of the core and windings• Conduct a literature study on thermography• Record the temperature profiles of the test transformer under the different load

conditions


• A published MSc thesis• A better overview of plant performance, maintenance as well as design

specifications wich will facilitate optimization of asset life through preparednessfor plant ageing of failure

• Published condition monitoring information for the identification, preparednessand mitigation of transformer failure

• Expert skills acquisition on the subject of transformer failures, operations,monitoring and maintenance

StudentArnold Hayes


Academic supervisors Prof Stephan HeynsEmail: [email protected]


Subject background

With the constraints on the electricity supply grid in the past, Eskom’s power stations’ maintenance has had to be delayed. This delay has led to a less reliable plant that suffers from unexpected breakdowns in-between scheduled outages which are determined through Reliability Based Optimisation (RBO) strategies.

An improved method for determining plant reliability as well as the time intervals between outages can be used to develop reliable as well as safe maintenance strategies.


RBO strategies are utilised to inform the power station when to conduct maintenance on the plant based on time alone. With the current constraints on the national power grid, it would be advantageous for Eskom to be able to determine when to conduct maintenance in their plants, based on factors other than time alone such as: plant condition, past as well as operating conditions that influence the life of the plant. This would allow Eskom to optimize their maintenance strategies, reduce the number of unexpected plant breakdowns and help with key decision making, should outages need to be delayed. These improved maintenance strategies will financially benefit Eskom.

Proposed research

This project will research reliability models that can be used to determine the probability of failure of power plant equipment and components. The models should in the very least be time and condition based. The proposed research will include an evaluation of the failure modes of a critical system. From the research work carried out, recommendations as to which model would give the optimal solution to determine the survival statistics of the system components can be made. The model will be tested using failure data obtained from the selected critical system.

AM4Reliability modelling for the prediction of failure probability of a critical plant at a power station


• Identification of critical plant failure data• Research time and condition based reliability models• Test results from the most suitable model using available failure data

StudentNtombifuthi Ncongwane


Industrial mentor Eugene PininskiEmail: [email protected]

Academic supervisors Prof. Stephan HeynsEmail: [email protected]


Subject background

The cost of deterioration of the effectiveness of High Pressure Feedwater heaters due to tube plugging must be weighed against repair/replacement options continuously using quantitative measures of availability and risk. This enables proactive decision-making to prevent heaters falling into disrepair.


High Pressure (HP) feedwater heaters form a crucial part of the power generation process. Due to the deterioration of feedwater heating plant in Eskom the “repair or replace” decision-making process will become a reality which must be executed swiftly.

The effectiveness of HP feedwater heaters directly impacts the efficiency of the water-steam cycle. A reduction in availability of feedwater heating capacity adversely affects the overall process efficiency and consequently costs Eskom money.

Proposed research

In the Eskom fleet, HP feedwater heaters are taken out of service for various reasons. Some valid, and some invalid. If a monetary value could simply and easily be associated with the time a heater is out of service, it can be used to aid plant leaders in their maintenance decisions. To evaluate the reasons for the reduction in heater availability in terms of cost and compare it to the increase in production cost due to efficiency loss.

AM5Eskom high pressure feedwater heater maintenance management optimisation


The research conducted for this topic will address:

• The reasons for taking HP feedwater heaters out of service• The cost to Eskom when HP feedwater heaters are taken out of service• The time required for HP feedwater heaters to run at reduced effectiveness

to justifyreplacement costs and time (Cycle efficiency loss not heater efficiency loss)

Therefore the main deliverable of this topic would be to develop an industry ready guide which will aid plant leaders in their maintenance decisions for HP heaters taking into account plant integrity and cost effectiveness.

This should evaluate the present value of assets and utilize statistical analysis to determine optimal replacement time.

StudentJC Pieterse


Industrial mentor Marthinus Besuidenhout Email: [email protected]

Academic supervisor Prof Stephan HeynsEmail: [email protected]


Subject background

The coal mill is the heart of the coal fired power station. It provides quality pulverised fuel to dynamically meet boiler demand. A poor performing milling plant can be a bottleneck in power generation and cause combustion related issues such as unburnt carbon in ash, high NOx emissions, uneven steam temperatures and high exit gas temperatures. Currently mill failures or performance related issues are diagnosed based on the judgement and experience of the operating, maintenance and engineering staff. Eskom is currently experiencing a skills shortage with the majority of young engineers lacking mentorship and handover knowledge. Due to the huge amount of information available, both in theoretical knowledge and system signals, engineers with less experience may not be able analyse available data properly to arrive at a solution quickly. The field of machine learning is focussed on extracting valuable insights from the ever increasing quantities of data being produced. It is logical to start investigating methodologies based on machine learning algorithms to extract relevant information to support and guide inexperienced decision makers.


Expected benefit to Eskom a more effective solution for recalling and solving recurring issues and knowledge on how to better utilize Eskoms ever increasing amounts of data.

AM6Develop a troubleshooting guide for vertical spindle roller mills using process history data and machine learning

Proposed research

Develop a troubleshooting methodology that is designed to continuously evolve, storing new faults and intelligently recalling past faults and solutions. Investigate machine learning philosophies to analyse the process history coupled human fault descriptions to navigate an expert knowledge database of failures and corrective actions.


A troubleshooting guide for vertical spindle roller mills based on process signals and operator fault descriptions.

StudentRobert Salzwedel


Industrial mentor Matthew MullerEmail: [email protected]



Subject background

Torsional vibration of large turbo-generator trains is a known phenomenon that has resulted in the worldwide cracking and failure of shafts, generator coil retaining rings and low pressure turbine blades. With the current expansion of the southern African electricity grid and diversification of generation capacity to include renewable resources such as wind and solar, the risk, frequency and magnitude of torsional excitation events are expected to increase. Simplified modeling techniques have been applied to predict vibration response of these systems but typically require some form of calibration and do not directly allow for the quantification of the fatigue life consumption of such events on associated components such as turbine blades.


• Identification of the Eskom turbo-generators at risk of torsional vibration inducedfatigue cracking in a changing electricity grid.

• Development of expert skills in the fields of torsional vibration, finite element (FE)modelling and fatigue.

• Improved predictive capability for the long term reliability and life managementof turbine blades.

Proposed research

Current and likely future electrical grid stability and related sources of turbo-generator torsional excitation in the expanding and diversifying southern African electricity grid. Advanced methodologies for the prediction of torsional vibration response of large full scale turbo-generators with improved accuracy and the inclusion of multiple blade stages and non-linear generator rotor response. Blade transient stress response and fatigue damage accumulation model for steam turbine blades exposed to torsional vibration events.

AM7The risks and effects of turbo-generator torsional vibration in a changing southern African electricity grid


• Estimation of future magnitude, duration, type and frequency of grid events leadingto torsional excitation of turbo-generators

• Methodology for the advanced finite element modeling of turbo-generator trainswhich include the effects of multiple blade stages and non-linear generator rotorbehaviour for the prediction of torsional vibration response due to transienttorsional excitation

• Finite element simulation of turbine blade stress-strain response to rotor torsionalexcitation for a large turbo-generator i.e. Koeberg Nuclear Power Station

• Algorithm for online evaluation of steam turbine blade torsional vibration inducedfatigue damage

StudentRonnie Scheepers

Email: ronnie.scheepers@ eskom.co.za

Industrial mentorDr Mark NewbyEmail: [email protected]



Subject background

With Eskom being pressurised to generate and supply electricity in bulk to the country, it is of utmost importance for the company to minimize the cost and maximize the efficiency associated with the production and amount of electricity. Currently Eskom utilises contractors to design pneumatic conveying systems for their ash handling plants at new and established power station all over South Africa. Therefore Eskom requires a validation method to compare the achieved capacity of the installed pneumatic conveying system with the specified design capacity. The ash handling plant requires the transportation of fly ash from the hoppers underneath the gas cleaning equipment to the fly ash storage facilities, usually concrete bunkers or silos. Currently no proven techniques exist to determine whether the actual capacity meets the specified capacity. The use of load cells to determine the mass flow would not be practical due to the size of these storage vessels. Utilizing the level increase in the storage vessel over a known time period is also not accurate due to the substantial bulk density variation experienced in fly ash depending on its state of aeration. Therefore an applicable and efficient measurement technique is required to determine the performance of the pneumatic ash conveying system.


This will enable Eskom to conduct energy efficiency calculations and Life Cycle cost Analysis.

AM8Evaluation of a viable technique to determine mass flow rate in a pneumatic ash conveying system to validate performance requirements

Proposed research

The objective of this research is to identify a viable measurement technique to determining the mass flow achieved in installed dense phase pneumatic fly ash conveying systems. All the advantages and disadvantages of these techniques will be evaluated to identify the optimal technique that could be utilised for determining the mass flow rate. During the investigation a number of factors such as: cost, installation, measurement requirements, required resources and safety will be taken into consideration.


• The investigation and determination of a viable mass flow measurement technique• Validation as viable technique by means of experimental testing in an Industrial

simulated environment

StudentJC (Tiaan) Smit


Industrial mentorHenk FourieEmail: [email protected]



Focus points• Design, operation and maintenance of electrical

components in power generation systems (generator,transformer, motor, breaker, etc.)

• Performance of transmission systems

• Integrity of AC and DC main transmission systems

• Environmental impact on transmission anddistribution systems

• Safety of electrical transmission systems

• Efficiency and reliability improvement


High Voltage Engineering (AC)


Subject background

Wood is often used to construct utility poles to support overhead distribution lines because of various favourable properties. However, for this application wood also has unfavourable properties. There is always a risk that the wood can catch fire (pole-top fires) or electrocute birds under certain conditions. The risk of catching fire is determined by the amplitude of the leakage current present.

While the presence of the leakage current, in turn, is determined by the impedance of the wood. Damage to these poles results in additional costs to Eskom as replacement of these structures is then required. A need therefore exists for a low cost impedance monitor to be developed in order to gather additional information regarding the magnitude and variation of the impedance of the wood utilised.


• An improved understanding of the change of impedance of the wood withincreasing age, as well as the influence of the local environmental conditions thatthe wooden utility poles are exposed to

• With this additional information regarding the impedance properties of woodenutility poles, measures to be taken to reduce the risk of pole-top fires and birdelectrocutions can be identified

• Eskom will be able to make better specific wood selection for utility poles aswell as improve the design of the utility pole structures that use them

AC1A method for measuring and recording changes on wood pole impedance over time

Proposed research

Impedance measurement will be taken on existing wooden utility poles. The measurement results will be used to identify suitable, low cost, instrumentation to be designed and/or selected and thereafter implemented within existing structures to continually monitor impedance.


The proposed research aims to report on the design as well as construction of a suitable monitoring system for wooden utility pole impedance over time.

StudentNkateko Khoza


Industrial mentorDr Andreas BeutelEmail: [email protected]

Academic supervisorDr John Van CollerEmail: [email protected]


Subject background

South Africa is facing a very difficult time balancing supply and demand as electrical energy production is under pressure as the base load generation fleet ages and to operates outside its design life. Extreme measures are implemented daily to supply the load.

Introducing renewable energy sources into the main supply system could contribute significantly to solve very complex and real issues in the electricity supply industry. Increasing pressure to reduce carbon emissions and comply with zero effluent discharge strategies, innovative integration of renewable energy sources is crucial.

While Government will play a big part in the growth rate of harvesting renewable energy, industry should pave the way for increased penetration levels of Distributed Generation (DG). DG primarily includes renewable energy technologies (solar, wind, geothermal and ocean tides), and non-renewable technologies (combustion engines/turbines and fuel cells). To enable industry and residential DG application, a vast amount of research should be conducted to assure the successful implementation of smart grid technologies. The Integrated Resource Plan 2010 – 2030 dedicates additional renewable energy resources contributes 42% of the total additional new build capacity by 2030. The projected cost efficiency increase of Solar PV and increasing costs of conventional generating electricity, DG could become the dominant energy supply source.

Integration of distributed energy resources creates new issues. The evolution of migrating to the decentralized generation mixture includes many innovative solutions. The research investigates smart technologies into the South African electricity supply grid and the development of future smart grids.


Smart technologies including Smart Transformers (ST)s and Active Voltage Regulation (AVR) are aligned with the Eskom Smart Strategy. Conventional structures of distribution planning are changing and smart grid technologies pose promising opportunities to migrate to a smarter, more efficient way of managing our electrical energy distribution.

AC2Power exchange optimisation of distributed energy resources utilising smart transformers and active voltage regulation

StudentPeet Schutte


Industrial mentorDr Andreas BeutelEmail: [email protected]

Academic supervisor Dr John Van CollerEmail: [email protected]

Proposed research

• Study methods to improve hosting capacity for increased penetration levels ofdistributed energy resources

• Consider international smart grid technologies to transition to a smarterdistribution grid

• Evaluate the (ST) concept and determine the impact on power exchangeoptimisation between distribution and the utility grid

• Evaluate voltage regulation strategies and consider the AVR to prevent voltageviolations on feeders with high DG penetration


• Present solutions to the challenges faced regarding the hosting capacity of DG• Combine Smart technologies such as the ST and AVR, and show how the voltage

violation problem is addressed in a safe and cost effective using a simulation model.


Focus points• Design, operation and maintenance of electrical

components in power generation systems (generator,transformer, motor, breaker, etc.)

• Performance of transmission systems

• Integrity of AC and DC main transmission systems

• Environmental impact on transmission anddistribution systems

• Safety of electrical transmission systems

• Efficiency and reliability improvement


High Voltage Engineering (DC)


Subject background

Incidents of voltage instability and voltage collapse have become increasingly common in power systems worldwide in recent decades. This form of instability often manifests itself in systems where load growth has not been matched by expansion of generation and transmission infrastructure and can lead to large areas being susceptible to complete blackouts. A good example exists in South Africa where the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) network has been known for many years to be at risk of voltage instability because of considerable load growth and relatively little strengthening of the capacity of the transmission grid. In cases like these, although the commissioning of new Extra High Voltage (EHV) transmission lines alleviates stability concerns in the short term, the issue is one that can continue to cause problems in the medium to long term exacerbated by further load growth and the absence of generation capacity.


System stability in general, and voltage stability in particular, will become increasingly important topics requiring specialist skills within Eskom, in the medium term as Eskom’s network remains heavily stressed, and in the long term as its complexity increases as a result of new transmission and interconnected generation coming on stream as a result of the build programme and penetration of renewables. At present Eskom lacks the in house skills to adequately address the issue of voltage stability. This thesis, with the accompanying increase in skills transfer, will enable Eskom to better understand and deal with the issue of voltage stability in KZN and other areas as well as enable skills transfer to take place with other planning staff.

DC1Impact of DC options and VSC based facts devices on voltage stability in southern Africa

Proposed research

As part of Eskom’s overall plans for possible future system strengthening and expansion, one option that is explicitly identified for research in the EPPEI Strategic Plan is the addition of new HVDC lines. One valuable case study is the possibility of a separate DC line through KZN. It is therefore proposed to consider in-depth research into the impact and benefits of HVDC lines as well as different DC transmission line technologies, and VSC-based FACTS devices, from the particular standpoint of their potential for improving voltage stability in KZN in particular and possibly in other regions in the SA grid.


Specialist expertise in voltage stability analysis, DC transmission system and FACTS device modelling. From the study case, a detailed study of the voltage stability characteristics of the KZN network and the future impact of load growth. Detailed evaluation of the impact of competing HVDC line technologies and FACTS technologies and control approaches on voltage stability.

StudentAroon Sukhnandan


Industrial mentorDr Rob Stephen Email: [email protected]

Academic supervisors Prof Bruce Rigby Email: [email protected] Dr AK SahaEmail: [email protected]


Focus points• Design, operation and maintenance of renewable

energy technology, specifically large wind andconcentrated solar power systems

• Viability of renewable energy sources in SouthernAfrica

• Connection of renewable energies to the SouthAfrican power grid

• Economic analysis of renewable energy technologies

• Governmental policies and commitments


Renewable Energy


RE1Investigation into the effect of wind on fan performance in an ACC

StudentRuan EngelbrechtEmail: [email protected]

Industrial mentorDr F du PreezEmail: [email protected]

Academic supervisorDr J van der SpuyEmail: [email protected]

Subject background

Due to a limited water supply in South Africa, all of Eskom’s new generation coal-fired power stations employ a so called “dry” main cooling system, in the form of an Air Cooled Condenser (ACC). The ACC operates by forcing ambient air over the outside surface of finned-tube heat exchangers, through the use of a large number of axial fans. As the air flows over the outside heat exchanger surface, heat from the heat exchanger is transferred to the ambient air, while the steam condenses inside the tubes. The performance of the large axial flow fans is critical to the ultimate performance of the ACC and thus the power station. These fans are constantly exposed to cross-flow conditions at the inlets of the fans, due to the inherent design of the ACC and during low wind conditions, but especially so during windy conditions. Typical effects of these distorted inlet flow conditions include a reduction in ACC performance, power station unit load losses and in extreme cases, unit trips.


It is well known that windy conditions can be severely detrimental to the performance of an ACC. The possibility of negating this effect and thereby improving plant availability by installing different fan or condenser unit configurations at different locations within an existing ACC will be investigated.

Proposed research

The project aims to investigate the technical and economic feasibility of installing different fan and condenser unit designs at different locations within the ACC and the effect of wind conditions on the performance of these units. The project would be a progression of an existing MSc project. The objectives of this project are:

• modeling a generic 30-fan ACC in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)• investigating the effect of wind conditions on the performance of the ACC• investigating the effect of different fan and condenser unit configurations installed

at different locations within the ACC on both ACC and fan performance.


• detailed literature study of previous work done on the topic• a generic CFD-model of an ACC• results indicating the effect of wind on the performance of this ACC• results indicating the performance of different variations of the generic ACC

under wind conditions• conclusions regarding the most favorable ACC configuration in terms of ACC

performance


RE2Geographic location optimisation of wind farms in South Africa

StudentChris Joubert

Email: chris.joubert2501@ yahoo.com

Industrial mentor Riaan SmitEmail: [email protected]

Academic supervisor Prof HJ Vermeulen Email: [email protected]

Subject background

Wind generation represents a considerable portion of the renewable generating capacity currently under consideration in Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme. The power output profiles of wind farms are highly dependent on the climatic conditions of the wind farm’s location, resulting in a power source of a stochastic rather than deterministic nature. Large scale geographic planning of wind farms can enable the cumulative wind power output to better contribute to base load and peak demand.


In view of the existing capacity constraints in generation and transmission, it is important to research how the power dispatch profiles of existing wind farms perform and how future topologies can be optimized in the context of system loading.

Proposed research

• Statistical analysis of historical wind data and development of a simple modeltopology for prediction of power output profiles of wind energy sources with theview to do long term forecasting

• Analysis of predicted wind power generation profiles with the view to studyoptimal location and geographic distribution of wind power generation sourcesfrom the perspective of national and regional load profiles and their corresponding Time Of Use (TOU) structures


• Statistical models for the power generation profiles of existing and proposedwind farms, with performance evaluation in the context of grid integrationconsiderations such as national load profile and economic dispatch

• A software solution that can facilitate studies on large scale wind integration in theSouth African electricity grid by optimizing the geographic location of future windfarms to match the national load profile


RE3Integrated O&M strategy for Sere Wind Farm

StudentIan Kuiler


Industrial mentorDr Nad MoodleyEmail: [email protected]

Academic supervisor Prof Wikus Van Niekerk Email: [email protected]

Subject background

The construction of Sere Wind Farm in the Western Cape region will connect 100MW of renewable energy to Eskom’s power grid. Wind power is relatively “new” compared to the fossil fuel and gas power sectors which are much more matured industries. Various analytical, statistical and mathematical models have been developed to approximate the reliability of the wind turbine for optimum life cycle management. The lack of and/or limited operational data available is a major challenge for researchers and industry to improve maintenance models. The need for accurate wind turbine modelling to control and predict failures plays an important role for reliable, cost-effective energy production.


To protect this large capital investment and maximise profit it is important for Eskom to ensure high availability and reliability from Sere Wind farm. South Africa is ranked in the top 15 international countries relating to CO2 emissions and wind energy generation will reduce the use of fossil fuels to produce electricity, which in turn will decrease CO2 emissions. The objective of this study is to develop a wind turbine power curve model to ensure maximum energy production by implementing an optimum maintenance strategy. Critical plant components will be classified to ensure that the system addresses all statutory, safety, environmental, outage and cost parameters.

Proposed research

Analysis of the wind resource data will be used to predict the yearly energy production and operational time of the wind turbines. One way to determine the reliability of a wind turbine is through observing its power curve depending on the wind speed. The standard power curve supplied by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) can be compared against the site specific model to estimate wind energy output as well as component degradation. The new developed model can be used as reference for monitoring the performance of the wind turbine.

In this study condition based maintenance will be applied through vibration analysis on the bearings of critical components. Based on the developed power curve model and vibration analysis an integrated Operation and Management (O&M) strategy can be obtained to optimise performance.


• A site specific wind turbine power curve model• Condition monitoring on gearbox and generator bearings• Comprehensive stock level keeping• Accurate performance measurement and component failure prediction• Reduction of the operating and maintenance costs• Safe, reliable, clean and cost effective power• Developed LOPP and Technical Plan documents


RE4Life cycle cost of energy technologies (fossil fuel-fired, gas, renewable and nuclear)

StudentMark Sklar-Chik


Industrial mentorProf Saneshan Govender Email: [email protected]

Academic supervisor Prof Alan BrentEmail: [email protected]

Subject background

Eskom currently requires urgent expansion of its electricity generation capacity to meet the energy demand in South Africa. However, Eskom is facing rising debt levels at the same time, and therefore cash is not in excess. Under these conditions it is therefore crucial for Eskom to identify the best value for money energy generation technologies in order to establish a cost effective energy supply for the country. Independent power producers are using renewable energy generation and putting renewable energy on the grid. This influx of renewable energy into the grid is subsequently driving down the price thereof. In light of this, renewable energy generation technologies need to be considered as feasible for best value for money energy generation.


• Develop Eskom resources and improve the knowledge base in the field of lifecycle costing

• Assist in selecting the best value for money energy generation technologies• Introduce life cycle costing within Group Technology Engineering – Systems

Integration where it is meant to be housed

Proposed research

In order to identify the most cost effective energy generation technologies within Eskom, following research will be conducted:• Investigate the life cycle costing methodology currently employed by Eskom• Compare the life cycle costs of different energy technologies (fossil fuel, gas

and renewable) within the South African electricity context


• A financial model for each of the various energy generation technologies• Provide recommendations on the future energy policy• Publication of a master’s thesis


1. Energy Efficiency

EE1 - Techno-economic feasibility of a solar assisted coal-fired power plant 82EE2 - Improvements to a key contributor of frequency control: co-ordination of guide

vane operation at a pumped storage plant 83EE3 - Asymmetric flow measurement in space constrained cooling water ducts using a

traversing probe 84EE4 - Development of appropriate steam turbine models in Flownex 85

2. Combustion Engineering 38

CE1 - Condition monitoring and performance optimisation of pulverised fuel vertical spindle type mills 86

3. Emission Control 52

EC1 - Determination of the correlation between ash mineralogy and ash resistivity of South African coals 87

4. Material Science 58

MS1 - Prediction of long term benifits of compressive residual stresses in turbine blade roots and rotor attachments 88

5. Asset Management 58

AM1 - Enhancing the maintenance system for critical pumps in power generation 89AM2 - Optimum refurbishment scheduling of low pressure fossil fuelled steam turbines

using risk and forensics considerations 90

7. Renewable Energy 58

RE1 - Evaluation of the performance characteristics of a hybrid (dry/wet) induced draft dephlegmator 91

RE2 - Scenario modelling for short to long term rollout of concentrating solar power in South Africa 92

RE3 - Simulating the effect of wind on the performance of axial flow fans in air-cooled condenser systems 93

RE4 - Heliostat field layout optimisation for a central receiver 94RE5 - Performance enhancements of evaporative cooling towers 95RE6 - Liquid extraction from air cooled condenser steam ducts 97

Completed projects12.


Improvements to a key contributor of frequency control: co-ordination of guide vane operation at a pumped storage plant

Summary of completed project

This study was done to identify the systems, which at present contribute considerably to frequency control or could affect frequency in the medium to long term. Pumped storage was selected and it was found that their units exhibit a non-minimum phase characteristic which can negatively affect the frequency response on the grid.Attempts were made to improve this system’s contribution to frequency control. To achieve this, the pumped storage unit was modelled in a thermal-hydraulic simulation environment to realise its transient behaviour. Thereafter, a selection of scenarios with various guide vane operation techniques was proposed to improve the performance of two connected units during load changes. The study showed that it is possible to reproduce the Non-Minimum Phase (NMP) characteristic of a pumped storage plant using thermal-hydraulic models, and that various control schemes can be tested using the model.

StudentMu’azzam KippieEmail: [email protected]

Industrial mentorDr Graeme ChownEmail: [email protected]

Academic supervisorDr Wim FulsEmail: [email protected]

StudentAnthony GovenderEmail: [email protected]

Industrial mentorGary De KlerkEmail: [email protected]

Academic supervisorProf Kevin BennettEmail: [email protected] Wim FulsEmail: [email protected]


This study investigates if solar heat addition to Duvha Power Station in Mpumalanga, South Africa, is technically and economically feasible. Duvha Power Station is one of the largest coal-fired power stations in Eskom. Two solar heat integration options were examined in this study i.e. the use of solar heat to heat feedwater or to produce superheated steam. A market assessment of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technologies was performed to establish the maximum water/steam conditions (temperature and pressure) produced by each CSP technology. The CSP technologies assessed were the Parabolic Trough Collector (PTC), the Linear Fresnel Reflector (LFR) and the Central Receiver (CR). By using the results of the market assessment, a suitable CSP technology was selected for each integration option. The technical capabilities of each plant area of Duvha Power Station, such as the boiler, turbines, feedwater pump etc., was also assessed by reviewing original equipment manufacturer (OEM) data sheets. It was found that the integration options that produced high-temperature steam have the highest integration effectiveness, such as the steam supply to the high-pressure turbine etc.

Techno-economic feasibility of a solar assisted coal-fired power plant


Development of appropriate steam turbine models in FlownexSummary of completed project

The project aim was to develop appropriate steam turbine models in Flownex which use minimal data that was readily available to the end user. Acceptance test data was used as the primary source because it is more reliable than plant data. Various pressure drop correlations and methods to predict off-design efficiency were investigated. These correlations and methods were solved analytically and implemented in Flownex. Interpretation of the error analysis for the pressure drop correlations established that the general empirical law using inlet conditions and Stodola law in the volume form were the most accurate and consistent in predicting mass flow rate and pressure. The Ray method was shown to be most accurate to predict off-design efficiency and less complicated to implement. Steady state models were built for four turbine trains using the general empirical and Stodola laws.

The results produced by both correlations were similar, showing that for high vacuum conditions either correlation could be used. The general empirical law was the chosen correlation to implement for transient analysis since it was generally more accurate and easier to implement than Stodola. The power predicted by the model was within ±1 % of that of the actual power produced.

StudentRahendra L NeerputhEmail: [email protected]

Industrial mentorGary de KlerkEmail: [email protected]


StudentRudzani MutshinyaEmail: [email protected]

Industrial mentorDr Francois du PreezEmail: dpreezaf@@eskom.co.za



The majority of Eskom’s coal-fired power stations utilize surface condensers and wet cooling towers to discard waste heat from the steam cycle. The Cooling Water (CW) flow rate to the cooling tower affects the temperature at which condensation takes place inside the condenser. There is currently no installed instrument measuring CW flow rate. The research aim was to identity and recommend a type of flow measurement suitable for flow in CW ducts. The research was constrained to a local flow measuring technique. The focus was to predict expected accuracy of local flow measurements in asymmetric flow. It was found that flow measurement accuracy is dependent on the distance of the measurement from the bend, the traversing path and number of measurement points along a traverse. Algorithms were developed to calculate the flow based on various types of measurement traverses. One of these was a chord-wise approach for which only a single pipe entry is needed. Algorithms were tested using CFD generated flow profiles, and on physical flow tests. For measurements more than 2.2D downstream of the bend, the 0° traverse and multiple traverses of two traverses at -45° and +45° to the plane of bending, are recommended. The discretization and integration scheme of the chord-wise traverse does not seem to produce better results than a single vertical traverse.

Asymmetric flow measurement in space constrained cooling water ducts using a traversing probe


StudentHamresin ArcharyEmail: [email protected]

Industrial mentorProf Louis JestinEmail: [email protected]

Academic supervisorProf Walter SchmitzEmail: [email protected]

Determination of the correlationbetween ash mineralogy and ashresistivity of South African coals


The resistivity of ten coal ashes from various South African coal-fired power plants were determined and correlated with their chemical and mineral characteristics. The resistivity of only three of the coal ashes could be predicted well by the Bickelhaupt relation; an equation that was derived for American coal ashes, and solely based on the elemental analysis of the ash. A modification to the Bickelhaupt relation was obtained based on the mineralogical characteristics of the ash. It was found that with the inclusion of the most dominant minerals, calcite, dolomite, anhydrite and calcium/magnesium oxides, an improved correlation between resistivity and ash characteristics could be obtained. The effect of SO3 conditioning was also studied and it was found that four ash samples correlated well with the Bickelhaupt equation.


In order to alleviate the current bottleneck caused by the milling plant, two problems were identified. Monitoring the key performance indicators of the milling plant (throughput and particle fineness) required improvement, and the average throughput had to be increased without sacrificing the product quality. Monitoring of the coal mass flow was achieved by means of an on-line mill energy balance. The particle size analyser evaluation identified five key test parameters which caused inaccuracies in results. Relationships were established enabling the commissioning of this instrument to achieve precise and accurate measurement for continued condition monitoring.

Extensive testing was performed on a pilot scale mill where the operational control parameters were related to the key mill performance indicators. Characterisation of the relationships between the throughput, classifier setting, air/fuel ratio and particle fineness were successfully established. An operating regime was then developed which increased the maximum sustainable throughput while maintaining optimal particle fineness.

Condition monitoring and performance optimisation of pulverised fuel vertical spindle type mills

EPPEI 2014-2015 Programme 87

StudentLeon van WykEmail: [email protected]

Industrial mentorDr Chris van AlphenEmail: [email protected]

Academic supervisorProf Stuart PikethEmail: [email protected] Hein NeomagusEmail: [email protected]



Of significant importance to the design, manufacture and maintenance of turbine components, is the fatigue life thereof when subjected to variable loading conditions.Shot peening is known to considerably increase fatigue life of components by introducing residual stresses within the component’s surface layers. This created a need to develop a numerical model that accurately predicts such residual stresses. A simplified numerical model depiction of the shot peening process on a target material was developed. A FE based model was employed to simulate material behaviour and elastic-plastic deformation a metallic material undergoes during shot peening. Shot peening experiments were conducted on material specimens while varying certain shot peening parameters, such as shot size, shot velocity and standoff distance. The experimental data provided stress profiles both on and beneath the target material surface layers and aided model development. Of specific interest was the magnitude of the maximum compressive residual stress developed just below the material surface and depth of the compressive layer formed within the surface layers of the target material.

StudentNadeem GamietEmail: [email protected]

Industrial mentorMark NewbyEmail: [email protected]

Academic supervisorsDr Thorsten BeckerEmail: [email protected]

Enhancing the maintenance system for critical pumps in power generation


The aim of this study was to evaluate and enhance maintenance, an aspect of asset management, for critical pumps in the electricity production process. Through review of documented information as well as site interaction, the maintenance system for pumps at a selected Eskom power plant was established and evaluated against requirements from the asset management standard, ISO 55000.

A reliability engineering model to compute optimal maintenance for pumps was also developed – providing a quantitative tool to analyse maintenance decisions. Recommendations to enhance the current maintenance system for the pumps were tabled. In addition to pumps, these recommendations are seen to be applicable to other critical assets in power generation and other industries.

StudentMangolo Masenya Email: [email protected]

Industrial mentorNigel VolkEmail: [email protected]

Academic supervisorProf Stephan HeynsEmail: [email protected]

Prediction of long term benifits of compressive residual stresses in turbine blade roots and rotor attachments



Optimum refurbishment scheduling of LP fossil fuelled steam turbines using risk and forensics considerations


This aim of this research project was to address an alternative approach to time based inspections for Low Pressure (LP) turbines. A decision model was created to assist in making improved decisions regarding the refurbishment and/or replacement of critical components of LP turbines. The research thesis explicates a methodology that has been developed and successfully evaluated, using risk management principles as well as documented root cause analysis results. The root causes were used to determine the parameters that should be monitored for the estimation of the likelihood of the risk. A verification of the suggested approach has been performed in relation to past forensic results.

StudentMJ MöllerEmail: [email protected]

Industrial mentorNigel VolkEmail: [email protected]

Academic supervisorProf J CoetzeeEmail: [email protected]

Evaluation of the performance characteristics of a hybrid (dry/wet) induced draft dephlegmator


A novel induced draft Hybrid (Dry/Wet) Dephlegmator (HDWD) was introduced which can enhance the performance of dry Air-Cooled Condenser (ACC) systems and a model was developed to simulate its performance. A dephlegmator is responsible to concentrate and remove all the non-condensables in the ACC. The HDWD can either be retrofitted to existing ACCs or designed into new ACCs. It consists of two stages of cooling with the steam flow in series and the air flow in parallel through both stages. The first stage consists of downwardly inclined finned tube bundles, similar to conventional air-cooled condenser bundles, and the second stage comprises horizontal bare tube bundles of which the outer surface can be selectively operated dry or wet by spraying it with deluge water. A comparison of the HDWD with other existing and new concepts revealed the significant advantages that this technology has over other technologies.

StudentNeil AndersonEmail: [email protected]

Industrial mentorDr Francois du PreezEmail: [email protected]

Academic supervisorProf Hanno ReuterEmail: [email protected]



Simulating the effect of wind on the performance of axial flow fans in air-cooled condenser systems


The performance of Air-Cooled Condensers (ACCs) is highly dependent on prevailing wind conditions. Research has shown that the presence of wind reduces the performance of ACCs. It has been found that cross-winds (wind perpendicular to the longest side of the ACC) cause distorted inlet flow conditions, particularly at the upstream peripheral fans. These conditions are characterised by flow separation on the upstream edge of the fan inlets. Experimental investigations have simulated these conditions by varying the fan platform height. Low platform heights resulted in higher levels of inlet flow distortion, as also found to exist with high cross-wind speeds. This investigation determined the performance of various fan configurations subjected to distorted inlet flow conditions through experimental and numerical investigations. The similarity between platform height and cross-wind effects were investigated and a correlation between system volumetric effectiveness, platform height and cross-wind velocity was presented.

StudentNeil FourieEmail: [email protected]

Industrial mentorDr Johannes PretoriusEmail: [email protected]

Academic supervisorDr Johan van der SpuyEmail: [email protected]


Scenario modelling for short to long term rollout of concentrating solar power in South Africa


The study investigated potential benefits of introducing Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) into the South African electricity generating system. Power production for 2030 and 2050 was modelled for three scenarios from the 2013 draft IRP update. Spatio-temporal modelling was used to model renewable energy plants and the balance of the generating system was modelled using a behavioural model.

It was found that remuneration structure had a significant impact on CSP plant configuration and output. Utilizing CSP plants optimized for a rigid two tier tariff had a negative impact on system adequacy measures in systems with high renewable energy uptake. The results were reasonable for a system with moderate uptake in renewable energy and good for a system with low uptake. Results for the two higher uptake scenarios were improved significantly by using CSP plants optimized for base load that were responsive to system needs. This may indicate that the higher the uptake of renewable energy is, the more flexible the electricity output of CSP plant will have to be for optimal overall system performance.

StudentChristina AuretEmail: [email protected]

Industrial mentorSaneshan GovenderEmail: [email protected]

Academic supervisorPaul GauchéEmail: [email protected] Prof Frank DinterEmail: [email protected]


Performance enhancements of evaporative cooling towers


Some of the cooling towers at Eskom’s power stations employ asbestos as packing inside the towers. This packing material must be replaced in the near future due to environmental legislation. Improvements in the packing and additional performance enhancement methods used in evaporative cooling towers can potentially result in enhanced cooling tower and power station performance, which may benefit Eskom in terms of turbine power output or cost savings. Additional performance enhancement methods investigated included combining conventional film packing with a new design type splash grid that reduces the rain zone droplet size resulting in increased performance of the cooling tower.

StudentAlain MichaelsEmail: [email protected]

Industrial mentorDr Francois du PreezEmail: [email protected]

Academic supervisorProf Hanno ReuterEmail: [email protected]


Heliostat field layout optimisation for a central receiver


Eskom intends building a 100MW central receiver plant in the Upington area in South Africa. This has been identified as an ideal location for the development of central receiver power plants due to the excellent solar resource that it receives. The long term average solar resource in the area is estimated at 2816 kWh/m2.

The inclusion of thermal energy storage increases the capacity factor of the given plant which results in a decrease in the Levelised Electricity Cost (LEC). Identifying the optimum storage capacity for a 100MW central receiver plant located in Upington to obtain the lowest LEC is the objective of this research.

StudentShanley LutchmanEmail: [email protected]

Industrial mentorDr Joe Roy-AikinsEmail: [email protected]

Academic supervisorPaul GaucheEmail: [email protected]


Liquid extraction from air cooled condenser steam ducts


Matimba Power Station experiences erosion of its Air-Cooled Condenser (ACC) bundle tubes, as stated in an ACC degradation report by Eskom. This erosion is caused by water droplets (wet steam) travelling at high velocities. Impurities due to demineralization system failures and corroded metal are carried by these water droplets to ACC bundles. Impurities lower the pH of the water droplets, promoting corrosion. If the impurities could be reduced through water/steam separation, the erosion of the ACC bundles would be reduced. An aerodynamic water/steam separator reduces the pressure loss caused by the separator and the best location for liquid extraction is in the ducting. To design a separator certain sensitivities like separator shape and sensitivities of the shape itself. Different models were used for different droplet sizes and these models were investigated in this study and identified for the conditions in the power station. An airfoil shape placed on one of the vanes in the bend of the ducting was found to be the best solution.

StudentJapie van der WesthuizenEmail: [email protected]

Industrial mentorDr Johannes PretoriusEmail: [email protected]

Academic supervisorDr Jaap HoffmanEmail: [email protected]


Energy Efficiency

Conference presentations and proceedings:

By Eskom EPPEI students1. P. Gosai, A. Malan and J. Pretorius: Cooling system augmentation to enable power plants to meet

peak demand in adverse atmospheric conditions. Proceedings – POWER-GEN Africa Conference2014, 17-19 March 2014, Cape Town, South Africa.

2. P.L.D. Meyburgh, G. Vicatos and W. van der Westhuizen: Variable Speed Pumping. Proceedings -EEC2014 ESTEQ Engineering Conference, 16 October 2014, Pretoria, South Africa.

3. R. Neerputh and W.F. Fuls: Evaluation of various pressure drop correlations to develop accuratesteam turbine models, Proceedings - 2014 SAIMechE Conference on Mechanical, Manufacturingand Materials Engineering, 6 November 2014, Stellenbosch, South Africa.

4. R. Mutshinya and W.F. Fuls: Vibration effects on cylindrical yaw probe velocity measurements,Proceedings - 2014 SAIMechE Conference on Mechanical, Manufacturing and Materials Engineering, 6 November 2014, Stellenbosch, South Africa.

By Non-Eskom EPPEI Students1. R. Banda and W.F. Fuls: Analytical Model of a Spray-Tray Type De-Aerator, Proceedings - 2014

SAIMechE Conference on Mechanical, Manufacturing and Materials Engineering, 6 November2014, Stellenbosch, South Africa.

By teaching staff1. W.F. Fuls and P.G. Rousseau: Progress on the Development of a High Fidelity Transient Boiler Model

Using a 1D Thermal-Hydraulic Network Solver. Proceedings – ICBT2014 – 12th InternationalConference on Boiler Technology, 21–24 October 2014, Szczyrk, Poland.


Publication list 2014

12.

Combustion Engineering


By Eskom EPPEI students1. H. Archary, L. Jestin and W. Schmitz: Condition monitoring of pulverised fuel vertical spindle mills,

Proceedings – 12th International Conference on Boiler Technology, 21 - 24 October 2014, Szczyrk, Poland.

2. A. Maharaj, W. Schmitz and R Naidoo: A numerical study of air preheater leakage, Proceedings –12th International Conference on Boiler Technology, 21 - 24 October 2014, Szczyrk, Poland.

3. C. Ramsunkar and W. Schmitz: Excess air measurement, control and optimisation, Proceedings –12th International Conference on Boiler Technology, 21 - 24 October 2014, Szczyrk, Poland.

4. S. Peta, C. du Toit, R. Naidoo, L. Jestin and W. Schmitz: Studies of firing system drawbacks at a SouthAfrican power plant, Proceedings – 12th International Conference on Boiler Technology, 21 - 24October 2014, Szczyrk, Poland.

Emissions Control


By Non-Eskom EPPEI Students1. I.J. Pretorius, S.J. Piketh, R.P. Burger and H.W.J.P. Neomagus: A global perspective of South African

power plant emissions, Proceedings - 12th International Conference on Boiler Technology, 21 – 24October 2014, Szczyrk, Poland.

2. I.J. Pretorius, S.J. Piketh, R.P. Burger and H.W.J.P. Neomagus: South African coal fired power stationemissions: the past, the present and the future, Proceedings - Annual NACA Conference, 8 - 10October 2014, Umhlanga, South Africa. ISBN: 978-0-620-63065-8.

3. K. Bosman, S.J. Piketh and R.P. Burger : Modelling emissions from domestic burning in low incomesettlements using AERMOD, Annual NACA Conference, 8 - 10 October 2014, Umhlanga, SouthAfrica. ISBN: 978-0-620-63065-8.

4. Pretorius, S.J. Piketh, R.P. Burger and H.W.J.P. Neomagus: A global perspective of South African powerplant emissions, Proceedings - 13th Quadrennial iCACGP Symposium and the 13th QuadrennialIGAC Science Conference on Atmospheric Chemistry, 22 – 26 September 2014, Brazil, Natal.


5. W.M. Walton, S.J. Piketh, P. Formenti, G. Mkhatswa and W. Maenhaut: Aerosol source apportionmentin South Africa, Poster presentation, Proceedings - 13th Quadrennial iCACGP Symposium and the13th Quadrennial IGAC Science Conference on Atmospheric Chemistry, 22 – 26 September 2014, Brazil, Natal.

By teaching staff1. S.P. Hersey, R.P. Burger and S.J. Piketh: A comparison of column aerosol properties between satellite

platforms and ground-based sun photometers in Gauteng and the industrial Highveld. Proceedings- annual NACA Conference, 8 - 10 October 2014, Umhlanga, South Africa, ISBN: 978-0-620-63065-8.

2. D. Njapha, R.C. Everson, H.W.J.P Neomagus, D.J. Branken, R.P. Burger, S.J. Piketh and J.R. Bunt: Fluegas emissions on coal fired plants: A comparison study between South Africa, India, EU, China andthe US. Proceedings - annual NACA Conference, 8 - 10 October 2014, Umhlanga, South Africa,ISBN: 978-0-620-63065-8.

3. S.J. Piketh, R.P. Burger and C. Paauw: A framework for co-operation agreements through offsettingambient air quality. Proceedings - annual NACA Conference, 8 - 10 October 2014, Umhlanga,South Africa, ISBN: 978-0-620-63064-1.

4. S.J. Piketh, R.P. Burger, C. Grove and C. Paauw: The temporal profile of solid fuel, indoor temperatureand personal exposure to air pollution in a Highveld township. Proceedings - annual NACAConference, 8 - 10 October 2014, Umhlanga, South Africa, ISBN: 978-0-620-63064-1.

5. R.P. Burger and S.J. Piketh: In-situ characterization of air quality over South Africa. Proceedings -13th Quadrennial iCACGP Symposium and the 13th Quadrennial IGAC Science Conference onAtmospheric Chemistry, 22 - 26 September 2014, Natal, Brazil.

6. S.J. Piketh, R.P. Burger, and C. Paauw: Ambient air pollution and emissions measurements fromdomestic solid fuel (coal) combustion in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Proceedings - 13th QuadrennialiCACGP Symposium and the 13th Quadrennial IGAC Science Conference on AtmosphericChemistry, 22 – 26 September 2014, Natal, Brazil.

Journal publications:

By Non-Eskom EPPEI Students 1. L. Koech, H. Rutto, R.C. Everson and H.W.J.P. Neomagus: Semi-empirical model for limestone

dissolution in adipic acid for wet flue gas desulfurization, Chemical Engineering Technology, 37(11),pp.1919–1928, (2014).

Publication list 2014 continued...

2. L. Koech, R.C. Everson, H. W.J.P. Neomagus and H. Rutto: Dissolution kinetics of sorbents and effect ofadditives in wet flue gas desulfurization, Rev Chem Eng 30(6), pp.553–565, (2014).

3. L. Koech, R. Everson, H.W.J.P. Neomagus and H. Rutto: Dissolution kinetics of South African coal fly ashand the development of a semi empirical model to predict dissolution, accepted by Chemical Industry& Chemical Engineering Quarterly DOI:10.2298/CICEQ140423032K

By teaching staff 1. S.P. Hersey, R.M. Garland, E. Crosbie, T. Shingler, A. Sorooshian, S.J. Piketh and R.P. Burger : An overview

of regional and local characteristics of aerosols in South Africa using satellite, ground, and modeling data, Atmo. Chem. Phys. Discuss, 14, pp.24701-24752, (2014).

2. N.V. Balashov, A.M. Thompson, S.J. Piketh, and K.E. Langerman: Surface ozone variability and trends overthe South Africa Highveld from 1990 to 2007, J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 119 doi 10.1002/2013JD020555, (2014).

Material Science


By Eskom EPPEI students 1. G. Deysel and J.E. Westraadt: Three-dimensional visualisation if precipitates in a 12% Cr steel.

Proceedings – Microscopy Society of Southern Africa 2014, 3-5 December 2014, Stellenbosch,South Africa, Volume 44, Page 76.

2. R.P. Matthews, B. Sonderegger and J.E. Westraadt: Investigating stress corrosion crack initiation ofaustenitic steel in the nuclear reactor environment. Proceedings – Microscopy Society of SouthernAfrica 2014, 3-5 December 2014, Stellenbosch, South Africa, Volume 44, Page 78.

3. N. Seumangal, B. Sonderegger and W.E. Goosen: The influence of heat treatment procedureon stress corrosion cracking properties of FV566 stainless steel low pressure turbine blades,Proceedings – Microscopy Society of Southern Africa 2014, 3-5 December 2014, Stellenbosch,South Africa, Volume 44, Page 79.

4. O. Tshamano and B. Sonderegger: Small punch testing for embrittlement evaluation of powerplant material, Proceedings - SAIMechE – Mechanical, Manufacturing and Materials EngineeringConference, 6 November 2014, Stellenbosch, South Africa.



5. T. Rasaiwan and B. Sonderegger : Creep testing of martensitic steel X20CrMoV12-1, , Proceedings -SAIMechE – Mechanical, Manufacturing and Materials Engineering Conference, 6 November 2014, Stellenbosch, South Africa.

6. R. Matthews and B. Sonderegger: Intergranular oxidation: a precursor to primary water stresscorrosion cracking, Proceedings - SAIMechE – Mechanical, Manufacturing and Materials EngineeringConference, 6 November 2014, Stellenbosch, South Africa.

7. L. Naicker and B. Sonderegger: The influence of heat treatment on the stress corrosion crackingproperties of low pressure turbine blade steel FV520B, Proceedings - SAIMechE – Mechanical,Manufacturing and Materials Engineering Conference, 6 November 2014, Stellenbosch, SouthAfrica.

8. T.J. Molokwane, B. Sonderegger, R. D. Knutsen, J. E. Westraadt, M. Bezuidenhout and P. Doubell:Microstructural and property assessment of creep aged 12Cr steel after welding, Proceedings –ECCC - Creep & Fracture Conference 2014, 5-7 May 2014, Rome, Italy.

9. P.T. van der Meer, M. Bezuidenhout, R. Knutsen, B. Sonderegger and J.E. Westraadt: Effect of geometryon the microstructural ageing of a 1CrMoNiV turbine rotor steel, Proceedings – ECCC - Creep &Fracture Conference 2014, 5-7 May 2014, Rome, Italy.

By Non-Eskom EPPEI Students 1. M. Stracey and B. Sonderegger: Modelling of dislocation creep in 9-12% Cr steels, Proceedings -

SAIMechE – Mechanical, Manufacturing and Materials Engineering Conference, 6 November 2014, Stellenbosch, South Africa.

2. R. Weyer and B. Sonderegger: Modelling of damage due to diffusional creep in 9-12% Chromiumsteels, Proceedings - SAIMechE – Mechanical, Manufacturing and Materials Engineering Conference, 6 November 2014, Stellenbosch, South Africa.

3. J. Ghighi and B. Sonderegger : Developing a constitutive model for the creep behaviour andmicrostructural evolution of 9-12% Cr steels, Proceedings - SAIMechE – Mechanical, Manufacturingand Materials Engineering Conference, 6 November 2014, Stellenbosch, South Africa.

By teaching staff1. S. D. Yadav, J. Rosc, B. Santory, R. Brunner, B. Sonderegger, C. Sommitsch, C. Poletti: Investigation of

pre-existing pores in creep loaded 9Cr steel. 2nd International Congress on 3D Materials Science2014, 29.6.-2.7.2014, Annecy, France.

Poster presentations at conferences: 1. G. Deyzel, J.E. Westraadt, B. Sonderegger and T.J. Molokwane: Measuring M23C6 precipitate

parameters in a 12% Cr steel. Poster Presentation - Annual Conference of the Nordic MicroscopySociety, SCANDEM, 11 June 2014, Linköping, Sweden.


By teaching staff 1. M.R. Ahmadi, E. Povoden-Karadeniz , B. Sonderegger, K. I. Öksüzc, A. Falahaticand and E. Kozeschnik:

A model for coherency strengthening of large precipitates. Scripta Materialia 84-85 (2014) 47-50.2. M. R. Ahmadi, B. Sonderegger, E. Povoden-Karadeniz, A. Falahati and E. Kozeschnik: Precipitate

strengthening of non-spherical precipitates extended in <100> or {100} direction in fcc crystals.Materials Science and Engineering A 590 (2014) 262-266.

Asset Management


By Eskom EPPEI students1. R. Scheepers, P.S. Heyns and M. Newby: Finite element modelling of bladed rotor torsional dynamics.

Proceedings - Condition Monitoring 2014, 10-12 June 2014, Manchester, U.K.

By Non-Eskom EPPEI students1. E. Asaadi, S. Kok and P.S. Heyns: Using inverse mapping to directly solve inverse problems. Proceedings

- Fourth International Conference on Engineering Optimization, 8-11 September 2014, Lisbon, Portugal.2. D.H. Diamond, P.S. Heyns and A.J. Oberholster : A comparison between three blade tip timing

algorithms for estimating synchronous turbomachine blade vibration. Proceedings – WCEAM, 28-31 October 2014, Pretoria, South Africa.

By teaching staff 1. E. Asaadi, S. Kok and P.S. Heyns: A point-by-point inverse approach to identify stress-strain curves

of materials. Proceedings - Ninth South African Conference on Computational and AppliedMechanics, SACAM, 14-16 January 2014, Somerset-West, South Africa.


2. S.A. Aye, P.S. Heyns and C.J.H. Thiart: Health diagnostics of slow rotating bearings based on Gaussianprocess regression. Proceedings - Ninth South African Conference on Computational and AppliedMechanics, SACAM, 14-16 January 2014, Somerset-West, South Africa.

3. A.J. Oberholster, P.S. Heyns, M. Newby and H. Goldshagg: Damage detection of an air cooledcondenser fan gearbox. Proceedings - Condition Monitoring 2014, 10-12 June 2014, Manchester,United Kingdom.

4. A.J. Oberholster and P.S. Heyns: A study of radial-flow turbomachinery blade vibration measurements using Eulerian Laser Doppler Vibrometery. Proceedings – Eleventh Conference on VibrationMeasurements by Laser and Non-Contact Techniques: Advances and Applications, AIVELA, 25-27June 2014, Ancona, Italy.


By Eskom EPPEI students 1. C. Booysen, P.S. Heyns, R. Scheepers and M. Hindley: Fatigue life assessment of a low pressure steam

turbine blade during transient resonant conditions using a probabilistic approach. International Journalof Fatigue. Appeared online: 29 November 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2014.11.007

By teaching staff 1. T. Heyns, S.J. Godsill, J.P. de Villiers and P.S. Heyns: Statistical gear health analysis which is robust to

fluctuating loads and operating speeds. Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing, Vol. 27, pp.651-666(2012).

2. K.S. Wang, D. Guo and P.S. Heyns: The application of order tracking for vibration analysis of a varyingspeed rotor with a propagating transverse crack. Engineering Failure Analysis, Vol. 21, pp.91-101,(2012).

3. T. Heyns, P.S. Heyns and J.P. de Villiers: Combining synchronous averaging with Gaussian mixture modelnovelty detection scheme for vibration-based condition monitoring of a gearbox. Mechanical Systemsand Signal Processing, Vol.32, pp.200-215, (2012).

4. T. Heyns, P.S. Heyns and R. Zimroz: Combining discrepancy analysis with sensorless signal resamplingfor condition monitoring of rotating machines under fluctuating operations. International Journal ofCondition Monitoring, Vol.2. no.2, pp.1-7, (2012).


HVAC


By Eskom EPPEI students1. S. Mvuyana, J. van Coller and T. Modisane: Identification of power system oscillation paths in power

system networks. Proceedings - 22nd Southern African Universities Power Engineering Conference, 30-31 January 2014, Durban, South Africa.

2. M. Makhetha, J. van Coller and M. Manyage: Assessment of the harmonic environment of a powerstation’s MV auxiliary power system. Proceedings - 22nd Southern African Universities PowerEngineering Conference, 30-31 January 2014, Durban, South Africa.

3. G. Lebese, G. Sikhakhane, Y. Lekalakala and J. van Coller : Tan-delta testing of MV motor stator coilinsulation. Proceedings - 22nd Southern African Universities Power Engineering Conference, 30-31January 2014, Durban, South Africa.

4. Y. Lekalakala, J. van Coller : The effect of stress grading length on tan-delta and capacitancemeasurements on MV motor coils. Proceedings - 22nd Southern African Universities PowerEngineering Conference, 30-31 January 2014, Durban, South Africa.

5. T. Mashau, D. Tarrant, J. van Coller : Simulating surge propagation in a rotor coil for rotor shortedturn detection. Proceedings - 22nd Southern African Universities Power Engineering Conference,30-31 January 2014, Durban, South Africa.

6. F. Netshiongolwe, R. Cormack, J. van Coller : Development of alternative electrical stress monitoringtransducers for application to MV/LV distribution transformers. Proceedings - 22nd SouthernAfrican Universities Power Engineering Conference, 30-31 January 2014, Durban, South Africa.

HVDC


By Eskom EPPEI students1. M. F. Khan, A. L. L. Jarvis, E. A. Young and R. G. Stephen: Comparison of Superconducting Fault

Current Limiters against Traditionally Employed Practices in the Management of Fault Levels inthe South African National Grid. Proceedings - Applied Superconductivity Conference, 11 August2014, Charlotte, NC, USA, ASC2014-1LOr3B-061.



By Non-Eskom EPPEI students1. S.T.J. Mwale and I.E. Davidson: SADC Power Grid Reliability - A Steady-state Contingency Analysis

and Strategic HVDC Interconnections Using the N-1 Criterion. Proceedings - 2nd InternationalSymposium on Energy Challenges and Mechanics, 19-21 August 2014, Scotland, United Kingdom.

2. S.T.J. Mwale and I.E. Davidson: Power deficits and outage planning in South Africa. Proceedings -2nd International Symposium on Energy Challenges and Mechanics, 19-21 August 2014, Scotland,United Kingdom.

3. A.M Nyete, T.J.O. Afullo, and I.E. Davidson: Performance Evaluation of an OFDM-based BPSK PLCSystem in an Impulsive Noise Environment. Proceedings - 35th Progress in ElectromagneticsResearch Symposium (PIERS), 25-28 August 2014, Guangzhou, China.

4. A.M Nyete, T.J.O. Afullo, and I.E. Davidson: On Rayleigh Approximation of the Multipath PLC Channel: Broadband through the PLC Channel. Proceedings - 2014 Southern Africa TelecommunicationNetworks and Applications Conference (SATNAC), 31 August - 3 September 2014, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

By teaching staff 1. A.C. Britten: The Scope of EPPEI-Sponsored Research into HVDC at UKZN: A Personal View.

Proceedings - 22nd South African Universities Power Engineering Conference, 30 - 31 January2014, Durban, South Africa.

2. I.E. Davidson and N.K. Mbaimbai: Modelling and Analysis of a CSP Plant Technology for Small PowerNetworks -Technical and Financial Evaluation. Proceedings - 4th Solar Integration Workshop,International Workshop on Integration of Solar Power into Power Systems, 10 – 11 November2014, Berlin, Germany, pp. 438 - 444.

3. I.E. Davidson and N.K. Amaambo: Comparative Analysis of Wind Turbine Technologies for HarshEnvironments. Proceedings - 13th International Workshop on Large-Scale Integration of WindPower into Power Systems as well as on Transmission Networks for Offshore Wind Power Plants,11 – 13 November 2014, Berlin, Germany, pp. 810 - 816.


By Non-Eskom EPPEI Students 1. K.N.I. Mbangula and I.E. Davidson: Power System Modelling and Fault Analysis of NAMPOWER’S 330KV

HVAC Transmission Line. Journal of Energy and Power Engineering 8, pp.1432-1442, (2014).

By teaching staff 1. I.E. Davidson, H Muashekele and N. Mukapuli: Benguela Community-UNAM Wind-Power Demonstration

Project – Experiences in Implementation. Journal of Energy and Power Engineering 8, pp.1067-1072, (2014).

2. G.P. Adam and I.E. Davidson: Robust and Generic Control of Full-Bridge Modular Multilevel ConverterHigh-Voltage DC Transmission Systems. IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, (2014).

Renewable Energy


By Eskom EPPEI Students 1. C. Auret: Replacing intermittent renewable capacity in the 2010 IRP with CSP - Effect on coal-fired

power station capacity factors in 2030, Proceedings – South African Solar Energy Conference, 27-29 January 2014, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

2. S. Lutchman: On selecting a method for heliostat field layout optimization, Proceedings - SouthAfrican Solar Energy Conference, 27-29 January 2014, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

3. K. Madaly, J. Hoffmann and G. de Klerk: Identifying the optimum storage capacity for a 100MW CSPplant in South Africa, Proceedings - South African Solar Energy Conference, 27-29 January 2014,Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

4. J. van der Westhuizen, J. Hoffman: Investigation of heat transfer and temperatures profiles at inletsand undeveloped flow regions using Liquid Crystal Thermography, Proceedings - South AfricanSolar Energy Conference, 27-29 January 2014, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

5. J. Nye, J. Beukes, M. Bello: Reactive Power Control of Embedded Generation on Radial DistributionNetworks, Proceedings - POWER-GEN Africa, 17-19 March 2014, Cape Town, South Africa.

6. J. Nye, J. Beukes, M. Bello: Local Reactive Power Droop Control Modification for DistributedGenerators, Proceedings - IEEE PES Transmission and Distribution Conference, 14-17 April 2014,Chicago, U.S.A.

7. J. Nye, J. Beukes, M. Bello: Generation increase on distribution feeders using electronic voltageregulators, Proceedings - IEEE PES Transmission and Distribution Conference, 14-17 April 2014,Chicago, U.S.A.

8. A. Michaels, H. Reuter : Experimental investigating of the effect of a new splash grid on coolingtower performance characteristics, Proceedings - International Conference on Industrial Chimneysand Cooling Towers, 8-11 October 2014, Prague, Czech Republic.



By Non-Eskom EPPEI Students 1. C. Silinga: The South African REIPPPP two-tier CSP tariff: Implications for a proposed hybrid CSP

peaking system. Proceedings – SolarPACES2014, Bejing, China.

By teaching staff 1. F. Dinter : Operation experience of a 50MW Solar Thermal Parabolic Trough Plant in Spain.

Proceedings - SASEC 2014, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.


By Non-Eskom EPPEI Students 1. M. Owen and D.G. Kröger : Contributors to increased fan inlet temperature at an air-cooled steam

condenser. Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 50, pp.1149-1156, (2013).2. W. Pierce, P. Gauché, T.W. von Backström, A. Brent and A. Tadros: A comparison of solar aided

power generation (SAPG) and stand-alone concentrating solar power (CSP): A South African case study. Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 61, pp.657-662, (2013).

3. L. Heller and P. Gauché: Modeling of the rock bed thermal energy storage system of a combined cycle solar thermal power plant in South Africa. Solar Energy, Vol. 93, pp.345-356, (2013).

4. P. Gauché, T.W. von Backström and A.C. Brent: A concentrating solar power value proposition for South Africa. Journal of Energy in Southern Africa, Vol. 24, no. 1, (2013).

5. J.P. Kotzé, T.W. von Backström and P.J. Erens: High Temperature Thermal Energy Storage Utilizing Metallic Phase Change materials and Metallic Heat Transfer Fluids. Journal of Solar Energy Engineering, Vol. 135, Issue 3, (2013).

By teaching staff 1. P. Gauché, A.C. Brent and T.W. von Backström: Concentrating solar power: Improving electricity cost

and security of supply, and other economy benefits. Development Southern Africa Vol. 31 No.5, pp.692-710, (2014).

The EPPEI Junior Enterprise (JE) continues to provide leadership amongst the students and remains one of the key contributors to the sustainability and future development of the EPPEI.

Together with the EPPEI Management, the EPPEI JE contributed to a successful Eskom Power Plant Engineering Institute (EPPEI) Student Conference. This was the first of its kind. The conference was held in Midrand on 4 and 5 May 2014 and had attendance from various EPPEI faculty, students and Eskom personnel. Furthermore, the members of the Junior Enterprise have yet another opportunity to contribute towards hosting the second conference that will take place on 8 to 9 June 2015 at the Eskom Academy of Learning in Midrand, Gauteng.

The Junior Enterprise members, together with fellow students from the Energy Efficiency, Renewables and Material Science Specialisation Centres, raised the EPPEI flag high during the PowerGen Africa Conference. The conference was held in Cape Town on 17-19 March 2014 and served as a great opportunity to assist the EPPEI management in marketing EPPEI and establishing new contacts for possible collaborations. In addition, the EPPEI Junior enterprise have thus far contributed to the publication of two EPPEI Programme Annual Booklets and for the first time, the EPPEI Strategic Plan Booklet. These booklets were distributed during the POWER-GEN Africa Conference.

EPPEI Junior Enterprise 13.


EPPEI Junior Enterprisecontinued...

With any great initiative, such as EPPEI, there is always room for improvement. Hence as the voice of the students, the Junior Enterprise provided feedback from the students regarding the course curriculum and logistics at the Eskom Academy of Learning in Midrand. These feedbacks have seen a notable improvement in the manner in which learning is now offered at Eskom Academy of Learning with regards to the EPPEI courses.

Furthermore, proper communication between the Junior Enterprise and the EPPEI Management was also key to resolving pertinent teething problems that would have otherwise affected the performance of students.

EPPEI Junior Enterprise (JE) strategic plan

The EPPEI Junior Enterprise (JE) was initially formed by the first intake of EPPEI students on the recommendation of EPPEI management who identified the value of student leadership within the EPPEI framework.

With each intake of students, a student-elected EPPEI JE committee is formed, whose responsibility it is to assist in driving the growth and development of the EPPEI programme by representing the student experience and perspective. Each JE works closely with the previous and future intakes to ensure continuity within the programme. The JE is committed to:

• Being ambassadors for EPPEI in any capacity needed. This also includes representing EPPEI atworkshops and conferences such as POWER-GEN Africa.

• Providing our full support to the EPPEI Management team in ensuring viable growth and progressof the EPPEI programme.

• Ensuring sustainable relationships between students within the programme, managers and specialists within Eskom and the specialisation centres at all the respective Universities. These relationshipswill be strengthened by means of student conferences and obtaining regular updates from eachspecialisation centre.

• Supporting and strengthening the role of the EPPEI Alumni. This includes supporting alumni students to ensure that the skills they have acquired during their studies are adequately utilized within theorganization, but also to keep the alumni within the EPPEI framework to promote networking sothat a reputable EPPEI community and knowledge base is developed and maintained

CEOChristine Schutte

Deputy CEONicolas Cardenas

Scientific ExecMark Sklar-Chik

Operational ExecNkateko Khoza

• Being actively involved in training and development activities. This includes encouraging EPPEIstudents who have developed certain competencies to participate in facilitating courses within theEPPEI programme as well as to other Eskom employees.

• Engaging and fostering relationships with all other Eskom bursars, including those at undergraduatelevel and those who have followed the further studies route.

• Identifying potential Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) partners to which EPPEI can addvalue and becoming actively involved in community activities.

• It is our goal to encourage every student within the EPPEI programme to play a role in creatinga world class learning environment by sharing research, skills and finally competencies in any waypossible.

Junior Enterprise committee


The Eskom Power Plant Engineering Institute held its first annual conference at the Eskom Academy of Learning in Midrand on 5 and 6 May 2014. At the inaugural conference, EPPEI students from the first intake - who started their studies in January 2012 -presented the results of the research they conducted during their academic study.

The conference was attended by approximately 300 Eskom employees and academics from various universities across the country. Eskom Chief Learning Officer, Mrs Sylvia Mamorare, opened the event with a few words of introduction. Mr Collin Matjila, interim Chief Executive of Eskom, spoke of the important work EPPEI can do in using the current large power plants and the power grid extension projects that Eskom is constructing to capture knowledge and develop engineering skills. Eskom Chairman, Mr Zola Tsotsi, spoke about the plan for EPPEI to continue for a further five years beyond its first mandate and to foster collaboration with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), international utilities and universities.

The Director General of the Ministry of Public Enterprises, Mr Tshediso Matona, congratulated Eskom in its foresight in initiating the EPPEI programme to address the significant shortage of engineering skills South Africa has. Mr Matshela Koko, division executive of Group Technology, presented on the technical challenges that Eskom faces – specifically on the need for Eskom to improve the operation and maintenance of its power stations.

Four keynote addresses were also delivered over the two day conference. Dr Boni Mehlomakulu, an Eskom board member and the CEO of the South African Bureau of Standards, spoke about the necessity for South Africa to increase its research output and develop its own intellectual property.

From an academic perspective, Prof. Francis Petersen, dean of the faculty of Engineering and Built Environment at the University of Cape Town, spoke of the need for South Africa to develop more highly skilled engineers in the engineering and the built environment sectors. This challenge needs to be addressed at both a secondary school level where mathematics and science results are poor and at a tertiary level where universities need more postgraduate research in these areas.

Director General of the Ministry of Public Enterprises,

Mr Tshediso Matona.

Student conference14.

During the technical session, two technical keynote addresses were delivered by Prof. Hanno Reuter of Stellenbosch University and Dr Rob Stephen of Eskom. Prof. Reuter presented a lecture on the cooling of power plants which is a challenge in South Africa because of the scarcity of water. Dr Stephen’s address focused on smart grid development in Eskom.

A total of 39 papers were presented by EPPEI students over 6 sessions that concluded with an awards ceremony. The following students were awarded the best presentations in their sessions:

• Priyesh Gosai, “Cooling system augmentation to enable power plants to meet peak demand inadverse atmospheric conditions.”

• Sandile Peta, “Devolatilization and ignition characteristics of South African coals.”• Candice Stephen, “Implementation of De-Sox technologies in an Eskom context.”• Jonathan Nye, “Reactive power control of embedded generation in radial distribution networks.”• Dawie Diamond, “A novel technique for estimating synchronous turbomachinery blade vibration

from blade tip timing data.”• Kam Madaly, “Identifying the optimum storage capacity for a 100 MWe Concentrated Solar Power

plant in South Africa.”• Yvonne Lekalakala,“The effect of the stress grading length on tan-delta and capacitance

measurements on medium voltage motor coils.”

A special award was presented to Priyesh Gosai, CEO of the Junior Enterprise from intake 1, from EPPEI management for his hard work and dedication to EPPEI and Eskom.

From left to right: Prof. Louis Jestin, Mr Matshela Koko, Mr Collin Matjila, Dr Boni Mehlomakulu, Mr Zola Tsotsi, Prof. Francis Petersen, Mrs Sylvia Mamorare and Mr Malcolm Fawkes


Conference proceedings1. R. Matthews, B. Sonderegger: Initiation of stainless steel stress corrosion cracking in pressurised

water reactors. Proceedings SAIMechE – Mechanical, Manufacturing and Materials EngineeringConference 2013, 7.11.2013, Cape Town, South Africa, 36-37.

2. P. van der Meer, M. Bezuidenhout, R. Knutsen, B. Sonderegger, J. E. Westraadt: Effect of geometryon the microstructural ageing of a 1CrMoNiV turbine rotor steel. ECCC – Creep & FractureConference 2014, 5.-7.5.2014, Rome, Italy, in press.

3. J. Nye, J. Beukes, M. Bello: Local Reactive Power Droop Control Modification for DistributedGenerators. Proceedings IEEE PES Transmission and Distribution Conference 2014, 14.04.2014,City of Chicago, 25.

4. J. Nye, J. Beukes, M. Bello: Generation Increase on Distribution Feeders Using Electronic VoltageRegulators. Proceedings IEEE PES Transmission and Distribution Conference 2014, 14.04.2014, Cityof Chicago, 25.

5. K. Madaly: Identifying the optimum storage capacity for a 100MW CSP plant in South Africa.Proceedings SASEC 2014, 27.01.2014, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, 32.

6. P.S.J. van Heerden, H.J. Vermeulen: Model-based Condition Monitoring of a Doubly-Fed InductionGenerator Slip Ring Component. Proceedings Power Engineering Conference 2013 (UPEC2013),2-5.11.2013, Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland.

7. S.L. Lutchman: On selecting a method for heliostat field layout optimization. Proceedings SASEC2014, 27.01.2014, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

8. S.L. Lutchman, A.A. Groenwold, P. Gauché, S-J. Bode: On using a gradient-based method for heliostatfield optimisation. SolarPaces 2013, 17-20 September, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

9. C. Auret: Replacing intermittent renewable capacity in the 2010 IRP with CSP - Effect on coal firedpower station capacity factors in 2030. Proceedings SASEC 2014, 28.01.2014, Port Elizabeth, SouthAfrica, 61.

Conference presentations1. A.J. Michaels, Prof H.C.R. Reuter, Dr. A.F du Preez: Experimental investigation of the effect of a new

splash grid on cooling tower performance characteristics. Proceedings EPPEI Conference 2014, 5to 6 May 2014, Johannesburg, South Africa.

2. N. Fourie, S.J. van der Spuy, T.W. von Backström, J.P. Pretorius: Investigation into the effect of distortedinlet flow conditions on the performance of axial flow fans in air-cooled steam condenser systems. Proceedings EPPEI Conference 2014, 5 to 6 May 2014, Johannesburg, South Africa.

3. N.R. Anderson, Prof. H.C.R. Reuter, Dr. A.F. du Preez: Evaluation of the performance characteristicsof a hybrid (dry/wet) induced draught dephlegmator. Proceedings EPPEI Conference 2014, 5 to 6May 2014, Johannesburg, South Africa.

4. J. Nye, J. Beukes, M. Bello: Reactive Power Control of Embedded Generation on Radial DistributionNetworks. Proceedings Power-Gen Africa, 18.03.2014, Cape Town, South Africa.

5. K. Madaly, |J. Hoffmann, G. de Klerk: Identifying the optimum storage capacity for a 100-MWeConcentrating Solar Power plant in South Africa. Proceedings EPPEI Conference 2014, 5 to 6 May2014, Johannesburg, South Africa.

6. J. Van der Westhuizen, J. Hoffman, J. Pretorius: Liquid extraction on air cooled condenser steamducts. Proceedings EPPEI Conference 2014, 5 to 6 May 2014, Johannesburg, South Africa.

7. S.L. Lutchman, P. Gauche, J. Roy-Aitkins: Heliostat Field Layout Optimisation for a Central Receiver.Proceedings EPPEI Conference 2014, 5 to 6 May 2014, Johannesburg, South Africa.

8. C. Auret, P. Gauche, S. Govender: Replacing intermittent renewable capacity in the 2010 IRP withCSP: Effect on coal fired power station capacity factors in 2030. Proceedings EPPEI Conference2014, 5 to 6 May 2014, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Student conference continued...


Applied coursesOverview of the Power Generation Industry (3 days)

The purpose of this course is to give learners an understanding of the power generation industry. The economics and efficiencies of the different generation technologies, including both traditional (such as coal-fired and nuclear) and renewables (such as wind and solar) will be taught. They will also be introduced to the planning and economics of the transmission and distribution segments of the electrical utility industry including the different national plans. This training aims to equip learners with a more holistic view of the power generation industry and how it has evolved.

Fundamentals of Engineering Mathematics (3 days)

The purpose of the course is to highlight and reinforce some of the common areas in engineering mathematics typically covered in an undergraduate engineering curriculum. Highlighted areas include: linear algebra, functions, calculus, differentiation, integration and ordinary differential equations.The course is structured around the electronic textbook: “Essential Engineering Mathematics” by M Batty. Al students must have access to the textbook. The course serves as a refresher and is intended to provide a common mathematics basis for other courses in the EPPEI programme.

Life Cycle Management (2 days)

This course introduces the basic principles of the physical asset management process in a life cycle context. This includes an introduction of maintenance management fundamentals, management of equipment reliability, and optimising maintenance decisions. It focuses on condition based maintenance as a part of the maintenance decision process. The course is broadly structured around the textbook: “Asset Management Excellence” second edition, by Cambell J.D., Jardine A.K.S. and McGlynn J. The Eskom library is expected to have a number of copies of this book available for students to consult during their preparations.

Electric and Magnetic Systems (3 days)

This course gives a basic technical understanding of the operation of typical power system apparatus including transformers, rotating machines, and transmission lines. The course aims to provide learners with the fundamental knowledge of the apparatus and equivalent circuit representations, an essential tool in an engineer’s toolbox. The course also aims to provide learners with the practical aspects and uses of the apparatus.

Material Science (3 days)

The course provides an overview of the factors which govern the mechanical behaviour of engineeringmaterials, with particular emphasis on alloys for components in power plants. These factors include material composition, microstructure and service environmental parameters. The lectures include:

• Overview of the classification of engineering materials and ferrous alloys• Tensile testing and the stress-strain curve, elastic and plastic behavior• Microstructure and mechanical behaviour• Phase transformations of steel and heat treatments• Materials under stress: fracture, fatigue and creep

Microsoft Excel VB Programming (1 day)

The purpose of the course is to introduce learners to the use of functions in Microsoft Excel and the creation of user-defined functions and sub-routines in the VBA environment. This training aims to allow engineers to use Microsoft Excel to build numerical models of plant and equipment.

Statistical Science in Electrical Energy (2 days)

The intention of this course is to provide an overview of statistical sciences as applied to the electrical energy industry. The attendees would learn some descriptive methodologies on how to extract information from data. The emphasis, for this part of the course, being able to describe the behaviour of data by some statistical model(s). Some emphasis is also placed on the relationships between variables (e.g. how does the water consumption relate to the energy produced by a thermalpower station).

Thermo Physics (2 days):

The purpose of this course is to apply key thermodynamic concepts from the basic thermodynamics course. The main focus will be on the water-steam Rankine cycle. A step-by-step approach will be taken throughout this course, starting from a basic open loop to a more efficient closed loop Rankine cycle as used by the power generation industry. Thermal performance of cycle components such as pumps, turbines, steam generators, condensers, contact and non-contact feed water heaters, etc. are evaluated and integrated into the Rankine cycle. The T-S diagram will be introduced onto which the cycle can be potted to give better perspective into abnormal conditions as well as to predict the impact of modifications. The purpose of this course is not an in-depth investigation into the field of thermodynamics, but simply to use its basic principles as a starting point for more detailed investigations.

AppendicesAppendix 1 EAL course Information

15.


Power Plant Chemistry (2 days)

The course teaches a basic understanding on water treatment and basic chemistry. The learner will understand water treatment as the production of demineralised water, control of water and steam cycle chemistry, oxygenated treatment, flow accelerated corrosion, air in-leakage, condenser tube leaks, boiler deposits and chemical cleaning, steam deposits, turbine preservation. In basic chemistry, learners will learn the fundamentals of phase diagrams, states, element classification, chemical mass and electrical balances, chemical reactions and kinetics, homogeneous and heterogeneous combustion, pollutant emission reactions (CO, CO2, SOx, NOx, VOC, PAH, heavy metals), water treatment basic chemistry and corrosion mechanisms.

Computer Aided Analysis (2 days)

The purpose of the course is to equip engineers with some general tools and techniques to perform computer aided analysis. The use of two general analysis software will be taught, namely Excel and Mathcad. The focus on Excel will be mostly in programming using the built-in Visual Basic environment, while the Mathcad part will provide the student with the necessary basics to become proficient in its use. These skills can be used in any engineering discipline for general calculations and analysis.

Electrical Systems

The learner will, after completing the course, be able to:

• explain power station electrical systems in general,• understand the basic theory and operation of generators in the power generation industry,• recognise the role of protection in electrical systems and the role that generator breakers and

switchgear play within protection schemes,• describe the application of transformers in power generation,• understand the role of excitation systems on generators as well as the different types of excitation

systems used in Eskom,• list the components that the internal station reticulation/unit reticulation consists of and the

function of each component,• clarify the critical role of emergency systems in power stations,• understand the importance of electrical motors within the power generation process.

Auto Controls

The training in this course will equip the learner with knowledge and understanding in order to:

• explain automatic control systems in general (at a high level),• expand their knowledge of the organisation by including the importance of understanding

automatic controls,• identify error likely situations, instability and flawed defences,• manage error likely situations, instability and flawed defences,• utilise error prevention tools and techniques

Common Plant

After completing this course the learner will be able to explain the basic purposes and operating principles of the followingexplain automatic control systems in general (at a high level),

• hazardous locations,• fire and life safety,• bulk materials handling (ash and coal)• hydrogen plant,

Condensers and Feedheat

Upon completion of this course, the learner will:

• have a basic knowledge of condensers and feedheat in the context of Eskom power stations,• understand role of feedwater heaters,• be able to describe the basic principles of power plant cooling.

The South African Grid Code (SAGC)

After completion, the learner will have a good understanding of the:

• definition and legal framework of the SAGC,• scope of SAGC,• preamble and governance codes,• system operating code,• tariff code,• metering code,

• fuel oil plant,• compressor plant,• auxiliary cooling.

• information exchange code,• network code,• (thermal and hydro) generation connection

conditions,• renewable power plants connection conditions,• generation scheduling and dispatch rules.

Appendix 1 EAL course Information continued...


Power Plant Monitoring

The learner will have both theoretical knowledge and practical exposure after completing this course through:

• measuring techniques and instrumentation,• sampling theory, signal processing and data analysis,• accuracy, calibration and error propagation,• practical application on test loops and EtaPRO

Boiler/Combustion

After completion of this course, learners will have a thorough understanding of:

• boiler mass balances, • boiler energy balances,• air heater mass and energy balances.

Turbines

Upon completion of this applied course, the learner will be able to identify:

• steam cycles applicable to the steam turbine,• basic view of turbine operations,• the main components of a steam turbine,• steam turbine protection,• types of turbine blading,• turbine auxiliary systems,• steam turbine protection.

MV and HV Power Transmission

The course will assist the learner in having a better understanding of how to:

• perform load flow studies,• manage reactive power flow and voltage control in power systems,• understand the processes of frequency control in power systems,• manage stability issues in power systems,• design protection schemes in HV and MV systems,

Project Management

On completion of this course, students will have a good understanding of:

• all the relevant techniques in project management,• applying these techniques through experiential learning during the workshop,• managing a project and project role-players effectively,• the monitor progress and enduring project success by using the correct enhancement tools,• project management definitions and phases,• who does what in a project?,• the application of project management principles,• how to keep energy dynamics at an optimal level, • the project managers’ role and responsibilities,• what is successful project leadership,• how to draw up a responsibility matrix,• the process of budgeting for facilities, labour/skills and material,• how to schedule tasks (precedence analysis/network and Gantt chart) and resources (human and

equipment),• how to do role player mapping,• how to draw up a sequence of activities and plot it on a Bar chart, • how to draw up a risk analysis,• how to draw up a critical path,• how to implement a project plan,• the close out of a project.

Appendix 1 EAL course Information continued...


Are you interested in advancing your engineering career in Eskom through EPPEI? Here’s how to apply.

The minimum requirements to apply for admission into the EPPEI programme for 2016 are:

• A BTech or Engineering degree (BSc. or BEng.)• Eskom engineer in training or experienced engineer• Interested in obtaining an MSc. degree in the specialisation areas listed in this document• An overall average final year mark of 60% and above

The process for the intake of students for 2017 will start during June 2015. Keep an eye out for the advertisements!

Be sure to have at least the following information available:

• Your qualifications• Certified copies of ID, degree, academic record• Short description of your responsibilities and main outputs over the last six months• Short resume, and motivation for admittance in the programme• A photograph of yourself• Current position held• Specialisation areas you are interested in

For further information please contact:

Carolynn KoekemoerEmail: [email protected]: +27 13 693 2265

Appendix 2 How to join EPPEI

Class of 2015


Appendix 3 Directions and maps

Directions to Megawatt Park (Eskom Head Office) in Sunninghill

From Pretoria: 1. Take the Ben Schoeman (M1) highway to Johannesburg2. Stay on the Johannesburg highway, and exit at the Woodmead offramp3. At the top of the offramp, turn right at traffic lights onto R55 to Woodmead. 4. Straight over first traffic lights (Woodlands Drive Dunwoody Centre on the left)5. At next traffic lights, turn left into Maxwell Drive (R564)6. At next robot turn right into Eskom Head Office entrance (security boom at the gate)

From Roodepoort: 1. Take Western Bypass (N1), and exit at the Rivonia offramp2. At traffic lights at bottom of offramp, turn left and immediately move to the right before the next

traffic lights3. At these traffic lights, turn right into Witkoppen Road, travelling parallel to the freeway4. Straight over first traffic lights (Bowling Road, Sunninghill Hospital on left)5. Continue to next traffic lights, and cross straight over into Eskom Head Office entrance (security

boom at the gate)

From Johannesburg:1. Take M1 North to Pretoria, and exit at Woodmead offramp2. Follow road left through yield sign onto Kyalami Road3. Straight over first traffic lights (Woodlands Drive Dunwoody Centre on the left)4. At next traffic lights, turn left into Maxwell Drive (R564)5. Turn right into Eskom Head Office entrance (security boom at the gate)

Once through the Eskom gates: * Ahead is a traffic circle, turn right at the circle* Visitors’ parking is on your left

Megawatt Park


Directions to Eskom Research, Testing and Development (RT&D) in Rosherville

1. Travelling south on the N3 from Pretoria towards Johannesburg2. At the Geldenhuys interchange take exit 108, M2 west towards Germiston3. Keep right at the fork towards M2/Johannesburg onto the Francois Oberholzer highway4. Take exit 4, Cleveland Road5. At the traffic light turn left onto Cleveland road6. Continue straight onto Lower Germiston Road7. Approximately 300m after the first sharp right hand bend turn left at the ERIC sign board8. Follow the road to the ERIC entrance on the right hand side

RT&D


Directions to Eskom Academy of Learning (EAL) in Dale Road, Midrand (S25o 59’11,2” E28o 9’29,1”)

From Sandton/Roodepoort:1. Take the Ben Schoeman Highway to Pretoria (N1)2. Take the Allandale Road off-ramp3. Turn right at the traffic lights at the top of the off-ramp (you will be crossing the highway)4. Continue over two sets of traffic lights and turn left at the third set of traffic lights into K101 Road5. Continue over three sets of traffic lights and turn right at the fourth set of traffic lights into Dale Road6. Cross the traffic lights and continue straight for 0.6 km. The entrance to EAL is on your right

From Pretoria:1. Take the Ben Schoeman Highway to Johannesburg (N1)2. Take the Olifantsfontein Road off-ramp3. Turn right at the traffic lights at the end of the off-ramp and continue straight4. Cross the traffic lights and continue straight5. At the four-way stop turn right into Allan Road and continue for approx. 3.7 km6. At the traffic lights turn left into Dale Road7. EAL is 0.6km down the road, on your right

From Kempton Park:1. From the Civic Centre continue along CR Swart Road in a westerly direction, following the Chloorkop

sign and later the R561 sign2. Turn left into Allandale Road at the R561 Halfway House sign and continue straight for 8.2 km

(crossing Setter Road)3. Turn right into K101 Road. Continue over three sets of traffic lights and turn right at the fourth set

of traffic lights into Dale Road4. Cross the traffic lights and continue straight for 0.6km. The entrance to EAL is on your right

From East Rand:1. From the N3 (N1) Pretoria highway take the N1 North Pretoria off-ramp and continue straight2. Take the Allandale Road off-ramp3. Turn right at the traffic lights at the top of the off-ramp (you will be crossing the highway)4. Continue over two sets of traffic lights and turn left at the third set of traffic lights into K101 Road5. Continue over three sets of traffic lights and turn right at the fourth set of traffic lights into Dale Road6. Cross the traffic lights and continue straight for 0.6 km. The entrance to EAL is on your right.

EAL


Designed and printed by Contiprint 011 334 1484

Eskom Academy of LearningEskom Power Plant Engineering Institute (EPPEI)

Dale Road Halfway HouseMidrand 1685

Tel: +27 11 651 6978

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Documents

Eskom Power Plant Engineering Institute · PDF file2Produced by EPPEI 2014-2015 Programme Eskom Power Plant Engineering Institute – February 2016 EPPEI 2015-2016 Programme 1 Contents