Pumps Africa digital magazine

PUMPS NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2018 VOL. 2, ISSUE NO. 6

Truck-Mounted concrete pumps How Africa’s Construction Industry can benefit

In this issue...

Xylem commit to help solve Ethiopia’s water challenges P04

Weir Minerals Africa unveils MCR 450 pump P16

Measuring abrasive slurry density the smarter way P28

refreshment. bottled.

New look, same trusted quality.

KES KES

30/= 30/= For 500 ml

Also available in 300ml, 500ml, 1L and 2L packs.

Editor Brenda Kyle editor@pumps-africa.com Writers Elizabeth Mbithe Harriet Mkhaye Herman K. Liz Changawa Nita Karume Rashid Mjomba Sales and Marketing Pumps Africa Team marketing@pumps-africa.com E. Africa Advertising Executives Mercy Cherop, Walter Baraza S. Africa Advertising Executives Siphiwe Zara, Kelly Moz Graphic Design and Layout Irene Faith Omudho.

Published By AROCC Publishers P. O. Box 2922-00200, Nairobi Kenya Tel: +254 772 187334, 790 153505 consultancy@arobia.co.ke, info@arobia.co.ke

CONTENT News Rwanda targets private firms in oil exploration on Lake Kivu...........................2 Cooperation of water resource management between S. Africa and Japan........3 Xylem commit to solving water challenges in Ethiopia....................................4

Events Africa Energy Indaba 2019-Delivering Africa’s energy future............................5 The Water Show Africa 2019...........................................................................5

International News Weil Pump acquires cUL Approval....................................................................6 It’s a repeat order from LOESCHE to Shanghai..................................................7 Slurry density meter comparison test in France................................................8 Schaeffler expands its intelligent water pumps portfolio.................................9

Corporate News Danfoss enters industrial wastewater markets...............................................10 Annovi Reverberi acquires 95% stake in Ace Pump.........................................11

***************************** The editor accepts letters and manuscripts for publication from readers all over the world. Include your name and address as a sign of good faith although you may request your name to be withheld from publication. We reserve the right to edit any material submitted.

Send your letters to: editor@pumps-africa.com ***************************** DISCLAIMER: AROCC Publishers makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the contents of its publications, but no warranty is made as to such accuracy and no responsibility will be borne by the publisher for the consequences of actions based on information so published.

Further, opinions expr essed are not necessarily shared by AROCC Publishers. *****************************

Product Weir Minerals Africa unveils MCR 450 pump..................................................16 Siemens introduces protection technology for centrifugal pumps...................17 Thyssenkrupp unveils new water electrolysis technology ..............................18

Interviews Conquering Africa’s wastewater pumping challenges.................................... 20 Why you need to invest in Africa’s chemical pumping market.........................22

Features Truck-Mounted concrete pumps.....................................................................23 CIFA unvails cutting edge technology vehicle-mounted pump........................27 Measuring abrasive slurry density the smarter way........................................28

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NEWS

RWANDA TARGETS PRIVATE FIRMS IN OIL EXPLORATION ON LAKE KIVU

Rwanda is already extracting methane from the lake that lies in the same hydrocarbon-rich Albertine Graben, where neighboring Uganda has found 6.5 billion barrels of oil resources.

By Herman K.

R

wanda is contemplating partnering with private oil and gas companies for the next stage of exploring Lake Kivu for more hydrocarbons, a top official has disclosed.

Francis Gatare, Chief Executive Officer of Mines, Petroleum and Gas Board said that the country had completed the shallow drilling for geochemistry tests in the methane-gas-producing lake in the west of the country.

The move comes after Rwanda announced that it was pausing bids from international oil explorers as it plans to conduct its own geological survey to establish whether it is worthwhile for the state to enter into partnerships with foreign explorers.

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“The stage we are at is low-cost and involves geochemical analysis in Lake Kivu through coring. Coring involves digging shallow wells that are about 10 metres deep, and testing the samples in laboratories to see if they show indications of oil,” Gatare explained.

underway, the government will decide whether to partner with international oil explorers or continue with the task independently. “At the right time, when we have de-risked the exploration exercise, we will make it known to investors,” he said.

Rwanda is already extracting methane from the lake that lies in the same hydrocarbon-rich Albertine Graben, where neighboring Uganda has found 6.5 billion barrels of oil resources.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Rwanda is the world’s second-biggest producer of tantalum, a mineral extracted from coltan ore that’s used to make components in smartphones, and Africa’s thirdlargest tin miner.

The gas is already being converted into 26 megawatts of electricity for Rwanda at the KivuWatt power plant.

Lake Kivu is estimated to hold 55 billion cubic meters of methane gas.

At the end of the second series of shallow drilling tests currently

The country seeks to grow its mineral earnings to $800 million from shipping an estimated 10,000 metric tons in 2020 and $1.5 billion from 14,000 tons in 2024.

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NEWS

Cooperation of water resource management between South Africa and Japan

By Elizabeth Mbithe

S

outh Africa and Japan, recently signed a memorandum of cooperation in the field of water resource management that will focus on the development of infrastructure and new technologies.

The memorandum was signed between the water and sanitation minister of South Africa, Gugile Nkwinti, and the ambassador of Japan, Shigeyuki Horoki.

is known for its new technology inventions and that is what they need as South Africa since they are faced with challenges in the sector of water,” said Nkwinti.

Under the memorandum of cooperation, the department of sanitation and water in South Africa will exchange knowledge and ideals with Japan’s department of infrastructure, transport, tourism and land.

“The intention of forging a longterm cooperative relationship will assist both countries to face the ever-changing dynamics in the sector of water. He also said that, Japan

It will include; • Water-related disaster management • Wastewater treatment • Integrated water resource

• •

management Infrastructure management and maintenance New technologies

A joint commission on cooperation in the field of water resources management will organize technical workshops, training and seminars that will take place in each country and manage working relationships.

Last year, Japan international cooperation Agency signed a memorandum of understanding to help find the way forward to the lack of technical skills in the South African water sector.

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NEWS

Xylem commit to solving water challenges in Ethiopia The MoU signed between Xylem and MoWIE creates an enabling platform to improve water supply and sanitation service delivery and ensure scheme sustainability

By Rashid Mjomba

T

hrough the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy (MoWIE), Ethiopia government signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a leading global water technology provider, Xylem for future cooperation to help advance water security in Ethiopia.

The MoU signing took place during an event in Ethiopia attended by Ethiopia’s Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy His Excellency Dr. Eng. Seleshi Bekele; State Minister Water Supply and Sanitation Dr. Negash Wagesho; Xylem President and CEO Patrick Decker; and a representative of the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia.

H.E. Dr. Eng Seleshi Bekele noted that the present MoU signed between Xylem and MoWIE creates an enabling platform to improve water supply and sanitation service delivery and ensure scheme sustainability.

He also stressed that the Ethiopian water supply and sanitation sector benefit from the broad technical and technological solutions Xylem has been providing.

Xylem President and CEO Patrick Decker spoke about how honored the company is to have the opportunity

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to begin exploring solutions for the region, notably non-revenue water, knowledge sharing, and creating more water and energy efficiencies to maximize resources and lessen impact on the environment.

“This exploratory partnership is a chance to strengthen our working relationship with the Ministry and build on positive conversations around water systems optimization, energy, water and sewage coverage, and to create a foundation that can help advance Ethiopia’s water sector in the future,” said Mr. Decker.

“As a global leader in water technology, Xylem is committed to helping communities around the world harness the power of technology to protect and optimize water and wastewater systems. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Ministry to identify potential ways to leverage our broad portfolio of leading-edge technologies to help build water security in Ethiopia–and address one of the greatest challenges of our time: solving water.”

About Xylem Xylem (XYL) is a leading global

water technology company committed to developing innovative technology solutions to the world’s water challenges. The Company’s products and services move, treat, analyze, monitor and return water to the environment in public utility, industrial, residential and commercial building services settings. Xylem also provides a leading portfolio of smart metering, network technologies and advanced infrastructure analytics solutions for water, electric and gas utilities.

The Company’s more than 16,500 employees bring broad applications expertise with a strong focus on identifying comprehensive, sustainable solutions. Headquartered in Rye Brook, New York, with 2017 revenue of $4.7 billion, Xylem does business in more than 150 countries through a number of market-leading product brands.

The name Xylem is derived from classical Greek and is the tissue that transports water in plants, highlighting the engineering efficiency of our water-centric business by linking it with the best water transportation of all – that which occurs in nature. For more information, please visit www.xylem.com.

EVENTS

Africa Energy Indaba 2019

Delivering Africa’s energy future Africa is a continent with huge, as yet unrealised, potential. It is endowed with a diversity of natural resources, a generally hospitable climate and enough land for all its people

T

he Africa Energy Indaba Exhibition is highly relevant to companies actively involved in all areas relating to showcasing solutions for the benefit of Africa. This extends to services for major energy projects on the continent, rural energy solutions, urbanization and energy needs and the renewable & sustainable energy industry and the management thereof.

By participating as an exhibitor you have an opportunity to promote your company to business counterparts, international investors, buyers and governments worldwide. This showcase will provide a platform for companies to demonstrate their commitment to provide the much needed solutions and services that will enable the African continent to embrace the challenges arising from current and future energy demands.

The Water show Africa 2019

T

he water sector in Africa is experiencing unprecedented growth in recent years and this requires an all-inclusive event platform to bring its key contributors and influencers together in one space.

The Water Show Africa brings together CEOs, government officials, senior executives, engineers, project developers, investors and solution providers to allow new business opportunities and valuable connections to be made.

Following unprecedented growth over the last 12 years, our 2019 exhibition will be our biggest ever.

Driven by generating genuine business connections, The Water Show Africa is committed to showcasing your products, ideas and innovations and ensuring you meet with the right customers.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

acquires cUL Approval Weil Pump receives cUL approval on submersible explosion proof motors, expands voltage offering of its entire submersible 1600 and 2500 series sump and sewage pump product lines

By Pumps Africa

W

eil Pump, A Wilo Company, announces that its entire submersible 1600 and 2500 series sump and sewage pump product lines are now available in 575 V with cUL approval.

Weil’s 1600 and 2500 submersible double seal pump series can be used to pump wastewater, unscreened solids and water containing silt or other pollutants. Suitable applications include sewage/sanitary, truck loading docks, parking lots, storm water pumping from underpass drainage and areas flooded from overflowing rivers, streams, belowground vaults and wastewater pits.

The pumps are available in highdensity cast iron or cast 316 stainless steel and include the motor, case and impeller with the same materials of construction.

Weil’s explosion-proof pumps come standard with moisture sensor, temperature limiter, flame arrestor, welded motor chamber plugs, welded cable nut fittings and stainless steel UL/cUL nameplates. The pre-existing offering included the pump series with single-phase voltages of 115 or 208-230 V, and three-phase voltages of 208-230 or 460 V, which are standard in the United States.

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By engineering the existing series to include 575 V models, Weil is now able to accommodate customers in Canada requiring the updated voltage. Weil’s 575 V offering also includes vertical column pumps for pumping wastewater and other unscreened liquids containing solids.

In addition to expanding its submersible pump product offering to serve the Canadian market, Weil recently received cUL approval on all of its existing double seal submersible explosion-proof pumps for both the United States and Canada as well as added a 50 Hz offering to the line.

Currently all of Weil’s submersible motors, condensate return pumps and control panels, built in-house, now carry UL/cUL approval.

About Weil Pump, a Wilo Company Weil Pump has long been at the forefront in the design and manufacture of centrifugal pumps for construction, industrial, commercial and municipal applications.

The company is dedicated to building a product that engineers can specify and contractors can sell and install with confidence. In addition to pumps, Weil manufactures

removal systems and controls, ensuring one-source accountability/ reliability and trouble-free start-up and operation. In March 2017, Weil Pump was acquired by Wilo USA, a subsidiary of Wilo SE. About Wilo USA Wilo USA is a subsidiary of Wilo SE, which is headquartered in Dortmund, Germany. Wilo is one of the leading manufacturers of pumps and pump systems for heating, cooling and air-conditioning technology, for water supply, and for sewage & drainage. The company is represented worldwide in over 90 countries by more than 60 subsidiaries, including 21 production sites, and employs more than 7,700 people globally.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

It’s a repeat order from LOESCHE to Shanghai

Guangdong Tapai Group places repeat order with LOESCHE Shanghai (LMM) for the delivery of another two coal mills. This is the second order of a LOESCHE coal mill used in this group

By Harriet Mkhaye

A

t present, LOESCHE is delivering another two vertical roller mills for Guangdong Tapai Co., Ltd. for its two 10,000 t/d cement clinker production lines in Jiaoling, Meizhou, Guangdong Province.

This is the second repeated order after two LM 35.3 D coal mills were purchased for a same scale production line of the company in 2015. Due to the excellent quality and advanced grinding technology

of LOESCHE vertical roller mills as well as the good production conditions, the customer once again prefers to use LOESCHE mills for two new cement production lines to grind pulverized coal. The 3-roller mill grinds 50 tph pulverized coal to a fineness of 3 % with a sieving residue of 0.08 mm. The installed power is 1200 KW. Guangdong Tapai Co., Ltd. has grown rapidly in the cement industry. There are several large-scale cement clinker production

lines in Guangdong, which have made great contributions to the development of the local building materials industry.

This has already been reflected by two 10000 t/d cement production lines which were put into operation in 2017 and another two cement production lines of the same size to be built. The two newly ordered coal mills are expected to be fully delivered in April 2019.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Slurry density meter comparison test in France The test was carried out by a contractor for a project of the biggest energy supplier of France. The goal of this comparative test was validating different density measuring methods for use in future projects of the end user.

By Harriet Mkhaye

A

few months ago a density meter comparison test took place at a water reservoir of a hydroelectric power plant in France. The test was carried out by a contractor for a project of the biggest energy supplier of France. The goal of this comparative test was validating different density measuring methods for use in future projects of the end user.

The measuring instruments were evaluated during dredging operations for maintenance of the water reservoir. The water from this uphill basin is used by the French electricity company for power generation at their hydroelectric power plant downhill.

The challenge of the contractor was to keep a certain water/solids balance during dredging to prevent accumulation of sediment in the flow from the power plant to the river. Also, wear caused by solids on the turbine of

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the power plant had to be prevented.

The contractor invited four suppliers of density meters to prove and validate their density measuring methods. These suppliers are using different technologies to determine the slurry density, done by the measurement of: Radiation (Nuclear) Acoustic impedance (Ultrasonic) Electrical conductivity (Tomography) Force and acceleration (Mass/volume) One of the invited suppliers cancelled their participation for the test in advance, so three technologies were compared.

The test was done during a period of four weeks in which the data of each measuring instrument were collected. The image below shows the configuration of the density meter comparison test.

After four weeks of evaluation,

the ultrasonic density meter of Rhosonics was chosen as the winning technology. According to Rhosonics, this choice was based on the accuracy and stability of the measurements, but also on the easy installation and short calibration compared to the other density measurement technologies.

During the comparison test in France, the ultrasonic density meter of Rhosonics was contributing to: • Prevention of plant shutdowns caused by sand accumulation in the flow from the uphill water reservoir to the river • Prevention of wear on the power turbine of the hydroelectric power plant caused by the water/solids slurry • Improvement of dredging efficiency • No nuclear source, so no costs for licences, permits or specializedm personnel

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Schaeffler expands its intelligent water pumps portfolio for the spare parts market

By Harriet Mkhaye

W

ith a program enhancement under its INA brand, Schaeffler now has switchable water pumps in its spare parts portfolio for VW models (1.4 TSI and 1.6, 2.0 TDI engines) and for MercedesBenz models (180-220 CDI engines).

With a program enhancement under its INA brand, Schaeffler now has switchable water pumps in its spare parts portfolio for VW models (1.4 TSI and 1.6, 2.0 TDI engines) and for Mercedes-Benz models (180-220 CDI engines). With these three new water pumps, Schaeffler covers about 4 million more vehicles in Europe Switchable INA water pumps allow a more precise control of coolant flowrates throughout the entire cooling circuit. In contrast to conventional mechanical pumps, a switchable

water pump supplies coolant only when it is actually needed. In doing so, engine warm-up is shortened, for example, which in turn saves energy and fuel, and dramatically improves emission values.

Responsible for this is its electric actuator, which adapts pumping capacity to different operating conditions of the engine. The engine control unit sends a signal to the actuator, based on the engine’s current temperature, to activate or deactivate the shut-off function.

A shut-off plate is then slid over the impellers (on the VW 1.6/2.0 TDI, Mercedes Benz 180-220 CDI engines) or the water pump pulley is decoupled (on the VW 1.4 TSI engine) both of which control flow capacity in the cooling system.

Without these operational features, higher fuel consumption and more toxic emissions are the result.

The new switchable water pumps enhance an already comprehensive program for the automotive aftermarket. Under its INA brand, Schaeffler offers mechanical, switchable, and electric water pumps for nearly every vehicle type in Europe.

Schaeffler is also exclusive manufacturer globally of the intelligent thermal management module for about 3 million vehicles of the Volkswagen Group. All components are made with extremely robust and wear-resistant materials that help prevent a loss of coolant and also guarantees sealing of the pump at high pressure and temperatures.

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CORPORATE NEWS

Danfoss enters industrial wastewater markets The APP pumps are designed and built for Zero Liquid Discharge and Minimal Liquid Discharge (ZLD/MLD) industrial wastewater treatment

By Harriet Mkhaye

A

response to the growing demand for energy efficient ZLD/MLD solutions, Danfoss has now released its first APP pumps targeted at large capacity industrial wastewater treatment plants.

The APP pumps are designed and built for Zero Liquid Discharge and Minimal Liquid Discharge (ZLD/MLD) industrial wastewater treatment. The new APP W HC pumps deliver total efficiency rates of 90% at pressures up to 120 bar and can handle flow ranges from 11 to 24 m3/hour.

They are made of Duplex stainless steel to provide maximum corrosion protection.

Jesper Bentzen, Sales Director, Danfoss, said, “For the last 15 years, our axial piston pumps have proved their efficiency in reverse osmosis desalination.

We have applied this know-how to match the demands of ZLD/MLD.” The ZLD/MLD APP pumps can be parallel-coupled to fulfill the required capacity at any time. If one of the pumps is out for maintenance, the remaining pumps automatically take over the full operation allowing the

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plant to run full speed around the clock. The APP W HC pumps deliver a constant flow no matter amounts and quality of the industrial wastewater.

The simple pump design with few parts allows easy installation, inspection and maintenance.

Furthermore, the pump operates without oil to prevent contamination.

Set and forget The APP W HC pumps deliver a constant flow no matter amounts and quality of the industrial wastewater.

“No matter the water quality, the APP pumps instantly adjust to ensure constant flow and efficiency in the ZLD/MLD processes. The operation is extremely easy, since changes in pressure impact neither flow nor efficiency”, explains Kevin Evald, Product Manager.

The simple pump design with few parts allows easy installation, inspection and maintenance.

Furthermore, the pump operates without oil to prevent contamination.

Danfoss high pressure pumps for ZLD/ MLD industrial wastewater treatment

At launch, the APP portfolio for ZLD/ MLD industrial wastewater treatment comprises the following pump sizes: • APP W HC 15 with a flow range of 11-15 m3/h (48-66 gpm) • APP W HC 21 with a flow range of 11-21 m3/h (48-92 gpm) • APP W HC 24 with a flow range of 11-24 m3/h (48-106 gpm) All pumps are approved for pressures up to 120 bar (1740 psi) • • • • • • • •

APP W HC benefits at a glance World-class efficiency – up to 90% at all operation points Substantial energy savings up to 75% compared to traditional thermal evaporation systems Made of first-class Duplex steel to prevent corrosion in aggressive environments Easy scalability when coupled in parallel Low complexity with few moving parts and few system components Easy to operate and maintain The pump is oil-free to avoid contamination

CORPORATE NEWS

ANNOVI REVERBERI ACQUIRES 95% STAKE IN ACE PUMP

By Harriet Mkhaye

I

taly’s Annovi Reverberi Group has taken a 95% stake in Ace Pump Corp, a US manufacturer of pump solutions for agricultural and offhighway applications. However, former President and new CEO of Ace Pumps, Andy Randle, will retain the remaining 5%.

Based in Memphis, Tennessee, Ace Pumps manufactures hydraulic motor driven, gas engine driven, PTO driven, belt driven and electric motor driven pumps for agricultural and off-highway equipment solutions.

The company specializes in designing centrifugal pump solutions that operate off the electrical grid. Ace Pumps’ products are used in a variety of equipment including agricultural sprayers, asphalt milling machines, and volumetric (mix on-site) cement trucks.

Founded in 1958 and headquartered

in Modena, Annovi Reverberi Group, manufactures diaphragm pumps for agriculture applications; high pressure washers; piston pumps for industrial applications; and spare parts.

The group has four production plants in Europe and one in China, with products sold to more than 6000 customers through approximately 2000 distributors in over 100 countries. In financial year 2017, Annovi Reverberi Group has consolidated sales of US $213.2m with an EBITDA of approximately US $31.5m.

“The acquisition of Ace Pumps represents a landmark moment for Annovi Reverberi Group,” said Mario Reverberi and Stefano Reverberi, co-CEOs of Annovi Reverberi Group.

“The combination will enhance our international presence and mark the first US production site for the group.

We consider Ace Pumps a leading innovator in its segment and we are keen to work together with Ace Pumps management team in order to develop the brand outside North America where it currently realizes approx 80% of its annual turnover.”

Roy Bell III, selling shareholder and former CEO of Ace Pumps, and Andy Randle said: “We are excited about the combination with Annovi Reverberi and believe the partnership will contribute to continued growth in our business.

We view Annovi Reverberi as a true partner that shares our values and will support our strong employee culture.

We look forward to working together to expand the Ace Pumps product reach and drive growth both at home and abroad.”

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ENERGY NEWS

World Bank guarantees Scatec Solar projects in South Africa

The projects will generate climate mitigation benefits by increasing renewable energy capacity and solar power’s contribution to the energy mix in South Africa.

By Pumps Africa

T

he Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), a member of the World Bank Group, has issued guarantees covering up to 90 percent of investments by Scatec Solar ASA in six solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants in the Northern and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa.

in operation since 2013 and 2014, while the others (Sirius, Dyason’s Klip 1 and Dyason’s Klip 3) are currently under construction. The six plants are expected to generate a combined 1,000 GWh of power that will be sold to Eskom, South Africa’s state-owned utility, under 20-year PPAs.

The guarantees will cover the construction, ownership, operation and maintenance of the power plants for up to 15 years against the risks of Breach of Contract and Transfer Restrictions and Convertibility.

“By covering not only Greenfield, but also brownfield projects, we are encouraging additional investments in renewable power,” said MIGA EVP & CEO Keiko Honda. “We are helping decrease perceived levels of risk and increasing capacity for sponsors.”

Three of the plants (Kalkbult, Dreunberg and Linde) have been

Climate-related shocks are expected to constrain South Africa’s aspirations

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for inclusive development, with the rural poor already suffering disproportionately from droughts and water shortages.

MIGA has had a longstanding commitment to helping South Africa transition towards becoming a low-carbon economy. MIGA has previously provided credit enhancement in support of adding new transmission lines to provide basic electricity connections for customers, as well as guarantees for three wind farms.

These plants will contribute to the diversification of South Africa’s energy mix, helping avoid 17m tons

of GHG emissions.

The six projects were selected as part of the South African Renewable Energy Independent Power Procurement Program (REIPPP). The REIPPP has successfully channeled substantial private sector expertise and investment through multiple rounds of bidding into gridconnected renewable energy at competitive prices.

Prices have dropped over four rounds of bidding, with average solar PV costs dropping by 75 percent in nominal terms, and making renewables the most pricecompetitive power source in South Africa. MIGA’s support for the plants highlights the demonstration effects of earlier rounds of bidding.

The REIPPP requires that Independent Power Producers (IPPs) undertake economic development obligations in addition to proposing competitive tariffs. In this context, Scatec Solar is contributing a fixed percentage of its IPP revenues to develop stakeholder engagement plans and implement local community development initiatives within education, health

and infrastructure. Moreover, at least 5 percent of the shares of each of the Scatec Solar IPPs are owned by broad based trusts with a sole purpose to finance such initiatives for the benefit of local communities.

Scatec Solar is a Norway-based integrated independent solar power producer currently operating power plants in the Czech Republic, Rwanda, Honduras and Jordan, in addition to South Africa. In addition, the company is currently constructing new solar power plants in Malaysia, Brazil, Egypt and Mozambique.

KLP Norfund, a facility for coinvestments in renewable energy across Africa, established by the Norwegian Investment Fund for Development Countries and Norway’s largest life insurance company, also has equity in the power plants.

Project lenders include South African financial institutions such as the Standard Bank of South Africa, Sanlam Life Insurance, and the Development Bank of Southern Africa.

“These MIGA guarantees are a costefficient way of mitigating risk in an

important part of our asset portfolio.

We are working with multilateral finance institutions across emerging markets and with these agreements we are again demonstrating how strong partnerships are improving the robustness of our long-term investments”, said Raymond Carlsen, CEO of Scatec Solar.

MIGA was created in 1988 as a member of the World Bank Group to promote foreign direct investment in emerging economies by helping mitigate the risks of restrictions on currency conversion and transfer, breach of contract by governments, expropriation, and war & civil disturbance; and offering credit enhancement to private investors and lenders.

This year marks MIGA’s 30th Anniversary. Over the last three decades, MIGA has directly supported over $50 billion in investments for over 845 projects in 111 developing countries.

Source: https://www.miga.org/pressrelease/miga-backs-six-solar-plantssouth-africa

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ENERGY NEWS

KENYAN PARLIAMENT ANNULS PUNITIVE FINE ON SOLAR WATER HEATING SYSTEMS The penalty, which was introduced by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), was set to increase costs for landlords and tenants.

By Nita Karume

T

he Parliament of Kenya has annulled the punitive fine on property owners who failed to comply with the recently imposed solar water heating regulations.

The regulations which came to effect in May, after an extended grace period, were compelling owners of all premises within the jurisdiction of local authorities with hot water requirements of a capacity exceeding 100 litres per day, to install and use solar water heating systems, failure to which would attract a one-year jail term or a US $9,970 fine.

The penalty, which was introduced by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), was set to increase costs for

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landlords and tenants. This, according to the Parliament, would undermine access to affordable housing.

According to reports, the national assembly’s committee on delegated legislation threw out the ERC rules on account of there being a contravention to the section of the Statutory Instruments Act (SI Act).

The said act limits fines payable under the Act to a maximum of US $199 or a prison term not exceeding six months in default.

Parliament also noted that the rules infringe on the law that prevents imposition of a fine, or other penalty without express authority provided for in the enabling legislation.

The national assembly’s committee on energy said the enabling legislation, the Energy Act 2006, does not grant authority to levy fines through the regulations.

Solar water heating systems The regulations were first published in 2012 by the ERC. Buildings with hot water demand exceeding 100 litres per day were thus required to install solar water heating systems to cater for at least 60% of the demand.

According to the regulations, owners of new buildings were to comply at the time of publishing of the notice.

On the other hand, existing buildings had a grace period of five years to do so.

ENERGY NEWS

Tanzania’s power initiative

receives major financial boost from the World Bank

The funds will be channeled towards the construction of critical high voltage transmission infrastructure.

By Nita Karume

T

he World Bank has shown its support of Tanzania’s President John Magufuli’s bid to light up the country by approving US $455m credit. The amount will go towards the provision of electricity access to households located in grid-absent rural regions especially the southern regions.

According to the press statement issued by the World Bank, the funds will be channeled towards the construction of critical high voltage transmission infrastructure. This is with a view to supporting the electrification of the southern and northwestern regions of the country.

The project is also set to establish crossborder transmission capacity through connecting Tanzania with the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) and the

Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP).

Bella Bird, the World Bank Country Director for Tanzania, Malawi, Burundi and Somalia, said that the project not only serves to improve on the region’s potential, but also contribute to the creation of job opportunities with an end goal of driving overall economic growth.

The high voltage transmission line is set to start in Iringa, through Mbeya to end up in Sumbawanga.

Moreover, this, according to Ms. Bird, comes with additional benefits of improved reliability of power supply to the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT), by virtue of it being along the route.

She further added that the new International Development

Association (IDA) credit is solely Tanzania’s allocation as part of the ‘Tanzania-Zambia Transmission Interconnector Project’ (or “TAZA”), which is a series of two WB’s projects. In the first project, the scope of TAZA entails the construction of 620km 400 KV double circuit transmission lines from Iringa through Mbeya to Sumbawanga.

According to her, the transmission line would also extend from Mbeya through Tunduma to the border with Zambia to be ready to connect to Zambia’s grid. This will be achieved only after ZESCO, the country’s power utility firm finalizes its section of the transmission interconnector within Zambia.

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PRODUCT

Weir Minerals Africa unveils MCR 450 pump

By Nita Karume

E

ngineered for use in the most aggressive duties, WarmanÂŽ Mill Circuit pumps easily manage large size particles in highly abrasive slurries. These pumps are designed for the most severe slurry applications such as ball and SAG mill cyclone feed as well as water-flush crushing in mineral processing plants.

Marnus Koorts, Product Manager of slurry pumps at Weir Minerals Africa, says that the 13 ton slurry handling machine is designed to increase productivity and decrease downtime.

That is when compared to older generation and other pumps in the industry. Moreover, WarmanÂŽ Mill Circuit pumps are based on 80 years of fundamental and applied research, backed by wear performance field trials.

This pump comes as an advantage to the mining sector since mill circuit applications are known to be among

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the toughest in a minerals processing plant. Koorts also explains that the Warman MCR pumps incorporate both the latest in hypereutectic alloy and elastomer technology. This, according to him, significantly extends the wear life of the pump in highly abrasive and corrosive slurries. In the end, operational costs are significantly reduced.

The MCR is fitted with high resilience rubber wear liner, which enables the handling of coarse particles and ball scats with ease. Additionally, it has a lightweight design in comparison to other pumps in its category. This facilitates safer handling. It is also a lower cost than traditional heavy metal liners.

Importantly, different material combinations are available to ensure that the customer gets a fit-forapplication pump capable of providing

reliable performance cost effectively, tailored to their site conditions.

The Warman MCR pump has a large diameter, low speed, high efficiency impeller. Koorts explains that this can be manufactured from a range of abrasion resistant alloys.

As such, this gives room for the selection of the most appropriate material for the application in question. This will increase wear life and reduce operating costs when compared to other pumps in its category.

Additional features such as reduced recirculation as well as the minimized expelling vane tip turbulence extend wear life and reduce maintenance.

The split outer casing on the pump provides structural integrity and high operating pressure capability, ease of maintenance and safety.

PRODUCT

introduces detection technology protection for centrifugal pumps

The new technology has been investigated for its practical applicability as part of a research cooperation project with the National Metrology Institute of Germany

S

iemens has discovered a new type of detection technology for its Simocode pro motor management system which protects centrifugal pumps from dry running in hazardous areas.

The new technology has been investigated for its practical applicability as part of a research cooperation project with the National Metrology Institute of Germany.

This means it can be certified as an ignition source monitoring device, which corresponds to a type b1

ignition protection system according to ATEX and IEC Ex.

within the engineering software help the user to set the limit values.

Simocode pro uses measuring modules to monitor the active electric power consumption of the pump motor to detect a diminishing flow rate and shut off the pump in good time at defined limit values to prevent impending dry running.

The advantages of the new type of active power-based dry running protection from Siemens are not only less hardware, early detection of faults and the avoidance of damage to the pump but also safe, reliable explosion protection.

Additional sensor technology previously required to monitor the pump for dry running can now be eliminated. Menu-guided instructions

Siemens and its new technology will be in Hall 11 at the SPS IPC Drives 2018 trade fair in Nuremberg from 27 – 29 November.

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PRODUCT

Thyssenkrupp unveils water electrolysis technology to boost hydrogen production The new certification positions Emerson to better serve users in the European and global chemical market

By Elizabeth Mbithe

D

iversified industrial group Thyssenkrupp has unveiled a new water electrolysis technology which CEO Sami Pelkonen describes as a “major significance for energy transition.”

Hydrogen has a lot of potential in a low-carbon future that includes clean fuels, energy storage in the gas grid ,and the creation of sustainable chemicals like methanol and ammonia when renewable energy are used.

The technology will help boost hydrogen production on a large scale using renewable energy.

Technology is available in prefabricated skid-mounted modules so that it is easily deployed and integrated into existing plants.

Modules can be added up to any desired project range, potentially into the range of hundreds of megawatts.

“With our water electrolysis technology, we have successfully brought a technology to market maturity which is of main significance for transition of energy, “he said.

Green hydrogen as a clean, CO2 –free starting point can be used in many ways production of sustainable chemicals, mobility and energy storage.”

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The energy storage and hydrogen facility is at Thyssenkrupp Uhde.

“Based on decades of experience in building and developing electrolysis plants, we have designed our product to be easy to install and deliver, highly

efficient, with minimized investment and operation cost,” Chlorine Engineer Roland Kappner said.

The technology has already been commissioned successfully as part of Thyssenkrupp’s Carbon2Chem project, which targets to use emissions from creation of steel as a raw materials for creation of chemicals . The already hydrogen present in the flue gas can be used for synthesis of ammonia, but in addition, hydrogen is needed for production of methanol.

Thyssenkrupp South Africa will actively seek to build partnerships with South Africa’s renewable energy stakeholders.

INTERVIEW

Conquering Africa’s wastewater pumping challenges

H

ung Pump Group (HPG) was established by Mr. Johnson Hsu since 1989.

The main business is water pump manufacturing for their own brands and private labels. With more than 25 years of manufacturing and OEM experiences, they cumulated huge product development know-how and data base and through their successful cases in cooperation with global famous brands, they obtained international quality concepts and recognition professionally.

HPG not only has the ability of developing products of their own design and OEM, they have deepen in analyzing applications in different areas in the last decade to expand their service territories not just in sales but through cooperation with local authorities or private organizations.

They have set up their service systems by putting into more manpower

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in different countries to reach out and gather local environmental parameters, in order to provide the most suitable products to meet their demand and transfer new application technologies.

From rural farming in China, water conservancy projects in Indonesia, and water supply systems in Vietnam, they have conquered the difficulties in water resource and environmental issues.

They have complete product range including Clean Water Pumps, Dirty Water Sump Pumps, High Pressure Pumps, Contractor Pumps, Sewage Pumps, Grinder Pumps, Gardening Pumps, Home Booster Pumps, Irrigation Pumps, Industrial Pumps and Well Pumps, etc.

In the aspect of manufacturing, they have absolute dominant position of production capability, along with precise product development process

Eason Yeh, Regional Sales Representative, Hung Pump Group

and management system, ISO9001 verification, they can ensure the quality and reliability of their products to be recognized in the global market in various way.

Pumps Africa conducted an interview with Eason Yeh, Regional Sales Representative, Hung Pump Group on how to conquer wastewater pumping challenges in Africa.

1.How does Hung Pump Group see the African wastewater pump market?

Wastewater treatment is a necessary process for environmental protection.

It may divide to three kinds, which includes industrial waste water,

business waste water, and civil waste water. Every country has to consider wastewater treatment when it comes to any kind of modern development.

from linear stuff like hair or packing rope. Those stuff will circle around the impeller and shaft to cause the motor damage.

At the end, the whole wastewater treatment system might be impressive only in appearance.

We see the African market is huge in all kinds of wastewater pumps.

Especially, many countries have set up the wastewater treatment standards.

The late-developing advantage is obvious in current situation. They could choose many new products instead of the pumps designed decades ago.

To solve this issue, the cutter pump was developed after the vortex impeller pump. It cuts the linear stuff to short pieces and prevents the motor damage issue. But we all know the story does not come to an end.

4. What do you think can be done to overcome these challenges?

To gain knowledge, the best way is education. For pump producers, they should prepare seminars and training class for the plumber and consultant.

From this process, they could understand the wastewater pumps and the treatment design process.

2.Are there any new technologies in the wastewater pump market?

In the wastewater pump market, there are always new pumps coming out. The pump producers develop new products according to the feedback from customers or new standards. For example, in the old day, the wastewater pump always means the sewage pump.

New pumps and new system keep developed. Now the new products are about the grinder pump, lifting station, skimmer, agitator, aerator, and something more....

It has to be big pass solid to handle any hard or soft stuff in the sewer.

3. What are the challenges in the African pump market in terms of application?

We think the professional knowledge is the main challenges. It contains two aspect, knowledge for good products and knowledge for good design. Good product could help water treatment in efficiency and save money from the life time.

“Pump in and pump out� is the main consideration at this time. So you will find that the vortex impeller with 4 inches outlet pump was popular at that time. Till they faced a problem

Good design could help water treatment in construction cost and the processing cost. If the consultants don’t have enough knowledge, the market will turns to price comparison.

5. How is the future looking for wastewater pumping in Africa?

The new government standard of wastewater treatment will be launched in every country. It is a must step to protect the environment before economic development.

And all kinds of pumps will flow into the market to take the cake, even the pumps are not suitable for wastewater.

If it could drain water, someone will promote it as a wastewater pump. The market will learn from failure. And they will know what the good pump for wastewater is, later.

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INTERVIEW

Why you need to invest in Africa’s chemical pumping market A remarkable support from GemmeCotti Srl on Africa’s chemical pumping market opportunity

G

emmeCotti Srl has been producing pumps for acids and dangerous liquids, mixers, filters and compressors since 1992, when its founders started their own company after considerable experience in pump design and production.

Over the years, GemmeCotti has created its own range of pumps for acids designed and manufactured by its experienced team of experts that was able to produce technologically advanced pumps resistant to aggressive chemical agents that are now valued the world over.

GemmeCotti pumps are successfully used in many different industries including: chemical and petrochemical, pharmaceutical, oil refinery, electroplating, printed circuits, electronic, photography, military, water treatments, biotechnology, paper mills, textile, sugar plants, food processing, dairies and many others.

Pumps Africa conducted an exclusive interview with GemmeCotti Managing Director, Mr. Enrico Gemme on challenges, conquering the challenges and the immense opportunity of chemical pumping in Africa.

1. What are the factors to consider when selecting a chemical pump?

The most important element that we have to consider while selecting a pump is to understand exactly the customer’s needs in order to offer the best solution in terms of materials and design. Sometimes it’s not enough to know the required head, flow, the liquid that has to be pumped

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and its temperature, but also information about the application are often necessary to find the right solution.

Moreover, our customers increasingly require a larger customization of the standard product, which can concern materials, pump configuration, pump design or accessories, according to each specific application, and this is another element to be considered during the selection.

2.How is the chemical pumping market in Africa?

During the last decade our Company has experienced a remarkable growth of the chemical pumping market out of Europe. We think that this trend has to be linked to the industrial development in fast-growing nations in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Africa is a growing segment of the market, that seems to be full of potentialities thanks to the efforts made by many countries in this area to renew the lifestyle through significant infrastructural investments.

3. Are the challenges in the African market in terms of application?

We think that there are a lot of opportunities in Africa just because there are a lot of new applications.

The main challenges are linked to the environment protection and general infrastructures for civil purpose. The water treatment, for example, a fundamental sector that finds its applications in new plants for making water suitable for drinking and aqueducts.

4. What do you think can be done to overcome these challenges?

A lot depends on the political

Mr. Enrico Gemme, GemmeCotti Managing Director decisions and on the capability of the governments to keep working for their people and their societies.

The sector of water treatment and liquid handling is one of the most important nowadays, it represents an everyday challenge that has to be overcome. We believe that Europe as a country could be a good partner for Africa and we GemmeCotti could give a remarkable support in term of knowledge and experience.

5. How is the future looking for chemical pumping in Africa?

We believe that the development that we have seen in the last years may continue in the next future in order both to support the growth of regional urbanization in some nations and to accompany the global industry expansion.

Our aim is to ride this trend. At the present, we export in 87 countries in the world and the export sales cover 70% of the total turnover, but we don’t want to stop. In fact, believing in the potentialities of these areas, we want to increase the exportations in Africa, Latin America, APAC and South East Asia regions.

FEATURE

Truck-Mounted concrete pumps How Africa’s construction industry can capitalize on the Economic advantages of Truck-Mounted concrete pumps

By Harriet Mkhaye

C

oncrete pump market in Africa has enormously risen mainly due to the need for increased productivity, safety and quality at construction projects including the real estate and infrastructural projects. Furthermore, the increasing labour costs and growing emphasis on minimum construction time has also boost the demand and market share of concrete pumps in Africa.

Concrete pumps are currently, one of the most efficient and cost-effective equipment for concrete placement and offer many benefits to the contractors.

Advantages of concrete pump Over the more traditional method of concrete supply using a bucket and crane system, concrete pumps offer many benefits. The two main benefits are that concrete pumps can supply a far greater supply of concrete per hour, and the supply is constant.

lower labour costs. Also by having a dedicated concrete pump, the crane which would have otherwise been lifting buckets of concrete can now be used for other jobs.

“In the day by day growing demand for fast work and construction of high rise buildings the work with the truck mounted concrete pumps can be done much faster and easier with the very less man power. Truck mounted concrete pump is much easier as compared to stationary pumps,” said Chandresh Sodha of Enrich Equipment Ltd, the sole distributor of Putzmeister concrete pumps in Kenya.

Mobile pumps mean a far quicker setup time. All that needs to happen

is the boom must be placed and the outriggers set up and the pump can be delivering concrete within an hour!

1. Saves manpower, energy and over-head costs: Concrete pump is one equipment that has the ability to transfer concrete to the exact location using minimal labour and energy.

While in the ordinary concrete transfer process, a lot of labour and time is involved, through concrete pumps, works becomes much easier as less handling is required since concrete can be placed directly at the desired location. This can save a lot of manpower, energy and over-head costs. Nevertheless, with MECBO’s new PULSAR system it allows an energy saving (and consumption) of 30 – 40% compared to other

Using a separate boom means it’s also possible to place the concrete exactly where it is needed, meaning

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FEATURE

pumping systems. Grace to its highest execution technology, it needs no adjustments.

2. Increases speed: Usage of concrete pumps also increase the speed of work at any construction project. This is because with concrete pumps, concrete pouring becomes simpler and faster, resulting in no project delays.

According to Adalberto Marcello, Sales training & documentation at CIFA S.p.A., Modern truck mounted pumps expand enormously the operations of laying concrete on the jobsite. Considering the average transporting capacity of manual methods with 0,5 cubic meters per hour per worker outputs can easily be achieved above 100 cubic meters per hour with truck pumps.

CIFA Truck mounted pumps are available with booms ranging from 20m up to 80m so it’s possible to conveniently use small machines for indoor works such as mat slab pours even with low ceilings of just 4m, while with larger machines it’s possible to reach high rise buildings up to 20 levels. More flexibility can even be achieved using flexible hoses to cover horizontal distances eve in the range of 100m.

3. Lays concrete at inaccessible sites easily: Concrete pumps are becoming more popular and convenient in Africa than the old mix and pour methods. This is because the boom arms can actually reach over the top of structures to place the concrete in locations where other types of equipment can’t reach.

Thus, concrete pumps ensure that the concrete is placed easily at inaccessible sites. So, whether you want to pour concrete on top of a high rise building or in a foundation slab, concrete pumps can deliver concrete mix to almost any area without leaving spills and lumps on the way.

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4. Increases pouring accuracy: For complex locations such as high-rise buildings or insulated concrete form walls, concrete pumps can increase pouring accuracy. This accurate concrete pumping can effectively result in little or zero material wastage.

“With truck-mounted concrete pumps, concrete can be poured safely, quickly and efficiently at construction sites all over the world.

Within a very short time, a truckmounted concrete pump can be set up and immediately start pumping.

This applies to almost all types of construction sites, even for smaller construction sites, where only a few truck-mixer loads are required,” said Jost Amersdorffer, Director, Authorised Officer Division Manager Sales & Service for SCHWING-Stetter.

Besides, cleaning of a SCHWING truck-mounted concrete pump is completed within 15 minutes thanks to the intelligent construction of the ROCK concrete valve and the concrete pump is ready for the next job.

5. Leads to less water consumption: Usage of concrete pump leads to less

requirement of water as compared to other concrete pouring techniques.

Thus, when the concrete is placed, it does not shrink and crack at all and this maintains its strength.

6. No affect of weather conditions: Last but not the least, with concrete pumps, concrete placing is not at all affected by weather conditions.

Concrete pumps new technologies There are new technologies in the market, as in with the truck mounted concrete pump it has an option of wireless remote control with which the operator can operate the machine within the radius range. This is according to Chandresh Sodha.

CIFA enhances its’ Smartronic machine management system to provide the operators with detailed diagnostics and offers even composite materials for the boom in its CARBOTECH line.

The technically limited mobility of a boom element driven by a hydraulic cylinder lifts the new innovative DirectDrive from SCHWING. Instead of the hydraulic cylinder, a hydraulic

FEATURE

FEATURE

contractors know about the truck pumps features, safety, value for money, instead of using old ways to pour concrete. We have also to mention financial issues in some countries, that is why we often cooperate with credit insurance companies to ease the sales,” said Adalberto Marcello, Sales training & documentation at CIFA S.p.A. “However, communication towards invest with local distributors, seminars, local exhibitions to promote modern machinery and modern ways of working in the benefit of productivity and working safety can be done to overcome these challenges,” he added.

motor sits directly between the boom elements, thus enabling opening angles of over 330 °. The last mast element is even 360 ° endlessly rotatable. Another technical innovation is the hydraulic switching function SmartSwitch for stationary concrete pumps from SCHWING. This product is suitable for projects such as bridge pillars or high-rise buildings.

PULSAR system exclusively produced from MECBO. PULSAR is inside a steel body, oil bath, completely insulated from the concrete passage.

The swinging “S” valve rotation is obtained by a constant and tangential movement, it avoids gasps and the pressure changeability, it erases the known defaults of the exchange jackets by the lever system, reduces the gasps in the boom and allows the regular pumping of the most pump able concretes variety, both normal and light.

Project site obstacles According to SCHWING-Stetter, lack of well-trained operators in Africa

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impedes growth in the concrete industry. It is therefore, particularly important that the technical complexity of the machines used is not too high and maintenance can be carried out quickly and easily. One example of this is the SCHWING hydraulic system, which is used worldwide in all SCHWING truck-mounted concrete pumps and stationary pumps. Switching in the SCHWING hydraulic system is controlled purely hydraulically, unlike the systems of other manufacturers.

Compared to an electronic control, troubleshooting is much easier and in many cases significantly faster.

Enrich Equipment Ltd views Africa site obstacles as to lack of Knowledge, given that, the people are still behind the old techniques of working with the man power and with the machines which has a old technology which requires a lot of man power as well as lot of cost “There is a lot of work to let the

Nonetheless, according to Chandresh Sodha arrangements can be done for seminars and training classes to spread the knowledge of the new technologies and explain the benefits of the machines and how the new technology is useful for them.

Africa concrete pumps tomorrow In the construction and modernization of residential buildings, bridges, sewage treatment plants, traffic routes and office real estate, truck-mounted concrete pumps are already being used on a large scale worldwide.

According to CIFA, Africa is always the NEW last virgin market with a lot of opportunities. Definitively the easy usage and increase of actual local costs, will open the market to truck-mounted pumps, this boost by the big players willing to invest in infrastructure, civil buildings and tourism in Africa.

Enrich Equipment Ltd views Africa future for truck mounted concrete pumps as good and that people will come to know the benefits of the truck mounted concrete pumps and they will surely purchase as it makes the work very fast and easier for the contractors.

ADVERTORIAL

Marking 90 years, CIFA unvails cutting edge technology vehicle-mounted pump From family business to global footprint as a leading pump manufacturer being at the forefront of cutting edge technology adoption

By Liz Changawa

L

eading Italian pump manufacturer CIFA recently celebrated its 90th birthday with a special edition vehicle-mounted pump and a restyling of the company’s museum at its headquarters.

Based in Senago, northern Italy, the company produced a special edition of truck mounted pumps in three models, K42L, K45H and the new K47H, which will be introduced in the standard Carbotech series later on.

According to CIFA the K47H model is the longest and lightest pump on the market and remains within the European legal limit of 32 tonnes on four axles. Matt anthracite grey, metallic CIFA orange and metallic Carbotech grey are the three colours.

Each unit also has a celebratory plaque with the serial number along with the company’s 90th anniversary logo.

Meanwhile, the refurbishment of the corporate museum includes two new areas dedicated to hybrid technology and carbon fibre, technologies much used by the company over the past few years.

The museum shows the company’s 90 years – from a family business to an international company with 600 employees and several branches throughout the world. During the 1970s, CIFA designed the 554, its first truck-mounted pump and in 2008 CIFA became part of the Chinese group Zoomlion.

An area in the museum is dedicated to vintage machines and an

experiential section simulates a construction site – making for an interactive visit, according to the company. A new application provides a 3D simulation of a CIFA E9 truck mixer, one of CIFA’s’s flagship models in the hybrid range of the Energya series.

CIFA says that the Energya is the world’s first hybrid truck mixer with an electric engine powered by a set of lithium batteries to reduce consumption, noise and CO2 emissions.

The restyling of the museum was to show CIFA’s customers that the company has for some years been at the forefront of cutting edge technology adoption, said Davide Cipolla, chief executive of CIFA.

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FEATURE

Measuring abrasive slurry density the smarter way Density measurement of flowing (abrasive) slurries is based on physical processes such as absorption of radioactive radiation, reflection of (ultra)sound waves, direct (gravitational) mass/volume measurement or percussion with respect to the slurry.

By Nita Karume

A

brasive slurries are watery mixtures of insoluble matter consisting of hard, abrasive particles, commonly present in applications such as dredging, offshore, well-servicing industry, metal & mineral mining, maritime, cement, power and tunnel construction.

For example, in dredging, underwater deposits are excavated and the slurry transported to another place. On the other hand, in building construction cement can be transported as a slurry through a pipeline.

Such application areas need productivity monitoring. This can be defined as the amount of material pumped per unit time (in kg/s or ton/s). It is this essential to know the slurry density (in kg/m3 or ton/m3) together with the flow rate (in m3/s) or flow velocity (in m/s) of the slurry through the slurry pipeline.

Furthermore, density measurement is necessary for quality control purposes.

This will also aid in the monitoring of the process consistency over time.

In order to be able to adjust the process, from an economical point of view it is desirable to have the slurry density available in real time or within a few seconds after the measurement.

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Abrasive slurries deviate in at least two ways from ‘average’ slurries.

Their most striking characteristic is the presence of abrasive particles.

This thus necessitates the use of wear resistant materials for the part of the measurement device that gets in contact with the slurry. Furthermore, the density of these slurries is usually high, up to 2.5 ton/m3. These ‘dense materials’ will put constraints to measurement types that rely on easily penetration of slurries.

Methods of conducting abrasive slurry density measurements Density measurement of flowing (abrasive) slurries is based on physical processes such as absorption of radioactive radiation, reflection of (ultra)sound waves,

direct (gravitational) mass/volume measurement or percussion with respect to the slurry; Nuclear measurement This method works through the gamma radiation absorption principle.

This principle is the most common.

This is because as measurement is conducted at the outside of the pipe, installing of the setup does not interfere with production loss to a large extent.

However, some of the limitations are such that large pipe diameters and high slurry densities may lead to radiation sensing that is in the order of magnitude of background radiation level. Moreover, there are legislation constrains on working with radioactive technology.

FEATURE

Ultrasonic measurement The method works using the principle of reflection and transmittance of (ultra)sound waves. In ultrasonic density measurements, a transducer made of a piezo-sensitive material sends ultrasonic pulses into the tobe-measured slurry, and a computer analyses the returned echoes.

Percussion technology By its very nature the Percussion method uses a non-invasive, clampon approach. This maintenancefree method uses a small, compact sensing module that is mounted at the outside of the slurry pipe. This module has a built-in striker and receiver. The striker impacts the

outside wall of the pipe with predetermined force and duration.

This creates vibrations in the measurement zone of the slurry-filled pipe. The sensor component of this module receives those vibrations and transmits them to the processing module which selects the most informative of the vibration spectrum harmonics generated to produce highly accurate and precise slurry density measurements.

Non-nuclear slurry density measurement Experts such as Arjan Vriend from Alia Instruments, advocates the use of non-nuclear slurry density

measurement as opposed to the other techniques. He points out the main issue in the usage of nuclear material.

According to Mr. Vriend, the radioactive source is the cause of a lot of practical drawbacks with regards to licenses, training, shipment and operators who have their reservations about using such technology. He also points out that the method has an impact on the business management of companies who have to answer to society’s pressure to reduce nuclear waste, and to operate in a sustainable manner.

Industry application The non-nuclear slurry density measurement is applicable in basically

FOR NON-NUCLEAR SLURRY DENSITY MANAGEMENT The new Arenal ultrasonic density meter now finally eliminates all the dreaded red tape associated with nuclear density systems.

7 reasons to change over:

1) No more nuclear licenses.

2) No more safety issues.

3) No more stacks of paperwork to comply with.

4) No more annual reports.

5) No more swab tests.

6) No more recalibration.

7) No more requirement for a dedicated radiation officer on site.

The slurry density system can range in size from 50mm up to 600mm lines for easy installation next to a flow meter in order to generate an output signal directly in units of mass flow.

The basic system stays the same with only the size and price of the spool that increase with larger lines and therefore it is a very cost effective direct replacement for a nuclear density system.

Arenal is the first in the world and the only producer of innovative ceramic sonochemistry density meters that are suitable from mild to high abrasion Magnetite slurry applications and any liquid process in-between.

CONTACT:

Marius van Rooyen: 082 457 3293 • ansyco@mweb.co.za Jan Jordaan: 082900 6412 • jan.jordaan@krt.co.za

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all applications which are covered today by radiometric devices nonnuclear alternatives.

However, there are new technologies on the market, most of which have some downsides. Some of them have troubles with gasses in the process, while others fail to work well with vibrations. Mr. Vriend clarifies that Alia Instruments always considers the amount of wear of the material.

This, he says, is because they supply an inline meter. Some very abrasive processes have proven to be rather incompatible with their technology, as the material would wear the rubber liner in months or even weeks.

Advantages Some of the compelling reasons that support this cause include the fact that non-nuclear slurry density measurement ensures a more sustainable business management and company reputation.

He further adds that it is a demonstration of social responsibility, as well as responding to society’s pressure to reduce nuclear waste.

Mr. Vriend points that employees using this method will not be afraid of performing checks and repairs as opposed to other techniques, citing the risks involved in the same.

Alia Instruments, for instance, Mr. Vriend points out that they have a meter which has the benefit that it really measures all materials, and has no problems with larger parts, sediments or gasses.

On the other hand, most of the potential customers claim they have not switched because of lack of a viable alternative. This is in terms of technology and finances in comparison to the same in nuclear methods. The technological bit poses a challenge especially when you consider misconceptions such like how nuclear density meters are very accurate, and therefore can be used as a reference to other meters.

It is important, however to note that these meters also have their measuring error, especially when people fail to have it re-calibrated often. The half-life of the source also makes it a requirement that the task is undertaken by the supplier.

Moreover, end users often fail to realize that the signal of a nuclear meter is significantly delayed. This acts to their disadvantage such that by the time they notice a change in the signal, the material has already passed.

The non-complexity of this method removes the need for special RSO trainings or specifically trained personnel. Moreover, there are little to no concerns about more stringent regulations in the future.

Finally, when it comes to finances, it is advisable to make a good comparison between the total cost of ownership of the nuclear meter compared with the alternative. This should not be limited to just the purchase costs.

Factors to consider when switching to non-nuclear methods Should a company wish to switch to non-nuclear methods, they ought to consider what demands they have based on their process, and what technology fits best. In the case of

Instead, end users should consider the costs of RSO certification, the high disposal costs, but most of all, the lost hours of all the hassle people have of importing and transporting the meter, permits and the maintenance by the supplier as well.

A simple, reliable, and robust product Easy installation An immediate signal Measurement of all materials without any problems Easy integration A more sustainable business management Employees who are not afraid to perform checks and repairs No need for specifically trained personnel

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FEATURE

Top pump systems for modern agriculture

By Nita Karume

T

he innovations in pump systems play a vital role in today’s agriculture. Modern agriculture can be defined as the interaction of sustainable energy consumption, water use, market conditions, and the application of experience and knowledge to ensure the best design for agriculture applications.

The understanding of past practices, current water and energy issues, and developments in pump technology comes into play when building pumping systems that best service the needs of modern agriculture.

Farmers can no longer rely on the technology and practices of the past due to the rapid change in the agricultural market.

That being the case, farmers should focus on profitability; energy optimization as well as better use of water resources. This is with a view to keep productivity high and stays competitive in the market. This is because pumping systems play a vital role in providing optimized solutions for energy and water use, especially in the case of irrigation.

Notably, a pump system for today’s irrigation must take into account the integration of variable speed drives, intelligent control and remote management. For instance, Grundfos can supply pumps that meet the low pressure and even flow requirements for uniform and efficient irrigation.

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The company’s pumping expertise and technology ensures uniform coverage. This is despite changeable conditions with pump efficiency optimized to reduce energy costs for running irrigation pumps.

Successful agriculture depends on farmers having sufficient access to water. Those living in the last century had the common perception was that water was an infinite resource. That, unfortunately, is not the case today, as it has been proven that water as a resource must be managed.

As such, farmers must consider energy consumption. This is because energy for irrigation pumps is one of the highest single cost drivers for farmers. However, most are oblivious to the potential savings from more effective and efficient energy use.

complex and makes that complexity understandable. This, of course, is with a view to helping the owner and the installer make the right decisions when choosing a solution, from system layouts to our correct pump selection for irrigation systems.

Access to groundwater involves submersible or vertical turbine pumps.

On the other hand, centrifugal pumps in different configurations, split case pumps and end suction pumps have been traditional solutions for surface water intake.

Generally, these pumps are required to meet changing conditions above and below ground. The conditions have an effect on the pressure and flow required from day to day and from season to season.

Research has shown that modern agriculture requires irrigation solutions that optimize uniformity, reduce energy costs, safeguard the water resource and keep productivity at its best. Furthermore, the agricultural market changes require greater focus on applying knowledge, experience and total irrigation solutions integrating all components.

Consequently, a pumping system must deliver the right amount of pressure and flow at the nozzle.

This need can simply be met through getting an oversize pump. This will ensure the pump is able to handle a worst case scenario. Unfortunately, said pump will almost never operate at its optimal duty point. It will also produce too much pressure and consume too much energy.

As such, Grundfos has produced the “Irrigation Pump Handbook“. This is a comprehensive presentation of modern irrigation today and what has gone before. The handbook explains why an irrigation system is

Usually, water is distributed from the water source at low or constant pressure from pumps operating at single speed and delivered to the crop through nozzles. On these the focus is on surface coverage.

FEATURE

On the other hand, pressure management remains an issue.

Through the years, pressure reduction valves have been used to reduce pressure in the system. However, valves are costly to install and require frequent service and replacement, and their operation consumes a lot of energy.

pumping that produces significant energy savings and labor savings.

Manufacturers such as Watertronics, in addition to being a market leader in pump and control innovation, have been able to match water supply with water distribution, as well as pumps with pivots.

Viable solutions As a replacement for large, isolated pumps, use of complete pumping systems is the solution going forward.

For instance, the costly and timeconsuming use of pressure reduction valves to maintain constant pressure can be eliminated by investing in pump controllers for effective pressure management. This saves costs in the long term, while reducing the need for service and minimizing energy consumption.

This has been implemented in the company’s Zimmatic pumping solutions. Powered by Watertronics technology, the Zimmatic solutions include not only pump stations, but advanced controls for high efficiency

A solar centered company like SunCulture has The SunCulture AgroSolar Irrigation Kit. This combines cost-effective solar pumping technology with a highefficiency drip irrigation system

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to make it cheaper and easier for farmers to grow high quality fresh fruits and vegetables.

The kit The Kit is designed to pull water from any water source using solar power. The solar panels provide the pump’s electricity directly without the need for expensive batteries or inverters. Water is pumped into a raised water storage tank during the day.

Farmers and pump system providers need to think through the specific irrigation applications in new ways.

Particularly, they ought to think about irrigation system design in the application. The pumps must be much more integrated with the rest of the irrigation system. This means the pump must be designed to match the irrigation equipment or the irrigation equipment must be designed to match the pump.

Sustainability is in Our Sights.

KSB has been providing pumps and valves for more than 50 years to the farming community and other industries in South Africa. Our pumps and valves help farmers to get the water where it is needed. Whatever the agricultural application, KSB has the answer.

Irragtion pumps are used to pump water from a lower to a higher level from which the water then flows through channels to the fields requiring irrigation (lift operation) or to raise it to the required pressure head so that it can be sprayed on the fields via piping systems (sprinkling). The heads involved range from approximately 1 m for normal lift operation to 40 m for sprinkling. In special cases, heads exceeding 100 m may be required.

KSB Pumps and Valves (Pty) Ltd www.ksbpumps.co.za tel: +27-11-876-5600

> Our technology. Your success.

Pumps• Valves• Service

PROJECT

Tanzania’s Ukerewe to benefit from US $4.7m water project

By Nita Karume

A

pproximately 60,000 residents of Tanzania’s Ukerewe District are set to benefit from a US $4.7m water project. The President, Mr. John Magufuli, presided over the commissioning of the project earlier on this week.

to build a 12km tarmac road from Nansio to Ukerewe.

The project is funded by the African Development Bank in conjunction with Tanzanian government According to reports, the project will have the capacity of producing 8.6m litres of water per day. Incidentally, this happens to be twice the amount Ukerewe needs.

These will also serve as employment opportunities for the youth in the area.

President Magufuli also said that the government was also planning

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He further gave his word that he would ensure there is construction of more industries in the island for purposes of boosting productivity.

On the other hand, Dr Magufuli advised investors in the country to abide by the country’s laws and pay their workers accordingly.

This, he said will go a long way towards ensuring efficiency in production.

This project comes only months after the US $231m water and sanitation project for the country’s capital.

For this particular project, the minister for Water and Irrigation tasked the Arusha Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (AUWSA) with collection of monies forpurposes of maintenance of the same.

According to AUWSA boss Lulu Koya, the pipe would be laid at a distance of 220 kilometres covering 4,024 holes that will connect over 4,500 customers. The AfDB also chipped in the budget with a disbursement of US $191m whereas the remaining amount was sourced internally.

PROJECT

South Africa unveils first solar powered desalination plant

By Elizabeth Mbithe

S

outh Africa in partnership with France has launched the first solar powered desalination plant at Witsand in the Hessaqua municipality, Western Cape.

This will be the fourth desalination plant project to be successfully set in the Western Cape. The plant will produce 100kl of fresh water per day

powered by the solar energy only, to address the normal local water requirement.

The installation of the desalination plant project will be based on the Osmosun technology which was developed by the French company Marcara Renewal Water in partnership with the TWS-Turkey

Water Solution (local partner) The Osmosun technology is reported to be the first reversed osmosis desalination technology coupled with photovoltaic solar energy without batteries.

The solar-powered desalination plant project targets to produce water at a cost of R7 to R8 a kilo litre which is less than a quarter of the cost of water from Cape Town’s temporary desalination plant at Strandfontein.

At present, water from the Strandfontein plant, which is powered by diesel, costs between R35 and R40 a kiloliter.

www.pumps-africa.com| 37

PROJECT

GBM Engineering Consortium to build Africa’s second largest water dam in Kenya The High Grand Falls Dam will hold more than 5.6 billion cubic metres of water and is set to produce 700MW of hydropower that will facilitate irrigation in over 250,000ha of land.

By Herman K.

L

ondon-based firm, GBM Engineering Consortium has been granted permission to commence the construction of Africa’s second largest fresh water dam in Kenya.

This follows a procurement dispute pitching the firm against National Irrigation Board, after five Chinese firms lost the lucrative contract. The dispute which emerged in May was resolved after Irrigation Principal Secretary Fred Segor and Public

Procurement Review Board (PPRB) upheld an earlier ruling that GBM Consortium be allowed to undertake the multibillion project.

“The benefit of this project to the region is enormous. Because first, it is going to form a large man-made lake, where it will be easy introducing fishing and tourism activities to the communities around it,” said Prof Fred Segor.

The construction of The High

Grand Falls Dam is estimated to cost US $2bn being one of the largest undertaking by the Kenyan government after the Standard Gauge Railway project, and is expected to take six years to complete. The dam conceptualization was part of an ambitious effort by the government of Kenya to build water reservoirs across the country in an attempt to revolutionize irrigationbased farming.

The High Grand Falls Dam will hold more than 5.6 billion cubic metres of water and is set to produce 700MW of hydropower that will facilitate irrigation in over 250,000ha of land in Garissa, Tana River and Kitui counties. The dam will also address the perennial flooding at Kenya’s Coast region while also serving 1.5 million people living downstream. It will hold more than 5.6 billion cubic metres of water.

The dam is part of the Sh1.5 trillion Lamu Port and Southern SudanEthiopia Transport Corridor (Lapsset) projects and will be built downstream the Seven Folks dams along River Tana.

“This will be the largest water storage facility in the country with a holding capacity of 5.6 billion cubic metres,” says Water Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui.

According to Government records, the first Phase is expected to be up and running by 2031 and will produce 495MW, with the second phase coming in a year later with a capacity of 198MW – bringing the total capacity to 693MW. According to the agreement, the contractor will fund, build and operate the dam for a period 20 years before handing it over to the government of Kenya.

The High Grand Falls Dam will be Africa’s second largest dam after the 5,250-square kilometre Aswan High Dam in Egypt on River Nile.

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PROJECT

Nigeria government signs off six hydro dams to private operators

By Nita Karume

T

he Nigerian government, through the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, has signed treaties to concede six hydro dams to private operators. This, according to the Minister in charge Mr. Babatunde Fashola, is a move towards the government’s new build, operate and transfer scheme.

According to reports, the move is aimed at energizing educational institutions and markets in the country. This, he says, is because the dams are government-led initiatives that are based on the rural electrification plan.

These plans were approved by the President in 2016 for the purposes of

providing access to power for rural dwellers and vulnerable members of the society.

As such, the government moved to make use of six small hydro dams which had been abandoned for decades. According to Mr. Fashola, there are currently 15 markets that are under contemplation with Sabon Gari, Ariaria and Sura markets in Aba, Kano and Lagos as flagships.

He further explained that the government will utilize this opportunity such that it becomes possible to pass own renewable energy to the future generations. This, he says, is as the whole value chain and power privatization gradually evolves.

Last year, Mr. Fashola put the total

percentage contribution of three hydro power generation companies (Gencos) in Nigeria – Kainji, Jebba, and Shiroro, to the country’s daily power generation at 26%. This, he says, is up 15% from the situation in 2015. He also said that in Abuja, the contributions of hydro power to Nigeria’s energy mix are down 11% to 74% in 2015.

Earlier on this year, Fashola revealed plans to start building a US $5.8Bn hydro-power plant in the eastern Mambila region. The construction was to take place following an agreement on loan terms with the Export-Import Bank of China.

www.pumps-africa.com| 39

REPORT

Cape Town

relying on water saving to prevent another Day Zero Frost & Sullivan provides insight following the announcement of relaxing water restrictions to Level 5 in Cape town, South Africa.

By Herman K.

F

ollowing the announcement

by Cape town’s Deputy Mayor, Ian Neilson, to move water restrictions from Level 6B to Level 5 from the 1st of October 2018, citizens have been encouraged to continue saving water until the City finalizes a long-term plan to ensure the security of future water supply.

But will this be enough to prevent Cape Town from another Day Zero scare?

2015 and 2016 saw two consecutive years of drought in Cape Town, but 2017, experts anticipated a wet winter given that it would be a statistical anomaly to suffer 3 successive years of drought. It turned out to be the driest winter on record.

In response, the City of Cape Town established a Section80 Water

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Resilience Advisory Committee which included senior representatives from the City along with their counterparts in academia and business.

The City of Cape Town developed a dual strategy to stave off disaster.

Firstly, given that Cape Town did not a have a significantly diversified water

supply and mostly relied on rainfall, augmenting water supply and looking at other forms of water supply such as desalination, water reclamation from sewerage, and drilling into aquifers.

The second stream of activity involved demand management which saw the implementation of water

restrictions and sophisticated pressure management in order to manage supply and curb water usage.

Cape Town achieved an incredible result and reduced consumption by more than fifty percent in eighteen months, something which took Melbourne, Australia 12 years to achieve when faced with a similar crisis.

We are however still left with unanswered questions as to what will be done in terms of infrastructure and water management going forward.

“The lack of infrastructure in place remains the biggest concern, both pre- and post-water crisis. Only 3 out of the 10 planned desalination plants have been developed with no plans to construct the remaining 7 plants. The city needs to use this time

develop long term solutions” says Energy Research Analyst at Frost & Sullivan, Laura Caetano.

Ravens says that the City of Cape Town’s Water Resilience Advisory Committee acknowledges aquifers in Cape Town as a potential long-term solution for the city’s water crisis but tapping into aquifers like Table Mountain could be risky if not enough research and data is collected to understand possible negative impacts, and develop deeper understanding on how they are recharged.

Cape Town urgently needs a longterm solution to prevent the water crisis from relapsing.

All levels of government need to unite in investing in new warning

mechanisms and forecasting models.

With major water infrastructure projects on hold and inadequate budgeting, the implementation of long-term solutions needs to happen sooner rather than later to avoid another Day Zero scare.

“Although the city has been saved by a generous rainy season in 2018, we need to look ahead – how are we going to ensure that we have enough water in 2 to 5 years – we can’t continue to rely on rainwater.

We need to invest in infrastructure that will provide a sustainable and secure water supply in the years to come, whether this is desalination or wastewater treatment plants, they need to be built before we return to similar drought conditions,” Caetano concludes.

photo by The Green Times

www.pumps-africa.com| 41

REPORT

By Elizabeth Mbithe

A

report has said that South Africa, a country struggling with acute water crisis, is losing up to 4% of its water supply to non-native plant species.

According to “Valuing Rivers” report, released by World Wide Fund for Nature in Stockholm – Sweden, the non-native species like eucalyptus are ‘thirstier’ than the native plants they have replaced, sucking up water through their roots and evaporating an additional 1.4 trillion litres of water in a year.

The report says that the loss could multiply as non-native species spread.

Cape Town, a city highly dependent on groundwater pumping and desalination during dry seasons has shown that investing in nature-based solutions can ease the dependency. This is according to World Wide Fund (WWF).

“The broader effort of cleaning non-native vegetation to boost water supplies has also employed

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10,000 people, an important cobenefit in a country with 26 percent unemployment,” the report said.

The report underlined the advantage of healthy and functioning rivers in reducing natural calamities like flooding.

2 billion people globally rely on rivers for their drinking water while 500 million people live on deltas sustained by deposit from rivers. A quarter of the worlds’ food production relies on irrigation from rivers and two million tonnes of freshwater fish are trapped yearly.

The demand for water is growing around one percent yearly as consumption patterns change and population growth continues.

The World Wide Fund said we run the risk of losing the advantages of rivers if we only consider them as sources of water, navigation, irrigation, flood control and hydropower. Rivers generate 17 percent of the world’s electricity and provide natural flood protection.

According to the report, a fifth of Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) lies within watersheds with very high water risk.

REPORT

Kenya losing millions on non-revenue water

By Herman K.

A

n audit report on non-revenue water has revealed that Kenya is losing over US$80m annually through water leakages, wastage and illegal connections.

The report done by the Water Service Regulation Board [WASREB] for nine water service providers in the country attributed the loss to burst in connection pipes, illegal connections, faulty meters, unmetered supply, and water wastage by consumers among others.

“54.6 percent of the water produced does not reach consumers in the county, and 18.6 per cent of that figure is lost through metering inaccuracies and theft while 35.9 percent lost through leaks and spillage.” Part of the report reads.

of its drinkable water to non-revenue water, compared to Japan whose vigilance sees it lose only three per cent of its water resources through (non-revenue water) waste,” says Isaac Kimani from the Ministry of Water and Sanitation.

However, some counties like Kakamega have shown positive response by improving their meter reading accuracy to about 90 percent, while Nyeri Water Service Provider has shown the best NRW level at 16 per cent.

Earlier in the year, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) carried

out a research on the country’s water resources. The study suggested that minimized water losses would see the country make use of most of its water resources and facilitate the enhancement of the existing measures to develop and sustain water resources, such as the protection of water towers.

To mitigate the effects of nonrevenue water, Kenya is looking to invest in more water pans and earth dams to collect storm water in the rainy season for domestic use and for irrigation, to lessen the pressure mounted on potable water resources.

Non-Revenue Water (NRW) is water that is produced for consumption but lost through leaks, illegal connections, and inaccuracies before it reaches the consumers.

Loses up to 430,000 cubic metres (430 million litres) of drinkable water are recorded every year.

“Kenya loses more than 42 per cent

www.pumps-africa.com| 43

MINING

World’s Safest Submersible Pump for Underground Mining

By Pumps Africa

C

oal mining accidents caused by gas and coal dust explosions account for the most fatal mining disasters around the world.

However, dangerous Methane gas is present at most underground mines as well and not only in coal mines.

This was, once again, confirmed when a fatal methane gas explosion occurred underground at the ZAPOLYARNY Nickle Mine in Northern Russia on 7 July 2017, claiming 4 lives when a build-up of methane gas ignited.

The most recent was a coal mine in Kashmir that collapsed on 7 August 2017 after a gas explosion took place at the Seri Darra village near Muzaffarabad killing five miners. The site has been shut down until further notice and six officials of the mining company were arrested for failing to observe safety standards.

A photo of an underground mining tunnel that collapsed due to a gas explosionIn June 2017 13 miners that died at coal mine in the Cucunuba district of Colombia in a methane gas explosion and the 35 miners were killed in a similar way at the EMESTSNYURT Coal Mine in Iran on 4 May 2017.

During the past four months 57 miners were killed in underground gas explosions.

At the PIKE RIVER Coal Mine in the West Coast Region of New Zealand’s South Island a methane explosion occurred underground 1 500 meters

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from the mine’ s entrance and killing 29 miners on 19 November 2010.

At the PIKE RIVER Coal Mine the ventilation shaft had been totally blown away. Coal dust, if not sufficiently suppressed, could contribute to fatal explosions and all equipment installed must duly comply with the IEC 60079-1 flameproof requirements. At some opencast mines, the view is taken that no

precautions need to be taken to prevent the build-up of methane gas as sufficient ventilation should exist to prevent explosions.

The possibility, however, exists that pockets of methane gas and coal dust is present which could ignite and cause explosions such as in 2004 at the Blair Athol Coal (BAC) located in Central Queensland, Australia when coal dust and gasses exploded. The

extend of the severe damage caused to draglines as well as nearby trucks when gas and coal dust exploded in an open mine operation.

The worst coal mine disaster ever occurred on 26 April 1942 at the Benxihu colliery, in the Homelike coal mine, China causing the loss of 1,549 lives. The fatal underground explosion was caused by a mixture of gas and coal dust setting alight and this underground fire exploded out of the mine shaft entrance which is situated above ground level.

The ventilation system was shut off and the pit head was sealed by the mine operator to deprive the underground of oxygen to prevent the fire from further damage which could cause a total collapse of the mine. Carbon monoxide poisoning due to the closure of the ventilation system was reported to have caused most of the deaths. The impact of a gas and coal dust explosion is clearly shown where it the reaches the shaft entrance above ground.

Excess ground water plays a major role in the safety of the mines and it has as a major effect on production underground should the pumping system be inadequate and flooding would occur. In most underground applications, the submersible pump will be totally submerged and operate in the presence of methane gas.

In South Africa, the areas that have been mined out are referred to as “madala sites” and submersible pumps are mainly used to pump away the sludge and water from these areas and here often there is also methane gas present.

Coal Mine water is usually contaminated with acid and the pumps required for these applications need to be manufactured from specialised materials such as Duplex Stainless Steels which are able to

handle the erosion and corrosion as a result of the acidic liquids, containing solids, being pumped.

To minimize the damage when an electrical flash occurs inside an electrical enclosure it is essential that these enclosures comply with IEC 60079-1, this applies to all submersible pumps as well. It should be ensured that there is sufficient protection to ensure that failure of the mechanical seals of the pump is detected before the liquid comes into contact with the electrical winding of the pump.

The surface temperature of the electrical winding is normally around 120oC and should a seal failure occur the colder liquid being pumped will come into contact with the winding and this would subject the winding to a thermal shock – causing an electrical short circuit down to earth, in an occurrence like this it is possible that there will be an electrical flash.

In instances where the submersible pump does is not flameproof the electrical flash will ignite the methane gas with fatal results.

Most submersible pumps rely on the liquid being pumped for the cooling of the electrical winding and should there be no liquid available to be pumped the electrical winding will overheat and burn out. Should the submersible pump not be flameproof and methane gas be present this would result in an explosion.

The electrical windings should be fitted with thermistors measuring the temperature of the electrical windings and should the windings overheat the electrical supply to the pump will be cut off to prevent an electrical short circuit as well as any possible subsequent explosions. To protect flameproof submersible pumps, it is also essential to have a flameproof electrical control panel installed as close as possible to the pump.

measurement for control

INLINE MINERAL PROCESS ANALYSERS

Measurement in Slurry and Solutions Specifications • Optical techniques with lowrisk halogen light-source • Industry proven – units operational since 2002 • Safe – no nuclear, no X-rays • Inline – mounted in the process stream • PLC/DCS outputs – analog, Profibus or Ethernet • Can be calibrated against elemental and mineral composition

Applications

• Flotation, wet or dry magnetic separation, electrostatic separation, gravity separation and leach operations.

• Sulphides in gold industry, base metal sulphides, platinum, iron ore, heavy mineral, chrome, manganese Albertus Heydenrych | ah@bluecubesystems.com Stuart Cullum | sc@bluecubesystems.com Pour tout renseignement complémentaire, Veuillez Zakaria Mellas renseignement@bluecubesystems.com

www.bluecubesystems.com

www.pumps-africa.com| 45

MINING

photo courtesy www.pumpeng.com.au The control panel needs to firstly have overload protection, secondly a sensing device to measure when the mechanical seals have failed and thirdly a relay suited to the thermistors to prevent the electrical winding overheating.

HIPPO Flameproof Submersible Pump range control panel The HIPPO Flameproof Submersible Electrical Control Panel showing the control relays HAZLETON PUMPS manufactured its first flameproof pumps in 1993 and the company continually researches ways to improve the safety features of the HIPPO Flameproof Submersible Slurry Pump range.

In order to move the HIPPO Flameproof Submersible Slurry pump effectively around underground a Flameproof Submersible Pump System was developed. This system consists of a HIPPO Flameproof Submersible Slurry pump mounted on a skip that can be moved around with a tractor to reach the various places where nuisance liquid is present that needs be removed.

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The skid mounted HIPPO Flameproof Submersible Slurry Pump System In areas where a tractor cannot be utilised to move the skid mounted HIPPO Flameproof Submersible Slurry pump system a trolley mounted Flameproof Submersible Slurry pump system could be provided which can be moved around by hand.

The trolley mounted HIPPO Flameproof Submersible Slurry Pump System The skid mounted HIPPO Flameproof Submersible Slurry Pump System in underground operation in a typical coal mine Due to the major increase in volume of liquids that have to be pumped from underground in coal mines directly to surface HAZLETON PUMPS has successfully designed and manufactured the world’s first High-Volume; High-Head; Medium/High Voltage Flameproof Submersible Slurry Pump. This pump has specialized protective features to ensure that the stator winding would never burn out due to overheating or the failure of the mechanical seals.

The HIPPO High Volume; High Head; Medium/High Voltage Flameproof Submersible Slurry Pump To ensure the elimination of an electrical flash inside the pump enclosure when using Medium/High Voltage equipment such as submersible pumps in areas where flammable gasses might be present, HAZLETON PUMPS developed the essential additional protection required.

The pump enclosure will be under vacuum pressure and this pressure could also be monitored by means of a pressure transmitter. In the event of the enclosure leaking, the vacuum created will be lost and the pressure transmitter will cause an indicator light to be activated to confirm the loss of vacuum. The enclosure could then be isolated, resealed, revacuumed and returned to operation.

This invention has been patented as well as trademarked.

This device can be fitted to all enclosures and equipment such as transformers and similar equipment.

When such equipment should fail it could have an impact on the safety

– in particular where it is installed in an explosive environment such as underground in coal mines where methane gas is present.

By preventing the electric flash from igniting the atmosphere in the enclosure the damage that could be caused will be contained and no major explosion will occur.

An example of the danger when a transformer explodes was illustrated when two employees at the TENKE copper mine in Democratic Republic of Congo suffered injuries in an electrical fire at the weekend of 15 – 16 July 2017 when the mine experienced an electrical short in a single transformer that supplies the SAG Mill at the Kwatebala plant, resulting in a localised fire.

HAZLETON PUMPS has won several awards for the HIPPO Flameproof Submersible Slurry Pump range: 2006 Winner of an award from

Design Institute of South Africa (DISA) for the HIPPO Flameproof Submersible Slurry Pump Range.

2011 Winner TT 100 Award for Excellence in Management of Research for the HIPPO Flameproof Submersible Slurry Pump Range.

2015 Engineering Federation of South Africa (SEIFSA) Awarded the Company of the Year and winner in the Customer Service Company of the Year award for development of the HIPPO High-Volume, High-Head, Medium/High Voltage Flameproof Submersible Slurry Pump range as well as the repair and refurbishment of the HIPPO Submersible Slurry Pump range 2015 HAZLETON PUMPS won the prestigious South African Premier Business Awards’ (SAPBA) Manufacturer of the Year award for the design, development and manufacture of a Medium/High Voltage Slurry Submersible Pump while also winning of the SMME Company of the Year.

2016 The Southern African Development Corporation (SADC) Quality Awards bestowed the honour of the winner of the Southern African SMME Company of the Year on the Company, and Product of the Year for the High-Volume, High-Head, Medium/High Voltage Flameproof Submersible Slurry Pump range.

2016 South African Flameproof Association (SAFA) for the HIPPO Flameproof High Voltage Submersible Slurry Pump which was awarded as the Most Innovative Product or Engineering Solution of the Year and is the only product of its type in the world 2017 Engineering Federation of South Africa (SEIFSA) Awarded the Company of the Year and winner in the Customer Service Company of the Year award for design, development and manufacture of the HIPPO Submersible Slurry Pump range as well as the repair and refurbishment of this Submersible Slurry Pump range.

www.pumps-africa.com| 47

AGRICULTURE

Adopting solar-powered irrigation system to boost agriculture in Nigeria

By Harriet Mkhaye

F

arming in a country like Nigeria is impossible without irrigation, but with the emergence of Solar-Powered Irrigation System, lack of power supply or inability to get fuel to power pumping machines will be a thing of the past.

Importance of irrigation With irregular rain fall, all year round Nigeria farming cannot be realistic without irrigation. Irrigation will enable farmers to cultivate one crop twice or three times on the same piece of land in one year.

Also, irrigation will enable farmers to be less dependent on rainfall, since insufficient, uncertain and irregular rain causes uncertainty in agriculture, ensures higher productivity and the possibility of multiple cropping is high. With irrigation, farmers have potentialities to grow crops on a year-round basis, reduce instability in output levels and make early planting possible.

High irrigation potentials The clamour for dry season farming by the successive administration has further exposed the importance and necessity of irrigation since rainfall in Nigeria can no longer be predicted as it is irregular and limits the smallholder farmers’ ability to produce more food.

This limited rain coupled with the lack of available water sources has been one of the major cause of exorbitant prices of many farm products during the dry season, since dry season

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farming can be capital intensive.

With over 900 dams in Nigeria, and promises of additional dams by the federal government, Nigeria has huge potentials for irrigation, yet millions of hectares of land are not irrigated, with many dams either abandoned for years or are not utilized up to 50 per cent. Most states restrict the use of some of the dams to supplying of water to feed the masses, provide hydro-power and flood control to check environmental devastation while neglecting to use them for agricultural purposes.

The minister of agriculture and rural development, Chief Audu Ogbeh in an interview published in the 2017/2018 Nigeria Outlook, an

investment and governance journal, said both ministries of Agriculture and Water Resources had constructed about 900 dams, out of which less than 10 per cent are currently been utilized.

He said, “We work together (both ministries); we do big and large dams, close to 900. But believe me, less than 10 per cent, maybe five per cent, have been used. Some of the big ones have been there since the Second Republic, wasting away, just full of sand but we are working together now with the Ministry of Water Resources to utilize those resources for irrigation. “We need irrigation. One of the dangers facing us is that of the

possibility of a drought. It comes once in a while in many countries. It has been in Central Africa for nearly seven years now. It’s in East Africa and we fear it might happen. We are going to intensify the irrigation and build the partnership between us and the Ministry of Water Resources to go to the level where when they finish the dam, we can join hands with them and lease it out to farmers.”

to be able to pump water to farmers.

Therefore, it requires lot of money to buy diesel especially at the rate it is being sold at the moment.

Though, experts believe that farmers can reduce the cost of irrigation by adopting deficit irrigation which ensures that they irrigate only at the time the crop needs water. They can do this be targeting the critical period of water needs and irrigate only on those times.

The cost of irrigation But findings have revealed that most of state governments abandoned the dams and irrigation projects because of the cost of maintaining the pumping machine.

Solar Power Irrigation system This is set to be a thing of the past with the introduction of Solar powered irrigation systems which is said to be farmers, climate friendly and affordable.

The cost of irrigation is high if dams are driven by pumps. Some dams in the country are not gravity based irrigation, they are pump-based, water has to be pumped by big dieseldriven pumps such that every day the irrigation managers have to buy diesel

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in a report obtained from it website, said solar powered irrigation systems is a climate-friendly technology for both large and small-scale farmers in developing countries.

But they need to be adequately managed and regulated to avoid the risk of unsustainable water use; FAO stressed new the report that was published recently.

It stated that sharp and ongoing drops in the price of photovoltaic panels have given new impetus to renewable energy source as a way to enhance irrigation capacity.

“Further price reductions could power a revolution in places such as sub-Saharan Africa, where only three percent of the cultivated area is irrigated, seven times less than the global average.

“The rapid expansion of more affordable solar-powered irrigation offers viable solutions that span the waterenergy-food nexus, providing a great opportunity for small-holders to improve their livelihoods, economic prosperity and food security,” said FAO Deputy DirectorGeneral Helena Semedo.

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AGRICULTURE

FAO presented a global overview of the benefits and risks of solarpowered irrigation at an international forum in Rome hosted in partnership with Powering Agriculture: An Energy Grand Challenge for Development (PAEGC), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE).

Both FAO’s global report and an online Toolbox on Solar-Powered Irrigation Systems, developed jointly with Germany’s Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, designed to provide hands-on guidance to endusers, policy makers and financiers, were launched at the conference.

“The opportunity cheaper solar energy offers also increases the urgency of making sure appropriate water management and governance systems are

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in place,” said Eduardo Mansur, Director of FAO’s Land and Water Division.

“We need to think strategically about how this technology can be used to encourage more sustainable use of groundwater resources to avoid risks such as wasteful water-use and overabstraction of groundwater.”

New possibilities Globally, about 20%of cultivated land is irrigated, and they contribute to about 40 percent of total food output.

Irrigation boosts agricultural productivity in various ways, including by allowing more and varied crops per year. Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America have relatively low deployment of irrigation on croplands, indicating sizeable potential gains there.

Solar powered irrigations systems has the potential to reduce GHG

emissions per unit of energy used for water pumping by more than 95 per cent compared to alternatives fueled by diesel or fossil-fuel driven electricity grids, according to the report.

Assessing the economic viability of a solar-powered irrigation system requires consideration of a broad range of parameters, including the size and configuration of the system, water storage capacity and feasibility, the depth of the well, the remoteness of the area and the type of soil to be irrigated.

The so-called “payback periods” for such investments depend on the above conditions, on crops and markets, and also on the presence of government price incentives.

FAO urges governments to review their incentive schemes to favor “green subsidies” over those for fossil fuels.

AGRICULTURE

Energy solutions for solar agricultural pumps Solar energy is one of the easiest ways for farmers to produce energy. The use of solar energy in agriculture is becoming increasingly popular in Africa

By Herman K.

W

hile there are energy solutions for solar agricultural pumps, research has revealed that nine out of ten African families depend on agriculture for their livelihoods and only two among these utilize irrigation, as the rest rely on the increasingly unreliable rainfall.

On the other hand, switching to irrigated agriculture has been proven to increase yields by up to 90%. This is in comparison with farms that rely on rainfall.

However, high diesel costs continue to make irrigation an unaffordable expense for many smallholder farmers.

Unfortunately a very small number of Africans have access to the main grid.

As such, electric water pumps ceases to be a viable option for the 620 million Africans without connection.

Solar energy is one of the easiest ways for farmers to produce energy.

Furthermore, the use of solar energy in agriculture is becoming increasingly popular in Africa. What’s more, the energy produce could very well be used to provide the farmers with additional income. Arid regions in Africa are some of the places where irrigation is used. As such, these areas count as the biggest beneficiaries of solar energy.

On the other hand, irrigation requires energy. Currently, diesel and electric pumps stand as the dominant

technology offerings. Similarly, grid-connected pumps that rely on electricity are also plagued with the challenge of outages.

The farmers thus end up losing what could otherwise be disposable income. Nonetheless, solar pumps also don’t come cheap. A one horsepower solar pump goes for approximately US $3,000. This makes it unaffordable for most small, marginal rural farmers with a couple of acres or less.

Making it work Starting with the pump, the amount of solar power needed depends on the specific water table depth of a farm. That is, the further the water is from the ground, the more power would be needed to pump that water up for irrigation. This, in turn, is highly dependent on the geography of a particular region.

On the other hand, since water for irrigation is only needed during certain hours of the day, using the solar pump could be a way to better utilize the solar panels. Furthermore, the solar panels for a solar pump could also be viewed as assets that generate electricity to be used by people in their homes.

The pumps used for the transport of the water have solar cells. These then absorb solar energy and converts it

into electrical energy. This is done through generator which then feeds an electric motor driving the pump.

Most of the traditional pump systems mainly work with a diesel engine or with the local power grid.

However, these two modes of operations present disadvantages compared to solar pumps.

Diesel pumps are slightly more efficient than AC powered pumps as they allow greater flexibility.

However, one of the main constraints is that this system relies on the fuel availability.

Moreover, inasmuch as diesel-driven pumps may be cheaper than solarpowered pumps, operating costs are quite high and are heavily dependent on the diesel price. Conversely, the solar-powered systems is relatively expensive. However, the source of energy is free; since after there are no operating costs after the pay off period. This makes the latter a worthwhile long-term investment.

Access to water for agricultural purposes remains critical in some areas such as in arid regions of Africa. Many African farmers fetch the water directly from the well or the rivers and irrigate their fields using buckets. As such, access to a motorized pump could very well their yield tremendously.

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