Electricity + Control September 2016

ROUND UP

DRIVES, MOTORS + SWITCHGEAR

Fast-track solution for fast-track projects

The fast-track nature of many large indus- trial and mining projects on the continent has seen an increase in the demand for containerised housing for Motor Con- trol Centres (MCCs). These stations are quicker to establish on site than their brick-and-mortar counterparts and they are assembled off-site in factory-controlled conditions. There is no limit to the size of the MCC stations, with containers connected side by side or stacked on top of each other to provide the necessary space. Being a modular solution, individual containers are easily transported to the project site and then erected. ShawControls ’ chief commercial officer, Johan van Niekerk notes that the company supplied these solutions to many project sites including Eskom’s Medupi Power Station project and the associated Exxaro

its leading range of MCCs, is five times the size it was a year ago. A sizeable share of this comprises or- ders from blue-chip mining houses and international engineering companies involved in brownfields and greenfields mining projects inAfrica.Van Niekerk says the company’s close affiliation to the min- ing industry means that it has to comply with the highest standards in design and manufacture of MCCs and panels. This includes all quality and safety standards adhered to by Australian engi- neering firms, who are dominant players in theAfrican mining industry.This is com- plemented by Shaw Controls’ IEC 61439 certification which proves the integrity of its panels. Enquiries: Kirsten Larkan.Tel. +27 (0) 11 723 6000 or email marketing@zestweg.com

Grootegeluk expansion programme. And, while this is a growing trend, Shaw Controls, a division of Zest WEG Manu- facturing, is leading in their supply. The company’s firm grip on this growing mar- ket can be attributed to its intense focus on quality at its 12 000 m 2 manufacturing hub in Robertsham, Gauteng. Van Niekerk says the containers are constructed to customers’ specifications at the Shaw Controls facility. “All our con- tainerised housings are built from scratch. We install all the necessary fittings and claddings, based on individual customer requirements,” he says. This approach is in line with Shaw Controls’ strategy of keeping manufacture in-house to reduce costs and maintain close control over quality. The strategy is working considering that Shaw Controls’ order book for all its solutions, including

Johan van Niekerk, chief commercial officer at Shaw Controls.

Low-voltage soft starters with enviable track record

and space inside the panel. With all its included functions such as torque control to avoid water hammering, jog with slow speed to rotate motor slowly both forward and reverse as well as possibil- ity to clean a pump by reversing the flow PSTX is the complete motor starting solution.To increase reliability of the process, PSTX includes a limp mode that will allow the continuing of operation even where a thyristor fails. As a result, the end-user enjoys im- proved productivity and full-potential motor usage. Enquiries: Elvis Khumalo.Tel: +27 (0) 10 202 5000 or email Elvis.khumalo@za.abb.com

PSTX is designed to address some of the most common electrical problems that comes from starting motors. It both reduces n. cur- rent at the same time as it keeps the motor protected from both load and network irregularities. A great component in any motor starting panel. The built-in earth fault protection detects if there is an earth fault in the motor connection that may lead to damages. The current limiting function detects if the current has exceeded the set trip level and prevents heavy loads from creating unnecessary electri- cal stress during start. Reduced current allows OEMs to install the motor in more networks and motor protections will prolong their equipment's lifetime. Installing and using the PSTX is made fast and easy, saving time for everyone involved in installation and commissioning. Initial design decisions made were done so to consider all aspects of the purchasing, operating and servicing life-cycle of the product. With PSTX, much of the required functionality typically required for most applications is is already built-in.The bypass will reduce both energy consumption and heat generation while running mo- tors at full speed. Having it built-in saves both time on installation

Electricity+Control September ‘16

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