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New hydraulic products could benefit GMEP

12th December 2014

By: Mia Breytenbach

Creamer Media Deputy Editor: Features

  

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Having supplied hydraulic cylinders, pumps and torque wrenches to State-owned power utility Eskom’s Medupi power station and coal and metals major Exxaro’s Grootegeluk-Medupi Expansion Project (GMEP) over the past three years, the South African branch of US-based high-pressure equipment company Enerpac Africa believes that several of its new products have the scope to be applied at the GMEP, says Enerpac South Africa director Neil Watson.

He highlights that the com- pany’s high-capacity mobile hydraulic jack, the Pow’R-LOCK (PL) portable lift, can be used for work on mining vehicles and does not require manually placed blocks for replacing flat tyres. “The PL system has a self-locking mechanism, which engages whenever the operator ceases operation,” adds Watson.

The PL lifting systems, which are fully self-contained, require a compressed-air supply of between 55 psi and 100 psi for power.

Other products that Watson believes can be used at the Grootegeluk mine and Medupi power station in the future include Enerpac’s programmable logic computer (PLC) lifting system for the lifting of shovels for bearing maintenance; the multifunctional synchronous EVO-System lifting system, launched six months ago, as well as the heavy-duty dozer lifting system (DLS), originally designed for construction equipment manufacturer Caterpillar’s D10 and D11 dozers.

Watson reiterates that the DLS, with its self-locking system, can be wheeled underneath the bulldozer to enable fast and easy access for heavy maintenance.

Continuous Supply
Enerpac’s range of EVO-System pumps is being used to construct the Medupi and Kusile power stations, says Watson, noting that four EVO pumps are being used to operate eight hydraulic jacks used to lift the steel sections up the chimneys to a height of 235 m. “The pumps form part of the PLC-controlled lifting system, which has an accuracy across the cylinders to 0.5 mm,” he says.

Three years ago, Enerpac supplied four of these systems to Medupi for the chimney stacking. These systems, which enable a lift rate of 3 m/h, have since been deployed at the Kusile power station, in Mpumalanga, with an additional system being bought for use there, says Watson.

He further notes that the Enerpac Digital torque wrench pumps enable significant time savings – reducing operation time – during construction at Medupi, as the operators are able to set specific torque parameters for the pump, which is read directly off the digital screen, eliminating the need for additional preset functions and ensuring consistent torque application for bolt tightening.

He adds that Enerpac’s hydraulic PLC lifting systems and several large jacks were also used to lift one of two concrete tunnels between the Grootegeluk mine and the Medupi power station 18 months ago.

The two tunnels, comprising a run-of-mine tunnel and a discard tunnel, are each 80 m long and 6 m high, but vary in diameter, ranging between 15 m and 20 m. Construction of the tunnels forms part of two projects for the GMEP, involving the construction of two coal bunkers, tunnels, overland conveyors and associated infrastructure, and plant civil construction, according to construction company Stefanutti Stocks.

Ensured Maintenance
Watson notes that Enerpac offers not only a global lifetime guarantee against faulty products, but also an Enerpac maintenance programme – launched four years ago – to eliminate any servicing problems that customers might encounter.

He explains that Enerpac’s authorised service centre inspects tools for leaks, oil levels and quality, maximum pressure settings and damage and, if required, the necessary servicing of these tools.

“A maintenance contract is critical, as equipment needs to be properly inspected and serviced to achieve the required working condition. “More importantly, the original-equipment manufacturer needs to ensure that the product is safe for the operator to use,” says Watson.

Edited by Samantha Herbst
Creamer Media Deputy Editor

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