Becker Mining South Africa supplies uninterruptible power supply systems
May 2020
News
Becker Mining South Africa has supplied 12 uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems to a local coal mine supplier, to enhance safety and prevent unnecessary downtime. These specially designed systems ensure uninterrupted operation of the mine’s PLC system, particularly during power outages.
“This system was developed by Becker Mining as a dependable power backup system for the PLC system, which controls critical functions at the mine,” explains Nico de Lange, vice president operations & systems, Becker Mining South Africa. “These operations include all conveyer belt safety systems, gas monitoring, as well as speed, slippage and load control instrumentation. In the event of a power outage, the PLC would not be able to function without the backup of a reliable UPS system. The interruption of belt system and sensor monitoring would prevent normal operations and lead to costly downtime and could also become a major safety issue.”
During a power outage, the UPS system needs to supply the specified load, to ensure the electrical system continues efficient operation, for a specified time period. In this particular project, the 3,5 kVA; system, with a two-hour backup time, has been designed to supply a full load current of 15 A at 220 V. This ensures the PLC system, with multiple outlets, runs efficiently even in the event of a power failure.
As this PLC system consists of many electronic devices, a pure sine wave is required to reduce induced electrical noises generated from the circuit. Without this critical feature, electronic components could malfunction and become a major safety risk, also causing costly downtime.
The enclosures of Becker’s UPS systems have an ingress protection rating of IP65, which guards against the ingress of dust and jets of water. This protection feature is particularly important in arduous underground conditions.
These inter-connected UPS systems, with Ethernet and RS-232 connectivity, can be remotely managed and monitored from the control station. This means in the event of a system failure, critical decisions can be made to prevent a disaster or unnecessary downtime.
Further reading:
Reinstatement opportunity for ECSA registration
News
In 2023 the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) announced a special opportunity for engineers in South Africa to reinstate their registration status if it had been cancelled. This exclusive offer is available until the end of August 2024.
Read more...
Hytec opens fifteenth Mandela Day library
Bosch Rexroth Africa
News
Over 200 learners at Monene Primary School in rural Limpopo have received their own containerised library. This is the fifteenth library since 2011, provided by Hytec South Africa and the Nelson Mandela School Library Project to schools across the country.
Read more...
CSIR survey on the state of cybersecurity in South Africa
News
The CSIR Information and Cybersecurity Centre has released four comprehensive national cybersecurity surveys. These delve into critical areas such as cybersecurity preparedness and resilience in the public sector, cybersecurity skills gaps, cybersecurity incidents, and the digital identity landscape in South Africa.
Read more...
Referro Systems partners with Festo in Northern Cape
News
Referro Systems has been recognised as an Authorised Official Partner Candidate for Festo in the Northern Cape, marking a significant milestone in its commitment to delivering best-in-class automation solutions to customers.
Read more...
Heavy-duty tablet achieves global certification
Vepac Electronics
News
In a significant advancement for the company’s rugged tablets, the Teguar TRT-5380-10 heavy-duty tablet from Vepac has successfully acquired 11 international certifications, setting a new standard in quality, safety, and security across global markets.
Read more...
Bühler Johannesburg transforms Little Star Daycare Centre
News
Little Star Daycare in Vanderbijlpark has undergone a remarkable transformation, thanks to the generous support of Bühler Johannesburg.
Read more...
Schneider Electric and Harmony accelerate skills development
Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric has formed a strategic partnership with Harmony Gold Mining to upgrade the instrumentation workshop into a state-of-the-art facility.
Read more...
RS South Africa showcases mining products and solutions
RS South Africa
News
RS South Africa recently exhibited at MTE Steelport in Limpopo, and MTE Sibanye-Stillwater in Gauteng.
Read more...
RS PRO expands automation range
RS South Africa
News
As automation continues to revolutionise production facilities, RS PRO, the trusted own brand of RS, is expanding its product range to meet the growing demand for smarter, more efficient processes.
Read more...
From the editor's desk: Killer science
Technews Publishing (SA Instrumentation & Control)
News
I couldn’t resist watching The World Industrial Reporter’s video on Ten Scientists Killed By Their Own Experiments. Some of them would have deserved the Darwin Award for taking themselves out of the
...
Read more...
printer friendly version