At its March Technology Evening, the Johannesburg branch hosted Mike O’Neill from Expo Technologies, England, who presented on ‘Ex P type protection for the process industry’.
Eric Carter (right) presents Mike O’Neill his certificate after the presentation.
Ex p can protect many systems that are difficult to cover with Ex d or Ex e type of explosion protection. Applications suitable to Ex p protection are control, panels, switch gear, motors, generators analysers and shelters. The basic principle includes purging the enclosure to displace any gases present. The enclosure may then have a small flow (leakage compensation) or a large continuous flow to ensure it remains pressurised to prevent ingress of external atmosphere. The various Ex p methods are static pressurisation, where the enclosure is purged, pressurised and sealed; leak compensation, where the enclosure is purged and pressurised then switched to small flow to top up any leaks; and finally continuous flow where the enclosure is purged and pressurised and the purge flow continues.
The three types of Ex p covered were, Ex pz (zone 2 manual) and Ex px (Zone 1 which requires some automation), and Ex py (zone 1 – manual). Mike covered some practical limits, minimum requirements and IEC and NFPA standards governing Ex p protection, pneumatic and electronic timers, enclosure types, typical alarms, certification, as well as advantages and selection criteria of Ex p and smart purge.
The branch thanks Mike O’Neill for his valued and informative presentation.
Johan Maartens (right) handing over the coffee machine won by DR Shorer at the SAIMC rebranding lucky draw.
Committee for 2014
The branch also elected the following committee members to serve for the 2014 financial year: Eric Carter (chairman), Alvin Seitz (treasurer), Dave Robinson (site visit coordination), Andrew Bharath (media liaison), Roxanne Bredenkamp (secretary), Mike Banda, Debbie Scott, Gary Friend and Jay King.
The following site visits are planned for the course of the year:
* Unilever.
* 3M.
* Sedibeng Brewery.
* AST.
Technology evenings are envisaged by the following companies:
* Beckhoff Automation.
* Phoenix Contact.
* Endress+Hauser.
* Robor.
The branch will be hosting its annual golf day in August – formal invite to follow soon.
International robotics conference streams live to Africa
SAIMC
The SAIMC hosted five live-stream viewing events across South Africa for the IEEE International Conference of Robotics and Automation in Vienna, bringing global robotics research and technology directly to local industry and academia.
Read more...From the office of the CEO: Introduction to GRIP SAIMC
SAIMC
Industry has long been concerned about graduates who have no understanding of the modern equipment they will face in industry. This has triggered an investigation into the possibility of creating a facility whereby graduates register with the SAIMC and rotate through all the vendors to obtain experience on modern equipment.
Read more...SAIMC: Durban branch SAIMC
SAIMC
The SAIMC Durban Branch hosted a technology meeting featuring a presentation by Abacus Automation on the practical role of AI in industrial automation, drawing considerable interest from attendees.
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg branch SAIMC
SAIMC
Instrotech recently hosted a technical presentation on load cell technology and applications at the SAIMC Johannesburg Technology Evening, presented by Trevor Salzwedel. The session covered load cell fundamentals, selection and installation, mechanical considerations and calibration methods.
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg Golf Day SAIMC
SAIMC
The SAIMC Johannesburg Golf Day on 22 May 2026 brought together 16 four-balls for a day of golf, networking and fundraising, with generous support from sponsors across the instrumentation and control sector.
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg branch SAIMC
SAIMC
The Johannesburg Branch had the privilege of being hosted by Phoenix Contact for our technology event in May. Shamil Surbun, BU manager for Automation, presented a CPD-accredited session on ‘From Sensor to Cloud: How SPE and APL Are Transforming Industrial Connectivity’.
Read more...From the office of the CEO: Power Hour goes national SAIMC
SAIMC
South Africa’s automation, control, mechatronics and computer engineering community is changing fast, and the SAIMC is changing with it. I am excited to announce a new national initiative that will reshape how we deliver technical knowledge, strengthen branch identity and bring our community together like never before.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version