Replacing obsolete flame management units
November 2003
News
When Columbus Stainless decided earlier this year, that the time had come to replace all the flame failure equipment on its AP2 strip annealing line at their Middleburg plant, it turned to Krom Schröder of Osnabrück. The sole agent for Krom Schröder in South Africa is The Combustion Group of Sebenza.
Having many years experience with Krom Schröder equipment, they were able to assist Columbus in the tricky logistics of replacing all of the 36 flame management units in one shutdown. The existing units were obsolete, so their specifications were sent to Germany so that the Krom Schröder engineers could assess the suitability of a unit from their own range to act as a direct replacement. A sample of the old and the new were obtained and a test rig was built by The Combustion Group to prove to the client that the choice was correct. This was vital to avoid the necessity of major rewiring of the existing system, which would have required a major shutdown to complete.
Four 19" racks complete with 36 PFD 778D flame management units together with four PFA700 power supplies were supplied by Krom Schröder to The Combustion Group, who mounted them in a new door for the existing enclosures on site. Drawings were prepared giving every detail of the old wiring system and the new racks and repeatedly crosschecked to ensure that, when the changeover time came, every possible problem area had been addressed beforehand.
The result of the testing and planning was that the completely new system was installed in 18 hours by The Combustion Group's engineers and the re-ignition of the burners was achieved without a hitch. Columbus now has a flame management system in this part of its plant which complies fully with the safety requirements of SANS 74-2 2003 and can rely on The Combustion Group to provide spares and service backup.
For more information contact The Combustion Group, 011 452 5060.
Further reading:
John Thompson secures order for bagasse-fired boiler
News
John Thompson, a division of ACTOM, has secured an order for a 320 t/h bagasse-fired boiler for what is set to become the world’s largest greenfield sugar mill development in Indonesia.
Read more...
From the editor's desk: Consistently not stupid
Technews Publishing (SA Instrumentation & Control)
News
Over the years I’ve followed Charlie Munger. He’s considered to be one of the greatest investors and thinkers on decision making in the past century, and spent six decades as Warren Buffett’s business
...
Read more...
South Africa’s space balls
Editor's Choice News
South African engineers are preparing to take low-frequency radio astronomy to the Moon with three locally developed B.A.L.L.S. spheres aboard China’s Chang’e-8 mission. This could pave the way for a 55-antenna lunar array and marks another step in the country’s growing space engineering capability.
Read more...
RS South Africa announces 2026 Student Project Fund winners
RS South Africa
News
RS South Africa has awarded 13 engineering students with R10?000 worth of products each through its 2026 Student Project Fund, supporting projects spanning renewable energy, robotics, warehouse automation and STEM education.
Read more...
Certified gas meter module
News
Sensirion’s next-generation SGM5304 gas meter module has completed certification to the harmonised EN 17526 standard, simplifying MID approval and speeding customers’ route to market.
Read more...
Trafo Power Solutions expands market share
News
Trafo Power Solutions is expanding its market share in mining, industrial, infrastructure, data centre and renewable energy applications through technical expertise, application-specific engineering and responsive customer support.
Read more...
Engineering solutions to keep coal power plants viable in a renewables-driven grid
News
Steinmüller Africa showcased engineering solutions at Enlit Africa 2026 that let existing coal-fired power stations run efficiently at much lower loads, helping the grid absorb a growing share of variable renewable energy.
Read more...
Trafo Power Solutions returns to Electra Mining Africa
News
Trafo Power Solutions returns to Electra Mining Africa 2026 with a portfolio that has expanded well beyond dry-type transformers into fully engineered electrical power solutions for mining, industrial and infrastructure operations across Africa.
Read more...
SAIMC INSPIRE conference extends abstract submission deadline
SAIMC
SAIMC News
Following requests from our sponsors, the SAIMC INSPIRE conference has officially extended the abstract submission deadline to 28 August 2026.
Read more...
Pomini Tenova and Siemens advance roll grinder technology
Siemens South Africa
News
Pomini Tenova and Siemens strengthen their long-standing partnership to support the revamping and modernisation of roll grinders with advanced CNC and automation technology.
Read more...
printer friendly version