Rosh Pinah is a small Namibian mining town located some 100 km inland from the Orange River mouth. After having been in operation for over 40 years, the zinc and lead floatation units of the mine were structurally beyond maintaining and needed to be replaced. Capital for the project was approved and the contracts were awarded at the end of 2008.
All the civil, mechanical, electrical instrumentation and automation equipment needed to be replaced. The work was to proceed in two phases: phase 1 was the upgrading of the zinc circuit which was due for completion by September 2009 and phase 2 was the replacement of the lead circuit which was due for completion later in November. Arandis Services and K Neumayer were contracted to perform all the civil and structural work. Metso was responsible for the flotation cells, piping and instrumentation supply. ABB Namibia supplied the motor control centres. All the electrical and automation installation was executed by Iritron, with overall site management carried out by the Rosh Pinah mine personnel.
Iritron’s operations director Andre Roeloffze and managing director Alwyn Rautenbach were the consulting engineers responsible for the project management of the electrical, instrumentation and control portion of the project. They formed the interface between Rosh Pinah mine, ABB Namibia, Iritron and Metso. Frits Stoop managed the Iritron engineering team. Hardus Strydom was responsible for the electrical and lighting design, and Danie Smit designed the PLC and scada system assisted with the HMI graphics by Jan van Niekerk.
Andre Roeloffze says he enjoys going back to Rosh Pinah because he and the team are always welcomed. He says one of the reasons is the successful execution of the Rosh Pinah flotation unit replacement project.
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...Schneider Electric launches first Innovation Hub in Africa Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric has officially launched its first Innovation Hub in Africa. This provides an interactive environment where visitors can explore the company’s integrated solutions across key segments and businesses such as energy, buildings, data centres, industrial, and power and grid.
Read more...A strategic milestone for Conical Technologies Conical Technologies
News
Conical Technologies has been appointed as the sole distributor in southern Africa for Mibbo, manufacturers of a vast array of products for the automation industry.
Read more...Robotics TechTalk at UKZN
News
The Scientific Multidisciplinary Advanced Research Technology Lab at the University of KwaZulu-Natal recently held an exciting TechTalk. It was an opportunity to introduce students to the IEEE Robotics and Automation chapter, SAIMC, and the Robotics Association of South Africa.
Read more...Schneider Electric honoured with Gender Leader Award Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric has been awarded the Gender Leader Award at this year’s Africa CEO Forum. This award acknowledges those organisations operating in Africa that have shown a significant and continuous commitment to gender diversity and inclusion.
Read more...Africa Automation Technology Fair 2025 closes on a high note
News
The Africa Automation Technology Fair 2025 officially wrapped up after three dynamic days at Gallagher Convention Centre, cementing its status as Africa’s leading platform for industrial automation, AI and IoT.
Read more...A new generation of solar professionals
News
A new generation of solar professionals is rising in Cape Town. The second cohort of the Solar Youth Project has just completed an intensive eight-week training course and is ready to take on the next stage, 10 months of work experience.
Read more...From the editor's desk: The age of superintelligence Technews Publishing (SA Instrumentation & Control)
News
In this issue of SA Instrumentation & Control we say farewell to our longstanding contributing editor, Michael Brown, who is retiring soon. His outstanding contribution over the years in the field of ...
printer friendly version