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:
Helping mines get results from water improvements
News
South African mines operate under constrained, water-scarce conditions where every investment must be justified. Xylem’s Chetan Mistry explains how the right water technology partner helps mines prioritise high-value water systems across the mining lifecycle.
Read more...
From solar to water, onsite plants are the next big industrial resilience shift
News
South African industrial operators who secured their energy supply with onsite solar generation now face the same imperative with water. Robert Erasmus of Sanitech argues that onsite water treatment is the next essential pillar of business continuity.
Read more...
From the editor's desk: Pushing engineering to the limit
Technews Publishing
News
Among the many things robots can do, it’s a lot of fun to follow how fast they are. They go from the Boston Dynamics cheetah, which first reached a record-breaking speed of 45,5 km/h, to the robot Charlie
...
Read more...
Schneider Electric concludes Innovation Summit Middle East and Africa
Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric's Innovation Summit Middle East and Africa, held in Abu Dhabi with more than 2500 attendees, explored the convergence of energy, AI and industrial software, launched an Industrial AI study and announced the NEST Accelerator Programme for energy and industrial tech startups.
Read more...
VEGA brings measurement expertise beyond mining to Electra Mining Africa 2026
VEGA Controls SA
News
VEGA used its Electra Mining Africa 2026 stand to demonstrate that its level and pressure measurement instruments extend well beyond mining, covering water, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and oil and gas applications across the continent.
Read more...
Sustainable solutions for sugar
Bearing Man Group t/a BMG
News
BMG received a Special Commendation Exhibition Stand Award at the South African Sugar Technologists’ Association Congress, where it showcased an integrated turnkey drive solution designed to simplify the upgrading of ageing crushing-mill drive systems.
Read more...
Measure, Manage, Maintain: The operating model behind SA’s water resilience
Siemens South Africa
News
South Africa’s growing water crisis is putting pressure on infrastructure, municipalities and the economy. Siemens highlights how digital technologies, smarter operations and safe water reuse could help shift the country from crisis response towards a more resilient and sustainable water future.
Read more...
VEGA brings measurement expertise beyond mining to Electra Mining Africa 2026
VEGA Controls SA
News
VEGA used its Electra Mining Africa 2026 stand to demonstrate that its level and pressure measurement instruments extend well beyond mining, covering water, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and oil and gas applications across the continent.
Read more...
Schneider Electric concludes Innovation Summit Middle East and Africa
Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric’s Innovation Summit Middle East and Africa, held in Abu Dhabi with more than 2500 attendees, explored the convergence of energy, AI and industrial software, launched an Industrial AI study and announced the NEST Accelerator Programme.
Read more...
RX Africa and Messe Muenchen India join forces to strengthen business platforms in Africa
RX Africa
News
Messe Muenchen India has announced a strategic partnership with RX Africa to strengthen the scale, reach and market impact of its premier co-located trade fairs, analytica Lab Africa and IFAT Africa, ahead of their 2027 editions.
Read more...
printer friendly version