Due to the inclement weather, we are now able to spend some time updating readers on our numerous activities over the past few months.
The Durban branch spent a lot of effort getting a new committee formed and up to speed. We now have committee members, and all portfolios have been filled as follows:
1. Chairman - Kevin McElroy
2. Vice-Chairman - Dean Trattles
3. Treasurer - John Owen-Ellis
4. Secretary - Willie Bekker
5. PRO - Peter Sinclair
6. Members
a. Warren Sachs
b. Prof E. Eitelberg
c. Barrie Skinner
Meetings
January - video evening
We started the year with a video evening and Willie Bekker kept everybody enthralled.
February - AGM
There was no monthly meeting in February due to our AGM - which was well supported and we appreciate having the SAIMC chairman present.
March - Phoenix Contact
Alex Schneider from Phoenix Contact presented on surge arrestors, the various protection types and requirements, as well as a new technology called active energy control. There was a very pleasing turnout of 26 people. It has set a standard for the year, both in attendance and in the high quality of the presentation.
April - Alpret (Emerson Process Control) and Engen
Mark Leutfeld from Emerson Process and Brian Thomson from Engen spoke about a particular valve problem at Engen. A new smart valve positioner was installed, however was initially found to perform worse than the previous pneumatic positioner. The presentation focused on how the problem was resolved as well as the advantages of using a smart valve positioner in a process type application. A lot of interest was shown in this particular topic demonstrated by the numerous questions asked.
May - Kübler
Johan Steyn from Kübler spoke about magnetic level indicators. The topic focused on the different types of indicators available on the market, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each. He discussed some of the theory behind the indicators, including problems associated with different density and pressure applications. Everyone enjoyed his samples, which included a severely battered float that was incorrectly specified for a high-pressure application.
June - Motornostix
Jon Tapson from Motornostix and the University of Cape Town presented a topic on remote machine monitoring sensors and the various communication techniques available. This was an extremely interesting presentation and there were numerous questions regarding Bluetooth as a communications tool. There was also discussion around their condition monitoring software and equipment, as well as the use of the Internet for report publishing and retrieval.
July - Adroit
Dave Wibberley, managing director of Adroit, very kindly flew down on very short notice to present on Microsoft's new .NET Framework and its impact scada and similar systems. He spoke at length about web services and demonstrated possible uses. It was a very informative topic, and evoked a lot of discussion afterwards.
Planned future meetings include Endress+Hauser on Profibus, Siemens on field device communication networks, Valve and Automation on boiler feedwater valves as well as Vega on level.
As can be seen, we have had a busy first half of the year, and we look forward to a similar second half. We also have the traditional end of year dinner/dance bash. This is to be held at the ICC in Durban and has been very well supported. The committee would like to thank everybody for their support at the general meetings and for helping to make Durban what we believe is the best branch in the country.
Peter Sinclair, PRO, Durban Branch, peter.sinclair@siemens.com
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