The Durban branch held a well attended Technology Evening at the Durban Country Club on Wednesday 7 August. The attendance could partly be attributed to interest in the topic of compressor anti-surge control, titled ‘Protect Your Vital Assets’, and partly due to the presenter being Pulen Govender, a well known and knowledgeable control systems specialist at Engen refinery.
The evening was opened by the Durban branch chairman, Howard Lister, who formally welcomed new members Lindeka Khanyeza, Lucas Esterhyse and Farai Nyamayazo, before congratulating Waseem Rawat, the deserving winner of the prize awarded to the best student in the C&I discipline at Durban University of Technology. Waseem achieved the highest mark and a distinction in Process Control IV.
Howard thanked all the companies that have sponsored the Durban branch for the current year and announced that there will be a site visit to Engen refinery on the morning of Thursday 12 September. There is limited space available, so early booking is advisable. He then introduced Pulen as the guest speaker.
Howard Lister (right) thanks Pulen Govender after the presentation.
Pulen began by giving a typical example to show the installation, maintenance and operating costs of a large compressor, emphasising the importance to any business of running compressors as efficiently and reliably as possible. He followed with a well illustrated summary to show the operating principles of the different types of compressors and their various configurations, explaining the range of characteristics and interacting with the audience before moving on to explain what is meant by ‘surge’ and the physical mechanisms that can cause it to occur. His subsequent talk, together with graphic examples of the control systems that may be used to avoid surge occurring to an extent that can cause damage, prompted an interesting question and answer session with the attentive audience.
The evening concluded with a meal of the usual high standard we have come to expect of the Durban Country Club, and, of course, some enjoyable and productive networking over a few drinks.
SAIMC Zambia SAIMC
SAIMC News
SAIMC Zambia marked its 21st anniversary with the annual SAIMC Banquet, held on 29 November 2025 at Mukwa Lodge in Kitwe, Zambia.
Read more...SAIMC: Durban branch SAIMC
SAIMC
The SAIMC Durban Branch closed off its 2025 technology meetings with an exceptionally well-attended session on selecting and applying signal transducers.
Read more...SAIMC: Durban year-end dinner SAIMC
SAIMC
The SAIMC Durban branch hosted its much-anticipated annual year-end dinner at the Mount Edgecombe Country Club on 22 November 2025. Durban’s summer weather provided the perfect backdrop for a warm, ...
Read more...Durban branch
SAIMC
At the Durban branch of the SAIMC held in October, Mitch Naidoo took the attendees on an interesting journey on Asset Health Management: Tracking The Pulse Of Your Plant.
Read more...SAIMC: Durban branch SAIMC
SAIMC
At the Durban branch of the SAIMC held in October, Mitch Naidoo took the attendees on an interesting journey on Asset Health Management: Tracking The Pulse Of Your Plant.
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg branch SAIMC
SAIMC
The SAIMC Johannesburg Branch technical evening was hosted by Proconics Advanced Solutions. The topic of the session was ‘Turning Big 3D Data into Actionable Engineering Insights – Challenges and Smart Solutions’.
Read more...SAIMC User Advisory Council Annual Summit 2025 SAIMC
SAIMC
October 2025 marked a pivotal moment for the South African automation and manufacturing community as the SAIMC User Advisory Council hosted its first annual summit under the SAIMC banner.
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg
SAIMC
The Johannesburg Branch of the SAIMC hosted a successful Technology Evening on 10 September. The event was well attended and generously sponsored by Phoenix Contact.
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