The July technology evening featured a presentation by Katlego Setwaba of Pepperl+Fuchs. The main focus of her talk was Ex p (purging and pressurisation). However, she started off by reminding us of the damage done by explosions, demonstrating the catastrophic effects if these are not prevented.
Ann de Beer (left) thanks Katlego Setwaba for the presentation.
The three Gas Groups (IIA, IIB,and II C) and Dust Groups (III A, III B and III C) were tabled, A being the least sensitive to spark ignition, and C the most sensitive. She went on to cover zoning – Zone 0 being the most dangerous for gases, and Zone 2 has the least chance of the hazard being present. By contrast, dusts are correspondingly grouped into Zones 20, 21 and 22.
This was followed by the different explosion prevention techniques with a focus on flame proofing (Ex d, the containment of an explosion), intrinsic safety (Ex 1, limitation of temperatures and spark energy), followed by pressurisation and purging (Ex p, filling the equipment housing with clean air or inert gas).
Pressurisation is the maintenance of a positive pressure above atmosphere, after a preliminary purge. This can obviously not be done effectively in a dusty environment, so physical cleaning is required before pressurisation. In purging, the procedure is much the same, but instead of maintaining a static pressure, Katlego explained how there is a constant flow of clean air or inert gas through the enclosure. This of course requires a dedicated controller to carry out the pre-use purge, and to maintain the internal pressure.
It was an entertaining presentation, with plenty of questions, showing just how much expertise is required to prevent explosions. The branch thanks Pepperl+Fuchs for hosting the evening.
Read more...SAIMC: Durban branch SAIMC
SAIMC
The Durban branch of the SAIMC was pleased to welcome Vusi Sithole, managing member of Hybrid Control Corporation in Richards Bay, who presented\on the very pertinent topic of ‘Infrastructure monitoring and control for water loss management’.
Read more...SAIMC: Sunshine, swings and smiles: Durban Golf Day hits a high note Technews Publishing (SA Instrumentation & Control)
SAIMC
We say it every year, and we’ll say it again: May in Durban is hard to beat; but 9 May, when the Durban Golf Day teed off at Kloof Country Club, was something else. With sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 20s, it was a fantastic day, full of fun and great energy.
Read more...SAIMC User Advisory Council KS4I event: Bridging the industry/education divide
SAIMC
Horst Weinert, head of Didactic at Festo Southern/Eastern Africa, will be sharing some of Festo’s Didactic experiences of working across industry and education. He will cover training for productivity and employability in the public and private sectors, discussing especially the potential for inter-company training centres.
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg branch SAIMC
SAIMC
The local Johannesburg Branch of the SAIMC recently hosted a Technology Evening at Bryanston Sports Club on 9 April 2025.
Read more...SAIMC: Durban branch SAIMC
SAIMC
The April technology meeting for the Durban branch of the SAIMC was kindly sponsored by ProRisk, a subsidiary company of the Proconics Group of Companies. Process safety engineer, Guillaume de Swardt gave a fascinating presentation on the power of operational risk control by utilising CFD software.
Read more...SAIMC User Advisory Council KS4I event SAIMC Supplier Advisory Council
SAIMC
The SAIMC User Advisory Council started 2025 with its first event in the ‘Knowlege Sharing 4 Industry’ event series on the 19th of March.
Read more...Knowledge Sharing 4 Industry
SAIMC
In proud partnership with Innomotics, SAIMC will be hosting the first Knowledge Sharing 4 Industry event for 2025.
Read more...Getting your OT data into the cloud – the why and the how
SAIMC
As users recognise the benefits of a digital transformation strategy for their industrial plants and systems and start to adopt it, they soon face the challenge of getting operational technology data securely and reliably to a cloud service provider of their choice.
printer friendly version