The International Pump Using Conference (IPUC) 2009, hosted by Harry Rosen of pump engineering software provider, TAS in association with the South African Institution of Mechanical Engineering, takes place on September 8-11 in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is a leading pump conference in South Africa and is relevant to all industries where pumps are the vital heart of their operation including mining. This two day conference, titled ‘Towards a Systems Approach – Understanding the effect of pumps on overall system performance’, will have 18 papers of a high standard presented by leading international and local experts. These experts will share their wealth of knowledge and experience on pumping systems and present papers on tried and tested solutions, as well as effective problem solving techniques using the latest technologies.

200 delegates attended IPUC 2007, with this year expecting over 300 attending delegates, drawn from South Africa and the rest of Africa. IPUC 2009 will also have a high international profile due to the calibre of internationally recognised pump institutions who have agreed to endorse IPUC, including the British Pump Manufacturers Association (BPMA), EuroPump and the American Hydraulic Institute. 

Additional events co-located with and following the IPUC conference include: 

• Wisa Conference – September 10 – An exciting addition, this year IPUC is followed by a further conference in association with The Water Institute of South Africa (WISA) on the theme ‘Refurbish, regenerate, renew’.
• Pumping System assessment Training (PSAT) workshop – September 10 – Led by Gunnar Hovstadius, a PSAT qualified specialist, who is respected worldwide for his expertise in pumping systems, energy related issues and life cycle costing. Delegates will receive a free copy of the Pumping System Assessment Tool software, developed by the US Department of Energy.
• Energy Efficiency Forum – September 11 – How can South Africa learn from the experience of other nations in developing a culture of energy efficiency? Should the carrot or stick approach be used? These issues, and others, will be debated in a one day energy efficiency forum, facilitated by our panel of experts and including relevant stakeholders from Government and from the local pump community, both manufactures and users.
• Afriwater Exhibition – September 8 – 10 – Afriwater will be co-located with IPUC 2009 and will be open to delegates from both conferences. Since its inception in 1994, this exhibition has provided an important platform for companies involved in the water and waste industry, with a view to offering solutions, products and services to all those endeavouring to preserve Africa’s precious water resource.

Papers for this year’s event include:

Concentrating on the system makes far more sense – the US approach

Gunnar Hovstadius expertise in pumping systems, energy related issues and life cycle costing is respected worldwide. He served as Director of Technology for ITT Fluid Technology and has served on the US DOE’s Motor Challenge/Best Practices Program, UNIDO’s China Motor Systems Program, HI Standards and LCC Committees, and HI/EuroPump working groups. He is one of the main drivers behind HI’s Market Transformation Initiative to change the criteria used for purchasing pumping systems.  

The USA is concentrating on pumping systems and incentive programs to achieve energy savings and there has been a great deal of support for this approach in US and Canada.  Specific examples will be given of why system thinking makes more sense than concentrating on components.  US and Canadian incentive programs will be discussed with a view to starting similar initiatives in South Africa.

The European approach to pump efficiency

Steve Schofield, Technical Director, BPMA is currently responsible for all BPMA’s technical, training, IT, standards, legislative and energy related activities. Together with EuroPump he has been actively involved in many of the European Commission programs and in producing the international guides on pump life cycle costing, variable speed pumping, and energy efficient pump systems. 

The European Commission is about to introduce mandatory product related legislation on specific pump types in Europe. Which pumps are included and how will this legislation impact on future exports to Europe? It has also been identified that a ‘pump system approach’ could potentially offer large energy savings and possible future business opportunities. Where is the European pump industry on this important subject and is it heading in the same direction as other countries around the world?

The Systems Approach – a politician’s view

Ken Hall – MD of Calpeda, President EuroPump, which represents 18 European pump manufacturers’ associations, is a long standing member of the BPMA Council and has been at the forefront of the European pump sector’s policy on eco-design, formulating the Ecopump initiative, which is the basis of the European pump industry’s energy and environmental program.

Like it or not the participation of politicians in the process of developing and implementing energy strategies will be key to the final outcome. This paper draws on the experience of the European pump sector when negotiating with the European Union over the Energy Using Products (EUP) Directive, and looks at the implications and expectations of the wider political community to an industrial sector’s attempt at reducing its carbon emissions.

Energy requirements of pump auxiliary components and the impact on plant wide operational efficiency

Richard Smith, Director AESSEAL – Hydraulic and system issues are the primary energy absorption in pumping equipment, however little consideration is given to the energy absorbed by the auxiliary pump components and systems. This paper proposes alternate solutions that reduce the direct energy absorption by glands and oil seals, and indirect energy absorption by pump cooling systems. Case studies are used to illustrate improvement, inefficiency and in many instances, a spin-off of enhanced pump reliability is enjoyed.

Determining the impact of energy efficiency activities on pumping systems through measurement and verification

Dr. W.L.R. den Heijer, Prof. L.J. Grobler, North West University. This paper will describe the measurement and verification methodology used to accurately and independently assess and quantify the impact of energy efficiency activities on pumping systems in the industrial sector.  A case study is also provided to illustrate the methodology.

For more information on the conference visit www.ipuc.co.za