Tag Archives: ZEST Weg Group

Zest WEG carrying out EC&I works at Anglo Platinum’s Mogalakwena CPR plant

Mine operation news, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , , ,

Zest WEG is installing a range of electrical control and instrumentation equipment at Anglo American Platinum’s Mogalakwena mine in Limpopo province, South Africa, working closely with engineering group DRA Global.

The construction is taking place within the Mogalakwena mine’s existing North Concentrator Plant, around various plant areas. The Electrical Control Instrumentation (ECI) package is being led by Eben Kleynhans, E&I Electrical Project Engineer from DRA.

According to Calvin Fisher, Electrical and Instrumentation Construction Proposals Manager at Zest WEG, the Zest WEG work is being conducted for the mine’s Coarse Particle Rejection (CPR) plant, and will be completed in the second half of 2021.

“In addition to applying the highest level of workmanship and professionalism, we are carrying out the project in line with our client’s Mining Charter requirements on local procurement,” Fisher says. “This means that over 70% of people involved in our scope of work will be drawn from local communities, and we are sourcing a significant level of our supplies from local businesses.”

Equipment to be installed includes three 2 MVA transformers, stepping down from 11 kV to 550 V, and a 630 kVA mini substation for lighting and small power requirements. Containerised motor control centres (MCCs), complete with variable speed drives (VSDs), an HVAC unit, cable racking, cables, lighting and small power also form part of the scope of supply. In addition, two back-up generators will be installed – one of 630 kVA capacity and the other 330 kVA.

“The three new containerised MCCs and VSD sets will be placed on plinths near the CPR feed tank, CPR process water area and CPR building and a steel roof structure erected over the containers,” he says. “The new transformer bay will be constructed next to the MCC, also with a roof over the transformer.”

About 70 km of cable will be laid – ranging from low voltage to medium voltage cable – as well as 3,300 terminations and almost 2.5 km of cable racking. The various structures that Zest WEG will install require some 9 t of steel. The instrumentation to be installed will comprise about 170 instruments including flow transmitters, pressure gauges, level switches, temperature gauges and density transmitters. There will also be around 250 lights installed, mainly outdoors.

Fisher notes that the electrical installation specialists are typically among the last contractors on a project, and must be quite flexible to accommodate certain modifications that may have been required in the civils, structural and mechanical work completed beforehand.

“Wherever necessary, we work closely with the client to implement the plan smoothly while meeting their need for safe access to the equipment being installed, to allow maintenance to be readily conducted,” he says.

In addition to the installation contract, Zest WEG is supplying some of the actual items of equipment for the expansion project, including WEG motors and containerised generators. The electrical installation work is expected to take about six months.

“We are proud of the high level of quality that we bring to projects like this, where we apply our successful model of procurement to support our clients in meeting their critical local expenditure targets,” he says. “This also allows Zest WEG to make a valuable contribution to uplift local companies wherever we can.”

New WEG VSDs to help ventilate underground gold mine in Ghana

Equipment maintenance, Mine ventilation, Mining consumables, Mining maintenance, Power supply for mines, Precious metals, , , , ,

Two units of the newly developed WEG 11 kV Variable Speed Drive (VSD) have been commissioned at an underground gold mine in Ghana by WEG Automation Africa, a member of the Zest WEG Group, the company says.

According to Kirk Moss, Senior Manager: Projects and Engineering at WEG Automation Africa, the new WEG MVW3000 VSD is a valuable addition to its medium voltage VSD portfolio, and brings a range of benefits to customers.

“It gives WEG Automation Africa even greater flexibility in our market offering, further enhancing our capability to provide customised solutions,” he said.

The first two 11 kV units produced are for 850 kW ventilation fan motors in the underground gold mine in Ghana, according to the company.

The design is based on the cascaded H-bridge topology, using multiple low voltage power cells in combination to achieve the desired voltage output, the company said. The input switch, phase-shifting transformer and VSD are fully integrated in a single MV panel.

Moss said: “The WEG MVW3000 is particularly suited to applications where there are standard motors with no special insulation or where existing motors are being modified for VSD control.”

This VSD delivers high quality input power using low harmonic multi-pulse transformers. Users benefit from a high efficiency of over 96.5% throughout the entire load range, and a power factor of more than 0.95 throughout the entire speed range, according to the company.

“The design includes power cells with long-life plastic capacitors, which are more reliable and last longer than dry type capacitors,” Moss says. “They also have the advantage of not needing to be reformed after long periods of storage.”

In standard configuration, the 11 kV VSD is available from 40 A to 400 A – or 640 kW to 6,500 kW – although larger sizes are also available if required, the company said.

Among the options on the WEG MVW3000 is an automatic cell bypass solution. This ensures minimal reduction in the output-rated torque so normal operations can continue. Redundant power cells can also be added to the design to ensure 100% torque can be maintained.

Prior to delivery, all VSDs are fully load-tested in WEG’s facility in Brazil.

Zest WEG Group will continue to pursue Africa opportunities, new CEO says

Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Power supply for mines, , , ,

Zest WEG Group’s new CEO, Siegfried Kreutzfeld, says the company’s ongoing growth plans will see it pursue further opportunities across Africa.

Kreutzfeld (pictured), who took on the CEO role in January, brings 40 years of service in the global WEG Group to the leading position in the South Africa business. He was most recently the Managing Director of WEG China.

He said: “WEG has a very simple strategy: we believe in continued growth on all continents. This is achieved by maintaining close relationships with all our customers and ensuring that we deliver quality products. We underpin all this by our high levels of service and support.”

Established in South Africa to create a strong national footprint, the Zest WEG Group has grown steadily into other Africa countries. With its responsibility for the sub-Saharan market, it operates branches in Ghana, Tanzania, Mozambique and Namibia. The group also has partners in countries such as Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe, the DRC and Zambia.

“Many of our products are well established across the continent,” he said. “However, we believe there is growth potential with both mature products – such as low voltage motors, high voltage motors, and drives and switchgear – as well as with other products we manufacture locally such as transformers, motor control centres, panels and generators.”

Kreutzfeld said major opportunities exist with premium efficiency products across the range, including WEG IE3 motor and WEG CFW drives.

“Also key to the Zest WEG Group’s growth potential is our ability to offer a fit-for-purpose integrated solution,” he said. “This is available across all sectors, but especially in power generation, electrical infrastructure and mobile power and energy solutions. We will also be introducing WEG solutions for renewable energy applications.”

Zest WEG Group’s market offering is relevant across a broad sector of industries including mining, petrochemical, agriculture, water and wastewater, paper and pulp, sugar, and energy – including traditional coal fire power plants and renewable energy, the company said.