4,349 research outputs found
A generic approach to integrating energy related data
No full textThe energy management processes of mines and industrial plants differ because of the specialised processes used for mining or production. Therefore, energy management systems typically provide users with specialised tools and reports to facilitate the ongoing energy management process. However, an energy management system that does not consider energy related data does not provide a comprehensive cross-industry solution. A system that is capable of comparing energy data with related data such as production, budget and cost data presents further opportunities for comprehensive energy management. The logistics of data retrieval and management from a wide variety of data sources is, however, problematic because of diverse data formats and modes of access. These data sources range from databases to document based reports and accounts. Energy personnel on different authority levels require access to different data to fulfil their specific role in the energy management process. Furthermore, individual energy personnel have their own preferences regarding the type and graphical representation of data. Therefore, this paper presents a generic approach to integrating data required for comprehensive energy management. The results obtained from practical implementations also proved the approach's adherence to the requirements of different industries. These initial implementations only included electrical energy and related data, while future implementations will include data for other energy sourceshttp://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/xplore_conference_proceedings.htm
Increasing DSM savings on a process plant by selecting the correct tariff structure
No full textSouth African industries are under increasing budgetary pressure with the current rise of electricity costs above inflation. In addition to this, industries that are supplied through municipalities have to cope with additional service costs of up to 20%. These consumers are therefore compelled to find new ways of saving electricity. Further, in order to decrease the country's peak electrical load profile, Eskom has implemented different tariff structures. These are designed for various different electricity consumption conditions. Customers therefore need to integrate and simulate their power consumption with their production forecasts in order to decide on the best tariff structure and operation of the plant. Different tariff structures have different advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, a clear understanding of these tariffs is necessary before a tariff structure is chosen. As part of this study, a case study was done on a processing plant. This study analysed the Demand Side Management (DSM) strategy as well as the selection of the best tariff structure for maximum savings. The optimum simulated operational plan together with tariff structure changes were implemented successfully. The case study proved that cost savings were also achieved despite a variation in the productionhttp://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/xplore_conference_proceedings.htm
Effective multi-level energy reporting in South African industry
No full textEnergy management standards received significant attention in recent years for assisting intensive users in improving energy management processes. However, applying such a standard to the Energy Management System of an industrial consumer is most effective if supported by an Energy Information Management System. Energy Information Management Systems are commercially available and have been applied in South African industry. However, one notable shortfall of the majority of these systems is in assisting energy management representatives in developing and implementing effective reports. In this paper, a simplified guideline for the development and implementation of effective energy reporting is discussed. The effectiveness of such reports is reviewed through case studieshttp://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/xplore_conference_proceedings.htm
Towards industry 4.0: a roadmap for the South African heavy industry sector
No full textThe rapid growth and expansion of the Internet, as well as technical advances in the area of sensor technology, allow for the interconnection of physical objects for the purpose of achieving collective goals, which paves the way for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The Industry 4.0 paradigm is a relatively new concept that still requires detailed investigation and discussion. Standards, technologies, and overall guidelines need to be presented; thus this review paper aims to address key questions to provide some clarity on navigating the tide of Industry 4.0. The key enabling technologies, and the extent to which these technologies can be applied in industry to achieve the fundamental goals of Industry 4.0, are presented and discussed. Current challenges that hinder Industry 4.0 adoption in the South African mining sector are discussed, and a short discussion on the way forward is presented. In brief, this article aims to present a detailed roadmap for the implementation of Industry 4.0 methods in the South African mining sector. From the literature, a digital framework and toolbox have been compiled to serve as a roadmap for the way forward in successful Industry 4.0 adoption. The proposed framework and toolbox are presented, with a theoretical case studyDie vinnige groei en uitbreiding van die internet, asook tegniese vooruitgang in sensortegnologie, het die interkonneksie van fisiese voorwerp moontlik gemaak. Dit het die weg gebaan vir die Vierde Industriële Rewolusie. Die Industrie 4.0 paradigma is ʼn relatiewe nuwe konsep wat diepe ondersoek en bespreking benodig. Standaarde, tegnologieë, en algehele riglyne moet aangebied word en hierdie artikel is daarop gemik om sleutelvrae met betrekking tot Industrie 4.0 te beantwoord. Die sleutel onderliggende tegnologieë, en tot watter mate die tegnologieë toegepas kan word om die fundamentele doelstellings van Industrie 4.0 te bereik, word voorgehou en bespreek. Bestaande uitdagings wat as struikelblokke vir die aanvaarding van Industrie 4.0 in die Suid-Afrikaanse mynbedryf aangetref word, word bespreek saam met ʼn kort aanbieding oor die pad vorentoe. Hierdie artikel verskaf ʼn gedetailleerde padkaart vir die implementering van Industrie 4.0 metodes in die Suid-Afrikaanse mynbedryf. ʼn Digitale raamwerk en gereedskapkis is vanuit die literatuur saamgestel om ten einde te dien as die padkaart. ʼn Gevallestudie word ter illustrasie voorgeho
J.C. Steyn Collection index
No full textThis index describes the J. C. Steyn collection which includes background material for 3 biographies by J.C. (Jaap) Steyn namely N.P. van Wyk Louw, P.J. Cillié and MER (M.E. Rothman). Prof. J.C. Steyn (1939-) is an educationist, linguist and author. Correspondence ; clippings ; photographs ; book reviews ; articles ; speeches ; varia compiled in 23 pamphlet boxes
EVALUATING THE FEASIBILITY OF THE 12L TAX INCENTIVE FOR ENERGY-INTENSIVE INDUSTRIES
No full textSection 12L of the South African Income Tax Act (12L) aims to incentivise businesses to become more energy-efficient. However, claiming this benefit is a complex process that can become difficult, time-consuming, and costly if not clearly understood. It is therefore important to evaluate the feasibility of potential 12L applications before any unnecessary expenses are incurred or time is wasted. This article provides a brief overview of 12L and its associated literature before presenting a simplified feasibility evaluation strategy. The strategy consists of three key evaluation steps designed to identify potential issues quickly. The identified issues are linked to specific South African National Standards (SANS) guidelines to ensure that the issues can be resolved in a 12L-compliant manner. The strategy is applied to 47 industrial case studies. Some detailed results are presented to give a practical illustration of how the strategy works. The generalised results are further used to illustrate the potential benefit in time and cost reduction
Structuring uncertainty management for energy savings calculations
No full textSouth Africa has committed itself to reducing its greenhouse gas
emissions. A key strategy to minimise the greenhouse gas intensity
involves using incentivised energy efficiency initiatives. In South
Africa, one of these energy efficiency incentives is Section 12L of
the Income Tax Act, which rewards claimants with 95c/kWh for
verified energy efficiency savings linked to the reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions. This verification is done using the SANS
50010 standard, which requires the management and quantification
of the uncertainty associated with reported savings. The accurate
quantification of energy efficiency savings is therefore critical, and
highlights the need for uncertainty management to ensure accurate
and fair results. Although uncertainty quantification and
management methods are already available, the correct and
consistent application of relevant methods for specific uncertainty
contributors is important. In this study, a solution in the form of an
uncertainty quantification and management flowchart was
developed to quantify and manage energy efficiency savings
uncertainties. This tool incorporates a five-step approach towards
energy efficiency savings quantification, and was applied to three
industrial energy efficiency case studies. It was found that
uncertainty levels can range between two and 18 per cent, due to
varying uncertainty contributors. This highlighted the need for a
structured approach pro-actively to identify, quantify, and manage
uncertainty contributorsSuid-Afrika is daartoe verbind om kweekhuisgasvrystellings te
verminder. Energie effektiwiteit word dus aangemoedig om
kweekhuisgasvrystellings te verminder. In Suid-Afrika, is artikel 12L
van die inkomstebelastingwet een van hierdie aansporings vir
energiedoeltreffendheid. Dit beloon eisers met 95c/kWh vir
geverifieerde energiebesparings. Die verifikasie word gedoen aan
die hand van die SANS 50010-standaard. Dit vereis die bestuur en
kwantifisering van die onsekerheid verbonde aan gerapporteerde
besparings. Die akkurate kwantifisering van energiebesparings is dus
van kritieke belang en dit beklemtoon die behoefte aan
onsekerheidsbestuur om akkurate en billike resultate te verseker.
Alhoewel metodes oor onsekerheidskwantifisering en -bestuur reeds
beskikbaar is, is die korrekte en konsekwente toepassing van
veskillende metodes ook belangrik. In hierdie studie is ʼn oplossing
in die vorm van 'n vloeidiagram ontwikkel om onsekerhede rakende
energiebesparings te kwantifiseer en te bestuur. Dit behels 'n vyfstap benadering en is toegepas op drie industriële gevallestudies.
Daar is gevind dat onsekerheidsvlakke tussen twee en 18 persent
kan wissel weens verskillende onsekerhede. Dit het die behoefte
aan 'n gestruktureerde benadering beklemtoon om onsekerheidsbydraers te identifiseer, te kwantifiseer en te bestuu
Strategies for energy efficiency funding in the absence of industrial Eskom-IDM support
No full textIn the absence of industrial Eskom-IDM (Industrial Demand Management) funding, industry is forced to look elsewhere for energy efficiency project funding. This paper outlines various taxes and government incentives for cleaner production and energy efficiency technologies in the South African mining and manufacturing context. The applicability, eligibility and financial benefit for each of the following incentives are investigated: National Cleaner Production Centre (NCPC); Clean Development Mechanism (CDM); Section 12I Industrial Policy Projects; Section 12L Tax Incentives; Manufacturing Competitive Enhancement Programme (MCEP); IDC Green Energy Efficiency Fund. The universal objective of these incentives is to stimulate the reduction of Greenhouse Gasses (GHG) by 34% by 2020 and 42% by 2025. This commitment was made by South Africa in the National Climate Change Response White Paper. However, in reality carbon tax, electricity cost inflation and a declining economy are the driving forces for industry to participate in these initiatives. These policies and programmes are promulgated by several different spheres of government and it is therefore important to understand the eligibility criteria when a combination of these programmes is utilised. This quick guide will create awareness and assist energy managers in the procurement of energy efficiency project fundinghttp://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/xplore_conference_proceedings.htm
Product Innovation Knowledge Transfer for Developing Countries: Towards a systematic Transfer Approach
No full textThe transfer of knowledge on product innovation to small- and medium-sized enterprises and local knowledge institutions in developing countries is expected to be one of the key drivers for competiveness and economical growth, and a part of the solution to environmental and social challenge. In that respect, this PhD study focuses on how the process of the current knowledge transfer takes place and how it can be improved. A combination of literature review and empirical research has resulted into a conceptual framework to describe the complex and dynamic process of product innovation knowledge transfer to developing countries. In order to improve this process, a systematic approach has been developed and operationalized by a needs assessment tool and a design manual: The UNEP Design for Sustainability for Developing Economies (D4S-DE) Manual (www.d4s-de.org). Both tools have been tested in practice by practitioners and have been evaluated by an academic review board.Design EngineeringIndustrial Design Engineerin
A method for improving maintainability in object-oriented software applications
No full textMEng (Computer and Electronic Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom CampusThe prevailing thesis of software development in today's day and age is that of developing software in rapid development environments. This practice has resulted in software developers achieving higher customer satisfaction rates, faster times to market and a plethora of other benefits. However, Rapid Development Environments do introduce problems. The primary issue that arises is a lack of maintainability. To achieve rapid delivery of software, developers are forced to make decisions to ignore practices that improve software maintainability and make use of crude solutions when implementing software functionality. This is known as introducing technical debt. This thesis aims to improve software maintainability by means of the formulation and testing of a method to improve maintainability via remedying technical debt in object-oriented software applications. To determine the details of the method to improve maintainability in object-oriented software applications, a literature study is conducted. The literature study is performed to determine techniques for identifying areas of low maintainability, techniques for improving software maintainability and techniques for assessing the maintainability of object-oriented software applications. Findings within the literature study are used to determine refined method requirements as well as formulate the steps and processes used within the method. The method identifies areas of low maintainability via the usage of code metrics at different application levels and the usage of a third-party tool. Remedying areas of low maintainability consists of two steps: testing and refactoring. Testing is accomplished by ensuring that identified areas are testable and creating automated unit, integration or behavioural tests exercising the identified area. The automated test suite acts as a safety-net preserving existing application functionality while changes are made to the application. Refactoring is accomplished by identifying and remedying anti-patterns, grime and code smells. The refactoring step is the most important part of the method as it is responsible for improving the maintainability of the application. A maintainability assessment is performed using any combination of three distinct methods. After developing the method to improve maintainability, the method is verified and validated. The method is verified against refined method requirements through a survey of software developers with at the minimum, a degree related to software development and varying ranges of development experience. All responses received provide positive results in terms of the verification of the method. This led to the conclusion that the method can be applied to a real-world application for validation purposes. The method is validated by applying it to an Android data collection application. The overall method objective is evaluated for the Android data collection application through the usage of the maintainability index which improved by 9.92%. A more granular look at the change in maintainability index revealed that the method influences the three aspects that affect source code maintainability: the source code control structure; the source code information structure; and the source code typography, naming and commenting.Master
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