{"id":8489,"date":"2024-03-25T09:51:19","date_gmt":"2024-03-25T07:51:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.coralynne.co.za\/blog\/?p=8489"},"modified":"2024-03-25T09:52:50","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T07:52:50","slug":"trafo-power-solutions-shows-its-agility-in-upgrading-drc-mine-transformers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.coralynne.co.za\/blog\/trafo-power-solutions-shows-its-agility-in-upgrading-drc-mine-transformers\/","title":{"rendered":"TRAFO POWER SOLUTIONS SHOWS ITS AGILITY IN UPGRADING DRC MINE TRANSFORMERS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With its experience in Africa and its agility in executing projects rapidly, Trafo Power Solutions is supplying three mini-substations and two transformers to a copper-zinc mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Claassen, Managing Director of Trafo Power Solutions, says the pressure was on from early in the planning stages to ensure this critical equipment would be available on time \u2013 to facilitate the continued  mine expansion. From the date of the contract award, the company will deliver the units to the mine site within just four months \u2013 despite most of South African industry taking an annual December break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have conducted projects previously with the end-client and the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor, so have a good understanding of their requirements,\u201d explains Claassen. \u201cThis experience \u2013 combined with our history in the DRC and in the mining sector \u2013 gave us the edge in expediting the whole process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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The order was for two 2000 kVA transformers to step down the electricity supply from 6,6 kV to 550V, as well as three dry-type miniature substations. Two of the mini-substations are rated 315 kVA and 6,6 kV to 400 V, while the third is a 630 kVA unit which also steps down from 6,6 kV to 400 V.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis equipment is an important part of the mine\u2019s electrical infrastructure upgrade,\u201d he says. \u201cOf particular interest were the dry-type mini-substations, which were quite unique in certain respects.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a specialist in dry-type transformer applications, Trafo Power Solutions designed the mini-substations in an IP54 configuration \u2013 ensuring that the units are completely sealed from dust and water. This level of insulation usually requires a forced air solution to ensure adequate air movement for cooling.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cFor this application, the requirement was for natural air cooling \u2013 so the installation would not include external fans and related control instrumentation,\u201d he says. \u201cThis option enhances simplicity and further reduces any chance of ancillary equipment needing attention.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The design of the enclosure and the transformer therefore took account of this configuration, allowing enough natural cooling despite the high ambient daytime temperatures in the region. Another demanding aspect of the contract was that the two 2000 kVA transformers are to replace units in the mine\u2019s existing substation. This required innovative design to ensure that the new equipment fits into the available space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur replacement units have a higher power rating than the ones they will replace, so the design was customised to ensure the mine does not have to re-engineer the space,\u201d says Claassen. \u201cThis highlights our flexibility in designing solutions to optimise ease of installation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Delivery to site will take place after a factory acceptance test (FAT) has been conducted. While the functional commissioning of the units is not part of Trafo Power Solutions\u2019 scope of supply on this contract, the company offers a standard commissioning and assistance service. This is part of its value-add to any of its contracts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe rapid pace of this project indicates a growing trend not only in mining but in other sectors, towards fast tracking new developments and expansions,\u201d he notes. \u201cClients are expecting their supply partners to deliver on shorter timelines, so one of our key strategies is to learn from each project and apply those lessons going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This keeps Trafo Power Solutions at the forefront of efficient project execution, focusing actively on quality and communication. This ensures first-time accuracy and customised designs, so that no time is lost by unnecessarily revisiting aspects of the project as it progresses.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cOur non-corporate approach means that we can take decisions and act quickly on matters commercial and technical,\u201d says Claassen. \u201cOur proven skill is in achieving these goals without compromising on quality.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When a copper-zinc mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo needed mini-substations and transformers in a hurry, Trafo Power Solutions was able to pull out all the stops. The company leveraged its experience of the country, the mining sector and strong partnerships with EPCs to ensure all equipment is designed, manufactured and delivered in time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8491,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[123],"class_list":["post-8489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-client-focus","tag-trafo-power-solutions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coralynne.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coralynne.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coralynne.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coralynne.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coralynne.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.coralynne.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coralynne.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.coralynne.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coralynne.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.coralynne.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}