Professor Jan De Kock informed us that the standard, SANS 780 edition 5 was published on the 22th of July. We had a very successful workshop at the CDAA in 2014 with Professor Jan De Kock and Professor Angelo Baggini

JOHANNESBURG – May 24, 2013 – Copper Development Association Africa (CDAA), a copper alliance member, recently played host to five Wits University students studying towards a degree in Construction Management.

The students were given the opportunity to tour South Africa’s largest manufacturer of copper, brass and alloy-based semi-finished products and turnkey Busbar solutions, Copalcor.

Copalcor, a CDAA member, boasts a 54,000m² head office and production facility in Wadeville, Germiston.

The students also attended a presentation on “copper in Africa” at the CDAA premises.

JOHANNESBURG – August 12, 2013 – The rapid growth of renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, tidal, hydro, biomass, and geothermal, in recent years has been as a response to the increasing costs of fossil fuels as well as their negative environmental impacts.

The global wind industry has grown enormously, as the fundamental drivers for wind power development still hold: there is a need around the world for new power generation, which is clean, affordable, indigenous, reliable and quick to install. In 2012, the global wind power market grew by more than ten percent compared to 2011, and the nearly 45GW of new wind power brought on line represents investments of about Euro 56 billion.  The new global total at the end of 2012 was 282.5GW, representing cumulative market growth of more than 19 percent, an excellent industry growth rate given the economic climate, even though it is lower than the annual average growth rate over the last ten years of about 22 percent.

Africa is beginning to exploit its enormous wind power potential, particularly around its northern coasts and in the eastern highlands, with several countries announcing long-term plans for installing large quantities of commercial scale wind power. This includes South Africa, Ethiopia, Morocco, and Kenya, among others, explains Copper Development Association Africa’s (CDAA) centre director, Evert Swanepoel.

Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind turbines to make electricity. The basic components of a wind power system consist of a tower with rotating blades containing an electricity generator and a transformer to step up voltage for electricity transmission to a substation on the grid.

Copper is primarily used in coil windings in the generators, which convert mechanical energy into electrical energy, as well as in low voltage cable conductors, the coils of transformers and gearboxes. Copper may also be used in the housing of the wind turbine that rests on the tower containing all the main components, in the auxiliary motors that are used to rotate the housing as well as control the angle of the rotor blades, in the cooling circuits and in the power electronics.

The largest amount of copper used in wind power is in the generator, and varies according to the type of generator, its power rating, and its configuration, with the weight of copper used having an almost linear relationship to the power rating of the generator.  After the generator, cabling is the second largest copper-containing component. A wind tower system with the transformer next to the generator will have medium-voltage (MV) power cables running from the top to the bottom of the tower, then to a collection point for a number of wind towers and on to the grid substation. The tower assembly will incorporate wire harnesses and control/signal cables, while low-voltage (LV) power cables are required to power the working parts throughout the system. Copper is also the dominant material in all underground cabling.

Given their height, turbine masts attract lightning strikes, so they require lightning protection systems; and copper is vital to the electrical grounding system. When lightning strikes a turbine blade, current passes along the blade, through the blade hub in the housing and down the mast to a grounding system. The blade incorporates a large cross-section copper conductor that runs along its length and allows current to pass along the blade without damaging heating effects. The housing itself is often also protected by a copper lightning conductor; and the grounding system, at the base of the mast, is also comprised of copper.

“Traditionally, wind power has been generated on land, but higher wind speeds are available offshore. Technologies are being improved to also exploit the potential of offshore wind power. The harsh environment means that the individual components need to be more rugged and corrosion protected than their onshore counterparts.  Increasingly, long connections to shore with subsea MV and HV cables are required, and the need for corrosion protection favours copper nickel cladding as the preferred alloy for the towers.

“As we can see, copper is an important component in wind power generation, with wind farms containing up to several hundred-thousand feet of copper,” concludes Swanepoel.

About the Copper Development Association Africa

The Copper Development Association Africa (CDAA) has represented the local copper industry in southern Africa since 1962 and now promotes copper usage throughout Africa.  The CDAA’s head office is based in Johannesburg and, on behalf of its members, the organisation is committed to promoting and expanding the use of copper and copper alloys throughout Africa.

CONTACTS:

Copper Development Association Africa: Evert Swanepoel, +27 (0) 11 824 3916, evert.swanepoel@copperalliance.org.za, www.copperalliance.org.za

icomm: Debbie Sielemann, +27 (0) 82 414 4633, debbie@pr.co.za, www.icomm-pr.co.za

JOHANNESBURG – October 02, 2013 – The Copper Development Association Africa (CDAA), attended the 2013 Kalahari Desert SpeedWeek in Hakskeenpan earlier this month, where they sponsored Team Freedom Won’s prototype electric car, Freedom1, to promote electric motor technology and premium efficiency electric motors.  Freedom1’s ‘engine’ contains a significant amount of copper, which is known for its highly efficient conductivity.

Freedom1 is a converted Jeep Grand Cherokee with upgraded suspension, which easily handles the weight increase of the conversion of over 500 kilograms.  This five seater SUV has a 60kW motor, more than 200Nm of torque available at any driving speed, a 150km range between charges, and is capable of 120km per hour highway driving.

The vehicle’s motor is a robust air cooled, four pole, three phase induction motor, designed for heavy duty applications. It is driven by a sophisticated computer controlled variable speed inverter drive, which is capable of efficiently providing strong acceleration torque and high speed control. The system includes regenerative braking for maximum efficiency and range.

The 600V DC battery pack design is made up from a number of large format high performance lithium ion cells. The vehicle is fitted with an on-board charger that connects at home or office to a simple custom installed high power charging supply, capable of charging a fully discharged battery pack within three to four hours. For everywhere else the vehicle can also be charged in five to six hours using an ordinary 16A 230V household socket.

This year the 2013 Kalahari Desert SpeedWeek coincided with the Eco SpeedWeek. This was the first zero emission SpeedWeek in Africa for which only zero emission vehicles are eligible. Special track configurations were created to simulate a Le Mans type race environment for competitors, as well as top end runs and other competitive events. Hydrogen, bio fuel, gas and electric vehicles were welcome, and even human-powered vehicles could enter.

Speaking of the event, Carel Ballack, project consultant at CDAA said: “Freedom1 drew a lot of interest at the event, from the organisers, fellow competitors and race spectators; as well as on route to Hakskeenpan. The vehicle performed exceptionally well, under what were extreme environmental conditions, winning the endurance event.  The Jeep was also the fastest electric vehicle at the event, which was no mean feat given that it weighs 2.5 tonnes.”

CDAA centre director, Evert Swanepoel adds: “We were delighted to sponsor Freedom1 at the event, in a bid to raise awareness of electric motor technology and premium efficiency electric motors.  We were certainly not left disappointed by the vehicle’s superior performance.”

About the Copper Development Association Africa

The Copper Development Association Africa (CDAA) has represented the local copper industry in southern Africa since 1962 and now promotes copper usage throughout Africa.  The CDA Africa’s head office is based in Johannesburg and, on behalf of its members, the organisation is committed to promoting and expanding the use of copper and copper alloys throughout Africa.

CONTACTS:

Copper Development Association Africa: Evert Swanepoel, +27 (0) 11 824 3916, evert.swanepoel@copperalliance.org.za, www.copperalliance.org.za

icomm: Debbie Sielemann, +27 (0) 82 414 4633, debbie@pr.co.za, www.icomm-pr.co.za