Two respected companies propose to change how nuclear power plants can be built. Will it come to fruition? Mention nuclear power and most people think big, a 1000 to 1400 MW reactor, or a cluster of reactors, on a gigantic site quietly humming and feeding juice through massive transmission towers to the grid... (more)

Energy consumption and its environmental impact has become an issue of international significance. When it is considered that world energy usage has increased by 45% since 1980 and projections are that consumption will be 70% higher by 2030, it is little wonder that the industry in general is focusing on energy management... (more)

Recently a particularly tough media statement from Eskom proclaimed: "Termination of supply to Free State Municipalities due to non-payment," it proclaimed. Aha! I thought, my old partner Ebenezer Scrooge would have been proud of it... (more)

Synchronising a generator unit to the power system is the culmination of the commissioning after construction or maintenance. Faults or incorrect response by the equipment may cause extensive damage. To avoid this security measures are needed... (more)

So, like the Americans, the Soviets dropped the idea of nuclear-powered aircraft (albeit a bit later, by the mid-1960s), and gave the role to nuclear-powered submarines. But, oddly enough, there was one area where the Soviets did get further than the Americans, and that was in the area of nuclear-powered rockets...(more)

Power utility companies need to accurately measure the power produced and used by their power stations on a 24/7 basis. The energy metering and data acquisition system (Emdas) has been a standard for Eskom over the past 15 years, and was recently redeveloped using the latest technology available... (more)

Revenue protection is an integral part of a holistic approach to achieve utility financial sustainability. The paper introduces the definition of a losses value chain, the quantification of losses, and an integrated approach required to minimise losses... (more)

In potentially explosive environments human lives depend upon the integrity of cable gland seals. This is particularly true in the case of flameproof cable glands. We have attempted to quantify explosive gas transport mechanisms and we describe some interesting new research involving cutting edge barrier materials... (more)

Direct torque control (DTC) is based on permanent magnet synchronous motor technology which provides improved torque characteristics, precise speed control and high efficiency without the need for gearboxes, pulse encoders and auxiliary components... (more)