Abstract
M.Ing.
South Africa is presently experiencing a power shortage problem. This has led to numerous
investigations into generating needed capacity and finding ways of saving power where
possible, in order to sustain an acceptable extra capacity of at least ten percent. This
dissertation investigates the possibility of saving power consumed by the electrical boiler
feed pumps through engineering management strategies. The technical system drive unit is
considered as a case study and consists of the following electrical and mechanical
components:
• Boiler feed pump.
• Boiler feed pump transformer.
• Variable speed drive.
The methods identified to improve the Variable Speed Drive (VSD) system reliability and
obtain total efficiency are:
• Technical evaluation of the system.
• Engineering management tools including reliability and availability.
• A strategic focus on reliability improvement.
Technical evaluation of the system includes evaluating the condition of the existing system
and possibly replacing it with the latest technology should the system prove inefficient.
Engineering management tools such as Total Quality Management (TQM) and Total
Productive Maintenance (TPM) ensure that the plant is in a high state of readiness at all
times. Strategic management issues in the broader context that influence reliability and
availability management have been identified to improve productivity contributing to total
organizational overall efficiency.
One of the main research conclusions of the dissertation is that not only inherent reliability of
a technical system is important but also the achievable reliability in the broader strategic
organizational context. The research strategy was exploratory and included an integrated case
study on electrical boiler feed pump drives.