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Ruspet supplies St Helena exhaust solutions

Company News Thursday, October 6, 2016: Ruspet cc

Ruspet supplies St Helena exhaust solutions

In October 2011, Ruspet won the sub-contract bid to supply and install the industrial exhaust systems for St Helena’s diesel generator power station refurbishment project.

The island of St Helena is located in a remote part of the South Atlantic Ocean and has depended for decades on its diesel generators for its electricity supply. When it came time to replace the ageing equipment, it was decided to commission four new CAT generating sets. These comprise three CAT 3516B generators, running continuous power, and a smaller CAT 3508B for lighter loads.

The installation was divided into several phases, with the first focused on preparing and installing the first generator as a temporary installation. This would provide power to the island while the station was being refurbished.

Ruspet partnered with the main contractor in Boksburg, which oversaw the creation of the entire system in South Africa before shipping it to St Helena for installation. Ruspet was responsible for building the generator exhausts for the temporary installation as well as those for the permanent generator units.

The units were factory tested before shipping and the first CAT unit was delivered to site on 31 August, 2012. The temporary generator came online on 23 September 2012 and supplied power to the island until the end of November. The full project was completed in April 2013, with minimal disruption to St Helena’s power throughout.

Ruspet tackles mammoth truck re-powering project at Sishen and Grootgeluk Mines

Sishen Mine is AngloAmerican’s flagship iron ore operation near Kathu in the Northern Cape. At 14km long, it is one of the largest open pit mines in the world. In undertaking a project to repair 860 of the mine’s trucks, Ruspet was contracted to supply and install all water pipes, air pipes and exhaust systems for the entire conversion project.

“We have completed seven truck conversions over the past two years,” says Russell Cockburn, founder and MD of Ruspet Exhausts. “All of these trucks are now running perfectly, and the project continues. It’s an ongoing task. We have now also been contracted to re-power the trucks on the Grootgeluk Mine.”

The Grootgeluk Mine is an open-cast coal mine in Limpopo and is operated by Exxaro.

Ruspet embarks on large-scale locomotive muffler project

Ruspet has been subcontracted by South Africa’s state owned transport and logisitics company, Transnet, to design and install exhaust mufflers for a fleet of diesel locomotives to be constructed as part of government’s drive to modernise the country’s ageing rail infrastructure and rolling stock.

Ruspet has successfully completed the design and installation of the mufflers for the prototype diesel locomotive.

“We look forward to continuing with this project and being part of creating a more modern locomotive fleet for Transnet, which will improve reliability and availability of the locomotives for the company and its customers,” says Russell Cockburn, founder and MD of Ruspet Exhausts.