This study demonstrates the importance of managing the risk of performance ratio guarantees, which typically are applicable to most commercial PV projects. A qualitative assessment of the performance metrics has shown multiple performance parameters, which could influence the Performance Ratio. Alternative performance metrics, including the Temperature Corrected Performance Ratio and the Weather Corrected Performance Ratio were evaluated by means of a quantitative analysis. The Temperature– and Weather Corrected Performance Ratios have both demonstrated the capability of reducing the inter-annual and seasonal variance experienced with the conventional Performance Ratio. The respective performance metrics were further calculated from multiple years of meteorological data in order to construct a statistical distribution for each performance metric. The resulting probability distribution function was then used to determine the probable risk percentiles for each of the respective performance metrics and compared with the separately calculated performance metrics referring to a long-term mean data set. It was demonstrated that the long-term mean derived performance parameters did present a risk for overstating the facilities’ performance. The risk was mitigated by referring to the multi-year’s P90 percentile instead.

Introducing Total Quality Management (TQM) system in the operation of consulting and construction organizations could result in improved quality product, performance and enhance clients' satisfaction. However, if the process is not implemented successfully, organizations do not reap the inherent benefits of adopting TQM. A Civil Engineering Consulting company that specializes in structural engineering, transportation engineering, and water engineering introduced the TQM system in 2008, to improve its service delivery. Inadvertently, after twelve years of operation, the intended improvements are not obvious. Therefore, the focus of this study is to identify the constraints responsible for the non-functionality of the TQM system. The case study research strategy of qualitative research was adopted, the data collected using mixed methods involving online questionnaire, interviews, and document analysis. The findings identified factors responsible for the low functionality of the TQM system in the organization, namely, ineffective communication, lack of training on the use of the TQM system, absence of progressive monitoring, low commitment by senior management, unavailability of quality documentation, absence of quality management personnel and the low involvement of employees. The research concludes that the success or otherwise, in the implementation of the TQM system, is significantly influenced by participation of senior management of the organization, which requires paradigm shift and demonstrated commitment to the implementation of the system.

The desire to increase reliability and productivity in petrochemical industries has driven these organisations to adopt newer technologies that promise predictable operations. Information technology has for years been identified as an enabler of higher competitiveness. The perceived opportunity has driven this rapid technology usage by petrochemical industries, including associated workflows and processes. This paper aims to explore the successful acceptance and adoption of these technologies with the usage of the Technology Adoption Model (TAM). The research method used in this paper to validate the maturity of adoption of these newer technologies is an exploratory literature review. The outcome of this research paper will be utilized to consider an early model that can be utilized to develop a sustainable technology adoption approach that will consider both internal and external aspects affecting technology adoption, especially in petrochemical maintenance management.

This paper investigates the validity of the sampling theorem in the analysis of supply side line current harmonics as applied to 6-pulse AC-DC thyristor converters.The common pattern of the percentage harmonic factor, for the converter characteristic harmonic current, per incremental change of the thyristor firing angle is used as the basis of the study.The RMS values of the peak amplitudes of the characteristic harmonic currents induced in the input-phase of the converter supplying a DC motor are described in terms of the sampling theorem equations and further evaluated in terms of their respective individual harmonic contributions as the thyristor firing angle is changed.The MatLab/Simulink package is also employed to simulate the forward drive speed control operation of a DC motor using the 6-pulse AC-DC thyristor converter.However the percentage harmonic factor trends observed in the sampling theorem method appear to be generally increasing which is in contradiction to the MatLab/Simulink produced trends.

Electrical consumption and the price thereof is rapidly increasing in South Africa. Finding alternatives to the current grid-tied electricity supply in the country is a prodigious concern to the South African economy due to historic unreliability. The national power grid and the South African economy can extensively benefit from utilizing solar energy as an abundant clean and renewable energy source. This paper considers and further investigates power generation utilising a novel approach to transparent solar façades (windows). Harvesting solar energy is consequently included in the building envelope, which improves building efficiency while reducing demand on the national electric grid. The impacts, design, modelling and results of this novel approach to Photo Voltaic (PV) systems, is further examined in this paper. These systems are aimed to be used in the commercial and residential market. Factoring in the location, design and installation of the solar façade, geographical conditions relevant to South Africa were used to evaluate the transparent façade’s performance. The generated power from a façade depends on solar irradiation, orientation, (Azimuth and Zenith angles); climate conditions such as temperature and rainfall; and other solar constraints. These factors were incorporated using average values from meteorological data.

The objectives were to perform extensive research on the South African Renewable Energy Storage capabilities and business case. The focus was to investigate the advantages it would bring to the country to invest in energy storage solutions to aid in not only meeting the electricity demand forecast for the next 25 to 40 years, but also focusing on the energy dips, known as the “Duck Curve”. This could provide flexibility to the National Grid in parallel with reducing the carbon footprint of the current generating stations and the transmission-and distribution networks by either remodelling them, or to completely replace them with a better solution such as renewable energy with storage. The final expected output of the research would be to develop a basic spreadsheet calculator that is capable of calculating the energy and financial impact it would have when integrating a certain amount of storage into the national grid.

Consumer demands and global competition continuously increase, compelling South African food manufacturers to constantly improve resource efficiency and quality.Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is a program aimed at equipment effectiveness.While TPM can improve maintenance aspects of equipment, food manufacturers are also mandated to implement a Total Quality Management system (TQM), often requiring the same resources and skill set as TPM.This paper aimed to investigate the impact of TPM on the organizational performance of a food manufacturing company while identifying TQM synergies and common barriers to success.The researchers aimed to work towards a practical model for successful TPM implementation for companies facing similar challenges.A large multi-national company was used as the population and 12 of its factories were used as a sample.The 12 factories represented a diverse yet representative mix of food-producing plants.Quantitative data collection and analysis were used to understand the impact of TPM and its core construct, i.e., Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), on performance.Subsequently, a qualitative case study analysis was done to deliver an understanding beyond the data, identifying barriers to success and opportunities.The results indicated that TPM implementation in a food manufacturing environment does not necessarily lead to an increase in OEE.There is insufficient evidence to suggest that OEE can be used as a predictor of performance in productivity.

Short-circuit analysis has become crucial in power transmission line to prevent outage, and to transmit more power. Nowadays, several studies propose the use of multi-phase transmission lines to increase the amount of power that could be transmitted to consumers. Due to the complexity of these multi-phase systems, fault analysis should be done using a simplify technique. This paper proposed a Phase Frame method applied to analyze all type of short-circuit faults that may prevent a nine-phase transmission line to permanently supply an electrical load. Compared to Thevenin method or symmetrical components, the Phase Frame method is easy to be deployed and the equations obtained can be applied in any type of artificial intelligence technique to detect and classify as well as locate various power transmission line faults.

From the design to final completion of sea trials, the complexity of a ship is built into every aspect of the build. From planning the purpose of the ship and its economic viability, to the level of technology used in the design and build, where it will be built and the production flow of the build, is all linked and restricted by the capability and capacity of the shipyard. The modern era of technology, design methods and computer capabilities (CAD/CAM), has enabled multiple sites to contribute towards the total build. This has facilitated for modular sections (blocks) of ships being built in different locations, with the blocks fitting together when shipped to one location for final assembly. This type of cooperative methodology is often preferred by large government contracts where it is desired that the build benefit as many in the industry as possible, not just one shipyard. Additionally, each shipyard may have a speciality area of production that will lead to a more cost effective “block” being built, saving on overall costs. This ultimately leads to a cheaper, better quality and faster construction of the ship. A qualitative and quantitative, mixed methods research methodology approach was used to identify the South African industry capabilities using a questionnaire that was developed to engage the maritime industry and identify capabilities, needs and future requirements. This paper will; Review the knowledge design and construction areas required for ship building and apply the knowledge areas to propose a multi-site modular block building framework for South African shipbuilding.

Water is a vital commodity for human life.To that end, a pipeline is a critical component to transport water from the source to end-users.The pipeline system is a highly complex network in and of itself.As a result, the dependability of such a component is critical in ensuring the stability and security of an uninterrupted water supply.The purpose of this research is to investigate the causes of premature failures in the South African water pipeline system.To accomplish this goal, this study examines the factors causing premature pipeline failures using existing literature and archival data.According to the findings, the major causes of premature water pipeline system damage include both internal and external corrosion, damage by others (vandalism, sabotage, and theft), miscellaneous, operator error, welding, mechanical damage, equipment, joint leaks, over-pressure and pig traps.It is expected that the findings of this study will help various stakeholders save billions of rand that are spent to replace damaged pipelines.

This paper investigates the suitability of linear programming techniques to optimize profitability and productivity in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. The impact of six-sigma implementation on the dual objective function problem is also explored. A mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model suitable for the FMCG industry is selected with reference to the classification of lot sizing models found in literature, the classification is based on the type of problem that the model intends to solve. Two literature derived case studies that are representative of the FMCG industry are used to answer the research question in this work through a simulation research approach in the General Algebraic Modelling System (GAMS) software. The study found that linear programming can be used as an optimization technique in the FMCG industry with the lot-sizing concept. The implementation of six-sigma has a big impact on profitability and productivity as it reduces number of defects and failures, thus improving quality of products and maximizing the output with minimal re-work. This research in engineering management can be used to build a business case for resources to be directed at implementing six-sigma as it provides an alternative way to show the benefits of six sigma implementation.

Monitoring seismic vibration in different applications is an important and challenging task for engineers. Failure to do so may sometimes lead to damage and loss of property. Smart city applications, therefore, demand remote monitoring of structural vibrations. This research investigates the possibility of cloud-based remote monitoring of seismic vibration. Cloud computing has been carried out by Toeplitz-matrix analysis of different vibrational signals. Open loop and the active mass driver controlled closed loop test bench have been considered as the object of the study. Covariance, mean and standard deviations of matrix elements have been compared. The method was found capable of distinguishing between damped and undamped vibrations.

Energy demand is a global crisis.Since the year 2010, most buildings' energy consumption across the globe has increased by almost 14% (Paris Agreement, 2018).As a result, energy-supplying utilities have had to increase the burning of coal and gas to meet the demand, which results in high carbon emissions causing global warming (EcoMetrix Africa, 2021).This study evaluates the impact of implementing smart technologies in high-density residential zones by utilising a system that is energy-efficient and cost-saving.The study compared the energy consumption of two mixed student residences of the University of Johannesburg, where one is equipped with smart technologies while the other functions with a traditional energy supply system.The results obtained show that there is a 46.26% variance between the two residences' energy consumption.This study's results show that the implementation of smart technologies in high-density residential units can reduce energy consumption by approximately 46% compared to a traditional way of energy supply.The results also reveal that the implementation of smart technologies can reduce the contribution of carbon emissions by 33%.

Collision avoidance system's design and configuration introduce operational delays, particularly in mines where several mobile machines and workers interact. Following the deployment of a radio-frequency identification collision avoidance system on underground loaders at a platinum mine in South Africa, production decreased by 13.28%. This research study focusses on determining the system's impact on productivity, its constraints, ranging and detection accuracy. By triggering alarms and measuring activation distances for stop, crawl and caution mode the system was assessed on surface and underground in static and dynamic trials. Caution mode was the most accurate and crawl mode the least, rear direction was the safest and front was least safe, the system performed better underground than on surface. Metallic parts of the loader which were in line of measurement, caused tag detection failure in front of the bucket during surface trials, and distortion in distance estimation which influenced productivity. Utilising Received Signal Strength technology rather than Return Time of Flight may improve the system's accuracy because of its even magnetic field distribution in the presence of metallic objects.

Renewable energy resources offer greater opportunities for energy diversification, promotion of sustainable biodiversity and a transition towards sustainable development. This chapter aims at providing the methodology for sizing a wind/solar PV hybrid power plant based on technical and economic analysis, capable of meeting the annual energy consumption of 1030.70 MWh for Shang'ombo district. The decision variables adopted in sizing the system include yearly system energy yield, system energy yield per land use, system capacity factor, unit cost of energy generation, system initial investment cost, payback period, net present value of the system, land use and amount of CO2 emission reduction. The results show that a 612 kWp wind/solar PV hybrid system can be adopted and utilized technically and economically to meet the current energy needs for Shang'ombo district while reducing greenhouse gas emission and supporting environmental sustainability. The proposed hybrid system will therefore help Shang'ombo to become more self-sustainable by decreasing the dependency on fossil fuels (diesel) as primary energy source for electricity generation. Hence, this will significantly affect the economy of the district positively by decreasing the electricity prices and greenhouse gas emissions while increasing access to clean and sustainable energy in the district leading to cleaner and greener societies and cities.

The South African rail network is under increasing pressure to transport commodities reliably, but poor substation performance makes it difficult for the system to meet its mandate.The primary goal of this study was to provide the engineering communities with the factors affecting the reliability of traction substations.The bathtub curve theory was used in the study, along with Weibull analysis, to assess the lifecycle phase of the substations.A questionnaire and the operational data of the 3kV DC section were used to collect a mix of qualitative and quantitative data.Using the Weibull distribution model, the study discovered that the substation equipment was in the wear-out phase in terms of the bathtub curve.Most failure causes are due to protection equipment, circuit breakers, and telecontrol.According to the financial data, most of the maintenance cost is attributed to corrective maintenance.The study suggested that the organization look into implementing predictive maintenance and training maintenance personnel in order to improve plant performance.

This paper aims to identify the critical barriers to the circular economy (CE) within South African manufacturing companies and further model the barriers. A literature review was done to identify the barriers of CE in the context of South Africa and used as an input in the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) technique. This study discovered that the key challenges to CE adoption in the South African manufacturing industry are a lack of proper communication of the CE objectives, which dramatically impacts the whole system, indicating that it should be prioritized. The removal of all the CE obstacles will enhance the firm’s competitiveness in the market. The unique contribution of this study is the alternate approach used in theory building. The CE barriers were identified in the context of South Africa and further the interrelationships among the barriers were presented. The findings will be helpful for managers and policymakers.

Purpose This paper intends to investigate the empirical link between governance and energy investment in PPP. To succinctly account for biases in the fixed effects (FE) model, the authors adopted different bias-corrected techniques. The majority of these techniques provided evidence that PPP investments in energy are boosted by increasing the desire for accountability, prioritising the voice of the masses and disabusing the rule of laws. This study could not find any positive influence from the control of corruption to PPP investment in energy. Design/methodology/approach The acute shortage of power supply in SSA has attracted PPP investments in the energy subsector of the economy, leading to the recent debate on governance and public, private investment. The authors contributed to this argument by examining the impact of country governance on PPP investment in energy using a sample of countries in SSA. Findings Therefore, the authors concluded that low control of corruption is responsible for the inadequate volume of PPP investments. In the light of this, the government should redefine the anti-corruption bill of their sovereignty to accommodate severe sanctions when necessary. Originality/value This paper uses the fixed effects (FE) model by introducing batteries of nonlinear panel models to capture the relationship between the impacts of country governance on PPP investment in energy.

The increasing number of businesses closing down and the persistent slow growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) within the manufacturing sector is a serious concern globally, including in South Africa. The SMEs that are currently existing are operating below the required efficiency level. Physical and technological capital efficiency integrating manufacturing systematic planning, work study, standardisation and inventory management to improve the profit of SMEs in Gauteng South Africa is inadequate, which is a major concern. This study aimed to explore the physical and technological capital constraints affecting SMEs’ profit growth and develop the physical and technological capital efficiency adoption model merging manufacturing systematic planning, work study, standardisation and inventory management for SME profit growth in Gauteng. The study was qualitative, exploratory and descriptive in nature. Face-to-face interviews were conducted targeting 15 owners/managers amongst SMEs in Gauteng. The findings show the most common causes of slow profit growth, which involve poor material handling, unfavourable workplace layout, unscheduled machine maintenance, network challenges, failure to adhere to workplace standards, insufficient product and material recording systems and poor work methods and procedures. The study revealed major concerns for SMEs that required intervention for these enterprises to sustain their profit growth. Thus, the adoption of the model concerning the incorporation of physical and technological capital efficiency tools to advance manufacturing operations be considered as the contributing insight into the profit growth of SMEs in Gauteng. Thus, this study recommends that the government creates an enabling environment for the adoption of this model for SMEs.

The paper proposes an integrated Analytic Hierarchy Process and Interpretive Structural Modeling (AHP-ISM) methodology that is to be applied to rail to select and rank the different energy-saving methods in order of importance in the face of several different alternatives and criteria. As part of the AHP-ISM process, the goal identified is total traction energy reduction and the selected solutions to be ranked are those categorized as producing high or medium savings. The solutions should improve traction efficiency, reduce motion resistance, maximize regenerative braking use, energy storage and efficient driving methods. The criteria identified for the AHP hierarchy are the ability to reduce energy consumption, emission reduction, suitability of the solution, cost to implement and journey time. The application of the AHP-ISM is validated by the application of a sensitivity analysis. In the process, the paper identified the most suitable techniques for maximizing regenerative energy within the 3 kV DC urban rail systems. The AHP ranked the use of regenerative energy use as the most suitable energy-saving solution in urban rail traction services with a priority weighting of 41.54%.