Electrical Engineering lecturers and students have proved that working together can lead to big things.

After working a full year on developing a Kite-Based Reciprocating Wind Generator, four Electrical Engineering students together with two lecturers, scooped a top prize at the Xplore New Automation Competition that took place in Germany.

The challenge, organized by Phoenix Contact, a leading international electrical company, required participants to design and create any device that involved automation.

Judges were blown away by the team’s innovative design and awarded them second place in the Environmental Category. To top it all off, the team was the only one from the African continent that secured a place in the final round of the competition, which had three elimination rounds.

Lecturers Dr Wilfred Fritz and Deon Kallis, who lead the group, say it is a huge achievement for the institution.

Dr Fritz says in the first round they competed against 300 teams from industry and universities across the globe. The final round saw 29 teams compete.

Kallis explains that the device consists of two kites controlled through a combination of beams. The movement of the kites allow the beams to move and generate electricity, which is then stored.

Btech Student Everett Mthundi says they split the project up, allowing each lecturer and student to work on different elements. He says working on the project was challenging but well worth the effort.

Others that participated in the project include Master Student Solomon Smit and Diploma students Charlis Iyeli-Eney and John Shamu.

Their winnings include electrical equipment for the department.

By Candes Keating

Written by CPUT News
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CPUT students are set to embark on a waste upcycling and renewable energy project that will benefit the student community.

The project is a collaboration between CPUT and the German based entities World of Eve, and Training Development Consulting.

The project is led by Engineering Lecturers Dr Wilfred Fritz and Deon Kallis and will see electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and information technology students develop an outdoor solar charging unit, made from waste materials. 

The project kicked off mid-February, with a workshop coordinated by Andrea von Gleichenstein, the Director of Training Development Consulting.

Von Gleichenstein says the workshop aims at preparing students for the yearlong project.

“This is a realistic project. It’s not just theoretical,” she says.

The workshop covered aspects such as team work and project management, skills von Gleichenstein says students will have to develop if they want to survive in industry.

“All these activities will enhance their competences,” she says.

Fritz says when deciding on a project, they looked at something that will be relevant to the university community and that could eventually be rolled out to the local community.

A total of 70 students are participating in the project and over the next few weeks they will work in groups to design a prototype.

Fritz says the best design will be selected and along with several exchange students from Germany, the outdoor solar charging unit will be constructed.

Fritz says a memorandum between CPUT and the German entities was signed, which will see the parties collaborate on similar student based projects over the next five years.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

An innovative revamp of an existing solar cooking device has earned a group of Electrical Engineering students and their lecturers a prime spot in the final round of the International Xplore New Automation Competition.

The team is one of 29 out of 100 selected to compete in the finals that takes place in Germany today.

The CPUT team will showcase their automated solar oven power generator, a device that operates off-grid and which can be used to boil water, cook food and power a battery.

SUSTAINABLE: The device can be used to boil water and cook food

Ben Dixon, one of the five students in the team, says they are positive about their entry.

Thanks to customised 3D parts that they manufactured, the device is fully automated and features several new fittings, such as an engine that runs entirely on heat, a safety buzzer and several solar panels.

“The standard devices have to be physically turned towards the sun. This one is fully automated. It tracks the sun and moves all the time,” says Ben.

ENERGY: The device powers a battery

Lecturer Dr Wilfred Fritz says with the device operating off-grid, its implications will be far-reaching, given the current energy crisis facing South Africa.

Fritz, along with lecturer Deon Kallis, supervised the student team that comprises of Masters student Ben, BTech students Maahir Rahmna and Greyson Du Toit as well as second-years Werner Lotter and Brendon van Breda.

The competition is hosted by Phoenix Contact, the market leader in industrial electrical and automation technology and is held every three years.

CPUT participated in 2012 and the entry, a reciprocating kite generator, saw them clinch second place in the Environment\Renewable Energy category.

Fritz and Kallis would like to acknowledge the Vice-Chancellor’s Office, the Marketing and Communication Department and the Electrical Engineering Department for supporting the project.

The event will be streamed live. To view, visit http://www.xplore.org/2015/en/943_1125.htm

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

A final year engineering project could save thousands of litres of water by helping municipalities to detect leaks in their water distribution lines.

Jean-Pierre Mostert, who recently graduated with his BTech in Electrical Engineering: Control Systems, developed a low-cost water leak detection system, an innovative project that helped him secure the coveted spot as the best performing student of the 2016 graduating class.

Mostert, who is now employed at Lesedi Nuclear Services, says pipeline leakages within the water distribution network of municipalities is one of the major contributing factors to water loss, with some recording losses of more than 1 769.69 mega liters per year.

“There is a need for an automatic early detection method of water leak detection within a water distribution network,” he says.

“These leakages waste money, cause severe damage to the surrounding area and infrastructure and pose a potential risk to public health.”

Mostert says current leak detection methods, such as looking for wet patches of ground above pipes, are not sufficient and that very little techniques and methods have been used to constantly and continuously monitor a pipeline.

To prevent water loss, he developed a software algorithm that makes use of flow measurements within a simulated water distribution network to detect leaks.

As part of the project, a rig simulating a mains water distribution pipeline was constructed, which featured an inlet and outlet flow sensor to detect the amount of water entering as well as exiting the pipe. Utilising a micro controller unit and specialized software, the flow measurement data is transmitted to a central monitoring station (PC) over a wireless sensor network and captured into a database.

“The basic idea is to make use of the volume balancing method, whereby the current flow measurements are constantly compare to a normal threshold. Once a deviation from these conditions are detected and present for a certain amount of time, the algorithm will signal an alarm,” says Mostert.

The alarm system will allow individuals who are monitoring the water distribution system to easily cut power to a problematic bulk line and prevent further water losses. Mostert says this approach is low-cost as water distribution networks already have sensors, which can be incorporated into the proposed system.

“The final recommendation for this project will be that the existing flow sensors within the water distribution network of a municipality should be adapted so that data can be transmitted remotely over a network,” says Mostert.

“These sensors can then form a wireless sensor network and the early leak detection method can be implemented on the central PC. This will also allow for the data to be accessed remotely via an internet connection from any location.”

*The project was supervised by researchers Dr Wilfred Fritz and Deon Kallis.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

Internationalisation has become accepted as one of the critical processes advancing the fundamental business of universities, as such CPUT recently hosted a delegation from Réunion Island.

Dr Tasmeera Singh, Manager: International Relations, said the initial exploration of this research collaboration between CPUT and the University of Reunion Island commenced in 2020 in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (FEBE). Singh said the collaboration was placed on hold due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In November 2022, Dr Marco Leroy Adonis and Deon Kallis travelled to Reunion for the first exploratory discussions regarding research collaboration and student mobility/exchanges.

In addition to these meetings, two FEBE staff members will also present lectures to students of the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering (DEECE) and possibly the wider FEBE. “The delegation is also interested in expanding the partnership and hence the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences (FBMS) has also been invited to this meeting,” said Singh.

The delegation included Prof Richard Lorion - Head of the Institut Universitaire de Technologie) at the University of Reunion Island, Prof Edel Lynch - academic at the Department of Sustainable Construction at the University of Reunion Island, Jean Pierre Faucon – Research and Telecommunications and Dr Florence Trentin - International Relations of the University of Reunion Island.

The CPUT representatives included Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships, Dr David Phaho, Prof Judy Peter – Director Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships, Dr Singh, Dr Marco Adonis: FEBE, Ian Van Zyl: FEBE, Deon Kallis: FEBE and Andiswa Mrasi: FBMS.

“There is motivation and enthusiasm to grow the partnership into a sustainable collaboration,” said Singh.

Phaho said CPUT has prioritised Internationalisation as an integral part of our Research, Innovation and Community Engagement agenda and welcomes collaborations, especially from countries in the Global South. “The Delegation from Reunion were enthusiastic about collaborating with CPUT in a number of areas now that we are post-Covid. The pandemic had interrupted initial engagements.

“There are already identified areas of collaboration by the CPUT Faculty of Engineering and their counterparts from the Reunion University. Also, the primary focus on student mobility especially for undergraduate students from both institutions is welcomed,” said Phaho.

He said the CPUT benefit from the partnership will be more international collaboration opportunities, not just in research but also in teaching and learning for “our undergraduate students.” “The proximity of the Island to South Africa also negates long travels and hence less costly for the institution.”

Mrasi said the interest from the FBMS was to strengthen the relationship between the two institutions. She said the meeting was very positive and fruitful. “[The] Engagements have already started with the Marketing Department from FBMS. [We are]Looking forward to collaborations that will emanate from this partnership.” Mrasi said the highlights of the meeting were the research collaboration, internship opportunities for students from both institutions, as well as staff and student exchanges.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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