Water treatment and distribution solutions provider VAG-Valves South Africa is supplying several of its VAG EKN butterfly valves to the R4.5-billion Olifants River Water Resources Development Project Phase 2 (ORWRDP-2), in Polokwane, Limpopo, for use as isolation valves on the project’s bulk water supply pipeline.

VAG-Valves South Africa customer service centre manager Hennie de Meyer tells Engineering News that VAG-Valves South Africa will complete the delivery of the butterfly valves by the end of this month.

“The VAG EKN butterfly valve is our main product and we are the market leader in double-offset butterfly valves for water applications worldwide. They constitute a large percentage of all the company’s valves sales in South Africa,” he highlights.

According to Creamer Media’s Research Channel Africa, the Department of Water Affairs (DWA), is represented by State-owned Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) for Phases 2B to 2G of the project.

The ORWRDP comprises two phases and several subphases. Phase 1 entailed raising the Flag Boshielo dam by 5 m, which has been completed. Phase 2, comprising Phases A to I, entailed the development of additional water resource infrastructure in the middle section of the Olifants water management area.

Phase 2A entails the construction of the De Hoop dam, which will be a bulk storage facility to augment the current water supply around the Steelpoort and Olifants rivers, in Limpopo.

Water will primarily be supplied to increasing mining activities in the Steelpoort area.

The De Hoop dam, which will be the thirteenth-largest dam in the country, is expected to have a 347-million cubic metre reservoir capacity.

This phase also includes the construction of a roller-compacted concrete gravity dam on the Steelpoort river, en route from Stoffberg to Steelpoort, near the existing R555 provincial road, of which a 20 km portion has been realigned.

The dam wall is being built downstream from confluence of the Steelpoort and Klip rivers, the latter being a tributary joining from the eastern side.
Phases 2B to 2G entail the construction of a bulk distribution system and will be funded and implemented by the TCTA.

The ORWRDP-2 is a multipurpose project, incorporating economic and social development objectives to cater for the water demands of commercial and social users in Limpopo.

The project will consist of more than 200 km of pipelines that will vary in diameter from 800 mm to 1 800 mm, several pumpstations and storage reservoirs.

The construction of the De Hoop dam started in July 2007 and was initially expected to be completed in April 2011; however, owing to construction challenges, the dam will be completed in the 2013/14 financial year.

The first construction contract of the bulk distribution system started in early 2012 and will be completed by the end of 2014.

The DWA has reported that the De Hoop dam is in its final stage of completion, with water storage having started.

Work on the first pipeline, which connects water treatment works at Steelpoort to the De Hoop dam, has also started and is expected to be completed by September 2014.

Applications and Product Benefits

De Meyer says the VAG EKN butterfly valve carries the SANS 1849:2008 butterfly valves certification mark and is available in sizes from between DN 150 and DN 4000, with pressure ratings ranging from PN 6 to PN 40.

“The VAG EKN butterfly valve contains a microfinished nickel chromium overlay seat, which is welded to the body of the valve. The flow medium does not make contact with the valves shafts because the O-rings protect the area of the shaft bearings. These features extend the life span of the valve and, thus, eliminate premature shutdowns of piping system, owing to valve failure,” he emphasises.

Further, he highlights that the valve’s design prevents any corrosion between the valve seat and body, as well as between the valve shaft and the body or disc of the valve.

De Meyer says the VAG EKN butterfly valve can be installed in various applications, including, but not limited to, isolation, flow control, burst protection and non-return applications.

He adds that VAG-Valves South Africa has also supplied the VAG EKN butterfly valve to the DWA for other ongoing projects, many local water boards, municipalities and power plants, as well as to various industrial and irrigation projects.

Meanwhile, the VAG Academy training center in Germany, presents regular training courses for engineers from international locations to acquaint them with VAG’s products, he says.

He says VAG’s training sessions run twice a year for five consecutive days and the courses range from one star – for engineers who are new to the valve industry – to four star – for expert engineers who possess highly advanced knowledge of technically challenging applications.

“Within the VAG-Group we host seminars at university campuses worldwide, which are aimed at educating engineers about the latest in valve technology. It is our future intention to build our local capabilities, with the assistance of our parent company VAG-Armaturen, to host such seminars at universities in South Africa,” De Meyer concludes.