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Research & Development

Discover why CDC is a leader in South Africa’s dust suppression industry.

R&D goals

Our R&D is tailored towards achieving 4 key initiatives:

  • Increasing personnel health & safety
  • Developing product enhancements that meet or exceed industry requirements
  • Keeping abreast of and catering to technological advances in the industries we serve
  • Meeting legislative requirements (such as noise levels, dust counts, water conservation, etc.) across our product range

Our R&D engineers use their accumulated specialised industry knowledge, 80 years of combined experience and various engineering software modules to develop products that ease various industries’ dust burdens. Over the years, CDC has developed dust suppression products and solutions that have improved both site personnel health and safety, as well as various production processes in gaseous and dusty environments.

Research_Dev-Goals

Product development

Continuing our drive to develop solutions that minimise dust and gas at the rockface – and to lead industry technology developments in our specialised field – we use renowned software tools. These include:

  • Solid Edge
  • 3D CAD
  • Parametric feature & synchronous technology solid modelling software
  • Inventor® CAD software for professional-grade 3D mechanical design
  • Documentation & product simulation tools

In 2009, extensive R&D to improve various scrubber fan attributes was conducted. This led to CDC developing scrubber fans with reduced noise levels and increased fan performance, which we’ve continually improved upon over the years.

Current technologies

Blocked Screen Detection System

We are in the process of developing a blocked screen detection system to identify dust-blocked screens on scrubber units.

Used to monitor the health of scrubbers on continuous miners, road headers and offboard scrubber systems, they have successfully completed thorough underground testing. 

This unique CDC technology is scheduled for market launch during Q1, 2021.

Wireless Sensor Pack

Designed to measure system critical conditions in the toughest environments. This innovative CDC sensor pack monitors the flow through the scrubber. As flow reduces, the sensor communicates with the offboard fans which then change flows to compensate for the lower flows.

  • Store up to 150 000 samples
  • Wireless data transfer
  • Self-health checking on all sensors
  • Integrated battery monitoring
  • Can be used as radio repeater unit

Blocked Screen Detection System

We are in the process of developing a blocked screen detection system to identify dust-blocked screens on scrubber units.

Used to monitor the health of scrubbers on continuous miners, road headers and offboard scrubber systems, they have successfully completed thorough underground testing. 

This unique CDC technology is scheduled for market launch during Q1, 2021.

Wireless Sensor Pack

Designed to measure system critical conditions in the toughest environments. This innovative CDC sensor pack monitors the flow through the scrubber. As flow reduces, the sensor communicates with the offboard fans which then change flows to compensate for the lower flows.

  • Store up to 150 000 samples
  • Wireless data transfer
  • Self-health checking on all sensors
  • Integrated battery monitoring
  • Can be used as radio repeater unit

CDC – setting the standard for dust suppression technologies.

Contact us

Technologies – new and in development

In order to continuously meet its key initiatives, CDC constantly has products in development.

Recently developed solutions and those currently in development include:

New Fans for
Scrubbing Apps

  • Exceptionally low noise characteristics
  • Increased air volume efficiency
  • Chambered plate rotor & starter design with efficiencies in the lower 80% mark

Offboard Dust
Scrubbing Systems

  • Used in centrifugal fan
  • Higher pressure levels
  • Similar flowrates to onboard scrubber
  • Increased periods between maintenance intervals

Sensing & Control Electronics
for Scrubbers

  • Daisy-chaining systems
  • Improved communication protocols
  • PLCs
  • Coding

New Fans for
Scrubbing Apps

  • Exceptionally low noise characteristics
  • Increased air volume efficiency
  • Chambered plate rotor & starter design with efficiencies in the lower 80% mark

Offboard Dust
Scrubbing Systems

  • Used in centrifugal fan
  • Higher pressure levels
  • Similar flowrates to onboard scrubber
  • Increased periods between maintenance intervals

Sensing & Control Electronics
for Scrubbers

  • Daisy-chaining systems
  • Improved communication protocols
  • PLCs
  • Coding

Components

  • Improved fabrication methods
  • Composite-cast components
  • Resin-cast frames

Filters

  • Composite outer frame instead of steel
  • Used in water & dust filters

Booster Pumps

  • New design
  • Smaller version
  • Reduced booster size

Components

  • Improved fabrication methods
  • Composite-cast components
  • Resin-cast frames

Filters

  • Composite outer frame instead of steel
  • Used in water & dust filters

Booster Pumps

  • New design
  • Smaller version
  • Reduced booster size

Offboard Scrubber Control System

  • Designed to eliminate scrubber or component failure
  • Scrubber trips when:
    • zero air volume
    • screen is blocked
    • no water enters scrubber
    • motor temp. exceeds stated limits

Augmented Scrubber System
(Jet Fan Design)

Improved system controllability with:

  • Fan sensors & VSDs
  • CAD-designed PC boards
  • Multiple sensors
  • Accelerometers
  • Ultrasonic motor

Auxiliary Ventilation Fan

  • For secondary ventilation
  • 22 kW fan
  • Skid-mounted

Offboard Scrubber Control System

  • Designed to eliminate scrubber or component failure
  • Scrubber trips when:
    • zero air volume
    • screen is blocked
    • no water enters scrubber
    • motor temp. exceeds stated limits

Augmented Scrubber System
(Jet Fan Design)

Improved system controllability with:

  • Fan sensors & VSDs
  • CAD-designed PC boards
  • Multiple sensors
  • Accelerometers
  • Ultrasonic motor

Auxiliary Ventilation Fan

  • For secondary ventilation
  • 22 kW fan
  • Skid-mounted

Instrumentation & Control

  • PLCs & coding for offboard scrubbers

Instrumentation & Control

  • PLCs & coding for offboard scrubbers

In-house design analysis tools for product development

Computational Fluid Dynamics

We have invested in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software to increase our ability to design products to our customers’ specific requirements and simulate the expected performance before building the product.

Vibration Analysis

We use vibration analysis to monitor the vibration levels and patterns (or signals) within a component, scrubber unit or scrubber fan to detect abnormal vibration events. This vibration measurement tool is also used to evaluate the overall condition of the all products developed by CDC, and is used in support of products sold when required.

Finite Element Analysis

Both static and dynamic finite element analysis allows us to develop fast and efficient virtual prototypes, which ensures that all CDC-designed products are fit for purpose. This is especially important in ensuring our product range is optimised for use in Africa’s harsh mining environments.

finite

Example of R&D outcome

Integrated Dust Suppression System developed

Using our R&D software, technologies and experienced engineers, CDC developed the three-fold integrated dust suppression system. This integrated approach (unique CDC wet fan scrubber unit; booster pump; spray fan system & air movers) consistently outperforms the DME’s guidelines of 5 mg dust per m3. When operated in optimal conditions, the system has proven to consistently achieve dust levels less than 2 mg/m3 per cubic metre, lower than the DME’s prescribed dust level requirements.

We tailor all our equipment to suit clients’ exact specifications.

Speak to a dust control specialist:

Send us your application requirements, and we’ll call you back.

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