THE TEAM
Albert Zapke
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Albert graduated from Stellenbosch University with a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, specifically in the field of industrial cooling systems.
His 24 years of experience in industry includes the positions of Director of Engineering and Contracts for Kelvion Thermal Solutions (Pty.) Ltd and Global head of R&D/Technology for ENEXIO Germany GmbH.
He was also the Technical Coordinator for the EU-funded MinWaterCSP project.
Francois Louw
DIRECTOR
Francois holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Stellenbosch University, where he investigated axial fan operation through CFD modelling and experiments. Subsequently, he spent three years as a project engineer on the EU-funded MinWater CSP project, where his responsibilities included:
Technical specification and project management for the construction and operation of two large-scale cooling system test facilities.
Development of thermal design and rating software for ACCs.
Other experience includes CFD modelling of ACCs and support with ACC and axial fan related research projects.
Riaan Terblanche
DIRECTOR
Riaan obtained his PhD, related to wet-cooling tower rain zone performance modelling, from Stellenbosch University in 2011. He spent seven years, as project engineer, on the 4767 MW Medupi (Air-Cooled Condenser) mega project. During this time, he was also involved in a number of other projects:
The development of a hybrid (dry/wet) condenser (ACC) system, as part of the EU-funded MinWaterCSP project.
The development of cooling system sizing software based on a generic solver.
Ruan Engelbrecht
CFD ENGINEER
Ruan obtained a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Stellenbosch University (RSA) in 2018. He investigated the effect of wind on the performance of an ACC through CFD in OpenFOAM. Main features of his work was the incorporation of accurate fan and heat exchanger models as part of the simulation.
He subsequently continued a post-doctoral study in the same field, coupling 1D steam-side thermal models with CFD to investigate the effect on overall system performance. His present focus remains the CFD modelling of large scale cooling systems.