From curing diseases to creating new products, researchers at CPUT are setting themselves up to play a key role in addressing South Africa’s current economic and social needs.

During a two-day Research and Innovation Indaba held recently, researchers and other key role players at CPUT developed a 10-year research and innovation plan, which will guide the institutions activities in these areas.

The plan is aligned with the goals of the Department of Science and Technology which rolled out a 10-year innovation plan, highlighting the importance of innovation for addressing the country’s pressing needs.

Keynote speaker at the event, Dr Romilla Maharaj, Director of Human and Institutional Capacity Development at the National Research Foundation said in a bid to push innovation, the government is pumping more money into university research activities that will benefit the economy or society at large.

She emphasized that universities are no longer only required to produce skilled graduates but are now viewed as engines of economic development.

“Universities have a pivotal role to play in transforming South Africa from a resource based economy to a knowledge based economy,” said Maharaj.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships, Dr Chris Nhlapo said the roll out of the 10 year research and innovation plan will ensure that activities at CPUT contribute to the development of the country.

One of the key strategies of the 10-year plan is the development of research clusters within the six faculties.

Dr Nhlapo said the clusters, which will comprise of researchers investigating aspects of a similar topic, will allow CPUT to take advantage of strategic opportunities that build on institutional strengths and respond to local, regional, and national needs.

The research clusters will not only allow better coordination of research activities at the university but will ensure interdisciplinary research activities, allowing academics to exchange ideas and work more effectively with industry.

Research clusters will also allow the university to recruit researchers who can contribute to the activities of the specific clusters, said Dr Nhlapo.

By Candes Keating

Written by CPUT News
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CPUT is set to provide researchers with support in a bid to convert research into commercial products or services.

With the establishment of an Innovation Board Fund, the institution will identify research areas, which can be commercialised.

Recently, the board held its first working session, which took place over two days and was attended by various members of the Executive Management.

Vice-Chancellor, Prof Vuyisa Mazwi-Tanga, who briefly addressed stakeholders at the working session, said innovation had not been an area pursued “rigorously” pre the establishment of CPUT.

“If we do this correctly, it will set us apart from other universities of technology,” she said.

She said the conversion of research into sellable products, “whether services or goods” will also address the needs South Africa ’s economy currently faces.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships, Dr Chris Nhlapo, who chairs the Innovation Board, said it is vital for the institution to support innovation.

During the two-day working session, 13 CPUT researchers, who are heading up various units at the institution, delivered presentations on their research activities to the board.

Director of Contract Research at the institution, Dr Shaheed Hartley, who is responsible for the Innovation Board process and a member of the board, said they called on researchers and innovation centres to submit proposals, highlighting their innovation capacity.

Once proposals had been submitted, researchers where then each asked to deliver a 15 minute presentation. They also had to field questions from the board.

“We received a number of very good proposals,” said Dr Hartley.

The board is in the process of identifying research and innovation that can be commercialised and present their findings to Executive Management.

The areas identified for commercialisation will then receive substantial funding from CPUT. Dr Hartley said the board will then closely monitor and support the centers that will be awarded funding.

Other members of the board include, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic, Prof Anthony Staak, Commercialisation Manager at the Innovation Fund, Duncan Raftesath, Ms Julia Long, CEO of HBD Venture Capitalist and Stellenbosch University academic, Dr Johan Gorgens.

There are also two representatives from the Department of Science and Technology and Department of Trade and industry on the board.

By Candes Keating, Marketing and Communication Department

Photograph: (left to right) CPUT Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships Dr Chris Nhlapo; Commercialisation Manager at the Innovation Fund, Duncan Raftesath; CPUT Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic, Prof Anthony Staak; Stellenbosch University academic, Dr Johan Gorgens and Director of Contract Research at CPUT Dr Shaheed Hartley.

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CPUT researchers are set to develop a ground effect vehicle, which will be able to fly long distances just a few feet above water.

Ground effect vehicles are intended to replace hovercrafts and ferries, in areas where these conventional types of transport are currently in use.

Ground effect vehicles offer a safer alternative to conventional aircraft. They have the ability to carry huge loads and will also drastically cut down on fuel cost.

Prof Bohua Sun from the Centre for Research in Applied Technology (CERATech) and Walter Kohlhofer, senior lecturer in the Mechanical Engineering Department, are currently driving this area of research and development at CPUT.

The researchers gave a brief overview of their activities on 7 April 2008, at the launch of the Guardian Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, which was developed by their colleagues.

Kohlhofer said they have started working on developing a ground effect vehicle and are currently in the process of developing a “new type of wing.” These types of vehicles must have a small wing span in order to ensure that they fly in close proximity to the surface.

Kohlhofer said they are also developing mechanisms to test the strength of wings.

“We are looking at developing an eight to ten seater craft,” he said.

Currently the development of ground effect vehicles is being looked at by researchers in several other countries.

Research groups are located at various institutions in Germany, Russia, the United States, Australia and China.

Already a number of prototype crafts have been developed for military and public use. However, the crafts are not widely in use.

Kohlhofer said in 2008, they visited China in order to see what researchers in this area are currently working on.

They also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Tongji University in China, which will allow for collaboration between the different research groups.

Researchers at Tongji University recently developed a “Wing-In-Ground"" (WIG) aircraft, which can fly as low as half a meter off the surface, hitting speeds of up to 300 km per hour. It can carry up to 4 tonnes on takeoff.

Kohlhofer said they are not restricting their research to the development of the eight to ten seater ground effect vehicles, but are also working on the “Skimmer Project.” This project will see them develop a craft, similar to a jet-ski. However, unlike a jet-ski that is in water while it moves, this craft will hover above the surface.

“This will be a one manned vehicle,” said Kohlhofer.

By Candes Keating

Photo: Prof Bohua Sun from the Centre for Research in Applied Technology and Walter Kohlhofer from the Mechanical Engineering Department

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A pump efficiency testing rig, designed and built by researchers based at the Flow Process Research Centre, will be used to test the characteristics of paper pulp waste fluids and sewage sludges in Stockholm later this year.

The centre, which is based in the Civil Engineering and Survey Department at the Cape Town campus, is tasked with researching problems that relate to the flow of industrial fluids.

The researchers have expertise in making precise measurements of the viscous characteristics (called rheology) of complex fluids, and then relating these characteristics to the flow of industrial fluids and pumping systems.

The test rig, which is currently being shipped to Stockholm , will be used by CPUT and Swedish researchers to test the characteristics of these fibrous suspensions.

It is envisaged that by characterising the flow physics, including the process knowledge and using adaptive technology, an optimised pumping system can be obtained, thus resulting in energy efficiency.

Prof Rainer Haldenwang, who is managing the project, said it is a collaboration between CPUT and Innventia, a company in Sweden that specialises in research and development relating to pulp, paper, graphic media, packaging and biorefining.

The project is sponsored by Tillväxtverket, a Swedish Agency for economic and regional growth via the DemoEnvironmental Program, which is a government funding agency in Sweden .

Prof Haldenwang, along with Dr Veruscha Fester and Richard du Toit of the Centre, will travel to Stockholm in September and conduct tests alongside their Swedish counterparts.

Prof Haldenwang said the project came about in 2007, when he traveled to Stockholm to visit Dr Richard Holm, a Swedish researcher who has expertise in fluid mechanics, rheology and pumping of fibre suspensions.

Dr Richard Holm, who works for Innventia, visited CPUT in 2006 to attend a conference hosted by the centre.

“We started discussing collaboration and then applied to a Swedish funding agency for R2 million, which we then received at the beginning of 2008,” he said.

Researchers expect that the project will assist them in determining improved design features of industrial pump systems.

“A very specific sludge test facility in Stockholm will be able to produce different types and concentrations of sludges required for the tests. It is envisaged that by understanding the flow properties of the fluids pumped and monitoring the pump performance it will be possible to run centrifugal pumps more efficiently thus saving energy,” he said.

Dr Oswald Franks, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, said the project is a great accomplishment.

“It’s not every day that we get to export devices like this to Europe , which is a developed continent,” he said.

Dr Franks said the project is in line with the university’s mission, which encourages researchers to collaborate with industry, both locally and internationally.

By Candes Keating

Photo: (top right)The team of researchers at the CPUT Flow Process Research Centre (left and bottom right) Details from the newly developed testing rig, that will be exported to Stockholm.

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A pump efficiency test rig, designed and built by researchers based at the Flow Process Research Centre, was recently used to test the characteristics of sewage sludge and paper pulp waste fluids in Stockholm.

The centre, which is based in the Civil Engineering and Survey Department at the Cape Town campus, is tasked with researching problems that relate to the flow of industrial fluids.

The researchers have expertise in making precise measurements of the viscous characteristics (called rheology) of complex fluids, and then relating these characteristics to the flow of industrial fluids and pumping systems.

The test rig, which was shipped to Stockholm earlier this year, was used by the researchers to test the characteristics of these fibrous suspensions.

The team, Prof Rainer Haldenwang, Dr Veruscha Fester and Mr Richard du Toit recently returned from Stockholm, where they spent several weeks conducting tests.

Prof Haldenwang said: “It took us only two days to assemble the rig and to do the water tests, showing that the rig is truly portable, despite its physical size.”

He said the portability of the test rig and ease of reassembly stems directly from Mr du Toit’s unique modular design of the test loop and its support structures.

“Without him it would have taken much longer,” said Prof Haldenwang.

The team’s host and project partner in Stockholm, Dr Richard Holm, who works for Innventia, a paper pulp research institute, was also impressed that the facility was operational in such a short time.

A research facility at Hammarby Sjöstadverk in Stockholm, operated by the Swedish Environmental Research Institute and the Royal Institute of Technology, supplied centrifuged sludge.

Two types of sludge (lysed and unlysed) from another water treatment plant, were also tested to determine their viscous properties. In total, eight sludges and three concentrations of fibre suspensions were tested over a period of three weeks.

Prof Haldenwang said one significant achievement was finding the characteristic pump curve for fibre suspensions in laminar flow, which is a huge point of debate in this area of research and rarely obtained experimentally.

The project sponsors, which include the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and Tillväxtverket, a Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, were impressed by the amount of test work completed.

They were also pleased to witness the efficient pumping of very viscous slurries by centrifugal pumps at a much lower pumping power than is often the case in industry. The sponsors indicated that they would like to see the results implemented in industry.

Prof Haldenwang said the results of the tests are invaluable for further research.

He said they are now planning to conduct an audit of the type of pumps and energy usage in local sewage treatment plants, and to demonstrate how knowledge of the viscous properties of sludge can be used to monitor and control pumps for optimum use of energy.

By Candes Keating

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To train novice researchers to become accomplished publishers, the Department of Management and Project Management launched the Journal of Leadership and Management Studies (JOLMS) at the Suites Hotel.

The recently launched multidisciplinary journal is a sequel to the annual Leadership and Management in Project-driven Industries South Africa (Lamipisa) Conference which the department has been hosting since 2013.

All the paper contributions accepted for Lamipisa 2013 were peer reviewed and in agreement with the authors, some articles were selected and published in the current issue of JOLMS.

JOLMS Editor-in-Chief, Dr Larry Jowah, said the journal has 35 contributors from various parts of the world including four from CPUT.

Jowah announced that a second issue will be released in November/December and that after the third issue in February the department will apply to the Department of Higher Education and Training for accreditation of both the conference and journal.

He thanked all the staff members who made the journal possible.

Dr Chris Nhlapo, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Technology,Innovation and Partnerships, congratulated the department and said the quality of the journal is unbelievable.

Nhlapo says that in the decade ending in 2012, CPUT’s average growth rate in overall research output was ranked second in the Universities of Technology sector.

He says CPUT has a young generation of scholars, between the ages of 35 and 44, when compared to other universities whose scholars are generally in their 50s.

Acting HOD Angela Buys said the conferences and the journal gave the department’s research image a major boost.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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At CPUT research results are not confined to journals.

Researchers are thinking out of the box and using their research to develop products, devices and services that can contribute to the development of all spheres of South Africa.

One such researcher is Prof Veruscha Fester, who is based at the Flow Process and Rheology Centre.

Fester is one of CPUT’s leading female innovators and recently shared details of her groundbreaking work with the CPUT news:

You are one of a few female innovators at CPUT. Can you tell us more about your patent?

We are developing a one-step treatment reactor using locally developed nanopowders for treating textile wastewater. This treatment system offers an almost instantaneous removal of the colour from the water.  

This treatment system will not only be able to treat waste water to standard for disposal to municipal treatment systems, but to a standard suitable for re-use. If the water can be re-used, millions of litres of potable water will be saved.

We have already scaled up our laboratory prototype from 6L/hour to 72 L/hr. The next step is to get it to treat 1000L/hr or more and then an installation in industry. The interest shown in our technology (using a syringe filter and producing a few ml/min) at the CPUT Innovation Showcase in August 2015, encouraged us to quickly proceed with the development of a product.

What do you enjoy most about being a researcher?

I love the entire research process, the element of surprise and the endless opportunities to understand and discover new things, the excitement of finding answers to problems and guiding postgraduate students through the exciting journey of research. It simply leaves me astounded that I am able to add to science and engineering theory and practice in some way.

What do you attribute your success to?

Loving what I do - that is the driving force behind hard work and commitment.

I recognize the opportunities afforded me and I take time to be thankful for it and that motivates me to do well. I appreciate the government’s efforts to promote and train researchers to improve the wellbeing of our country. Having benefited from the training program, I want to make a contribution.

Do you have any words of advice for the generation of women researchers behind you?

In the field of engineering there is no male nor female, only projects completed successfully within time. It helps to know your strengths and your weaknesses. Most of all…recognize that you were born for a time such as this. There is a task that only you can do. Find it, and do it well, whether it pays or not or whether it brings fame or not.

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.

CPUT is celebrating research excellence this week during the Virtual Research Festival and Research Awards.

All CPUT researchers were invited to showcase their research projects and societal uptake initiatives, and about 40 responded to the call.

These projects have been filmed by the Marketing and Communication Department and their presentations will be showcased online from October 27.

To watch the Virtual Research Festival videos, click here

The awards ceremony will also be recorded and streamed live on 27 October.

The Research Directorate’s Lara Smith said it will be a small event, observing strict Covid safety measures and will be held at the Granger Bay Campus.

The Research Directorate awards excellence in research activities under three categories: Research Output, Research Supervision and External Funding.

The Research Output awards are calculated from the total number of Department of Higher Education and Training units produced by each author. This includes all output types acknowledged by the DHET, namely, Journal Articles, Books & Chapters in Books, Conference Proceedings, and, more recently, Creative Outputs and Innovations.

The Research Supervision awards are given for numbers of postgraduate students supervised. They are calculated based on the total number of units earned by a supervisor. Supervisors earn one unit for supervision of a Master’s degree and three units for supervision of a doctorate.

The External Funding category used to be called Industry Funding but has been expanded to include grants given by universities and councils.

There are four awards in each category, namely, Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze. If there is a tie for any award, more than one award is given.

A Platinum Award earns a researcher R50 000; a Gold Award earns a researcher R40 000; a Silver Award earns a researcher R30 000 and a Bronze Award earns a researcher R20 000.

The event will be live from 10:45 to 12:00 and can be viewed by clicking on the research awards web banner on www.cput.ac.za or going to the CPUT YouTube channel.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
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