Listing of STERG members

STERG Staff

  • Prof Johan van der Spuy: STERG Manager & NRF Solar Thermal Spoke Grant Holder
  • Dr Matti Lubkoll: Research Group Coordinator & Helio100
  • Dr Jaap Hoffmann: Solar Roof Lab & Helio40
  • Mrs Leigh van der Merwe: Admin & Financial Officer

Faculty

  • Prof Alan Brent:  Professor (Extra-ordinary) at Industrial Engineering
  • Prof Frank Dinter: Professor (Extra-ordinary) at Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering
  • Mr Theuns Dirkse van Schalkwyk: Lecturer at Industrial Engineering
  • Mr Robert Dobson: Lecturer at Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering
  • Dr Paul Gauche: Associate Professor (Extra-ordinary) at Industrial Engineering & founding member of STERG
  • Prof Albert Groenwold: Sr Lecturer (Structural Optimization) at Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering
  • Mr Richard Haines: Lecturer at Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering
  • Prof Thomas Harms: Head of Division: Thermo-fluids dynamics (CFD, Linear Fresnel, Atmospheric flows) at Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering
  • Prof Chris Meyer: Sr Lecturer at Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering
  • Dr Jacques Muiyser: Lecturer at Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering
  • Dr Mike Owen: Lecturer at Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering
  • Prof Ben Sebitosi: Thermo-Fluid Division at Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering
  • Dr Willie Smit: Sr Lecturer at Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering
  • Prof Wikus van Niekerk: Dean of Faculty of Engineering
  • Prof Theo von Backström: Senior Researcher and Emeritus Professor (Solar Chimney, Solar Thermal Storage, CSP Technologies, Turbines, CSP System Analysis)

Postgraduate researchers

  • Ms Taneha Abrahams: PhD Student (Transient Operation of a Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Brayton Cycle Power Generation System)
  • Mr Chinedu Amadi: MEng Student (Design an advanced controller for a quadcopter)
  • Mr Elias Basson: MEng Student (Heat Transfer Enhancement on solar reciever tubes, numerical & analytical)
  • Mr Gerhard Bekker: MEng Student (The detailed modelling of an axial flow CSP-fan in CFD using open source software)
  • Mr Nathan Bernstein: MEng Student (CFD modelling of ambient air flow through a concentrating solar power receiver structure)
  • Mr Johan Burger: MEng Student (Solar thermal chemical storage options for CSP plants)
  • Mr Marius Claassen:  PhD Student (Investigating the use of light diffraction for the closed-loop control of heliostats in central Reciever type CSP systems)
  • Mr Steve Clark: PhD Student (The Use of Natural gas to facilitate the transition to renewable electric power generation in Southern Africa)
  • Mr Cian Craeye: MEng Student (Obstacle avoidance with optical flow)
  • Mr Toyosi Craig:  PhD Student (Crossing technology adoption chasm in CSP technologies)
  • Mr Bradley Da Silva: MEng Student (The development, construction and testing of a Piston-Expander for small-scale solar thermal power plants)
  • Mrs Imke de Kock: PhD Student: (Management of the introduction and diffusion of nexus technologies towards large-scale far-reaching socio-technical change)
  • Mr Jean-Gerard de la Bat:  MEng Student (Theoretical Simulation, Manufacture and Experimental Evaluation of a Free-Piston Stirling Engine)
  • Ms Clarice Du Plessis: MEng Student (The Modelling of fan noise using computational software)
  • Mr Owen du Toit: MEng Student (Accurately measure the position and orientation of a quadcopter using Visual Odometry)
  • Mr Frank Duvenhage: PhD Student (Sustainable future CSP fleet management in South Africa: A hydrological approach to strategic management)
  • Mr Ruan Engelbrecht: MEng Student (Numerical investigation of the performance of a forced draft air-cooled heat exchanger)
  • Mr Stefaans Erasmus: MEng Student (Optimisation of thermal rock bed storage pilot plant)
  • Mr Dewald Grobbelaar: MEng student (Improving the heat transfer characteristics of a Spiky Central Receiver Air Pre-heater (SCRAP) using helically swirled fins/ducts)
  • Mr Dylan Fourie: MEng Student (Modelling of large-scale solar thermal systems in an open source simulation environment)
  • Mr Jurgens Gouws: MEng Student (Calibration of heliostats using multicopters)
  • Mr Dewald Grobbelaar: Special Student (Improving the heat transfer characteristics of a Spiky Central Receiver Air Pre-heater (SCRAP) using helically swirled fins/ducts)
  • Mr Michen Haller: MEng Student (Measuring gimbal pose accuracy on a quadcopter)
  • Mr JC Hendricks: MEng Student (Exploring the limits of renewable energy for Namibia)
  • Mrs Lina Hockaday: PhD Student (Concentrated solar power for the minerals processing industry)
  • Mr Renier Janse van Vuuren: MEng Student (On-sun testing of a single spike of the spiked concept air preheater)
  • Hein Joubert: MEng Student (Helio40 tracking system upgrade/Control system of Helio40)
  • Ms Faith Kanhukamwe:  MEng Student (Matching renewable energy to the utility)
  • Mr Matthew Kapp: MEng Student (Using hydrogen fuel cell systems in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s)
  • Mr Chisala Kapumpu: PhD Student (Modelling of the spherical thermocline for storing thermal energy in the rock bed)
  • Mr Louis Karsten:  MEng Student (The Analysis of the Rankine Cycle (ORC) for Smaller CSP Systems)
  • Mr Abiola Kehinde: MEng Student (Feasibility study of once through cooling for 50MWe solar thermal power plant on/near the lower orange river. Trade-off between improved thermal efficiency against condenser fouling (suggest remedial measures), water treatment and environmental constraints)
  • Mr Marko Kiessling: MEng Student (Survey and synthesis of known and to be developed solar thermal chemical storage options for CSP plants (TBC))
  • Mr Dian Koegelenberg: MEng Student (Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) system as a cost-effective alternative to supply heat for tea-leave drying in the Kenya tea industry)
  • Mr Willem Krog: MEng Student (Solar live stream generation and solar bagasse drying for South African sugar mills)
  • Mr Anco Lotter: MEng Student (Investigation, evaluation and selection of optimal bearings for a newly designed heliostat)
  • Mr Foster Lubbe: MEng Student (Predicting location specific solar generation and cost benefit using Gaussian processes for machine learning)
  • Dr Matti Lubkoll: Postdoctoral Researcher (Pressurized air receiver)
  • Ms Mbali Mabaso: MEng Student (Distributed energy systems analysis: An end-user energy services approach)
  • Mr Simon Marincowitz: MEng Student (An experimental investigation on the effect of wind screens on ACC fan performance and dynamic blade loading)
  • Mr David Marsh: MEng Student (Completion of conversion of existing gasturbine to run on LPG, and ultimatley biogas)
  • Mr David McDougall: MEng Student (Spiky Central Receiver Air Pre-heater (SCRAP): Numerical jet impingement heat transfer analysis of the spike tip)
  • Mr Matthew Meas: PhD Student (Investigation of the feasibility of a deconstructed gas turbine to compress air for a solar receiver)
  • Mr Zander Meiring: MEng Student (Modelling the performance of an axial flow fan using CFD)
  • Mr Thomas Meyer: MEng Student (Effect of tip region on noise and performance of axial flow fan)
  • Mr Timo Meissner:  MEng Student (Numerical investigation of the effect of scaling on the performance of large scale axial flow fans)
  • Mr Christoph Pan: PhD Student (The potential of PV enhanced CSP for economic base load electricity generation in South Africa)
  • Mr Ziyauddin Panchbhaya: MEng Student (Numerical/Experimental study of heat transfer enhancement on the inside of solar receiver tubes)
  • Mr Claude Piessou: MEng Student (Pre-feasibility of incorporating non-concentrating solar energy systems in a Kenyan tea industry)
  • Mr Johannes Rohwer: MEng Student (The measurement of blade pressure distribution on a full scale rotating blade)
  • Mr Timmo Schommarz: MEng Student (Gas turbine solarisation by radial compressor redesign)
  • Mr Andani Siavhe: MEng Student (A CFD study of Air-Cooled Condensers)
  • Mr Brian Ssebabi: PhD Student (Development of a micro-gas turbine for central receiver concentrating solar power systems)
  • Mr De Wet Taljaard: MEng Student (Solar process heat for small industrial applications with innovative financing solutions)
  • Mr Jacques van Bosch: MEng Student (Solar-powered water desalination)
  • Mr Ruan van Breda: PhD Student (Visual odometry system for drones)
  • Ruan van der Westhuizen: MEng Student (Transient Simulation of a Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (sCO2) Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) System)
  • Mr De Wet Van Rooyen: PhD Student (Development of an anastigmatic heliostat)
  • Mr Adam Venter: MEng Student (The effect of windscreens on ACC fan performance)
  • Mr Gerard Walsh: MEng Student (Implementation of tracking algorithm in UAV’s)

Affiliate members and visiting researchers

  • Dr Kenny Allen: Greenplan Consultants
  • Dr Bernard Bekker: CRSES
  • Dr Michael Brooks:  University KwaZulu-Natal
  • Prof Ken Craig: University of Pretoria
  • Mr Sven du Clou: National Metrology Institute of South Africa
  • Mr Saliem Fakir:  WWF SA
  • Mr Theo Fischer: Escience Associates
  • Dr Paul Harper
  • Mr Gregor Heiming: RWTH Aachen University
  • Dr Lukas Heller: Ricardo
  • Dr Stefan Hess: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
  • Mr Carel Jacobs: Stellenbosch University
  • Dr Atul Jadhav: Indian Institute of Packaging
  • Ms Karin Kritzinger: CRSES
  • Prof Sampson Mamphweli: CRSES
  • Mr Riaan Meyer:  CEO, GeoSun Africa
  • Ms Mbali Mtshali: Eskom
  • Mr Jean Pitot:  University KwaZulu-Natal
  • Mr Vikesh Rajpaul: Eskom
  • Dr Christoph Richter:  DLR (German Aerospace Center)
  • Mr Thomas Roos: CSIR
  • Mr Cebo Silinga: Technology Innovation Agency (TIA)