To cater for the growing demand for small medium-pressure power boilers, John Thompson developed a watertube boiler named the MicroGen. This power boiler is particularly suited to renewable fibrous-biomass fuel as well as coal-fired, mini- or micro-grid power islands and industrial co-generation applications. The MicroGen boiler comes in two designs - MicroGenV at a nominal 25tph and the MicroGenX at a nominal 45tph at steam pressures between 31 barg and 67 barg based on the particular turbine requirements. These two boiler capacities at 31 barg and 67 barg, correspond nominally with net electrical outputs of 5 MWe and 10 MWe respectively, in the case of single boiler power islands. The compact design incorporates a single-drum configuration with a membrane-wall furnace construction and flag tube evaporator bank.

John Thompson is a division of ACTOM (Pty) Ltd and boasts over eight decades of experience and expertise as a global leader in energy and environmental solutions. With an engineering history dating to 1824 and experience gained through cooperation agreements with international organisations such as Combustion Engineering, Rolls-Royce, Alstom and others, John Thompson has built up a technology base that makes us leaders in this industry.

From our humble beginnings in 1954 when John Thompson under Albert de Jong (Pty) Ltd manufactured their first boiler in South Africa to celebrating 65 years of manufacturing and engineering excellence in 2019, John Thompson’s boilers, environmental solutions and engineering excellence is underpinned by innovation. We are implementing a number of exciting new technologies such as the MicroGen Boiler. There is no denying the need for sustainable energy solutions as the world is faced with the challenges of renewable sources of energy.

“The MicroGenV and MicroGenX boilers are designed to burn biomass, renewable fuels and coal because we are still catering for a number of customers that want to burn coal and biomass for power generation. We supply this power island as a turnkey solution, and have already successfully supplied a 30t/h boiler into the market,” explained Etienne De Villiers, John Thompson Divisional Technical Manager.

The MicroGen is a modular power boiler with the ability to produce electrical power and process steam via turbo-alternator. Its unique design applies Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technology to support optimum combustion and heat transfer while minimising the risk of erosion. The MicroGen design is characterised by standard modular units for cost effective transportation and reduced installation period.

As a leader in the field of boiler technology, John Thompson is committed to product development and the advancement of thermal/combustion technology. Modern boiler design and more efficient combustion methods enable long-term cost-savings for our clients and help them maximise uptime while complying with stringent clean-air requirements.

Our achievements are reflected by the quality of our products and services. Over the years, John Thompson has often been recognised for excellence and this has contributed to the “preferred supplier” relationship that has developed with various clients. John Thompson is recognised for its ability to meet schedule, excellence in work quality and low cost of rework. We have some of the best quality achievements in specialised welding in South Africa. Our organisation has multiple ISO accreditations and we are currently in the process to get accredited as a level 1 Nuclear supplier.

Capabilities and Engineering Excellence

John Thompson designs, manufactures, constructs, maintains and retrofits industrial water tube and fire tube boilers with steam outputs of up to 320 t/h for process steam and power generation applications. In addition, John Thompson provides boiler and high-pressure piping refurbishments and maintenance services for process steam plant and utility plants. John Thompson water tube and fire tube boiler designs are for coal-, biomass-, oil- and gas-fuels. John Thompson also designs and manufactures waste-heat boilers.

As part of John Thompson’s comprehensive market offering, the company provides boiler components, construction services, engineering services, refurbishment & retrofitting, after sales service and spares to customers locally and internationally.

John Thompson has a well-established relationship with Hamon Research Cottrell S.A. for exclusive representation of Hamon Electrostatic Precipitator upgrades and maintenance in South Africa and other regions of Africa. John Thompson has also developed an internal capacity for utility plant fabric filters design, manufacture, construction, retrofit and maintenance. This is in addition to the companies long-established Air Pollution Control capabilities in the mining and industrial sectors.

As a leader in the field of boiler technology, John Thompson is committed to product development and the advancement of thermal/combustion technology. Modern boiler design and more efficient combustion methods enable long-term cost-savings for our clients and help them maximise uptime while complying with stringent clean-air requirements.

John Thompson continually invests in the engineering resources that keep us, and our clients, delivering at the highest level. Our engineering capabilities include:

• Conceptual and process designs
• Plant integration design
• Detail designs & specification
• Product development
• Computational fluid design modelling
• Pipe stress and flexibility analysis
• Finite element analysis
• Commissioning