Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Software
Interests
Timeline
Hi, I’m

Richard .K. Links

Intermediate Electrical Engineer
Johannesburg,Gauteng
Richard .K. Links

Summary

The Electrical Engineer possesses experience in interpreting, annotating, and creating electrical drawings and diagrams, as well as comprehending documents from other disciplines i.e. general arrangements, P&IDs, PFDs, and mechanical equipment lists and drawings. Richard's extensive experience includes collaborating with a team to produce deliverables. This involved issuing directives and outlining the requirements. Additionally, the engineer has engaged in research and experimentation, contributing as a co-author to a paper on high voltage insulation that focused on the characterization of double cavity Partial Discharges in solid insulation. Other contributions include serving as the electrical team leader for the Solar Decathlon university competition, which involved constructing a net-zero energy home utilizing renewable energy sources, innovative techniques, and intelligent technologies. The comprehensive skills acquired encompass team management, collaborative teamwork, leadership, effective communication, and the ability to meet project deadlines without sacrificing quality. Working within a multidisciplinary team required effective liaison and communication with various disciplines, clients, onsite personnel, and team members.

Overview

5
years of professional experience
5
Languages

Work History

Hatch Africa

Intermediate Electrical Engineer
02.2023 - Current

Job overview

  • Richard has built the Electrical Load List which include both new and existing loads for the brown fields project
  • This entailed motor nameplate verification on site, interaction with plant personnel to verify existing information and incorporating new design to an existing plant substation
  • In building the Load List, the total loading of the transformers was sized using from diversification and different load factors
  • Fault levels were determined to size the MCC bus and incomer breaker sizes.
  • With site information, Richard has had the task to add input into mechanical and control and automation documentations
  • Reviewing and checking electrical network diagrams and cable schedules.
  • Richard led a group of 6 university students to understand the project environment and cycle, read and understand important documents, specifications and standards, and then give them electrical deliverables, which they all executed in the given timelines.
  • Built a database of 25 + existing MCC, with their cubicle data for the purpose of determining demolishing scope and shut down period “Stay On” loads.
  • Currently preparing work on UPS SLDs and Load flow reports using ETAP
  • And working on the Tie-in List (register) for tie-in points of new design and equipment to the existing plant
  • I.e
  • 11 kV inter tripping, panel retrofits, new MCC installation, Generator control panel, Fire Alarm etc.

Hatch Africa

Junior Electrical Engineer
02.2021 - 01.2023

Job overview

  • Richard was assigned designers and engineers to perform a task of redrawing existing Motor Control Centers (MCCs) and their cubicles and indicate cubicles that are to be modified in the end on Single Line Diagrams (SLDs) and General Arrangements (GAs) using pictures from site visits and plant personnel.
  • Richard was involved in drawing Electrical Typical Schematics Diagrams and MCC GA drawings, and SLD diagrams using Siemens COMOS Software
  • This required speaking to various stakeholders like the client, possible vendors and company employees involved to obtain required information for work completion.
  • He familiarized himself with the Document and Information management tools (Share Point) for review and checking cycles and document delivery to the client.

Hatch Africa

Student Work
11.2020 - 03.2021

Job overview

  • Richard was responsible for UPS sizing for the dry, wet plant and port of the project using the load list.
  • Further work was to expedite information between the Johannesburg and the Australian teams.
  • Richard worked on a mining plant to produce SLDs and Termination diagrams on plant equipment like incomers and feeders, MCCs, VSDs, DOLs, Circuit Breakers, etc
  • From existing cable schedules and load lists using DAD (Digital Asset Delivery) software
  • Compiling schematics for issuing to doc control
  • Sometime has been spent on checking schematics too

Hatch Africa

Vacation Work Student
12.2019 - 01.2020

Job overview

  • Worked for Hatch in Greenstone, Johannesburg
  • This project entailed working with PI&Ds and PFD documents to place control and automation instrumentation equipment
  • The control and automation group involved process flow levels in tanks and pipes by monitoring, controlling and feedback for an ore processing plant
  • The instruments used where connected to marshalling panels further to communication panels using core cables and Ethernet connection
  • These connections were digital and analogue input and outputs.

Hatch Africa

Vacation Work Student
12.2018 - 01.2019

Job overview

  • Worked for Hatch in Greenstone, Johannesburg
  • The project entailed designing a mining substation to feed electrical power to a plant section
  • This involved making a load list (i.e
  • Conveyor belt motors), cable scheduling, equipment allocation and various processes
  • Working on this project required that, client specifications, OHS Acts and South African National Standard be adhered to in the design of the substation
  • Worked with a single line diagram
  • The substation design included switchgears, transformers, lights, plugs, control panels etc.

Martec, Division of Pragma

Vacation Work Student
12.2017 - 02.2018

Job overview

  • I worked on research and development (RD) on radio frequency (RF) detection
  • This meant prototyping the RF meter and preparing presentation of the proposed and selected solution
  • We used an Arduino, electronic components, Integrated chips and the internet of things (IIot).

DigSilent Buyisa

Vacation Work Student
12.2016 - 01.2017

Job overview

  • Worked for DigSilent Buyisa in Centurion to capture actual relay protection settings
  • The work involved using Microsoft packages: Word and specifically Excel to capture the settings
  • Templates made to capture similar settings, then saved for later processing in other software.

University of the Witwatersrand

Vacation Work Student
11.2015 - 01.2016

Job overview

  • Worked for a lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand under the School of Electrical and Information Engineering from December 2015 to January 2016
  • The work entailed understanding, testing and improving an existing fly back AC-DC converter
  • Each fly back converter unit fed into a Pico grid DC bus
  • For each fly back output, an Arduino device regulated the voltage output going into a DC bus

Education

University of The Witwatersrand
Johannesburg, South Africa

BSc (Hons.) Electrical Engineer from High Voltage, Power Systems, Electromagnetic Machines
01.2014 - 2021.04

University Overview

  • Degree Awarded with [Honors]
  • IEEE Research Paper : Characterizing Double Cavity Partial Discharges, The results show that the double cavity PD magnitude is greater than the single cavity by an average of 15%. There are more discharges per cycle for double cavities compared to single cavity. - Research Project

Consulting Engineers South Africa
Johannesburg, South Africa

Business of Consulting in Engineering from Consulting, Project Delivery, Law, And Finance.
02.2024 - 11.2024

University Overview

Skills

Load List, Diversification and load factor

undefined

Software

Microsoft Office Suite

Microstation

SharePoint

COMOS

ETAP

Interests

Photography

Adventurous Activities

Travelling

Timeline

Consulting Engineers South Africa
Business of Consulting in Engineering from Consulting, Project Delivery, Law, And Finance.
02.2024 - 11.2024
Intermediate Electrical Engineer
Hatch Africa
02.2023 - Current
Junior Electrical Engineer
Hatch Africa
02.2021 - 01.2023
Student Work
Hatch Africa
11.2020 - 03.2021
Vacation Work Student
Hatch Africa
12.2019 - 01.2020
Vacation Work Student
Hatch Africa
12.2018 - 01.2019
Vacation Work Student
Martec, Division of Pragma
12.2017 - 02.2018
Vacation Work Student
DigSilent Buyisa
12.2016 - 01.2017
Vacation Work Student
University of the Witwatersrand
11.2015 - 01.2016
University of The Witwatersrand
BSc (Hons.) Electrical Engineer from High Voltage, Power Systems, Electromagnetic Machines
01.2014 - 2021.04
Richard .K. LinksIntermediate Electrical Engineer