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Dear Colleagues,
It
is once again our pleasure and privilege to host the Research Council
members. On behalf of my colleagues at NM and my own personal behalf, I
extend a very warm welcome to all the members of the Research Council. I
take this opportunity to share with you our significant achievements
during the last few months since the last Council meeting, as well as
various other activities and contributions of our laboratory. On the
advice of the Research Council, we have carried out the exercise of
identifying the various NML’s technologies that are ripe for
commercialization and require only a small boost to see them through. We
shall be presenting a few of them today. I look forward to the RC’s help
and guidance in this effort in today’s deliberations.
11th
Five Year Plan Projects Funded by CSIR
I had
informed you in my earlier newsletter about our substantial
participation in various network projects for the 11th Plan
period. We are
presently participating in six network, one Inter-agency and one rural
sector projects in addition to coordinating one network project and one
supra-institutional project.
The period
under review saw the various 11th Plan projects initiate
their technical and scientific investigations as per their respective
mandates. I am happy to note that a large majority of the scientists of
this laboratory are involved in these 11th Five year plan
programmes, which are now in full swing.
In the
Supra-institutional Project on “Development and Forming of Performance
Driven Special Steels”
studies on deformation
behavior of TWIP steels have been initiated. Additionally melting of
Quenched & Partitioned steel has been carried out. This project has also
produced two types of filler alloys for joining steels having low
weldability. Under the programme, ESR steel has been produced at IIT
Mumbai and is presently being characterized. A number of activities for
establishing virtual platforms are in progress which includes generic
heat transfer modelling and Artificial Neural Network Modelling for
prediction of mechanical properties.
The networked project
“Technology for Assessment & Refurbishment of Engineering Materials &
Technology” (TAREMaC) under NML’s nodal leadership has received its
first installment of funds in this period. The first Task Force meeting
of the project has been completed only recently. The meeting helped to
define the substantive deliverables for the project and the milestones
for the various activities. The micro-planning exercise will benefit the
execution of the project.
The other network projects
in which NML is one of the participating laboratories are
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Development of
speciality inorganic materials for diverse application
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Development of advanced
light weight metallic materials for engineering applications
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Development of advanced
eco-friendly energy efficient processes for utilisation of iron ore
resources of India
-
Engineering of structure
against natural and other disasters
-
Zero emission research
initiative
-
Advancement in Metrology
The title of the inter-agency project is “Development
of cost effective mine water reclamation technology for providing safe
drinking water”, and that for the rural sector project is “Use of
natural occurring minerals for providing safe drinking water at domestic
level in state of Jharkhand”.
Other High Impact Programmes
In
the project “Development of Processing Technology for Recycling and
Re-use of Electronic Waste” sponsored by Department of Information
Technology, a protocol for disassembly of
computers has been developed. It was found from modal analysis that the
grind size required for good liberation was 1 mm. The scrap contained
about 23% total metal and 6% copper. Preliminary bench scale
beneficiation operations have also been carried out including desliming,
gravity separation and flotation. The obtained yield values have been
found quite encouraging. Detailed physical beneficiation studies to
develop a complete flowsheet for separation of metals from the
non-metallic constituents are in progress. Collaborations with Central
Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar and
Videocon Industries Limited, Bharuch has been established to address the
issues related to plastics and glass, respectively. The high powered
Monitoring Committee which reviewed the project on 11th July,
2008 was very highly satisfied with the progress of the project.
Satisfied with the achievements of 10th
five year plan work of NML, the Ministry of Earth Sciences approved
another four new projects during the 11th five year plan,
which are related to the Direct smelting of sea nodules for the recovery
of valuable metals, Smelting of NML process leach residue/ smelted slag
for recovery of manganese as ferro-silico-manganese and Development of
improved solvent extraction technique like Pulse sieve column. About Rs.
10 Crores have been sanctioned by the ministry for these projects. The
projects have been started from April 2008 and the work is progressing
satisfactorily.
As a part of a national
perspective plan for R&D in the power sector, NML has undertaken a
project on “The Development of Silt Erosion Resistant Material for
Turbines of Hydro-generators” sponsored by CEA. The projected cost is Rs.
299.79 lakhs over a period of three years. Through discussions with CPRI,
NHPC, BHEL and IIT-Roorkee, the project deliverables have been defined
as the development of a material with improved performance in terms of
mechanical properties and erosive wear resistance as compared to the
presently used 13Cr-4Ni stainless steel.
The Real Time Process Simulator (RTPS) developed by
NML and reported briefly in the previous newsletter, provides a platform
for real time monitoring and prediction of the internal state of a
furnace in which the operational transients can be readily captured to
guide the operator towards quick decision making and thereby improve
operational practices. It has the flexibility to be synchronized with an
existing plant network or operate through a designed data acquisition
scheme, parallel to the plant network, without interfering with the
regular operation. Being indigenous, the RTPS models can be
modified/upgraded and customized as per the plant requirements. The
process information from the technology can be utilized for the
development of an optimal control strategy.
The technology has already been installed at BF-5, Bokaro Steel Limited,
SAIL and is being further up-graded for implementation at BF-6 & BF-7,
Bhilai Steel Plant, SAIL .
International Collaborations
A theme meeting on “Nanostructured Advanced
Materials” was organized at the National Metallurgical Laboratory,
Jamshedpur, India during March 27-29, 2008 as a part of CSIR-ISTAD
activities on cutting edge technologies. There were 12 overseas experts
from USA, UK, Spain, Slovakia, Australia and Singapore. Representatives
from 10 CSIR laboratories including NML who are involved in the
development of nanostructured materials attended the 3-day theme
meeting. To focus CSIR activities on nanomaterials four major areas were
taken up for discussion in the meeting. The areas were: i.Biomaterials;
ii.Ceramics, Composites and Hard Coatings; iii.Magnetic
Materials; and iv. Structural Materials. As an outcome of this theme
meeting, a major International Collaborative network project with total
financial outlay of Rs. Forty five crore is under active consideration
of CSIR Head Quarters
A collaboration with AOARD,
Japan has been initiated on “Prediction of formation of amorphous phases
during annealing of Ti-binary alloys and validation of the same”.
Another collaborative programme
entitled “Removal of hazardous metal elements
from leach liquor of electronic scraps by solvent extraction” with KIGAM,
Korea is also making satisfactory progress.
In my earlier communication, I
informed about the interaction with ALCOA Inc., USA under the aegis of
CSIR-ALCOA Innovation Council. This interaction has now culminated in
five sponsored investigations with duration ranging from four to six
months and a total funding of 130,000 US$. The title of the projects in
progress are :
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Amenability of
Electrochemical techniques for the treatment of wastewaters
generated from aluminium industry
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Assessment of Floride
removal capability of novel materials, FEOL, ALOL and ZACL from
contaminated water sources
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Production of high phase
pure boehmite for possible seed application
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Mechanochemical Leaching
of Bauxite from ALCOA, Australia
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Use
of Bauxite Residues in Geopolymer Concrete
Intellectual Property Creation
NML has applied for eight patents in diverse topics
during this period and eight copyrights have been forwarded to CSIR for
registration.
Infrastructure development
A number of high-end equipment and instruments will
be procured in this financial year which will see the purchase of many
of the major facilities sanctioned under different 11th Plan
projects. Some of the important equipment which have been procured in
the period include High Resolution & High Temperature X-Ray
Diffractometer with Reflectometry, Denver type Rod Mill, Computerized
High Performance Color Measurement Spectrophotometer, Atomic Absorption
Spectrophotometer, Total Organic Carbon Analyser, Pendulum Impact
Tester, Nano Particles size Analyzer, 20 Ton Hydraulic Press, Power
Compensated Differential Scanning Calorimeter, along with a number of
furnaces and softwares.
Foreign deputation & visits
I am very pleased to
inform you that several scientists went on foreign deputations and I am
sure that their trips abroad will be very useful for the future
activities of NML.
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Sl. No. |
Employee |
Destination |
Purpose |
|
1 |
Shobhana Dey |
South Africa |
Sabbatical |
|
2 |
R.K.Jana |
South Korea |
Collaborative
Project |
|
3 |
Dr. B.Nayak |
Germany |
Conference on
Deep Sea Mineral |
|
4 |
Dr.Sanjay
Prasad |
USA |
Conference on
Solid Waste Technology and Management |
|
5 |
Dr.S.Ghorai |
USA |
BOYSCAST
Fellowship |
|
6 |
Dr.S.Chaudhury |
Germany |
11th
International Conference on creep and fracture of Engineering
Materials and structures |
|
7 |
Dr. H.N.Bar |
USA |
BOYSCAST
Fellowship |
|
8 |
Dr. Arvind
Sinha |
Taipei,
Republic of China |
Study meeting
on strategic Industries in member countries: Nanotechnology ( by
Asia Productivity organisation) |
|
9 |
Prof.
S.P.Mehrotra |
Brussels,
Belgium |
Team member for
India-EU Scientific Evaluators panel meeting on "Computational
Materials Science Joint Proposals” |
|
10 |
Dr.Amitava
Bandopadhya |
Istanbul,
Turkey |
Global Conf. on
Global warming |
|
11 |
Dr,(Mrs)
S.K.Mishra |
Singapore |
International
Conferences on Technological Advances on thin film & surface
coatings |
|
12 |
Dr.GVS Murthy |
Chicago,USA |
35th Annual
Review of progress in QNDE |
|
13 |
Dr. S.
Chakravarty |
Spain |
International
Congress on Arsenic in Environment |
|
14 |
Dr. A. K.
Mohanty |
Ireland |
Nanomaterials |
Performance Indicators
The performance indicators of the laboratory are indicated below for the
appraisal of the members:
|
01.01.2007-31.07.2007 |
01.01.2008-31.07.2008 |
|
External
Cash-Flow |
|
ECF Total
: Rs. 439.7 Lakhs
Govt
: Rs. 202.0 Lakhs
Private
: Rs. 237.7 Lakhs |
ECF Total
: Rs. 598.7 Lakhs
Govt
: Rs. 314.1 Lakhs
Private
: Rs. 284.6 Lakhs |
|
IPRs |
|
Patent filed
(India) : 7
Patent filed
(abroad) : 1
Patent Granted
(India) : 8
Patent Granted
(Abroad) : 1
Copyright
Registered : 2
Publications
(SCI Journals) : 67 |
Patent filed
(India) : 12
Patent filed
(abroad) : -
Patent Granted
(India) : 6
Patent Granted
(Abroad) : 4
Copyright
Registered : 9
Publications
(SCI Journals) : 69 |
New Projects
Seventy
four new sponsored and consultancy projects have been initiated during
the period under review. These have a contract value of about 13.5
Crores.
Workshops/Seminars/Training
The following training workshops were conducted
during the period to disseminate our available knowledge and expertise:
Distinguished Visitors
During the period, the following eminent
personalities visited NML and interacted with our scientists. Dr. Baldev
Raj, Director, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam; Mr.
B.K. Shah , Distinguished Scientist, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre; Dr.
H.K.D.H Bhadeshia, Professor of Physical Metallurgy, Material Science
and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, U.K.; Prof. Walter
Arnold, Saarland University, Saarbruecken, Germany; Prof. V.S. Raja,
Corrosion Science & Engg, Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai; Dr.
Serena M. Best, Reader, Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy
University of Cambridge, UK ; Prof. Paul Calvert , Department of
Materials & Textile, University of Masschusetts, Dartmouth MA, USA; Prof
B.Mishra, Metallurgical Engineering Division, Colorado School of Mines,
Colorado, USA; Prof. Steve Bull, Head, School
of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, Newcastle University,
Merz Court, Newcastle upon Tyne,NE1 7RU, U.K; Prof. D.C.Jiles,
Director, Wolfson Centre for Magnetics, Cardiff University, UK; Prof. S.
Ezaz Huq, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire,
OX11 0QX, UK; Prof. R.A. Andrievskiy, Institute of Problems of Chemical
Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Chernogolovka, Russia; Prof.
M.Vazquez, Institute of Materials Science, (CSIC), Campus Universitario,
28049 Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain; Prof.
Peter Svec, Institute of Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska
cesta 9, 842 28 Bratislava, Slovakia; Dr. Saibal Roy, Senior Scientist,
Microsystems Center, Tyndall National Institute UCC, Lee Maltings,
Prospect Row, Cork, Ireland; Prof. Charles Christopher Sorrell, School
of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales,
Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia; Prof. Sam Zhang Shanyong,
Director, Thin Films Technology Program,
School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological
University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore; Dr. Yang Hyunsoo,
Asst. Professor,
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, International Centre
for nanoscience & Technology, Singapore.
Awards and Achievements
The period under consideration saw a number of awards
coming to NML. I take this opportunity to congratulate them all for
their contribution:
Dr. Suman K. Mishra,
Vasvik Award of Smt. Chanda Ben Mohanbhai Patel Industrial Research
Award for Woman Scientist -2004
Dr. R.K. Sahu,
CSIR Young Scientist Award -2008 (Engg. Sc.)
Dr. B.D. Pandey,
IIME Mineral/Coal Beneficiation Award (R&D/ Academic)-2008
Dr. Ratnakar Singh,
Certificate of Merit, CSIR Leadership Development Programme
S.K. Sahu, K.K. Sahu & B.D. Pandey,
IIME Best Paper Published Award – Bio-Hydro-Electro Processing
M. Sharma, A.K. Singh, N.K. Shukla, S.K.
Srivastava & K.K. Bhattacharyya,
IIME Best Paper Presentation Award- Characterisation
T. Alex, R. Kumar, S.K. Ray & S.P.
Mehrotra, IIME Best Paper
Presentation Award - Beneficiation
Mr. J.N. Mohapatra,
SRF, MST Div., Best Poster Paper Award – Young Scientist Colloquium
(USC-08) organized by MRSI, Kolkata
Human Resource Development
During this period the following have joined NML in
various capacities: Dr.(Ms.) Nidhi Singh, Dr.(Ms.) Arpita Ghosh and
Shri P Munda, all as scientists, Shri B Mishra as F&AO, Shri N S
Randhawa, Ms. Rupa Das Biswas, and Shri Uma Chandra Oraon, all as Group
III staff and Shri Shiv Shankar Kumar as Senior Steno. I wish them all
a very pleasant, exciting and fruitful professional life. Additionally
NML carried out the following recruitment and career advancement
activities
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Interviews for twenty two Gr. IV positions were held from 8-13th
Aug, 2008
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Ten
Gr. III positions and twenty three Gr. II positions have been
advertised, the applications have been received and the screening
process is on.
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Three
walk-in interviews were held for Project Assistants and Scientist
Fellows.
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Assessment interviews for Gr. III, II, I have been completed up to
2006-2007. For the year 2007-2008, it is scheduled to be held on 25th
and 26th Aug., 2008.
Superannuations
Ten of my colleagues,
fellow employess, retired during this period. They are Shri C B S Khatri,
Shri P K De, Shri Sohan Singh, Shri R K Thakur, Shri T B Singh, Shri Ram
Iqbal Rai, Dr. R P Goel, Shri Nagesh Pandey, Ms. S Bansier, Ms. Shova
Dutta. I take this opportunity to wish them all A Very Happy &
Healthy Retired Life.
Extra curricular
activities
This
laboratory hosted the “Hussain Zaheer Memorial Bridge Tournament” which
was attended by the top bridge teams of CSIR and some of the best local
teams of Jamshedpur. NML bridge team emerged runners-up in the event.
The staff and guests were entertained with Chou Dance performed by
artistes from Seraikela and “Odissi” performed by renowned group from
Cuttak headed by Mrs. Meera Das. The NML lady’s club organised a number
of events including a “Ladies Cricket Match”, a Summer Mela featuring
different cuisines and games and a “Sawan festival”. They have also
invoked the help of Jamshedpur Cine club and plan to show films in the
residential campuses, their first screening was the critically acclaimed
“Blue Umbrella”. ‘Prayog Prayashi, a cultural organization of NML staff
members staged a comedy in the audio-
drama festival at Russi Modi Centre of Excellence, which was widely
appreciated.
Before signing off, I
express my sincere thanks and gratitude to our RC Chairman, Dr. Baldev
Raj, and all other RC members for their keen interest in NML’s
activities, and their pro-active stance with regards to NML’s
endeavours. I thank all my scientist colleagues, technical staff
members, all my colleagues and staff members of various sections of
administration for their continuous support and cooperation. It is
through their efforts and initiatives that NML hopes to set new
benchmarks in research.
25 August, 2008
(S.P.Mehrotra)
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In
questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth
the humble reasoning of a single individual
Galileo Galilei |
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